Category: Anxiety
The Good Therapy Blog
December 7th, 2010 |
Walking through a large local discount store recently I was struck by the urge to buy things that I didn’t originally come to the store for. The item I had been shopping for was not on the shelf, and the similar items didn’t appeal to me. Still, somehow I was drawn toward displays of odds and ends. I noticed a thought creep into the back of my mind “Hey, maybe you could use one of these, it’s not that expensive.” It was difficult to walk away. I wondered though what the attraction was. Is it just the sheer volume of merchandise that makes it impossible not to see something else that you... Read More
December 7th, 2010 |
Home for the holidays– for some, this phrase evokes warm memories of family gathered together. For others, the phrase evokes a tremendous amount of anxiety, wondering how to manage complex and strained family relationships.
Family issues and conflicts are as varied as they are common. One of the most common sources of family stress are, the judgments that are, often expressed surrounding your life choices. Maybe it's a grandmother who can't understand your decision not to marry your partner and constantly asks you if you have any announcements to make. Or a father who openly comments on... Read More
December 6th, 2010 |
During therapeutic play with children, therapists watch, listen, and interact during moments when a child may be giving voice to images, emotion, and story.
“Image” implies an object or person of attachment from the child’s past, “emotion” implies feelings from past relationships or that the child may be feeling presently and in their current relationships, and “story” implies the coming together of a narrative that all children accumulate pieces of over time.
As children work to make sense of their world, they often try on different ways to language meanings, experiences,... Read More
December 6th, 2010 |
Santa Claus lived long ago in a far away land, far from the United States, in the hills of Bavaria before Thomas Nast drew the first caricature of a rollie-pollie man who evolved into the one depicted in advertisements today. Santa was an original Bohemian, you might say. He was well known in his community as a toy designer and artist who crafted a variety of toys including wooden horses, paper kites, ceramic dolls, stuffed animals and one of-a-kind puppets. In his studio, located on a mountainside, he used his imagination to create characters that portrayed personality aspects belonging to... Read More
December 6th, 2010 |
The holidays are swiftly upon us, and for many, it is a season of joy, anticipation, family and friends, decorations, and memories in the making. For the woman experiencing postpartum challenges, however, the holidays can add an additional layer of stress to excavate oneself out of.
Women who are grappling with a PMAD (the clinical term: perinatal mood/anxiety disorder), or as we can gently refer to as a “postpartum challenge”…endure a complex biochemical/hormonal/ emotional upheaval that requires the strength of a warrior for resolution. Add pressures surrounding the holidays (which... Read More
December 3rd, 2010 |
Success Love Now is an eight step process I created for people who wish to achieve goals while awakening into deeper states of love, joy and peace. Running to achieve a goal can become stressful for clients. Aiming to find peace in meditation outside of goals can feel removed from real life. Many people wish to enter states of deep happiness while turning yearned for dreams into reality. From working with hundreds of people from many backgrounds and cultures, I found eight important steps that to effectively address both endeavors simultaneously. The eight steps are agreeable to people... Read More
December 2nd, 2010 |
Being mindful means being aware of inner and outer processes as they present themselves in the moment. The main inner observations are the observations of thoughts, emotions and body sensations.
One of the instructions that I give while introducing the basic mindfulness meditation is: “The moment that you notice that you are thinking (rather than being involved in the thinking) is a moment of choice. You may choose to shift awareness from the thought and come back to the breath or you may choose to go on thinking, developing the thoughts, following them, and so on”. During the formal practice... Read More
November 30th, 2010 |
Chronic pain is an issue facing many of our potential clients. It is important to understand the effect of ongoing, intractable pain on emotional health and wellbeing, and to be willing to address it as part of a comprehensive therapeutic plan if the client acknowledges this need. Chronic pain is often misdiagnosed, undertreated, and it can impact every part of a person’s life. Relationships, work, self-esteem – all can be affected by the experience of coping with physical pain.
I am a psychotherapist (Registered IMF) working in a private practice, and I am also a pain management... Read More
November 30th, 2010 |
So far this series has explored how the body-mind reacts to situations in early life where there is stress from external tension or inconsistent care. But what happens when care is forthcoming to the point where a growing child feels stifled? Let’s conjure up a scenario to explore this.
Imagine a child who is oohed and ahh-ed over. This is a good thing right? Right, but the saying “everything in moderation” has merit even here. When a baby is fondled and oohed and ahh-ed over, it is meant as encouragement and an exchange of joy- this is essential for healthy development. But for... Read More
November 30th, 2010 |
What is it about the Holidays that causes more stress than fun? Why are women more susceptible to stress during the Holidays? How can women not only survive the Holidays, but actually enjoy them?
These are questions most women face (and typically ignore) as Holiday demands and expectations start to build. When stores are filled with Christmas music, commercials chide you to buy just the “right” gift, and Hallmark images of family perfection abound, it is hard to gain perspective. Who has not succumbed to last minute buying, late night present-wrapping, and dashed hopes of family harmony... Read More
November 30th, 2010 |
What do you do, as a parent, when your child doesn’t want to go to school? Sometimes, kids feign illness for a day off. Other times, they’ll be open about not wanting to go. On one hand, it’s possible that kids, like adults, get stressed, tired and overwhelmed and can use a day to recoup before jumping back into action. But what if their fears or reluctance are just the symptoms of a deeper problem? It could be that your child is facing anxiety issues, and... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Fullerton Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
November 26th, 2010 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Depression, stress, and anxiety lead people to find a therapist or counselor at all times of the year. But emotional triggers and stressful tasks and obligations are especially close-packed during the holiday season. Most of the time, the holiday celebration itself—the gathering of family and friends—is a positive, uplifting experience. But the weeks leading up to the holidays are fraught with errands to run, gifts to buy, donations to make, gatherings to plan, and food to prepare. With so much to do, the holidays aren’t all joy and laughter: you don’t... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Louisville Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
November 22nd, 2010 |
It’s estimated that one in ten new mothers experiences depression after the birth of her child. But mothers whose children are born with congenital heart disease are far more likely to struggle psychologically and emotionally. Coping with a child’s health struggles is no small thing: in addition to finding a therapist to deal with depression and fear, these mothers are prone to anxiety, even after the child passes 18 months and typically is finished with medical intervention. The first few years of life set the stage for... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Pasadena Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
November 22nd, 2010 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Depression is one of the most frequent reasons that people find a therapist or counselor. Feeling down, deflated, hopeless, worthless, and unmotivated are all part of what makes up the experience of depression. It varies from individual to individual, and both the causes and effects of depression are complex and wide-ranging. In the past few weeks, several new studies on depression have been published. Though each of these studies involved animals, they may provide helpful insight into... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Phoenix Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
