http://www.goodtherapy.org/psychotherapy-models-article.html Latest articles Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:45:14 GMT en-us http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-blame-contempt-0208125/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-blame-contempt-0208125/ Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:37:01 GMT This case description is the first in a two-part series on Pragmatic/Experiential Therapy for couples. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emotionally-focused-couples-therapy-0203122/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emotionally-focused-couples-therapy-0203122/ Fri, 3 Feb 2012 22:13:46 GMT Emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT) is an emotional approach used to help couples address problems within their relationships. Clinicians who deliver this type of therapy undergo intense training to be able to effectively use all of the components of the treatment in a productive way that maximizes treatment outcome. EFT training strives to increase a therapist?s ability to process emotions and identify and address attachment styles, and it enhances self-compassion. However, most clinicians report that their own personal development has not been addressed in previous EFT training sessions or through supervision. Because a clinician?s emotional intelligence and relationship skills are critical factors that directly influence treatment, Michelle Montagno, Ph.D., of the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, conducted a study that evaluated the knowledge and competence levels of clinicians following a 4-day intensive EFT training session. The skills and growth achieved in EFT training can enhance a clinician?s curiosity and acceptance and increase his or her motivation to explore issues that are pertinent to clients. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/toxic-friends-break-up-0203124/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/toxic-friends-break-up-0203124/ Fri, 3 Feb 2012 19:29:58 GMT Toxic friends come in many forms?they can take much more than they add to the friendship; they can be a chronic complainer; they can tear you down?but the bottom line is that when you walk away from time spent with a toxic friend, you probably feel worse for the wear. If you think you might have a toxic friend in your life, take a moment to reflect on how you usually feel after being with this friend; if what you come up with includes words like drained, tired, unmotivated, worthless, or even downright depressed, you quite likely have a toxic friend. While it might be easy to identify the toxic friends in your life, it is often difficult, and sometimes painful, to decide what you want to do about them and even more difficult to actually do it. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/time-to-separate-family-0202124/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/time-to-separate-family-0202124/ Thu, 2 Feb 2012 18:32:52 GMT Families need to be together. After all, the family as a group exists to provide support, nurturance, food, shelter, resources, and a stable future to each member. While most families have their ups and downs, even stressed, impoverished, chaotic families want to live with one another. When is it in the family?s best interest for members to separate from one another? Can leaving the family home for a short while ever bring healing to the relationships in the long run? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-based-treatment-anorexia-teens-0202121/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-based-treatment-anorexia-teens-0202121/ Thu, 2 Feb 2012 17:34:25 GMT Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach that is used to treat many mental health challenges, including anorexia nervosa in teens and adults. Anorexia, which usually develops during adolescence, is seen by some as an individual?s method of gaining control over something in their lives during a time in which they feel controlled by parents, teachers, peers, and society in general. CBT has been seen as an appropriate treatment because it addresses the cognitive and behavioral processes, the thinking and eating habits of the teens. However, in a new study, James Lock, professor of Child Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, tests the validity of family-based treatment (FBT) for the treatment of anorexia. FBT aims to bring the teen to a healthy weight with the assistance of the parent and then relinquishes the maintenance of that weight back to the teen while examining the emotional and social challenges facing the teen. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/stress-environment-gender-affects-response-0130122/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/stress-environment-gender-affects-response-0130122/ Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:00:18 GMT One method for measuring reactivity to stress is to assess the level of autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning. In a recent study, Lisa M. Diamond of the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah used skin conductance (SCL) to measure ANS among 110 children 14 years old. The purpose of her experiment was to determine if teens? reactions to stress were influenced by their own predisposition or by their environments. Specifically, Diamond wanted to find out if boys and girls differed in how they handled stressful situations based on their baseline ANS and if the environments in which the teens lived, single-parent or dual-parent households and parents with internalizing or externalizing behaviors, would affect the way the teens reacted. Previous research has shown that negative environments negatively affect children who are sensitive to stress. These same children have also been shown to react positively to positive environments. To clarify if the outcomes realized in past studies were the result of the children?s sensitivity, the result of the environment alone, or a combination of both, Diamond evaluated all of these factors. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/calming-emotional-chaos-grief-0130125/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/calming-emotional-chaos-grief-0130125/ Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:20:06 GMT A death, divorce, illness, sudden unemployment, or any major loss, creates chaos in your life. This emotional fracturing, as well as the practical aftershocks of dealing with estates, lawyers, housing, finances, doctors, etc., often yields intense feelings that can be overwhelming. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-compassion-defends-against-helplessness-0127124/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-compassion-defends-against-helplessness-0127124/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:47 GMT After having worked in a residential treatment facility for abused and neglected girls for 8 years, I observed that the phenomenon of learned helplessness had become an all-to-common denominator for these children. It was very rare that an abused child was placed with us for a single incident of abuse. By the time these children reached our facility, many of them had already been physically or sexually abused numerous times throughout their childhood and adolescence. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-regression-sex-therapy-0125124/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-regression-sex-therapy-0125124/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:18:40 GMT From sex and relationships, to confusion about career and life choices, to those persistent and pesky maladies of the mind like anxiety and depression, past-life regression therapy can heal the mind and body. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internet-therapy-for-tinnitus-0124123/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internet-therapy-for-tinnitus-0124123/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:00:20 GMT Tinnitus is a disabling condition that causes an individual to perceive sounds that are not present. Over 10% of the population suffers with this condition, with nearly 2% of the entire population struggling with tinnitus in the extremely distressing ranges. People in this category have symptoms similar to those who struggle with chronic pain or diabetes. When tinnitus gets severe enough it can lead to loss of concentration, cognitive impairment, emotional distress, and even insomnia. Nearly half of those who have tinnitus also have a clinical diagnosis of mood or anxiety problems. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/coping-with-anxiety-or-depression-0117114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/coping-with-anxiety-or-depression-0117114/ Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:30:21 GMT Psychotherapy is the first form of treatment for depression or anxiety and involves a variety of treatment techniques. During psychotherapy, the person experiencing depression or anxiety speaks with a licensed psychologist or therapist who helps him or her to identify and work on the causative factors. These factors trigger depression or anxiety by working in combination with chemical imbalances in the brain or heredity factors. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/old-lover-connects-on-line-0119125/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/old-lover-connects-on-line-0119125/ Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:58 GMT What would you do? An important romantic figure from your past finds you on an internet social media site. Perhaps this was your first love. This renewed connection brings to mind the passion and enthusiasm of youth?before children, financial problems, and middle age. In your mind, you travel back to a time before career worries, mortgage problems, and thinning hair to a time of anticipation, optimism, and more energy. What would you do? Is it a wrong choice to maintain contact on-line? Is it wrong to have a texting relationship? Where do you draw the line? What is the line that would determine that this is an inappropriate relationship? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/rape-victims-benefit-from-emdr-0118122/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/rape-victims-benefit-from-emdr-0118122/ Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:00:02 GMT Nearly one in 12 women who suffer with posttraumatic stress do so as a result of being raped. Although many therapies have been shown to help reduce the symptoms of rape-related PTSD, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and prolonged exposure (PE), a small number of these women still do not see significant relief. Recently, researchers have looked at the coping techniques these women use as a method of predicting treatment response. Specifically, women with rape-related PTSD tend to engage in avoidant or approach coping behaviors. But research has shown that avoidant coping strategies are most likely to impede treatment outcome. ?In fact, cognitive-behavioral theories of PTSD and its treatment posit that recovery is associated with decreases in trauma-related avoidance,? said Amy S. Leiner of the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Georgia. Because of this, Leiner and her colleagues conducted a study to determine if women who use avoidant coping behaviors would benefit more from EMDR and PE than women who used approach coping strategies. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/expressive-arts-therapy-benefits-0118124/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/expressive-arts-therapy-benefits-0118124/ Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:51 GMT Expressive Arts Therapy bridges the gap between the conscious and the unconscious. It can bring light to areas of therapy that are blocked, inhibited, and stuck, as well as bringing greater focus to those areas of concern. The primary focus is on the process, which allows the client to discover new insight and meaning that might not be achieved with traditional talk therapy. Appropriate for all ages, it can enhance each person?s emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and physical well-being. While no talent in the use of expressive arts is required, several modalities available to the client within Expressive Arts Therapy magnify and deepen the process. The purpose of this article will explore five common benefits associated with the use of Expressive Arts Therapy with clients. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/starting-over-january-0112124/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/starting-over-january-0112124/ Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:41 GMT But home is far away http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-helps-suicidal-lgb-youth-0112121/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-helps-suicidal-lgb-youth-0112121/ Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:31:36 GMT Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) teens are at increased risk for suicide due to peer victimization and minority discrimination. These actions can have serious psychological consequences for teens, including plummeting self-esteem, anxiety, hopelessness and depression. ?No experience, however, is more pernicious than parental rejection,? said Gary M. Diamond of the Department of Psychology at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, and co-author of a study examining treatments to reduce suicide among LGB youth. ?Societal homophobic messages, cultural values and religious beliefs lead some parents, at least initially, to perceive their child?s same-sex orientation as perverse, immoral, disgusting, and/or dangerous,? said Diamond. This type of disapproval from parents can lead to intense negative feelings, including shame, anger and guilt, which often manifest through maladaptive behaviors. Teens that experience this type of rejection often behave violently or engage in humiliating or abusive acts. Many times the tension is so severe that the children are forced out of the home or leave voluntarily. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emotional-eating-0111126/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emotional-eating-0111126/ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:22:51 GMT We all, at one time or another, use food for soothing. Eating is a pleasurable experience. The problem lies in using food for comfort rather than dealing with our emotions because food only provides a temporary escape only to have emotions resurface again and again. For may people, they are taught from a young age that emotions are not meant to be expressed, but just dealt with on their own and to move on with a brave face. This is, in most cases, not done in malice, but for the sheer fact that we are uncomfortable with emotion. We are uncomfortable with our own emotions and certainly more uncomfortable with that of others. This begins a dangerous cycle, especially if you are trying to manage your weight. When we eat to soothe feelings while trying to lose weight, it begins a cycle of shame, guilt and self-loathing that pushes us further into the emotional abyss. So, let?s HALT the BS! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/vitamin-b12-folic-acid-applications-with-mental-physical-health-0110115/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/vitamin-b12-folic-acid-applications-with-mental-physical-health-0110115/ Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:45:52 GMT Everyone seems to be talking about the Bs lately. Specifically, B12 and folic acid (or folate) are making headlines for their roles in mental health and illness. Both of these vitamins play an essential part in a number of key bodily processes. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-comfort-critical-for-success-of-multisystemic-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-comfort-critical-for-success-of-multisystemic-therapy/ Mon, 9 Jan 2012 22:00:45 GMT Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a home-based method of therapy that is designed to meet the needs of disadvantaged clients, in particular, youth from poor socioeconomic backgrounds with drug or alcohol problems, domestic violence issues and HIV, among others. ?MST interventions integrate empirically supported clinical techniques (e.g., family therapy, behavior therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy) into a broad-based social ecological framework, that addresses relevant risk and protective factors across individual (e.g., positive attitudes toward delinquency and drug use), family (e.g., poor monitoring, inconsistent or lax discipline), peer (e.g., association with drug-using and/or delinquent peers), school (e.g., behavioral problems at school, truancy, academic difficulties), and community (e.g., availability of weapons and drugs, high instability, and psychosocial stress) systems,? said Tatiana Glebova of the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Alliant International University, and lead author of a new study examining the effectiveness of a tool to measure therapists? comfort in MST delivery. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hypnotism-for-sexual-concerns-0105115/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hypnotism-for-sexual-concerns-0105115/ Thu, 5 Jan 2012 20:15:16 GMT Hypnotism can be a useful and versatile tool for addressing sexual concerns, including several types of sexual problems (such as non-medically caused erectile dysfunction and low desire) and negative body image, shame, and sexual inhibitions. Hypnotism can help discover and correct inner obstacles to sexual health and pleasure. As a skill set, hypnotism is used in a complementary way by many types of helping professionals. Hypnotism also provides the foundation for a growing group of professional practitioners variously known as consulting hypnotists and hypnotherapists. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplating-new-year-0103125/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplating-new-year-0103125/ Tue, 3 Jan 2012 21:53:21 GMT 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. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creating-new-years-aspirations-0103114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creating-new-years-aspirations-0103114/ Tue, 3 Jan 2012 19:21:08 GMT Resolutions are a popular topic at this time of the year, and with predictions that the year 2012 may be our last (if the ancient Mayan calendar is to be believed!), perhaps a greater number of us than usual are at least contemplating how best to make sure we go out on a positive, rather than sour, note. