Anticipated Discrimination Increases Stress Response
Stress can lead to negative mental and physical health outcomes. People who undergo stressful experiences are at increased risk for psychological difficulties such as anxiety, worry, and fear. The physiologic responses resulting from acute stress also increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. Discrimination can even cause stress in people who merely perceive they are being treated unfairly. This relationship between discrimination and stress is well documented; however, the effect of anticipated discrimination on stress is less... Read More
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Hopelessness describes an individual’s feelings related to expected failures or negative outcomes. Many studies have examined how a mother’s psychological state affects the mental well-being of her child, but few of them have focused specifically on hopelessness. For socially disadvantaged children, and in particular, African American 
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer among women throughout the world. This life-changing diagnosis can lead to significant changes both emotionally and physically. Women who are diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, whether through radiation and chemotherapy or through mastectomy, must deal with radical changes to their physical appearance and health. The emotional toll of experiencing these types of changes can be intense. After treatment, women are often hypersensitive to the recurrence of breast cancer and can become worried and 
Individuals who live in high-crime communities may experience more fear than those who live in communities with lower crime rates. Fear of crime and 
Cognitive fusion is a process that involves attaching a thought to an experience. Cognitive fusion is beneficial in many ways. Through the process of cognitive fusion, people can become interested in story lines in movies and books because they attach their emotions to the events. Hobbies that elicit positive feelings can be enhanced as a result of cognitive fusion as well. Even feelings of love can be influenced by cognitive fusion. But this process can also impair behavior in individuals with certain psychological issues. People who struggle with anxiety and depression experience negative thoughts... 
At one extreme among inflexible people is obsessive-compulsive disorder—people who must perform a ritual to be sure something is done “right,” whether it’s checking the locks or the bank balance—but there are gradations all along the way to the other extreme. Those gradations may include people who seem quite normal; they’re pleasant, fun, kind, and friendly—until you cross them. Then watch out.
Inflexible people are not that way because they enjoy being rigid and controlling. If you stop and think about it, the idea that someone is controlling because they enjoy it makes no sense.... 
Saturday April 28th was my 11th Ocha Birthday. That is to say it was the anniversary of my initiation as a Yoruba/Lucumi Priest of Obatala (April 28, 2001). To me, it’s as important a date as my natal birthday. Traditionally, to mark the anniversary, we purchase food and cook for the Orishas (the divinities we worship), read each Orisha we have with Obi (4 quarters of coconut), and generally strive to have a peaceful and meditative day. Sometimes, if possible, we open our homes to other Orisha Priests to come and salute our Orishas and to offer their blessings. Since I was in a somewhat isolated... 
Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are more likely to have encounters with law enforcement personnel than people without mental illness. Drug and alcohol use, schizophrenia, and violent behaviors increase a person’s chances of engaging in activities that could warrant police interference. Police officers who interact with SMI individuals also realize the increased risk to their safety and the safety of the individual. Unfortunately, many of the police officers who deal directly with SMI individuals are ill-equipped to effectively handle the situations that arise. These officers, who... 
Individuals who do not express anger can suffer significant mental and physical health problems. Suppressed anger can lead to stress, frustration, worry, and isolation. Bottling up angry feelings has been shown to cause numerous physical complications resulting from stress. Some research has even demonstrated a link between anger and depression. Depression itself can cause sleep problems, memory impairment, lack of concentration, appetite suppression, and other harmful physical issues. But until recently, little research has focused specifically on how anger suppression and expression affect the... 
Have you seen the movie? There are a lot of parenting situations in it that we can relate to. The main one that I see is with Marlin and Nemo. Nemo has a short fin and his dad is very protective of him, which is natural. Nemo wants to show his dad what he can do in spite of his short fin, but this is a scary situation for Marlin (the dad), because he does not know how to protect Nemo.
Nemo is reacting in an age-appropriate way: He wants to show his dad what he can do; Dad won’t let him, and then Nemo does it anyway. Sound familiar? This pattern happens a lot and at different ages and stages... 
Intimate partner violence (IPA) is an issue that is addressed in various ways. Women who report IPA to legal authorities are often referred to services through the criminal justice system. Sometimes, when a woman reports IPA, resources to help her address the physical, mental, and social consequences of IPA can be accessed through community programs. IPA can cause depression, fear, and revictimization. 
People are often perplexed by numbness or intense emotionality that can occur for years after a traumatic event. Addictions, stress, and anxiety may also follow. If you are experiencing any of these, this is NORMAL. You are not alone.
In the same way that we need to digest physical food, we need to digest emotional happenings. If we don’t take the time needed to allow emotional happenings to digest, we may feel cut off or extremely reactive. This is not wrong; this is human. The question is how one addresses this experience so that it comes to a gentle close.
In working with hundreds of... 
Exposure therapy is one of the most common forms of therapy to address symptoms of 
When Susan was growing up, she had a series of nightmares that were so familiar she knew when they were coming. She was scared to go to sleep and tried to stay awake to avoid them, but she couldn’t quite do it.
Instead she would fall asleep, have a bad dream, wake up, and find herself inside another bad dream. True awakening sometimes was as impossible as true sleep. This torture continued as she got older and didn’t go away until she learned that she needed help, which she sought; in psychotherapy, she learned just how scared she really was.
“How will therapy cure my fears?” she... 
