Category: Fear
The Good Therapy Blog
January 31st, 2012 |
Acknowledgement of victimization is the first step on the road to recovery. Yet many individuals who are victims of stalking don’t ever acknowledge that they have been victimized. Although there is much research examining this phenomenon in sexual assaults, little research has been devoted to the psychological ramifications of unacknowledged victims of stalking. To address this void, Christine M. Englebrecht, Ph.D., in the Criminal Justice Program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio led a study examining what conditions men... Read More
© Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist San Diego Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
January 31st, 2012 |
Love is one of the most elemental of emotions—it is a building block to some of our deepest relationships and a component in many of our happiest days. Yet the ability to freely give and receive love is a fragile skill, which traumatic experiences can all too easily dent or damage. Learning how to be loved is a vital part of your healing, and here are a few tips on how to regain your ability to accept someone’s care, concern, and nurture.
The first set of tips have to do with the person who is expressing kindness, care, concern, nurture, attention, aka love to you. Because you have experienced... Read More
January 3rd, 2012 |
This post is made up of the flotsam and jetsam that have been washing around in the ocean of my mind, waiting to be shared. May it be of benefit to you.
New Year’s resolutions don’t often work because we need to be at a certain stage of readiness to make real change. But we could say to ourselves, “This year I will watch for those moments of readiness as they arise, and I will try my best to make use of them.”
Acceptance of things as they are is the only way to begin to change things into what they might be.
When you think you can’t accept someone as they are, or let something... Read More
December 8th, 2011 |
Shy children may be at a disadvantage in the classroom, in part due to their shyness, but also as a result of how they are perceived by their teachers. “Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs directly and indirectly influence children’s social, emotional, and academic development,” said Robert J. Coplan of the Department of Psychology at Carleton University, and lead author of a new study exploring shyness in the classroom. “Moreover, teachers’ beliefs about children’s social characteristics may influence their inferences... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Roswell Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
December 7th, 2011 |
Thanksgiving is a holiday for cultivating gratitude for all the good in our lives. It’s also an opportunity to participate in a ritual of breaking bread with loved ones, a celebration of our connection to others, sharing the plentiful food that we are fortunate enough to have.
Yet as Thanksgiving approached, several of my clients who see me for help with their eating-related problems expressed apprehension about the upcoming holiday. Their worries focused mainly on the plethora of food they anticipated would be at the meal, and some described family gatherings at which food was around at all... Read More
November 30th, 2011 |
How do we equip our children with the skills to deal with bullies and the people who are going to try and make their lives difficult? Victims of bullying feel hurt, alone, scared, fearful, depressed, and they become desperate for help. Often, children end up in counseling because they have been bullied and they finally react with their own aggression or demand help; as adults, we can intervene sooner.
Remember that bullying can happen anywhere; not just at school, but also on sports teams, at work, at friends’ houses, or at day care. If you suspect that your child is being bullied, there are... Read More
November 18th, 2011 |
Sexual assault can significantly change how a woman lives her life. Many women who have been sexually assaulted look for methods of protection in order to avoid being victimized again. Some purchase guns, tasers or mace. Others acquire dogs for protection. And many women enroll in modern self-defense training (MSDT) classes in order to gain a sense of empowerment, strength and to reduce feelings of helplessness. “The primary goal of MSDT programs is teach participants how to avoid and resist sexual assault,”... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Longmont Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
October 17th, 2011 |
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People who struggle with anxiety tend to feel more threatened and fearful than others. In clinical studies, threat and neutral stimuli are used to determine the attentional bias of participants with anxiety and it has been found that those who perceive the stimuli as more threatening are often the same individuals with the greatest symptoms. Specifically, people with a readiness to acquire an attentional bias (RAAB) are more likely to have elevated levels of anxiety when confronted with even a moderately stressful stimulus. Many widely used therapies... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist West Hollywood Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
August 10th, 2011 |
Superstitious people believe the physical act of touching a good luck charm can elicit luck and think that physical cleansing can remove bad luck. However, researchers from the University of Toronto, the University of Michigan, and the University of California, Riverside, wanted to determine if superstitious people would take more or less risk as a result of washing their hands. They enlisted 59 students and asked half of them to remember a particular incident that... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Denver Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
August 7th, 2011 |
Most young children experience anxiety or fear in uncomfortable situations. Almost all kindergartners are a little apprehensive on their first day of school. But Kristin Buss, of Penn State University, wanted to see if these fearful behaviors were a precursor for future anxiety issues. She said, “The exact mechanisms by which individual differences in fearful behavior develop into anxiety symptoms... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Orlando Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
July 19th, 2011 |
Even when it is unintended, some people find it intolerable to hurt someone they love. To experience hurting the other can create shame, guilt and strong “I am a bad person” feelings. As a result, we may avoid saying what is on our mind and put aside our own feelings and needs. This inhibiting of the self can be harmful to our relationships and can create the conditions for developing anxiety and depression.
Marlene, a 27... Read More
July 15th, 2011 |
Congratulations to all of you college grads out there! You made it through four or more years of cramming for tests, writing papers, late nights studying (and other late night activities), hangovers, morning classes, dining hall food or top ramen and boxed macaroni and cheese. You also had a lot of unforgettable experiences, made lifetime friends, learned an amazing amount of material, grew tremendously as a person, became more independent, and perhaps... Read More
June 23rd, 2011 |
The Pleasure Principle is simply this: Our bodies are wired to move towards pleasure and avoid pain. We naturally gravitate towards things that taste, smell and feel yummy and delicious. We naturally avoid the opposite. To try to fight the pleasure principle, as so many diets encourage us to do, is to fight one of our most basic instincts. Is it any wonder then that so many diets fail?
What if following and listening to our pleasure was really the secret to it all?... Read More
June 22nd, 2011 |
Undergraduate students at the Washington University in St. Louis were given memory tests to determine the effects of negative emotions have on recall and retention. Bridgid Finn, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher in psychology in Arts & Sciences, said, “Memory is labile and dynamic – after you retrieve something, you’re still engaged in processing that information in some way.” The study showed that test subjects had improved retention when they viewed frightening or negative images immediately after retrieval.... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Hollywood Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