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/long-term-treatment-effects-study-women-with-ptsd-1230112/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/long-term-treatment-effects-study-women-with-ptsd-1230112/ Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:00:23 GMT Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is treated in a number of ways, the most common of which is through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). ?The specific CBT protocols of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) have both been demonstrated to be efficacious in ameliorating PTSD and comorbid depression, anxiety, guilt, and anger,? said Patricia A. Resick of the Department of Psychiatry at Boston University, and lead author of a recent study examining the long-term effects of PTSD treatment in women. ?One important remaining question is whether PTSD symptom reductions resulting from CBT are long lasting.? The majority of research on the subject has only examined results extending one year or less after treatment. ?The purpose of this study is to report the findings from a long-term follow-up (LTFU) assessment of a randomized controlled trial comparing CPT with PE as the control condition because it was the most established treatment at the time, as well as a waiting list control.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/integrated-therapy-provides-hope-against-eating-disorders-1228112/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/integrated-therapy-provides-hope-against-eating-disorders-1228112/ Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:00:55 GMT Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a difficult issue to treat and many clients who begin therapy to overcome their food issues drop out before they have reached their goals. At the core of any successful therapy is the treatment alliance, the working relationship between the therapist and the client. ?Researchers suggest one of the leading reasons for high drop-out in AN treatment trials is the difficulty patients with AN and therapists have in establishing a treatment alliance,? said Dana A. Satir of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) at Boston University. ?Higher quality treatment alliances have been consistently associated with better outcomes across different forms of psychopathology.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effectivenew-years-resolutions-1220112/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effectivenew-years-resolutions-1220112/ Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:00:22 GMT How often have you made a New Year?s resolution only to have it fail by February? You are definitely not alone. The concept of a New Year?s resolution sets you up to fail. Consider this: between Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year?s, we are bombarded with food, food, food, drink, excessive spending and stress. Resolving to make change after six weeks of this madness would set anyone up for failure. It is the Fat Tuesday before Lent. We load ourselves up with unhealthy behaviors in preparation for the ultimate sacrifice. We then tell ourselves that our lives will be different next year. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/reduce-stress-increase-self-esteem-1221114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/reduce-stress-increase-self-esteem-1221114/ Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:36:44 GMT How many things can you think of that are free, make people feel better, and empower the giver? I can only come up with a few, and they all involve saying something nice. I?m not suggesting you lie, but if you pay attention, there is almost always something you can find to say that is heartfelt and positive. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/remission-supersedes-response-in-children-with-anxiety-1220113/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/remission-supersedes-response-in-children-with-anxiety-1220113/ Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:00:45 GMT Remission and response are two different measures used to gauge how well a client responds to treatment for anxiety disorders (AD). Children, in particular, are usually evaluated based on how their symptoms have improved, known as response. Remission, however, is a term used to describe the absence of symptoms altogether. ?An important question for clinicians, patients, and families is, what are the chances of becoming nearly symptom free?? asked Golda S. Ginsburg of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland. Because the majority of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) use response rates to gauge their results, Ginsburg wanted to examine how the RCTs fared based on remission. ?Identifying remission rates in RCTs is thus an important index of treatment outcome.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/integrated-cbt-reduces-addicted-adolescent-suicide-rate1220111/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/integrated-cbt-reduces-addicted-adolescent-suicide-rate1220111/ Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:30:44 GMT Adolescents who struggle with alcohol or drug use disorders (AOD) are at increased risk for suicide. ?In a review of the adolescent suicide literature, rates of any AOD were found to range from 27% to 50% among adolescents who died by suicide and were associated with 6- to 8.5-fold increase in risk of suicide,? said Christianne Esposito-Smythers of the Department of Psychology at George Mason University. ?Rates of AOD among adolescents who attempted suicide ranged from 12% to 50%, and an AOD was associated with a three- to four-fold increase in the likelihood of suicide attempts.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/managing-holidays-1216115/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/managing-holidays-1216115/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:43:52 GMT Your home is festively decorated, exactly as you want it to be ? every ornament is carefully positioned on the tree, and strings of garland and lights frame the doorways. The sweet smell of freshly baked cookies and the warmth from a crackling fire reach to every corner. Your children are filled with gleeful anticipation as they wonder what is inside the biggest packages under the tree. As you stand back to take it all in, you are filled with pride that you have created such an idyllic Christmas for your family to enjoy and cherish in their memories for years to come. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindful-awareness-over-multi-tasking-1215114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindful-awareness-over-multi-tasking-1215114/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:30:24 GMT How many of us go through our busy lives only half-paying attention? Driving down the same freeway, going through the same ritual after dinner (cleaning up, washing the dishes, etc), we find that our bodies our doing one thing while our minds are doing another. Research shows that no one multi-tasks well. In fact, in a study conducted by researchers, Nass, Ophir, and Wagner at Stanford, they found that the more people multi-tasked, the more their subjects became focused on what they had previously been working on. And, as people became more mentally fatigued, the harder it was for them to filter out what was important and what was not (Gorlic, 2009). This has important implications for how we live our lives! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hope-and-fear-in-china-1213115/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hope-and-fear-in-china-1213115/ Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:30:06 GMT In October, I wrote about going to China as a member of CAPA, the Chinese American Psychoanalytic Association, on a working tour of four main cities- Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and Shanghai. We lectured, visited schools and training institutes, and met individually with people who wanted private consultations. I knew I would miss my friends and family, and I was a little scared to go so far away. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-disorder-therapists-dont-apply-cbt-1212111/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-disorder-therapists-dont-apply-cbt-1212111/ Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:00:20 GMT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported treatment strategy for people struggling with eating problems, such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. However, research suggests that many clinicians do not adhere to, but rather drift from, the core principles of CBT for eating issues. ?Why do many clinicians fail to apply empirically supported treatments?? asked Glenn Waller of the Eating Disorders Section of the Institute of Psychiatry at King?s College in London. ?They often state that the research does not apply to their patient group.? But evidence shows that CBT is very effective for eating problems. Waller believes that many clinicians do not follow the guidelines set forth in treatment manuals for eating disorders and that this omission leads to compromised results. He also theorizes that the clinician?s own anxiety about upsetting their client adds to the likelihood of drift. He said, ?Therefore, it can be hypothesized that anxious clinicians are less likely to require patients to adhere to core behavioral elements of CBT (e.g., changing eating patterns).? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/achieving-better-health-emotional-balance-contentment-1208114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/achieving-better-health-emotional-balance-contentment-1208114/ Fri, 9 Dec 2011 16:00:30 GMT Around this time of year, many of us reflect on the triumphs and tribulations of the past twelve months and begin thinking of what we hope to manifest in the coming year. At the most basic level, I think what a lot of us want falls under the broad headings of good physical health and emotional balance. Thus, I?ve come up with a list of six low-to-no cost complementary medicine strategies for achieving the above. Each approach addresses at least one of the following: mind, body, or spirit. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/externalization-trauma-ptsd-symptoms-healthy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/externalization-trauma-ptsd-symptoms-healthy/ Wed, 7 Dec 2011 20:25:21 GMT Trauma symptoms are often experienced and viewed as invasive and malevolent.  Helplessness, hopelessness, confusion and a condemnation of self for their existence also appear thematic.  The initial layer of trauma treatment is frequently the unraveling of self-loathing for the expression of symptoms themselves; survivor and therapist collude in their endorsement of them as being inherently destructive and are to be eradicated.  A divergent perspective could be that symptoms are an expression of health versus illness.  Viewing the manifestation of PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) as having utility may offer an alternative understanding of the client?s presentation as offering direction to treatment, internal compassion, decreasing fear of symptoms and can foster a relationship between survivor, therapist and Trauma.  Additionally, the externalization and personification of Trauma may illuminate the individual functions of client presentation while offering precise direction for treatment. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/race-colorblind-dreams-125112/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/race-colorblind-dreams-125112/ Mon, 5 Dec 2011 20:00:11 GMT Dreams have long been the subject of psychology. ?Studies of dream content have often relied on diaries collected as part of a therapeutic context,? said Steven J. Hoekstra of the Department of Psychology at Kansas Wesleyan University and lead author of a new study. ?This study wanted to explore the racial dimension of dreams, particularly the degree to which the dreams? social demographic characteristics re?ected the experiences of the dreamer.? Hoekstra and his colleagues wanted to determine if people dream in racial color and if so, to what extent. They also wanted to know if the racial content of a dream was based on experience, exposure to media, or other influences. ?The identity of the individual also could serve as a source of dream content, where the self would serve as a referent and inner self issues could be expressed in one?s dreams,? said Hoekstra. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ways-be-present-practice-everyday-mindfulness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ways-be-present-practice-everyday-mindfulness/ Mon, 5 Dec 2011 17:15:41 GMT I don?t know about you, but today, unplanned items on my agenda added up to distractions that resulted in an overwhelming urge to tear my hair out. As often happens, I had loaded way more into my schedule than could be accomplished by a reasonable person within a day. It?s now 7:40 pm DST and I?m feeling grateful that the destination for this article is 3 hours behind my time zone; therefore, my missive will officially arrive in time, by sheer luck. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sudden-gains-improve-long-term-therapeutic-outcome-125111/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sudden-gains-improve-long-term-therapeutic-outcome-125111/ Mon, 5 Dec 2011 16:47:22 GMT Every individual responds to therapy in their own way. Some people have sudden enlightenments during therapy, while others see a gradual reduction in symptoms little by little between their therapy sessions. These reductions in symptom severity are called sudden gains and are common among people receiving treatment for depression and anxiety. Previous research has shown that one of the biggest benefits of sudden gains is the residual effect they have. ?Individuals who experienced sudden gains reported lower levels of depressive symptoms at post-treatment, 6 months following treatment and 18 months following treatment, compared with individuals who did not experience sudden gains,? said Idan M. Aderka of the Department of Psychology at Boston University, and lead author of a recent analysis of sudden gains. ?These findings suggested that sudden gains were related to better treatment outcome at termination and at follow-up.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/finding-source-energy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/finding-source-energy/ Sat, 3 Dec 2011 18:00:19 GMT Part One: Finding Source Energy http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-therapists-can-address-sleep-disorders-1122112/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-therapists-can-address-sleep-disorders-1122112/ Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:00:33 GMT Chronic sleep problems are common, but can have serious mental and physical consequences. ?Sleep deprivation at its worst is literally torturous; even mild chronic sleep deprivation changes brain chemistry and physiology, leading to deterioration of cognition, memory, and mood,? said Dolores T. Puterbaugh, a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of a recent article emphasizing the therapist?s role in helping a client overcome sleep problems. Puterbaugh believes that many of the techniques being used for various mental health challenges can also be used to improve a client?s sleep patterns. ?Counselors are trained in addressing the intersection of cognition, behavior, and emotional distress; their code of ethics also emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary consultation in treating complex client problems whenever that is appropriate, said Puterbaugh. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/problem-solving-becomes-problematic-1121114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/problem-solving-becomes-problematic-1121114/ Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:52:47 GMT Many people come to therapy wanting to know why they have certain problems. They?ve been struggling with this problem for a long time and they want to understand why, because if they could just figure out the cause of the problem, they might be able to solve it. They might say something along the lines of: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/omega-3s-better-mental-health-1111115/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/omega-3s-better-mental-health-1111115/ Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:50:27 GMT By now, most people have at least heard of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are commonly found in fish but are also in flaxseeds, walnuts, and products like eggs from hens who have consumed an Omega-3 rich diet. Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fats that are also essential nutrients ? this means that our bodies cannot produce them on our own, and we thus need to obtain them from dietary sources. Omega-3s are often described in terms of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and you may see these descriptors on fortified foods or supplements containing them. DHA is believed to play a role in the brain?s structure. EPA and EPA plus DHA supplementation have been associated with decreased inflammation and improved mood. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/individual-family-therapies-cost-effectiveness-1110112/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/individual-family-therapies-cost-effectiveness-1110112/ Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:00:46 GMT The mental health field is comprised of various disciplines that range greatly in cost and efficacy. But few studies have looked at how these different disciplines compare to each other with respect to overall large scale cost effectiveness and treatment viability. In an attempt to fill this void, D. Russell Crane, Ph.D., analyzed four years of mental health claims data from CIGNA healthcare. ?The purpose of the study was to explore the practice patterns and subsequent cost-effectiveness of different types of professionals providing individual and family therapy within one behavioral health care management system,? said Crane, Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. The data included over 5 million claims specifically for psychotherapy services obtained by members ranging in age from birth to 103. