By Gary Seeman, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Gary and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Awareness is Ever-Present

To be aware is to witness. And our witnessing selves are always there when we dream, [1] in daily activities, when feeling emotions, and in states of excitement or distress. We are constantly aware, though our focus may be clear or muddled. Without awareness, there is no consciousness. But awareness is hard to see. It is ever-present, like the air we breathe.

Although always present, awareness may not be remembered. For example, we may walk around a table while moving from one room to another. But we let our perception of the table recede from consciousness without storing memories that are easily retrieved. The encoding of memory depends in part on the intensity of experience, whether this intensity is influenced by the strength of a sensory perception or an emotional response.

We are self-aware when we attend to representations of experience – whether drawn from memory or visualizing a possible scenario. In psychotherapy, we train awareness on our lived experience to realize our hopes and goals and live more satisfying lives.

Every form of psychotherapy has methods to enhance awareness. This reflects the central role of improving the quality of awareness in the process of mental healing. Read the rest of this entry

By Stacy Hall, MC, LAC, NCC

Click here to contact Stacy and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

The economic situation is hitting people hard across all corners of the country. Most everyone is being impacted at some level and people are experiencing widespread distress regarding a number of concerns ranging from a shrinking retirement savings to those losing jobs and homes. Although some are hit harder than others, the situation is certainly permeating all levels of our society. Whether you are petrified of opening your 401 (k) statement or simply unable to make your mortgage payment, fear and anxiety about finances are prevalent for many people.

Anxiety symptoms can distort reality. Many people are reacting to distorted realities and to the “what ifs” about some horrible future scenario. You may find yourself obsessing incessantly about the worst-case scenario. You may be experiencing catastrophic thoughts that do nothing but perpetuate your negative emotions and thoughts, sending you into a tailspin of anxiety and panic.

Certainly, there is such a thing as productive worry – acknowledging the reality of the situation and doing what you can to change it. Focus on what you have direct influence and control over and then let the anxiety motivate you to take necessary actions. Conversely, unproductive worry is that overflowing, self-created anxiety that is directly linked to our internal thoughts and emotions. This type of worry will ensure even more distress and is not based out of the reality of the situation.

Of course, it is important to not stay stuck in denial by sticking your head in the sand and avoiding the problem. You want to be systematic about your worry and do something about it, such as problem solving if possible. Whether you find yourself suffering as a result of the financial situation plaguing the country or from another devastating and painful event in your life, I want to offer you some anxiety reducing techniques based on Marsha Linehan’s work of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): Read the rest of this entry

written by Tara Guest Arnold, PhD, LCSW

Dialectical behavior therapy or DBT is an offspring of cognitive behavior therapy that incorporates Eastern meditative practices. The dialectic comes from the synthesis of opposites, particularly acceptance and change that is a tenet core to the DBT philosophy. We accept ourselves as good enough, and we recognize the need for all of us change and grow. These two concepts could seem contradictory, but through the persuasive dialogue, or dialectic, we can understand the seemingly opposing truths side by side.

DBT is taught as a series of skills in four modules: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance. The first of these modules is core mindfulness, and as the name implies it is the foundation of DBT. Core mindfulness is based in Eastern Zen philosophy, and it includes Western contemplative practices. Mindfulness is an awareness of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and behavioral urges. By learning mindfulness, we are empowered to be in charge of ourselves in a different way. It has been proven that awareness assists in emotional regulation. As we understand ourselves, we accept ourselves and change ourselves. It is a practice of attention and intention. Read the rest of this entry

GoodTherapy.org maintains a list of psychotherapy & counseling approaches for the purpose of informing people about different forms of therapy. We’re currently updating this list of therapy models and we’ve just finished our update to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is specialized form of therapy for people with a Borderline personality constellation. You can view the update to our section on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and/or view our entire list of psychotherapy & counseling models . Enjoy :)

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