A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

The symptoms of the so-called “Swine Flu” have been amply detailed among various media in recent months and weeks, but anxiety isn’t typically listed. However, many students may be feeling anxious about their chances of contracting the virus, and about what effects absenteeism might have on their grades and other measures of performance. Recently,a counselor at Kansas State University has called for widespread attention to the potential for mental health difficulties among students in relation to the flu, and has worked to ensure that teachers do not require medical permission notes for sick students or enact other potentially panic-inducing measures. It is hoped that with the right care and understanding, students can quickly and healthily return to focusing on their mental well-being along with their exams.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist St. Louis Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Judith Barr, MA, LMHC

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So much is being said and felt about healthcare reform. But do we know if our fears surrounding the issue of healthcare reform are from the here-and-now, or from once-upon-a-time long, long ago?

As a psychotherapist I see how often our ancient terrors are enmeshed with our current fears, such that the fear we feel over current events is magnified by the unresolved fears from our childhood. This happens not only on an individual scale, but also a cultural, national, and even global scale. This enmeshment of ancient and current fears (and other feelings) blinds us to the truths that are present today and to making wise decisions for lasting solutions. Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

Typically, studies examining the precise functioning of the brain are lengthy and expensive, given the need to use advanced MRI equipment and recruit patient participants. But a student at the University of Missouri is proving that such studies can extract meaningful data from computational models, making research both easier and more affordable. Computer and electrical engineering doctoral student Guoshi Li has been using computational models to study the functioning of fear within the brain, and has found that fearful memories are still dormant after the emotional response has been disassociated from a stimulus. It is hoped that Li’s research, still in progress, might help shed light on more effective treatment for those with post traumatic stress disorder.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Minneapolis Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

It has been said in a number of mediums –though most of them haven’t been too exactly academic– that you can smell another person’s fear. Though the idea that we can sense when other people is afraid is not at all a new concept and has a firm foundation in cognitive science and the study of human relationships, it is not very commonly held that fear can actually, literally be scented. But this may in fact be the case. In a study that reflects the sometimes whimsical world of psychological research, a team from Germany’s University of Dusseldorf has investigated whether the smell of fear is real or simply a fun way to say that we know when there are frightened people afoot.

The study was carried out in a way that might not seem entirely pleasant. In the name of science, however, a group of students were given cotton pads to place in their armpits before an exam. The same group was also given these pads before exercising on a different occasion. After all the pads had been used and collected, students were asked to smell pairs of pads. The smelling took place while subjects were connected to an MRI scanning system. While subjects could not report any difference between the “test anxiety” and “exercise” pads, their brains showed a significant amount of activity in key areas when smelling the “test anxiety” pads. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Kansas City Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

By Mona Barbera, Ph.D.

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You may have a good relationship – but miss the spark that was once there. Maybe job, kids, or financial stress has come between you, or you’ve settled into a routine. You can do a lot to get the spark back.

First of all, resolve to look at your part of it. Try an experiment, and own 100% of the problem. 50-50 doesn’t work very well – someone has to take the lead.

Built-up resentment is the first main cause of distance in couple relationships.

Do you have old resentments piled up inside? Are you resentful of things that keep happening? Read the rest of this entry

By Jennifer Lehr, MA, MFT

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How many times have we begun a relationship, full of hope, only to have it crash and burn, or one party flee?

Many of us have relational injuries from the past. This often manifests as a “fear of intimacy.” Beneath this phrase, lurks not feeling safe in relationships. Our fathers may have had tempers, or our mothers may have been intrusive. A past partner may have been abusive, or perhaps their neediness or jealousy was a burden. A multitude of possibilities exist. Whatever the case, we found that relating to another could be costly. We learned to defend ourselves, to shut down, cover up, disappear, attack, or protect ourselves in some other way. We learned to not be too vulnerable, to only let the other in so far, or to run if we got scared. We learned to make ourselves safe by controlling the depth of the relationship in a variety of ways. Read the rest of this entry

Written by by Debra L. Kaplan, MA, LAC, LISAC

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From birth onward we begin the enduring act of maturing and experientially processing interaction. At birth our emotions are open and vulnerable but most importantly we are present and living in the moment. A baby instinctively cries without delay when sensing hunger, dampness from a dirty bottom, or generalized pain and discomfort.

As we mature our emotions are woven into our personal filters that evolve from our internal and external exchanges that take place in our lives. This offers much in the way of an explanation as to how our filters develop and how our internal emotions are harnessed in an effort to welcome life or yoked to keep them at arms length. Early on, if we learn trust and consistency our fragile, developing egos are comforted and eased by knowing that our needs will be met. The silent message delivered is safety and trust. In the absence of such nurturance we may learn to distrust or expect disappointment. Hence our core emotion of fear becomes ever present and accounted for by expected let-downs or anticipated wrongs to be brought against us…. Read the rest of this entry