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/survive-thanksgiving-while-not-feeling-thankful-1110114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/survive-thanksgiving-while-not-feeling-thankful-1110114/ Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:08:24 GMT Picture it: Thanksgiving Day, 2011. You?ve just joined your family at the table to feast on turkey and stuffing when suddenly, a festive, well-meaning relative suggests that everyone go around the table and share something that they are thankful for. Ugh. If you are one of the millions of Americans who is suffering with depression, this may feel like an impossible, unanswerable question. If you've been feeling such deep despair that you haven't been able to get out of bed for the last several days, then you probably feel that you don?t have anything to be thankful for. You?re probably just trying to get through the day. And you probably want to push your chair away from the table, tell your relative to mind his own business, and crawl back into bed. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/acceptance-commitment-therapy-reduces-substance-user-shame-1108111/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/acceptance-commitment-therapy-reduces-substance-user-shame-1108111/ Tue, 8 Nov 2011 16:00:32 GMT Shame is an emotion that is exhibited by many people with addictions and substance use issues. ?Shame is also the emotional core of self-stigma, which has been associated with treatment-seeking delays, treatment dropout, and poorer social functioning,? said Jason B. Luoma, of the Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Training Center in Portland, Oregon. ?Shame has long been seen as relevant to substance use disorders and their treatment, but the precise nature of the relationship and how best to address it clinically are controversial.? Luoma, lead author of a recent study, believes that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may be helpful in addressing shame for people struggling with substance use issues. ?For substance abusers, acceptance and mindfulness might be adaptive responses to difficult internal experiences such as shame or negative self-judgment,? said Luomo, ?In an ACT approach, rather than trying to reduce or eliminate shame, psychological acceptance techniques encourage participants to notice and experience shame and other difficult feelings more fully, while reducing their conditioned link to overt action.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/when-criticism-undermines-creativity-how-cognitive-restructuring-helps-you-go-on-creating-1104114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/when-criticism-undermines-creativity-how-cognitive-restructuring-helps-you-go-on-creating-1104114/ Fri, 4 Nov 2011 14:35:42 GMT ?I will never, ever sing again!? my client practically wailed as she flung the Arts section of the local newspaper down on the sofa of my counseling room. ?Just look at this: ?She had a pleasant voice, was poised and communicated well with the audience but her voice was less steady than that of the other soloist?. I am absolutely ruined - no one will ever hire me to sing again! I?m just quitting.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/face-your-demons-1103114/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/face-your-demons-1103114/ Thu, 3 Nov 2011 14:20:42 GMT Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment. - Eckhart Tolle http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapist-spirit-redefined-1101115/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapist-spirit-redefined-1101115/ Tue, 1 Nov 2011 18:38:15 GMT As a Play Therapist, when you hear the word play, what images come to mind? Do you see an active, energetic scene with puppets dancing and jumping? Or is it more along the lines of quiet engagement between therapist and child processing an art creation, or Sandtray? Might you be seeing in your mind?s eye a lively storytelling narrative, or peacefully sharing a collection of worry stones? Chances are, the first image that comes to mind is a representation of your Play Spirit. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/certain-music-lowers-anxiety-1101111/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/certain-music-lowers-anxiety-1101111/ Tue, 1 Nov 2011 15:00:45 GMT Anxiety can cause feelings of worry, panic and apprehension. Physically, people who experience high levels of anxiety also have elevated heart rates, muscle tension and increased cortisol production. Many of the treatments used for anxiety include relaxation and meditation techniques designed to address the physical and emotional symptoms of the problem. ?As well as being a potential benefit in circumstances such as those mentioned above, music as a relaxation aid is also used extensively within receptive music,? said Dave Elliott of the University of Cumbria in Carlisle, UK. ?Indeed, the American Music Therapy Association (2010) cites stress reduction as being one of the major goals of music therapy.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/compassion-focused-therapy-for-self-injury-1031113/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/compassion-focused-therapy-for-self-injury-1031113/ Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:00:04 GMT Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a coping mechanism that is rising at alarming rates. ?In Canada and the United States, prevalence ranges from 12% to 41% in community samples of adolescents and young adults,? said K. Jessica van Vliet, Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta. Most people who self-injure do so to cope with negative feelings, acceptance and social fears. ?In particular, there is a need for counseling approaches that strengthen client emotion regulation, self-acceptance, and positive ways of relating with others,? said van Vliet. ?Compassion-focused therapy (CFT), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to help people relate to themselves with greater compassion, is proposed as an approach for addressing the most common underlying functions of non-suicidal self-injury.? This relatively new form of therapy is aimed at teaching self-acceptance, compassion, and emotional regulation. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-after-miscarriage/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-after-miscarriage/ Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:46:25 GMT The loss of a child before it is born naturally stirs intense and conflicting emotions. Women might feel an intense physical bonding and grief for a being with whom they have already grown attached. Whereas men might feel more ephemerally connected and cheated from the opportunity to begin their bond. When miscarriage affects couples, it may stimulate growth or, conversely, unearth an inability to support each other through troubling times. The confusion surrounding one's own feelings as well as how to be of real support to one's partner after the loss tends to disrupt the balance of our relationships. This is especially true if some of that balance lay in the shared anticipation of parenthood. The inability to share and understand each other's grief can be an isolating experience. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/interventions-help-women-with-eating-issues/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/interventions-help-women-with-eating-issues/ Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:00:54 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/weight-suppression-affects-bulimia-treatment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/weight-suppression-affects-bulimia-treatment/ Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:00:21 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-conflict-management-skill/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-conflict-management-skill/ Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:54:36 GMT Here?s a story related recently by one of my clients that shows how a couple?s simple conversation escalated into a shouting match that threatened to lead someone straight to a divorce lawyer?s office. See if you can relate to what?s being said. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-therapy-with-adolescent-substance-abusers/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-therapy-with-adolescent-substance-abusers/ Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:00:02 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/disruption-of-unhealthy-pain/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/disruption-of-unhealthy-pain/ Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:24:44 GMT Nobody likes pain. It makes sense that we make every attempt to avoid it or make it go away. That?s just part of being human. But why do some humans seem to have less of it than others? There are two types of pain: clean pain and dirty pain. We don?t have a whole lot of choice about our clean pain. But we can create dreadful amounts of dirty pain throughout our lives in reaction to the clean pain. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-therapy-practice-suits-society/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-therapy-practice-suits-society/ Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:03:31 GMT For a while, it was the story that wasn't a story: Occupy Wall Street, where many people of different backgrounds took action to bring attention to the need for change in our political and economic systems. I found myself elated that large groups of people across the country had organized a way to ?do something? about situations that often seem intractable to me. I agree that many of our governing assumptions are skewed, and I see this way of functioning reflected in the microcosm in the autocratic ways of thinking that our brains often slip into. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/willingness-to-see-things-differently-may-decrease-anxiety/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/willingness-to-see-things-differently-may-decrease-anxiety/ Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:00:10 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/solution-focused-ideas-best-grades-school-year/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/solution-focused-ideas-best-grades-school-year/ Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:58:26 GMT Are you someone who feels a surge of optimistic energy at the beginning of a school year?  There is something about fall that makes students motivated and ready to start fresh.  The fall semester is a good example of how you can use Solution-Focused therapy ideas to get your best grades yet. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tribute-making-as-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tribute-making-as-therapy/ Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:39:55 GMT Making a 'Tribute' to a loved one who has died can be therapeutic. It can provide opportunities to reflect on the person, on your relationship with the person, to memorialize an aspect of their personality, and possibly to help shift focus from loss to celebration. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/going-to-china/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/going-to-china/ Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:26:21 GMT On October 20th, I?ll be landing in China (Beijing, to be precise), accompanied by a group of psychoanalysts and therapists who have been teaching and supervising Chinese student analysts in training, using Skype and other distance learning methods. I am psyched. I will see, in person, students with whom I?ve developed warm relationships, and it is amazing how close people can feel even though they are far away from each other. We?ll be seeing each other for the first time. Or will we? It?s more accurate to say that we?ll be meeting in a different dimension than usual; the two-dimensional screen will vanish and be replaced by three-dimensional flesh and blood. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/group-sensorimotor-psychotherapy-for-trauma/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/group-sensorimotor-psychotherapy-for-trauma/ Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:00:49 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mind-body-therapies-for-insomnia/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mind-body-therapies-for-insomnia/ Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:30:06 GMT Sleep problems are prevalent, and can take a significant toll on well being. Thus, this month?s article focuses on mind-body approaches to address occasional and chronic insomnia. Last month, I wrote about the most common herbal and nutritional supplements for insomnia. Mind-body approaches are especially important tools for treating sleep problems because they are considered safe, have demonstrated evidence of benefit, and do not interfere with other treatments such as medications. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/restlessness-boredom-groundlessness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/restlessness-boredom-groundlessness/ Thu, 6 Oct 2011 15:39:22 GMT While there are a multitude of distractions and amusements available to anyone with a library card, it is not unusual to go through periods of boredom when not even the most scintillating book, movie, or conversation will sate the crankiness demon. At those times, it is best to stop whatever you are doing and simply sit with what is. Are you feeling annoyed, frustrated, agitated, sad, or self-critical? Welcome whatever comes up. Investigate it. Do something paradoxical and try to increase the feeling. This may sound counter-productive, but it will actually help you figure out what is going on. If you let yourself go deeply into your boredom the underlying issue will surface. Once it does, ask yourself how you want to handle it. Consciously choose to explore your thoughts and feelings though journaling, talking with someone (friend, relative, clergy, or therapist), or simply breathing, meditating, and allowing them. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teens-parents-evaluate-family-therapy-differently/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teens-parents-evaluate-family-therapy-differently/ Tue, 4 Oct 2011 18:00:27 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/focalizing-loss-new-world-vision/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/focalizing-loss-new-world-vision/ Tue, 4 Oct 2011 16:30:59 GMT Last week, my eldest brother, Bob, died after years of health challenges. We were never really close; my brother and I had opposite worldviews. I dreaded his forwarded emails, which I politely asked him to stop sending. They came anyway; he was determined to save me. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-bias-modification-decreases-anxiety-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-bias-modification-decreases-anxiety-depression/ Tue, 4 Oct 2011 15:00:49 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/obstacles-benefits-play-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/obstacles-benefits-play-therapy/ Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:00:06 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-increase-attention/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-increase-attention/ Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:00:21 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/independent-thinking-affects-mental-health-through-narratives/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/independent-thinking-affects-mental-health-through-narratives/ Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:00:21 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hitting-therapy-wall/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hitting-therapy-wall/ Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:31:46 GMT As marathon runners pass mile after mile, many reach a point where they suddenly feel that they cannot go on. They may feel an unimaginable weight come over their body and a depletion of mental and emotional resources so complete that they can't imagine taking another stride ? they have hit the wall. A similar phenomenon can occur in therapy. You may enter therapy with the commitment and determination of a runner who has just begun to train for a marathon. Then, just as suddenly and inexplicably as a runner hits the wall, you may at some point feel unable to move forward in therapy. You may feel like you have painstakingly explored each and every issue that brought you into therapy, but that your life has yet to change and you are no better equipped to make decisions or take actions than when you entered therapy. You have hit the wall. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-therapist-determines-client-outcome/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-therapist-determines-client-outcome/ Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:00:52 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/artlish-art-language-communication-911/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/artlish-art-language-communication-911/ Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:29:32 GMT Art is a language. For the sake of this blog, let?s call it ?artlish? (not to be confused or linked with the Artlish Caves Park in British Columbia). ?Artlish?, the language, can externalize experience, perception, hope, fear, rage or a combination of those feelings and others. On opposite ends of a spectrum, art language, or artlish, can be raw or it can be refined. It is influenced by culture, education, repetition and trends. But most often, artlish is spoken privately in the imagination, in dreams and nightmares, in a studio, on a stage, in a welding shop, in an edit suite, on paper, in found objects, on a computer, through a camera, drawn in the sand, through the written word, or through dance. Artlish doesn?t need an audience to be uttered but when it is taken in, a connection is made. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-tool-measure-cognitive-therapy-skills/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-tool-measure-cognitive-therapy-skills/ Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:00:53 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/wisdom-happiness-awareness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/wisdom-happiness-awareness/ Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:00:47 GMT The final paramita, or practice leading to happiness, is Prajna, or Wisdom. This is not the wisdom that comes with age or long study. This is the wisdom of seeing what is actually happening in any given moment. This is discriminating awareness, which can tell the difference between our imagined storylines about what is going on, and what is true. It is the wisdom of clarity, and acceptance, and it requires more than a little awareness and courage. It is the wisdom of accurate reporting. