September 29th, 2008 |
I was in a therapy session the other day when the person I was working with, who had been struggling with some challenges, said that he was taught that things had to be easy to be okay. I found myself responding…it is a privilege to struggle and have the opportunity to find out who we are, what we are made of.
When life is easy, we can enjoy ourselves and that is wonderful. But what about when life is not so easy? What about when we are up against challenges that really scare or overwhelm us?
It seems that it would be great if our lives were always easy and happy rather than challenging.... Read More
September 25th, 2008 |
The economic downturn has lead to a spike in the demand for psychological crisis services, according to several sources.
In New York, calls to Hopeline, a telephone crisis service for people experiencing severe depression increased by about 75 percent between the summer of 2007 and the summer of 2008. Hopeline received a record 10,368 in July of this year, and expects a continued climb as the economy worsens and financial stressors – and the incumbent potential... Read More
September 23rd, 2008 |
What is a Psychotherapy Process Oriented group and how does it work?
A process group usually consists of around eight people who meet regularly for the common purpose of finding out more about who they are and what it is perhaps that they would like to see change with in their personal lives and in their relationships with others.
The life of a process group from the beginning to the... Read More
September 14th, 2008 |
A recent study by the Center for Disease Control, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is being touted as evidence that some very common treatments for trauma lack empirical evidence of success in helping children and adolescents. The study, which reviewed a small percentage of the available literature, found evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral treatment,... Read More
September 9th, 2008 |
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that can cause significant damage to the sufferer’s life. OCD begins with obsessive thoughts. These lead to the development of behaviors meant to control the thoughts. The behaviors then become compulsive rituals. The person feels strongly compelled to perform the rituals in response to the disturbing thoughts, even though... Read More
September 6th, 2008 |
A new study examining the effects of the common antidepressent Citalopram (brand name: Celexa) has found clinically significant differences in how the genders respond to its use in treating depression. A study of nearly three-thousand Americans found women 33% more likely to acheive a full remittane of depressive symptoms, despite the fact that their depression was overall more severe than men's.
What to conclude from this? Researchers believe chemical differences in men's and women's biology are responsible, and are focusing... Read More
September 3rd, 2008 |
Lately I have been reading about solitude and writing about surrender. They seem to go together and have much to say about the spiritual dimension of psychotherapy.
Solitude is usually defined as a period of time away from the company of other humans. However within that definition there is a great deal of variation in terms of how much contact one has with the natural world other than humans. Solitude can be structured to minimize or maximize one’s contact with the natural world. The minimalist version is the Catholic monk... Read More