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creatively-moving-from-grief-into-hope-and-renewal/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creatively-moving-from-grief-into-hope-and-renewal/ Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:00:05 GMT A person to whom I?ve been close for many years is going through the dying process. It?s been slow and painful, at times evoking for me one of the most beautiful and poignant musical pieces I've ever encountered. It is the ?Agnus Dei? of Samuel Barber, a choral version of his beloved and well-known Adagio for Strings. The text is from the Latin Mass and ends with the phrase, ?have mercy on us.? Now, mercifully, there is an end in sight for my loved one, but to those she leaves behind, the grief is palpable: at times dull and weighty, at others raw and biting, and frequently overwhelming. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/overcoming-barriers-evidence-based-ptsd-treatment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/overcoming-barriers-evidence-based-ptsd-treatment/ Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:00:15 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-study-suggests-mindfulness-beneficial-first-responders/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-study-suggests-mindfulness-beneficial-first-responders/ Wed, 7 Sep 2011 01:00:12 GMT : http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/decreasing-binge-eating-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/decreasing-binge-eating-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ Thu, 1 Sep 2011 01:00:43 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sit-with-discomfort/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sit-with-discomfort/ Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:48:09 GMT I have a confession to make: I don?t believe you can feel happy 24/7, any more than you can feel anything every minute for your entire life. We are designed to feel a broad spectrum of emotions because, so far, they have kept us safe and helped perpetuate the human race. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/herbal-natural-supplements-insomnia/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/herbal-natural-supplements-insomnia/ Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:40:48 GMT Insomnia is among the most common complaints that people bring to healthcare providers. Approximately 20% of adults will experience insomnia in a given year. Of these, a small percentage will use one or more CAM treatments in an effort to get some shuteye. Women are more likely to experience insomnia than men; however, men still represent about 40% of those who have significant sleep problems. Additionally, insomnia becomes more common as we age; over time, it is more likely to coincide with other health problems. People who suffer from depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia often have difficulty sleeping. Poor sleep is associated with resultant mood symptoms, daytime sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating in both those with and without preexisting mental health issues, however. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-affect-brain/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-affect-brain/ Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:53:48 GMT What does therapy actually do? How does it work? Does anyone really ever change? The field of neuroscience has exploded in recent years, revealing a number of findings about the human brain; how it develops, how it operates, and how it changes. Neuroplasticity explains that the brain is not a rigid organ, but is malleable, and changes throughout life, both in structure and function. This change happens through our experience. We actively change our brains by the way we respond to our environment. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/functional-family-therapy-at-risk-youth/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/functional-family-therapy-at-risk-youth/ Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:01:25 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-teacher-marion-woodman/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-teacher-marion-woodman/ Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:02:29 GMT Marion Woodman is one of the most well-known Jungian analysts. She has published many books, lectured widely, and is one of our elders in the Jungian community. Marion writes and teaches by exploring dreams, literature and mythology, imagery in the body, many artistic forms, and case material.  Marion?s imaginings and wisdom are part of the foundation that informs my work as I play and create with others. My bookshelves are filled with her writings and often I find myself picking up a volume of her work to imagine and journey through a spiral. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-low-income-mothers/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-low-income-mothers/ Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:19:47 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-love-play-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-love-play-therapy/ Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:32:20 GMT I?ve learned to trust myself, to listen to truth, to not be afraid of it and to not try and hide it. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dialectical-behavior-imago-family-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dialectical-behavior-imago-family-therapy/ Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:17:25 GMT I am not formally trained in DBT. My knowledge of it coming from texts, watching trained practitioners do it and gradually incorporating it into my practice. I?m comfortable with its use due to my background and training in similar modalities and have found the skills to be valuable for those who have a difficult time with more traditional approaches. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/theraplay-classroom-autism/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/theraplay-classroom-autism/ Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:41:23 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parent-child-interaction-therapy-positive-outcome/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parent-child-interaction-therapy-positive-outcome/ Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:00:58 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-depressed-parent/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-depressed-parent/ Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:25:39 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-therapy-therapist-likes-client/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-therapy-therapist-likes-client/ Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:55:29 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/angr-friend-not-attending-wedding/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/angr-friend-not-attending-wedding/ Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:09:36 GMT If you remember from last month, Ellen had to decide about attending her friend Robin?s wedding, to be held in a far away resort- it would be a lot of fun, but Ellen didn?t have enough money to go and couldn?t take time off from her new job, either- she was scared she might be fired- she liked the job a lot, and jobs can be hard to come by. On the other hand, even though Robin came from a big family and everyone planned to come, the most important people of all, Robin?s parents, had died several months earlier in a car crash and their absence felt like a giant hole in Robin?s world. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-making-is-not-enough/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-making-is-not-enough/ Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:43:10 GMT Art making is not enough. Storytelling is not enough. Writing lyrics/music is not enough. Dancing is not enough to transform emotional pain and suffering into emotional freedom. If art making were enough, we wouldn't be reading about talented artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain and others who tragically slipped through a fissure in their lives to the other side because they succumbed to their demons. Demons, in this context are disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (IV) of the American Psychiatric Association. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/daily-family-listening/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/daily-family-listening/ Tue, 9 Aug 2011 16:49:38 GMT How many times have you heard something like this in your household? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-military-family/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-military-family/ Mon, 8 Aug 2011 16:51:50 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teens-respond-well-to-online-cbt-for-anxiety/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teens-respond-well-to-online-cbt-for-anxiety/ Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:00:27 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/treatment-teens-drugs-alcohol/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/treatment-teens-drugs-alcohol/ Fri, 5 Aug 2011 15:48:52 GMT He was angry, aggressive, destructive, suicidal and blacking out. Then his parents found pipes, marijuana, and pills in his room and they suspected that he had been using other drugs. The family got into fights about his use and they tried different consequences to get him to stop using but his problems worsened and he kept using until he was arrested for possession. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/yoga-balance-mind-body/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/yoga-balance-mind-body/ Thu, 4 Aug 2011 16:45:19 GMT Yoga is in ancient practice that originated in India but has gained considerable popularity in the US. Breathing exercises, postures, and meditation are core components of yoga. Although many people develop a yoga practice to become more physically toned or flexible, the benefits of yoga are purported to extend to calming the mind and balancing the emotions. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sex-chronic-illness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sex-chronic-illness/ Thu, 4 Aug 2011 15:42:20 GMT Awkward topic, isn?t it? It?s not an area we usually delve into with great confidence or pride.  For those of us with chronic illness, the topic of sex can bring up a whole host of emotions: fear, hurt, guilt, sadness, feelings of inadequacy and disappointment. Sure, there are moments of great passion and pleasure but those seem few and far between when our illnesses flare or we?re too exhausted from the events of the day. Adding to the complexities of sex for the chronically ill are the myriad of side effects from the many medications out there intended to ease our pain and discomfort.  Many stunt our desire for sex or leave us way too tired to even think about a night of romance. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-depression/ Wed, 3 Aug 2011 21:00:57 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-therapy-chronic-pain/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-therapy-chronic-pain/ Wed, 3 Aug 2011 17:21:07 GMT ?Oh, my aching body!? You?ve heard this exclamation - or something like it - many times, probably in television commercials advertising the latest miracle pill or cream that promises fast relief and few side effects, perhaps from a family member or friend who did a few too many reps at the gym, pulled a muscle fighting with the lawn mower, or is simply down for a few days because of the flu and feels bad all over. You yourself are probably not immune to occasional aches and pains stemming from illness or injury. For some of us, however, pain is a more frequent visitor, and for others, being in pain has become a way of life. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/infidelity-enhance-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/infidelity-enhance-relationship/ Tue, 2 Aug 2011 16:43:28 GMT I would like to be quite clear. Infidelity hurts. Infidelity is destructive. I am not suggesting infidelity. However, when cheating happens in a relationship it does not have to be the end. An infidelity can be a wakeup call that your relationship was not working for one or both of you. If you want to be together, you can use this knowledge to fix what was not working and in that way your relationship can be enhanced. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/children-adhd-transcendental-meditation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/children-adhd-transcendental-meditation/ Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:00:25 GMT Transcendental meditation (TM) was used in a new study to determine if it would help children with ADHD improve their focus and attention. ?We chose the TM technique for this study because studies show that it increases brain function. We wanted to know if it would have a similar effect in the case of ADHD, and if it did, would that also improve the symptoms of ADHD,? said principal investigator, Sarina J. Grosswald, Ed.D. The researchers recruited 18 children with ADHD, between the ages of 11 and 14, and had them participate in TM over a period of six months. The children?s brains were measured using an electroencephalogram for activity while they performed a rigorous visual-motor assignment. The task demanded focus, memory, attention and impulse control. The findings revealed that all of the children experienced increased brain functioning, processing abilities and even higher executive functioning, as a result of the TM. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anxiety-decision-making/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anxiety-decision-making/ Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:21:37 GMT Imagine you have just been offered a promotion at work. This is great news, right? You'll be making more money, have more status and prestige within your industry and have a whole team of people working under you. Of course, you'll have to relocate to a new state, pulling your partner and children from their work and schools and you'll all be leaving a community where you have a strong support system of family and friends. Many people who find themselves in such a position become filled with a paralyzing level of anxiety that renders them unable to make a decision. It is certainly understandable ? lots of decisions are tough to make and those that have significant implications for your career, living situation and family are among the toughest. So what can you do? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-trust/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-trust/ Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:58:06 GMT If hope is the thing with feathers, as Emily Dickenson said, then trust floats on gossamer wings. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anger-empowerment-nonviolent-communication/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anger-empowerment-nonviolent-communication/ Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:35:48 GMT In the United States people who experience discrimination and oppression are often stereotyped as ?angry.? For example, the stereotype of the ?angry black woman? is reinforced in the popular media over and over and over again. The result of this stereotyping, for people who do experience oppression and discrimination, is a message that they should not be angry. For people of color, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, sexual minorities, gender-variant people and differently-abled communities, this message, to swallow your anger, can be frustrating and make people feel invisible. The invisibility of groups can happen when those individuals are not allowed to voice their own opinions and to share their truth with the world. The long term impact of invisibility can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and anger management issues. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/reconstructing-meaning/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/reconstructing-meaning/ Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:51:05 GMT Last month we discussed the role affect regulation plays in recovery from trauma. Affect is driven by thoughts and in turn, thoughts are informed by meanings. It is useful to note at the outset many of these meanings lie outside conscious mind?s power and scope. Deeper mind, with its vast storehouse of implicit memories and ability to condense meanings and code them in various ways, makes meaning much more than just a conscious construct or a unidimensional belief. Trauma in general, and relational trauma, in particular, ( that rises to the level of an attachment injury) has the power to smash into awareness and leave an indelible imprint, blowing to bits our basic assumptions about relationships, human nature, justice, self-efficacy, and the availability of support or safety in the world. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/im-right-youre-wrong-relationships/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/im-right-youre-wrong-relationships/ Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:38:41 GMT It?s a classic. Of all the themes in the history of relational strife, the I?m Right, You?re Wrong story is by far the most common. And like many things common, we often take it for granted or overlook the magnitude of its influence. When couples enter into therapy together, it may be a hidden goal for each of them to convince their therapist that they are right and the other is wrong. They demonstrate this in many ways, either subtly or in more painfully blatant ways. By doing so, they hope to feel validated that they were right after all, and that feels good. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-eating-disorders/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-eating-disorders/ Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:39:00 GMT I am half way through the year-long Level 1 of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) training. IFS is a psychotherapeutic modality used for helping people and their therapists understand and solve the problems that bring them to therapy. And IFS helps make sense of the seemingly irrational world of eating disorders. I?d had some exposure to and experience using IFS prior to enrolling in the training, but the training is giving me a broader and deeper understanding not only of IFS, but also of how we humans work. I?m finding the process exhilarating! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/could-therapy-improve-debt-ceiling-debate/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/could-therapy-improve-debt-ceiling-debate/ Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:50:33 GMT I don?t know about you, but the last thing I need to worry about right now is if my credit card interest rates are going to skyrocket, the banks are going to stop lending, or what the precarious future of my investment portfolio will be like if those folks in Washington don?t figure out how to all just get along. My oldest son will start college in one year, and because the new governor of the great state of Florida has already done away with the state funded scholarships for college enrollees, my son, along with thousands of others, will have to rely on student loans or a chunk of cash from the bank of mom and dad. And because our school district?s budget, like every other one in the country, has been whittled away to skeletal proportions, our family will have to fork over nearly two thousand dollars for school supplies and related educational costs in the first few weeks of the school year. So as I lay in bed trying not to let the stress, fear and worry consume my already anxious and easily agitated mood, I fall back on my mantras and meditation techniques, and wonder if perhaps the guys and gals on the hill couldn?t benefit from a little therapeutic intervention of their own. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/improve-communication-resolve-issues-teens/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/improve-communication-resolve-issues-teens/ Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:35:19 GMT Teens often tell me their parents don't understand, don't listen or don't care about what they think. Parents wonder why their lectures fall on deaf ears. How do we bridge this communication gap? Parents often want to lecture instead of listen. Teens have heard it before and already know what their parents are going to say. As a result, the only purpose of a lecture is to make parents feel better. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-poetry-full-embodied-living/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-poetry-full-embodied-living/ Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:37:45 GMT Everything that irritates [or intrigues] us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-flexible-mind-paramita/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-flexible-mind-paramita/ Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:15:08 GMT The fifth Paramita, or practice for attaining happiness, is Dhyana, or Meditation. As with all the other Paramitas, we develop this one through practice. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-dogs-benefits/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-dogs-benefits/ Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:51 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/playful-parents/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/playful-parents/ Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:01:02 GMT Play is the special ingredient that offers a full and joyful life. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-study-suggests-omega-3-reduces-inflammation-and-anxiety/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-study-suggests-omega-3-reduces-inflammation-and-anxiety/ Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:18:12 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/shadow-work-emotional-suffering/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/shadow-work-emotional-suffering/ Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:05:34 GMT If you read last month?s blog, Creativity vs Shadow, you will remember a brief mention of Deepak and Gotham Chopra?s book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes. In the book Chopra identified shadow as a ?force of the unconscious that can be destructive, divisive and/or self-sabotaging if it remains unconscious?. Shadow is difficult to recognize because left to it?s own devices it remains unconscious. Shadow is a zapping energy that lurks in the area of emotional suffering caused to oneself or to another. The concept can be broadly applied to families, groups, religions, governments, countries, etc. if we consider them bodies of energy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-study-reveals-cbasp-as-promising-treatment-for-chronic-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-study-reveals-cbasp-as-promising-treatment-for-chronic-depression/ Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:00:26 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/should-attend-friends-wedding/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/should-attend-friends-wedding/ Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:14:54 GMT Yesterday Ellen walked into my office looking annoyed and confused. ?I don?t know what to do. Robin invited me to her wedding and I don?t want to go, but I think I should. It?s a destination wedding, a long weekend in Mexico- four days! It might be fun but I can?t afford it, and I can?t take time off from work either. But I have to go.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/five-domains-healthy-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/five-domains-healthy-relationship/ Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:31:50 GMT You might have heard the phrase ?love is the glue? that holds us, the universe, etc. together. I'd like to make a case for mindfulness as a similar connecting agent. In thinking of the work I am passionate about offering at Counseling on Capitol Hill, I've discovered that the various offerings have a common theme. What is it that couples counseling, Positive Discipline parent education, individual therapy, mindfulness coaching, and family therapy have in common? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/chronic-illness-hypersensitivity-relationships/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/chronic-illness-hypersensitivity-relationships/ Fri, 8 Jul 2011 19:30:38 GMT I recently stumbled across a new blog called Infinite Daze where the author poignantly writes about her daily struggles with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).  In a recent post titled Should I Stay or Should I Go Now, she has this to say about her marriage: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-trust-collaboration/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-trust-collaboration/ Thu, 7 Jul 2011 16:28:08 GMT "When trust and confidence--at both the personal and institutional levels--are high, democracy works better, the economy develops with fewer problems, interpersonal relations are easier and more straightforward, people behave more altruistically, and standards of living increase."  http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/inner-critic-creative-block/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/inner-critic-creative-block/ Wed, 6 Jul 2011 17:02:29 GMT The article is due. The performance is today. The gallery exhibit opens next week. And you?re not ready. A small voice inside your head is saying, forget it. It?s no use. You?ve lost it. What you have to say is NOT more important than what anyone else has to share with the world. You?ve never written (painted, composed or performed) anything worthwhile. And you?re frozen, immobilized, mute - again. Maybe the voice has merely turned your world from colorful to dull gray, but, if you?ve become severely depressed over your inability to create, the voice may be this time have transformed itself from merely a very critical super-ego entity into a little gremlin of almost demonic quality that sits on your shoulder whispering its withering words and following them up with a cackle that is strongly evocative of the Wicked Witch of the West. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-care-enhance-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-care-enhance-relationship/ Tue, 5 Jul 2011 18:02:57 GMT Are you a person who takes care of everyone else before yourself? Do you believe you should put yourself last? If you take care of other's needs before your needs routinely, then you may have co-dependent tendencies. Taking care of yourself enables you to then be available to take care of others. If you neglect your personal needs and wishes and care for others instead, then you may begin to feel resentful and "empty." In a relationship, co-dependent behaviors can potentially sabotage your relationship success. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-communication-responsiveness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-communication-responsiveness/ Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:49:11 GMT There?s a distinct set of habits that are shared by almost all people who know how to get their partners to be open-minded and receptive, and thanks to decades of painstaking relationship research, we now know exactly what these habits are. If you want to succeed in love, you simply must have specific interpersonal abilities. If you have them, chances are very good that over the long haul your partner will be responsive to your wants and needs. If you don?t have them, the evidence suggests that your relationship future is likely quite dim. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sports-psychology-pet-death-grief/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sports-psychology-pet-death-grief/ Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:56:45 GMT Ultra Emotion-athon http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/women-menopause-mindfulness-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/women-menopause-mindfulness-therapy/ Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:00:02 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/workability-acceptance-commitment-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/workability-acceptance-commitment-therapy/ Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:00:45 GMT One of the cornerstones of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is the concept of workability. The aim of ACT is for our clients to create a rich, meaningful, and vibrant life. Workability is how we determine whether a client?s behaviors are serving that end. Usually, people know when their behaviors are not working for them, but because they are often fused with their thoughts, they may have a hard time acting any other way. Instead of bringing them closer to the life they want, their behaviors are more or less a means of struggling with or avoiding painful thoughts and feelings. To demonstrate how this might appear in a therapy session I?d like to present the case of Samantha (Of course names and details have been altered to protect confidentiality): http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/neurofeedback-trauma-veterans/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/neurofeedback-trauma-veterans/ Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:48:45 GMT As we prepare to celebrate our country?s upcoming Independence Day, it seems appropriate to speak about a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy, neurofeedback, which is currently being used to treat veterans who have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)1. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/working-memory-cognitive-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/working-memory-cognitive-therapy/ Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:34 GMT Experts have long thought that a person?s working memory is limited to remembering only four things. But a new study by researchers at MIT suggests that the brain can actually process different amounts of things with both the right and left hemisphere. They hope their findings may affect ?heads up displays,? brain games and lead to better cognitive therapy approaches. Timothy Buschman, a post-doctoral researcher at MIT?s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, and the Picower Professor of Neuroscience, Earl Miller, explored the neural basis of working memory in monkeys to determine the capacity of human?s working memory. For many years, experts have believed that humans have only four slots in which to hold memory, but this belief has been debated by others who believe that our memory works more like a pool. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/write-personal-manifesto/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/write-personal-manifesto/ Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:38:55 GMT Manifesto: a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-work-success/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-work-success/ Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:42:25 GMT What are your basic needs? Do any of your basic needs fit into the categories of better health and conquering specific fears? Do health issues or your fears hold you back from living fully and contributing in the way you would like to? What can you do to help yourself? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian-living/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian-living/ Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:20:17 GMT Next weekend our local Jung society will be meeting to explore what it means to be Jungian. Dr. Jung himself commented that he never intended anyone to be Jungian. At the core of analytical psychology is a call to each of us to align the ego and the Self, to individuate and reclaim our whole being. This re-claiming requires both the ego and the unconscious so we need to pay attention to the demands of both as we go through the process of living and re-connection. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-fathers-parenting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-fathers-parenting/ Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:13:16 GMT As a psychologist, I see many dads who take pride in and also struggle with being a father. In honor of Father?s Day, I would like to offer some reflections for fathers, families, and therapists about the importance of recognizing and celebrating fathers in therapy. Let?s start with a quiz: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/connecting-core-parenting-relationships/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/connecting-core-parenting-relationships/ Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:29:26 GMT Developing Resilience and Groundedness with Mindfulness http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-reduce-suicidal-thoughts-insomniacs/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-reduce-suicidal-thoughts-insomniacs/ Fri, 17 Jun 2011 06:00:23 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/class-2011-what-now/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/class-2011-what-now/ Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:15:30 GMT Colleges and universities across the country have spent the months of May and June conferring degrees on eager, young graduates. There were ceremonies, parties, and tearful goodbyes to friends and professors. Now that all the fanfare has quieted down, many people in the class of 2011 are probably asking themselves ? what now? It can be a daunting time, particularly if you were a ?traditional? student who went straight from high school to college. You?ve probably never not been a student.  You probably moved fairly seamlessly from grade to grade and then onto college. In fact, to this point, starting college ? especially those who moved away from home for the first time ? has likely been among the greatest transitions you have ever experienced. And as challenging as it was to adjust to college life, there was a great deal of support built in ? academic and residential advisers, counseling center staff and services, the structure of an academic schedule and the sense of community inspired by being surrounded by hundreds, or even thousands, of other college freshmen who are also trying to find their way. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/part-ii-coping-depression-mindfulness-mind/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/part-ii-coping-depression-mindfulness-mind/ Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:59:17 GMT In the last article we concluded that the avoidance of difficult emotions is a major component of depression. But emotion is natural?it is the movement of energy within and it is hard-wired. Even before we had language, we had emotion. So, why does it cause us problems? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/whos-the-best/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/whos-the-best/ Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:40:37 GMT The far enemy of sympathetic joy is envy, and the near enemy is comparing.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creativity-shadow/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creativity-shadow/ Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:43:47 GMT I recently ordered Deepak and Gotham Chopra?s book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes on my iPad. I haven?t been this excited to read something since I read Carl Jung?s book The Archetypes many years ago. Luckily my iPad can hold both books and more at about 2 lbs. Both books address the archetype of  ?shadow?. Both Chopra and Jung describe shadow as a force of the unconscious that can be destructive, divisive and self-sabotaging when it remains unconscious. Shadow is that part of the human condition, that most mortals attempt to ignore or deny in favor of a self-perception inflated or deflated by ego, neither of which can be sustained without some form of self-destruction. We see this in the lives of adult politicians, entertainers and sports heroes who have been in the media lately for crimes of passion, adultery, and exploitation. The denial and repression of shadow has allowed ego to ?act out? in blatant ways. Because shadow was repressed they thought they would never get caught or that they were somehow above the laws that govern the rest of us. Denial of shadow sets humans up to be destroyed. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/virya-joyous-effort-diligence/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/virya-joyous-effort-diligence/ Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:32:47 GMT This month our Paramita, or practice on the path to happiness, is virya, which is translated as exertion, diligence or joyful effort. Many of us, especially if we live full and busy lives, might respond to the very notion with a sigh, a feeling of overwhelm, or the sense that, once again, we have not done, been, or accomplished Enough. Now even the Buddhists are scolding us, ?Try harder!? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-useful-substance-abuse-recovery/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-useful-substance-abuse-recovery/ Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:00:39 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/unrelenting-sadness-experience-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/unrelenting-sadness-experience-depression/ Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:00:08 GMT This is the experience in the cluster of possible depression experiences that many people think of when they think of depression. While sadness and crying can be part of any depression, it can be absent as well. It can also be the dominant symptom. The unrelenting sadness experience of depression causes people to feel deeply sad and usually cry often. They don?t get much or any relief from crying, they sometimes still feel this way long after a loss occurred, and sometimes feel sad without having had a loss. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tale-spontaneous-body-psychotherapy-experiences-positively-affect-life/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tale-spontaneous-body-psychotherapy-experiences-positively-affect-life/ Thu, 9 Jun 2011 12:47:40 GMT Over the course of the last year I have had the pleasure of being around a group of people that have a genuine sense of kindness and respect for one other and for others, and a positive attitude even in extremely trying situations. So much so that I have wondered ?how do they do it?? Abigail Washburn and the Village is a new band from Nashville. Abigail has had several other successful bands including Uncle Earl and Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet, but her new venture takes her music in a different direction, blending her old-timey- string focused- artsy bluegrass roots with an Indy rock sound that is beautiful, energetic and wonderfully complex. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/transcendental-meditation-positive-effect-ptsd-soldiers/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/transcendental-meditation-positive-effect-ptsd-soldiers/ Wed, 8 Jun 2011 06:00:23 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/focalizing-disease-transformation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/focalizing-disease-transformation/ Tue, 7 Jun 2011 20:08:37 GMT Over three decades ago, amidst a sea of healthy, young gay men whose consciousness and life-styles could be described as expansive, I celebrated a hard-earned freedom some people will never know. Then suddenly, many became very sick and starting dying. I, too, became terminally ill. It wasn?t even called AIDS then, and HIV had yet to be discovered. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/exercise-contemplation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/exercise-contemplation/ Mon, 6 Jun 2011 20:20:43 GMT In my practice I often meet clients experiencing crisis, whether midlife, spiritual or existential, and sometimes it?s a combination of all of these. Laurinda (not her real name) was such a person. Laurinda came to see me once she was on the verge of complete emotional and physical collapse. The immediate trigger of the breakdown had been the fact that she had missed an important meeting at which she was to have given a presentation to a professional group, but after hearing a bit more of her story, it was obvious that Laurinda was perpetually stressed from attempting to manage not one, but two, professional careers, hosting a book discussion group, guest blogging for several websites related to her professional work, and micro-managing the affairs of an elderly family member - all while ignoring a medical condition with orthopedic and neurological overtones that had emanated from a birth defect. She was also abstinent from prescription drug abuse and ?allegedly? - she told me somewhat wryly - actively working a twelve-step program.  To top it all off, Laurinda was attempting to preserve a long-term but now shaky relationship with a long-term partner who had recently suddenly exploded, said she couldn?t take it any more, and moved out. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/full-recovery-eating-disorders/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/full-recovery-eating-disorders/ Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:04:15 GMT After 6 years in the depths of anorexia, my eating disorder was a way of life. Starving had become my world. It was the way I dealt with anger, fear, hurt, frustration, disappointment, and every other even slightly uncomfortable feeling. I managed my weight to manage my life. Anorexia was my control, my way of communicating, and my way of avoiding, and it was the one thing I felt like I did really well. I was awesome at losing weight. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-acceptance-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-acceptance-depression/ Mon, 30 May 2011 14:01:27 GMT Being human means that we can experience serious bouts of depression, which can make life feel seriously out of balance. There is a sense that we have lost sight of our own vitality and purpose. Depression, however, does not mean that we are ?sick,? as much as it means we may be coping with difficulties in such a way as to avoid feeling badly or dealing with problems. Often, in our attempt to not feel painful feelings, we avoid dealing with difficulties regarding our health, our relationships, our work, and our play. We avoid, withdraw, isolate, numb ourselves (through unhealthy behaviors), and paradoxically make ourselves feel worse. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ocd-compulsions-create-obsessions/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ocd-compulsions-create-obsessions/ Sat, 28 May 2011 06:00:56 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/fatherhood-not-motherhood-lite/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/fatherhood-not-motherhood-lite/ Fri, 27 May 2011 17:55:15 GMT Hey Dads. Feeling irritable and distant? Blowing a fuse for no good reason? A little nervous about your disconnection from the kids?  Well here's a unique idea not always presented to fathers: You are Good Enough the way you are. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/acceptance-commitment-therapy-functional-contextualism/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/acceptance-commitment-therapy-functional-contextualism/ Thu, 26 May 2011 19:45:50 GMT When I was a youngster, about eight years old, I played hide and seek with some of the neighborhood kids. As I fervently and keenly scanned for a good hiding place I happened upon a broken down and rusted refrigerator in an old man?s yard. It was the perfect size so I quickly hopped inside and shut the door (which had lost all of it?s suction) behind me and waited out the hunt smiling with eager anticipation. I emerged from that old icebox the victor that day. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/marriage-family-therapy-hope-real-change/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/marriage-family-therapy-hope-real-change/ Wed, 25 May 2011 22:54:04 GMT Life in the trenches brings with it fears, burdens, and losses. Times of stress and embattlement may inflict wounds to be long left either ignored or haphazardly bandaged. Sometimes in adolescence the severing of openness with parents is a lonely precursor to endless turf battles in a fight for identity. Left unresolved, the gaping irresolution of this singularly critical bond has the power to play itself out in relationships with lovers and coworkers and children throughout the course of life. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/growing-joy-healing-connection/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/growing-joy-healing-connection/ Wed, 25 May 2011 22:30:14 GMT So often, people talk about the struggles they experience, and how they?ve grown from the pain in their lives. It?s true, but the sentiment is often that it takes pain to grow. What?s not often discussed is how human beings grow from joy, from being in connection; that is, how we heal and grow stronger from the joyous moments in our lives. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-poetry/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-poetry/ Tue, 24 May 2011 20:39:41 GMT We are the only species on Earth capable of preventing our own flowering http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cruelty-conundrum/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cruelty-conundrum/ Mon, 23 May 2011 15:58:12 GMT Why do people we care for sometimes engage in cruel behavior? What can we do about it? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gambling-addiction-substance-use/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gambling-addiction-substance-use/ Mon, 23 May 2011 15:30:28 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/10-days-mediterranean-diet-mood/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/10-days-mediterranean-diet-mood/ Tue, 17 May 2011 22:07:02 GMT What I am about to say should come as no surprise to most people: what we eat affects our emotions, as well as our bodies. Yet, many of us go through our days consuming things with a considerable degree of automaticity. Who among us has not eating lunch while multitasking at work, driving to a meeting, or watching TV? We have eaten but barely experienced it. Yet, food affects our mental and emotional functioning whether or not we pay attention to it. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adult-play-philosophy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adult-play-philosophy/ Tue, 17 May 2011 21:51:54 GMT Play is serious business! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/patience-daily-life-relaxation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/patience-daily-life-relaxation/ Mon, 16 May 2011 20:03:14 GMT ?How poor are they who have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/major-mental-illness-family-relationships/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/major-mental-illness-family-relationships/ Mon, 16 May 2011 19:42:58 GMT For all the research that has been done in the last twenty years attempting to understand the brain, the organ at the top of our spine retains its essential mystery. We know more now than ever how the brain works, how it has developed over the centuries to do the miraculous things it does, and what is happening to it when it gets injured. Doctors, parents, coaches and professional athletes are more alert to the dangers of brain concussion. Neurologists study to become adept at repairing the brain with surgery, cellular transplant, or electrical stimulus. Every one of us has a stake in the health of our minds. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-image-association/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-image-association/ Mon, 16 May 2011 18:02:53 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/overgeneral-memory-depression-mindfulness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/overgeneral-memory-depression-mindfulness/ Fri, 13 May 2011 19:00:59 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mind-body-therapy-increase-use/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mind-body-therapy-increase-use/ Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:02 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/music-therapy-terminal-illness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/music-therapy-terminal-illness/ Fri, 13 May 2011 06:00:55 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cyclomythic-mood-swings/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cyclomythic-mood-swings/ Thu, 12 May 2011 19:00:29 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mind-body-therapy-in-vitro-fertilization/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mind-body-therapy-in-vitro-fertilization/ Thu, 12 May 2011 06:00:26 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mother-daughter-relationship-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mother-daughter-relationship-therapy/ Wed, 11 May 2011 22:04:16 GMT Last night I dreamt that a woman with long octopus arms was breaking into my house by slipping through the cracks in the door, which I kept shutting, and she kept opening. When I woke up I heard the phone ringing- it was my daughter, who had been out late celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend. She forgot her keys and was locked out, and I was too deep asleep to hear her ring the door bell. The bell sounds had gotten tangled in my dream life, but the phone sounds broke in. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/veterans-ptsd-art-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/veterans-ptsd-art-therapy/ Wed, 11 May 2011 19:00:02 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-conflict-deeper-connection/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-conflict-deeper-connection/ Wed, 11 May 2011 01:32:40 GMT Conventional wisdom says that having conflict in a partnership is ?bad.? Most couples perceive conflict or its lack as a measure of a relationship?s strength or weakness. The truth is that conflict in itself is not bad; in fact it is a necessary part of every relationship. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/60-second-stress-relaxation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/60-second-stress-relaxation/ Mon, 9 May 2011 18:43:39 GMT We see a number of clients in our practice who struggle with feelings of anxiety. Working with mental and emotional responses to stress is helpful for these clients. We also take time to learn about where the person feels his/her anxiety in the body. Some common physical manifestations of anxiety include: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-in-therapy-self-growth/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-in-therapy-self-growth/ Fri, 6 May 2011 19:59:25 GMT Is psychotherapy purely a medical treatment warranted only for treating specific mental health disorders? Can psychotherapy also be used to address the multitude of emotional, cognitive, and physiological ways in which people suffer, ways that do not meet the diagnostic criteria for categorically-based syndromes? Additionally, is psychotherapy of any use to those seeking self-growth, wisdom, clarity, compassion, self-esteem, and consciousness? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/heart-rate-monitor-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/heart-rate-monitor-relationship/ Fri, 6 May 2011 16:35:30 GMT With all of the technical gadgets available for monitoring information pertaining to running and exercise, one can get very ?scientific? about training and performance. But despite the ability to concisely measure what is happening with your body, equipment can malfunction, and sometimes people perform better when not paying attention to the equipment. For these reasons, it can be helpful to your performance to rely on how you feel in your body, in your heart- ?heart rate.? This applies to relationships as well. How does your heart rate the relationship? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tips-for-good-sleep/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tips-for-good-sleep/ Fri, 6 May 2011 15:45:30 GMT ?Don?t talk to me until I?ve had my coffee!? Is this your morning mantra? Do you find yourself feeling tired, even after a night?s sleep? Sleep is a major, often invisible factor, in how we feel about ourselves and relate to others. You find yourself online, texting, reading or watching T.V. until the wee hours. This may be an attempt to feel more connected or to relax after your day. You might tell yourself it will be different tonight, tonight you?ll get to sleep early. In this fast paced culture, we try to fit in as much as possible at night, making it hard settle down when bedtime comes around. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-perception-reality/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-perception-reality/ Thu, 5 May 2011 22:47:45 GMT When it comes to my experience, perception is always more powerful than reality. Everything that I am is influenced by that which I perceive to be true, whether it is actually true or merely imagined. As a therapist, I have a responsibility to notice and, at times, even confront perception. I would do well to proceed respectfully, empathically, and without unnecessary provocation. At times, those real or imagined perceptions that infuse every marriage and family that I sit with act as that great big pink elephant in the room?standing between spouses and parents and children?that, unacknowledged, has a way of impeding growth in relationships and, consequently, our work together. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creative-block-approaches-unstuck/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creative-block-approaches-unstuck/ Mon, 2 May 2011 19:30:45 GMT I love springtime because of its association with new life, which immediately brings to mind thoughts about creativity. For those with creative blocks, however - whether artists or just ordinary folks like most of us, there are times when the ?stuckness? of creative inability colors the world gray; we tell ourselves we?re not special or good enough; that no one is interested in our creative efforts; our creations look, feel and sound ordinary, as though anyone could have made them. Whether we?re simply uninspired to create, having a bout of the ?blahs?, or feeling depressed, anxious, stressed or preoccupied with the mundane problems of everyday living or with particularly difficult or traumatic life transitions, our minds seem to have been cut off temporarily from the ability to make the creative connections that lead to works or outlooks that are fresh, new, and innovative. Despite assurances from those close to us that we can still ?do it?, that we haven?t really lost our touch or our spark, the disconcerting thought that we might never recover our creativity may occur, either setting off panic or dissolving us into heaps of lethargic apathy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/paramita-patience/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/paramita-patience/ Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:44:57 GMT This month our Paramita, or practice on the path towards happiness, is Patience. The practice of patience involves a shift in our perspective. Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein says patience ??remains present as long as the mind remembers that things end?when their conditioning causes end...? Conditioning causes are the elements that are coming together in this particular place and time that are causing us stress. In other words, have patience, this too shall pass. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hypnosis-chronic-pain/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hypnosis-chronic-pain/ Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:33:16 GMT There are many treatments for chronic pain, including those that fall under the heading of ?complementary and alternative? (CAM). This article discusses hypnosis as a CAM pain management tool that can be used within the context of psychotherapy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adult-play-health/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adult-play-health/ Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:35:54 GMT If you were handed good health, laughter, and joy would you take it? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-bipolar-moods/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-bipolar-moods/ Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:00:56 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-synchronicity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-synchronicity/ Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:15:08 GMT ?The Egyptians highly valued their animals, turning them into gods and goddesses? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-boredom/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-boredom/ Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:59:37 GMT Lois has five minutes left to her fifth session and is now having a flash of insight; ?I'm bored to death with therapy,? she thinks. ?This is getting me nowhere.? She feels close to her therapist and decides that he deserves more than a false excuse. ?Look?, she says, ?I think we can both agree that we're nearing the end here.? Unsure about how to respond to his neutral facial reactions, Lois plunges forward. ?Believe me, I'm as bored by myself as you probably are. But there's no reason to pretend that we're making progress here when I'm just going over the same issues, again and again. You've been trying. I know you have. But I've got nothing else to discover about myself. I'm done. That's all there is. I'm just done.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-psychotherapy-adults/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-psychotherapy-adults/ Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:27:23 GMT Whenever I am asked what I do for a living I start by saying that I am a Psychotherapist, an Art Psychotherapist. The person will often make attempts to qualify my answer by asking??Are you a psychiatrist?? ?No,? I answer. ?I don?t prescribe medication and I am not an MD.? Sometimes they go on in their inquiry ??Are you an Analysist?? ?No.? I reply, ?I am an Art Psychotherapist.? ?Oh,? they invariably say, ?I?ve heard of that. You work with children.? ?No,? I reply. ?All my clients are adults. Mostly young adults, middle aged adults and older adults. I help people with emotional problems like a talk therapist does but I use the creative processes in my work.? ?Oh, your clients are artists? They make paintings and drawings?? The answer I give is that ?Yes, often my clients are artists and they do make paintings and drawings. They may either bring in their artwork into session or they may make a painting/drawing with watercolor, acrylics, inks, and/or pencils in session. They may work quickly in one session or they may work on the same piece over the course of several weeks. Some of my clients consider themselves artists, designers, or writers. Some of them come from the applied arts like: design, fashion, jewelry, theater, and some from the fine arts of painting, drawing, sculpture and/or the electronic arts, such as photography, video and film. Many people who are not in the arts are creative and open to discussing their dreams or creatively expressing themselves. For example, many people in the military have captured images, videos and sounds of their experiences. These can be very powerful to work with in Art Psychotherapy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/long-term-depression-treatment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/long-term-depression-treatment/ Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:00:43 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-attack-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-attack-depression/ Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:15:26 GMT I want to continue to talk about the clusters of depression symptoms that cause people to suffer in very different ways. Last time I talked about the low ambition cluster; this time I want to talk about the self-attack cluster. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-adult-adhd/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-adult-adhd/ Wed, 6 Apr 2011 19:00:52 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-rapid-resolution-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-rapid-resolution-therapy/ Tue, 5 Apr 2011 22:03:55 GMT For the past two decades, science has been uncovering some important features of traumatized clients. There is mounting evidence that traumatized individuals vary widely in their ability to adapt to trauma, in part due to underlying physical factors. For instance, some see the presence of chronic emotional trauma as having the potential to cause permanent physical damage in at least the hippocampus (Sapolsky, in Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (1994) argues that chronic stress is a significant cause of aging in several species). This might mean that some individuals who have gone through multiple traumas or what in the DSM V will likely be called Disorders of Extreme Stress NOS, because of a changed hippocampus, might have diminished abilities to perceive or recover from subsequent stressors. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-workaholism-superwoman-stress/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-workaholism-superwoman-stress/ Tue, 5 Apr 2011 21:36:54 GMT ?Mindfulness is a tool to get underneath our defenses. When we can observe ourselves closely, experiencing our feelings but not reacting to them, we don?t have to pretend that we don?t feel.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/human-relationship-good-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/human-relationship-good-psychotherapy/ Fri, 1 Apr 2011 20:12:06 GMT May (1983) wrote that the most fundamental aspect of therapy is being and that, therefore, the value of the human encounter in therapy far outweighs complex understandings about a person?s psychological makeup or the technical skill of a guru. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/grief-loss-child-yoga-chanting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/grief-loss-child-yoga-chanting/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:57:55 GMT When he was three months old, my firstborn child was diagnosed with a choroid plexus carcinoma, a rare, aggressive brain tumor that grows on the structure inside the brain that makes cerebral spinal fluid. Two weeks after the initial resection of the tumor, and two more subsequent surgeries to drain fluid from his brain, he endured his first chemotherapy treatment. Three days following the administration of the chemo, a CT scan revealed that his brain was completely destroyed. The scan showed no healthy tissue. Doctors called it ?total neurological devastation.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-death-grief-process/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-death-grief-process/ Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:44:52 GMT I facilitate a Family Issues and Loss group for adults. What I find interesting is how one topic almost always spills into the other. When a family loses a member they are not only faced with having to cope with the absence of that person, they must also struggle with fulfilling that person's role(s). Failure of family members to appropriately compensate for these roles and/or support each other may lead to detachment and isolation between individuals and families within the family. Achieving acceptance and integration of the loss experience takes time and individuals may work through the process in different ways and at a different pace. These differences are expected and there are steps families can take to help each member feel supported and connected. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian-psychotherapy-dreams-online-resources/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian-psychotherapy-dreams-online-resources/ Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:00:30 GMT ... the content of the collective unconscious http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/surviving-sexual-assault/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/surviving-sexual-assault/ Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:00:28 GMT The recent sexual assault of CBS news reporter Lara Logan during her coverage of the February 2011 Egyptian uprising is a stark reminder that any woman is vulnerable to assault, regardless of her public status. You don?t have to travel to a distant country during political upheaval to be at risk. According to the National Violence Against Women Survey (2000), 17.6% of American women have been victims of an attempted or completed sexual assault. And while men can be sexual assault survivors, 90% of rape victims are women. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/issues-treat-before-family-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/issues-treat-before-family-therapy/ Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:32:22 GMT Families are amazingly resilient relationship groups. While many of us have enduring trouble with some aspect of our families, past or present, all of us are part of some form of family all our lives. Most of us organize our lives, day in, day out, year in, year out, around the needs, priorities, goals and problems of our chosen family. Whatever differences and conflicts we may have with other nations and peoples around the world, the human family is the way all of us organize. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/aromatherapy-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/aromatherapy-psychotherapy/ Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:08:08 GMT Scents, Memories, and Emotions http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/animal-therapy-children/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/animal-therapy-children/ Thu, 17 Mar 2011 06:00:41 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/importance-outdoor-play/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/importance-outdoor-play/ Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:38:50 GMT Play is our human birthright and yet we see a devaluing of play in our culture. We are seeing the erosion of the value of play [http://usplaycoalition.clemson.edu] and play outdoors manifesting in nature-deficit disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv. When children and parents could be outdoors playing they are tied to a computer or television screen. Children and adults are experiencing greater incidences of obesity and other physical and emotional disorders due to the lack of physical activity, play outdoors, and connection with nature. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/video-art-therapy-jimmy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/video-art-therapy-jimmy/ Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:06:45 GMT Full permission has been given by the client to tell this story on GoodTherapy.org. All identifying information has been changed. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/common-trauma-therapy-approaches/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/common-trauma-therapy-approaches/ Wed, 9 Mar 2011 16:39:45 GMT Learning about the stages of healing can be distressing, motivating, upsetting or uplifting. None of these emotions is the right one to feel, meaning that no matter how you feel, you do not have a wrong reaction. Acknowledging your emotional response to the stages of healing can allow you to harness the emotion?s energy and reach out to a trained psychotherapist. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/yoga-eating-disorders/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/yoga-eating-disorders/ Wed, 9 Mar 2011 04:25:13 GMT In addition to being a psychotherapist, I am a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner and a yoga instructor. I?ve long been interested not only in movement but in the role of body-oriented techniques in the process of psychological healing. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-complaints-resentment-communication/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-complaints-resentment-communication/ Mon, 7 Mar 2011 17:59:07 GMT This article will make it all sound so easy. And, practically speaking, it is. The act of making requests is an extremely straightforward process. Similar to the choice to forgive someone, offering a sincere request can immediately and radically alter the landscape of your long held grievances. Suddenly with a courageous wave of your hand, the chances of getting what you want from others can be tipped in your favor. It takes practice. But it's not rocket science. There are four recommended steps to follow ? described a few paragraphs down. (Go ahead and glance at them but then come back.) http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-awareness-physical-fitness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-awareness-physical-fitness/ Mon, 7 Mar 2011 16:59:31 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mental-illness-grief-creativity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mental-illness-grief-creativity/ Fri, 4 Mar 2011 21:19:11 GMT During my career, I had the privilege of working with adults living with severe and persistent mental illness in an outpatient program at a local behavioral health center.  Although frequently grouped together and labeled as ?crazy? or ?nuts? ? as well as ?dangerous? - in popular parlance, this was hardly a homogeneous population. There were people in their late teens, adults and senior citizens from many different cultural backgrounds, living with varying symptoms and in various stages of the ?disease? process: from newly diagnosed to chronic. Among those I counseled were people with ? according to the DSM-IV-TR, the so-called ?Bible of mental illness? - severe depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, personality disorders, schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder; some had mixed symptoms of a number of different disorders. Few were employable; many had little if any family support; more than half lived in adult congregate living facilities; most survived on Social Security and Medicaid, and many had done so for years. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ethical-discipline-paramitas-buddhism/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ethical-discipline-paramitas-buddhism/ Thu, 3 Mar 2011 20:45:48 GMT To continue with the theme of the Paramitas from last month, when we began with Generosity, we will look at the practice of Ethics or Morality (Shila in Pali), sometimes referred to as Discipline. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adolescent-consequences-parenting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adolescent-consequences-parenting/ Wed, 2 Mar 2011 20:01:01 GMT The subject of consequences comes up frequently in my work with teens and families. The fact that many parents of teens struggle with this area should come as no surprise. Up until adolescence, consequences are pretty straightforward and effective - if your little one wants this you distract with that, if she throws a tantrum you give choices and/or use a quick time out. For good measure we'll throw in a simple set of rewards and consequences for chores and behavior. Such is the journey that leaves one completely unprepared to parent adolescents. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adhd-coaches-adult-clients/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adhd-coaches-adult-clients/ Tue, 1 Mar 2011 21:15:18 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-writing-personal-myth/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-writing-personal-myth/ Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:19:39 GMT Without playing with fantasy, no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination if incalculable. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-workplace/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-workplace/ Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:48:08 GMT I love this quote; I have to work so hard to play. For many of us play does not come easily. Try wrapping your arms around the idea that you are not your work. What makes you successful? What do you consider achievements? If your list of successes and achievements are all on the highly difficult side of things then I would like to suggest a slight adjustment. Are you successful when things come easily or when you feel good about what you achieved? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting-guide-behavior-punishment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting-guide-behavior-punishment/ Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:20:00 GMT How many times have I heard ?So, do you have a manual for my kid?? We learn from very early on in parenting that there is no such thing. Sure, there are generalizations about milestones, abilities and limitations, but just as adults are so different from one another, kids can be as well. For first time parents, it is hard to know what's normal for a certain age or what a typical reaction is when going through a stressful experience. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/playtime-grandparents-adult-children/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/playtime-grandparents-adult-children/ Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:00:37 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/voice-dialogue-transpersonal-perspective/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/voice-dialogue-transpersonal-perspective/ Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:22:32 GMT This is the fourth in a series of articles on the Scapegoat and how Voice Dialogue can help heal this ancient phenomenon that continues to occur within all human communities and within certain sensitive and susceptible individuals. The first two articles explored the Shadow, the phenomenon called projection, and the history of the Scapegoat in human communities. The third article begins the sorting and healing process through Voice Dialogue sessions with a composite client named Helen. See the first three articles here. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy-promote-health/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy-promote-health/ Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:46:13 GMT In the last couple of weeks I have had two different people come in that I hadn?t seen for a while and in whom I sensed a recognizable shift. The first thing I noticed with each of them was a gentle radiance around their body, the coloring in their faces was different, not the skin itself, but there was just more color, more light around them. They both also appeared calm, contained. I discovered that both of these women had been undergoing a cleansing diet under the supervision of their Naturopathic doctors. They had both cut out meat and fish and many other foods for a short period of time. One was using special supplements and smoothies to aid the cleanse process. Both were meant to add back foods slowly to test the effect on their systems but one has already decided to remain vegetarian because three weeks into the cleanse and after years of a heavy meat diet recommended by a different health practitioner she felt so much better. I had the sense that the dietary change was positively augmenting their therapeutic work. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/appropriate-conversations-counseling-spirituality/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/appropriate-conversations-counseling-spirituality/ Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:50:32 GMT A client of mine who is currently ?taking a break? for financial and other reasons wrote me an email letting me know that part of the reason for his decision was that he did not feel that our discussions about spirituality were a productive use of his time. Coincidently, we were at the point where he would have had to pay his deductible (meaning he would have out-of-pocket costs for his sessions rather than a small copay). He said he did not think he wanted to spend his time on ??that type of conversation? and that it was not really what he came for (even though he did say he wanted to develop his spiritual self once we got past some very major issues). It was also ironic that he really had no one else in his life to talk about spirituality but me and that as an Ordained Yoruba Priest I was also uniquely qualified. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/singles-guide-happy-valentines-day/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/singles-guide-happy-valentines-day/ Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:07:53 GMT Being single around Valentine's Day can kind of feel like getting picked last in gym class. The kid who gets picked last in gym class really lacks only athletic ability. Yet, as name after name is called on the playground, the kid whose name has yet to be called feels worse and worse about herself. By the time the team with the last pick finally has to take her, she feels like a totally worthless loser. Certainly, this kid is not a worthless loser. She?s just not a jock.  Likewise, around Valentine's Day, single people who see bouquet after bouquet of flowers being delivered may feel worse and worse about themselves, until they feel just like the kid who got picked last? a worthless loser. And just like the ?last pick? kid really lacks only athletic gifts, the single person really lacks only a partner. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ways-to-show-love-self-others/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ways-to-show-love-self-others/ Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:41:57 GMT Harvey is a young man who wants to do good for others; he supports his friends generously with time and advice; he likes to take care of people?but not of himself. I asked him, ?How come everybody else deserves good treatment, and you don?t? Don?t you count as much as the next guy?? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-relationship-conflict-habits/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/effective-relationship-conflict-habits/ Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:25:37 GMT There?s a distinct set of habits that are shared by almost all people who know how to get their partners to be open-minded and receptive, and thanks to decades of painstaking relationship research, we now know exactly what these habits are. If you want to succeed in love, you simply must have specific interpersonal abilities. If you have them, chances are very good that over the long haul your partner will be responsive to your wants and needs. If you don?t have them, the evidence suggests that your relationship future is likely quite dim. A detailed description of each of these habits can be found in the articles, Habits of People Who Know How to Get Their Partners to Treat Them Well --Parts I & II, and Reacting Effectively When Your Partner Says or Does Something You Don?t Like or Agree With (www.thecouplesclinic.com/resources). In the present article, I summarize five lessons we?ve learned through years of helping people develop the habits through our counseling and educational programs at the Couples Clinic and Research Institute. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-cardiac-health-recovery/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-cardiac-health-recovery/ Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:00:27 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-images-art-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-images-art-therapy/ Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:50:26 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/raising-children-toxic-free-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/raising-children-toxic-free-relationship/ Tue, 8 Feb 2011 19:49:21 GMT What is happening in your child's body as they observe you and your partner fight it out over your latest big trust issue? If it's anything near the results taking place in your own body, they can actually taste the level of toxicity of the argument. As parents, we are hyper vigilant about the level of toxins in our children's food, playgrounds, and classrooms but we can be selectively blind to the level of toxins passed on through our relationship. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/stepparent-adjustment-blended-family/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/stepparent-adjustment-blended-family/ Tue, 8 Feb 2011 19:33:44 GMT While most of us who marry intend it to be for a lifetime, about half of all first marriages in the United States end in divorce. Divorce ends not only a couple relationship based at least initially on attraction, trust and commitment; it marks the end of a dreamed future as a family. Despite the pain that most divorces bring, the desire to be happily married doesn?t seem to end, since most of those who divorce will eventually remarry. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/children-say-i-dont-like-you-parenting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/children-say-i-dont-like-you-parenting/ Fri, 4 Feb 2011 00:51:28 GMT It hurts, yes, but I don?t believe they really don?t like you. Kids, as young as 2, learn to say NO, have their feelings hurt and want to do things their own way. They do not have the cognizance to say, ?Mom, I?m mad because I can?t get my own way at this time. I understand why you said I couldn?t do something?. If they were able to then it would make things a whole lot easier! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-juvenile-delinquent-counseling/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-juvenile-delinquent-counseling/ Fri, 4 Feb 2011 00:32:09 GMT Stress Management group came around once every 3 months in the adolescent court diversion program at which I spent a number of years as a counselor. Although life skills training was strongly emphasized throughout the program, much repetition was required, and on this day I and my co-facilitator had less than 2 hours to impart some useful information connecting concepts of healthy stress management practices, personal wellbeing and sobriety for a group of boisterous, uproarious and occasionally obnoxiously behaving teens. Dutifully copying much-used handouts and anticipating leading questions to get the group going once check-ins were completed and latecomers seated, I wondered what could be done to arouse interest in a discussion of this topic beyond the level of interest we?d seen from clients in past groups: interest in enumerating all of the things that others ? parents, teachers, counselors, peers, law enforcement and the judge ? were doing to stress them out! Reluctant to take responsibility for whatever behavior might have precipitated their being arrested, charged and referred to the program, many of the kids laid the blame for their woes at others? feet. As might be expected, many were quite reactive to having their views challenged, regardless of how respectfully and therapeutically this was done. And, when it came to talking about antidotes to stress, group members often tried to steer the discussion back to one of their favorite stress relief methods - using alcohol and other illicit substances - turning the group into a forum for debate rather than self-reflection and learning. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/paramitas-generosity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/paramitas-generosity/ Fri, 4 Feb 2011 00:07:48 GMT My meditation class is exploring the six Paramitas, or perfections, the path of the Bodhisattva (one who vows to liberate all beings from suffering). It is simpler than it sounds. In truth, it is the path to happiness, and any one of us can follow it. In the months to come I will write posts about each of the Paramitas and explain how we can make use of them in our lives. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/memory-training-addiction-counseling/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/memory-training-addiction-counseling/ Wed, 2 Feb 2011 15:00:11 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-breathing-meditation-stress/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-breathing-meditation-stress/ Wed, 2 Feb 2011 00:47:03 GMT What do you do when you?re feeling anxious, depressed or stressed out? How do you treat yourself? Are you able to be compassionate towards your own emotional pain or do you engage in self criticism, judgment or blame? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ Tue, 1 Feb 2011 16:03:45 GMT As a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT), my goal is to teach people that a life free of depression, anxiety and other ?negative emotions? is within their reach. I believe that most people are apprehensive about beginning therapy either because of something they saw on television, portraying therapists as unethical buffoons, or due to a bad experience with a therapist that wasn?t a good fit for them. When someone tells me that therapy was ?ineffective? for them, I am distraught; as a CBT therapist, I often hear clients telling me that they did little more than ?vent? to their therapist, and never actually found ways to ?change? the problems that they were seeking help for in the first place. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/two-pillars-mindfulness-therapy-observation-compassion/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/two-pillars-mindfulness-therapy-observation-compassion/ Tue, 1 Feb 2011 05:08:06 GMT Mindfulness-Based Therapy is an approach in which the principles of mindfulness are applied for therapeutic purposes. What does it practically mean? In my article ?Mindfulness and Knowledge", I pointed out to the 5 basic elements of mindfulness: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/empathy-physical-mental-health-care/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/empathy-physical-mental-health-care/ Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:00:48 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-effects-anxiety-sensitive-environment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-effects-anxiety-sensitive-environment/ Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:00:42 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-meditation-change-brain-structure/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-meditation-change-brain-structure/ Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:21 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-emotional-abuse/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-emotional-abuse/ Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:33:15 GMT When a loved one hurts you through excessive criticism, put downs or abuse of any kind, you experience emotional and often simultaneous physical pain. But can emotional abuse be considered traumatic? Dr. Francine Shapiro defines two types of trauma, "big T" trauma and "little t" trauma. "Big T" trauma refers to what we commonly think of as trauma like war or natural disaster. "Little t" trauma refers to incidents such as getting teased as a child or getting rejected by your first love. Most people experience "little t" trauma some time in their lives. People who live with and love someone emotionally abusive experience "little t trauma" on a daily basis. The experience of put downs, criticisms or whatever form emotional abuse takes, not only wears down self- esteem but also impacts the nervous system. Memories of the abuse can elicit negative feelings, tense physical sensations along with negative thoughts about yourself long after the abuse has occurred. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/animals-psyche-jung/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/animals-psyche-jung/ Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:32:54 GMT Anima(ls) meaning breath?.soul http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/life-goals-new-year-resolutions/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/life-goals-new-year-resolutions/ Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:11:03 GMT It's that time of year again ? the gyms are packed, nicotine patches are flying off the shelves, and book shelves are loaded with titles that promise dramatic weight loss and a svelte new figure. The obligatory New Year's Resolutions are made, and all too often, are forgotten as quickly as they were made. By now, mid-January, many have already abandoned their resolutions. But, why? A new year seems like the perfect opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, right? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-awareness-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-awareness-depression/ Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:00:15 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tuscon-assassinations/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tuscon-assassinations/ Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:50:50 GMT People at the Safeway on January 8 were grocery shopping, hanging out with their friends and families, and doing their normal Saturday morning chores; Congressional Representative Gabrielle Giffords was holding a ?meet and greet? with her constituents. Then Jared Lee Loughner opened fire and all hell broke loose. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-music-calm-brain-stress/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-music-calm-brain-stress/ Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:00:47 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-depression-play-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-depression-play-therapy/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:32:52 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-eating-obesity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-eating-obesity/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:52:40 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dying-regrets-self-kindness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dying-regrets-self-kindness/ Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:30:49 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-relational-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-relational-psychotherapy/ Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:51:11 GMT A couple walks into an office for the first time. They take their seats at opposite ends of a couch. After a short flurry of legalisms, a small contract is passed out and the two steal an anxious look at one another, ?What is it we're getting ourselves into here??. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/resolution-change-winter-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/resolution-change-winter-psychotherapy/ Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:58:33 GMT As we enter a new year, we cannot help but gather a new resolve to make changes in our lives. It is a phenomenon of our culture. It is also an expression of natural rhythms of life.  Perhaps, even further, it is an indication of hope?if not faith?in something more. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-creativity-new-york-blizzard/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-creativity-new-york-blizzard/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 17:21:37 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-rituals-winter-celebrations/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-rituals-winter-celebrations/ Thu, 6 Jan 2011 15:54:29 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/recovering-from-holiday-stress-laughter-mindfulness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/recovering-from-holiday-stress-laughter-mindfulness/ Wed, 5 Jan 2011 21:52:19 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-new-year-resolutions/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-new-year-resolutions/ Wed, 5 Jan 2011 21:18:22 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creative-block-procrastination-perfectionism/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creative-block-procrastination-perfectionism/ Tue, 4 Jan 2011 17:35:08 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/senior-pet-ownership-depression-loneliness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/senior-pet-ownership-depression-loneliness/ Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:00:44 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-year-relationship-goals/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-year-relationship-goals/ Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:58:13 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/facebook-depression-self-esteem-support/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/facebook-depression-self-esteem-support/ Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:55:54 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-anxiety-albert-ellis/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-anxiety-albert-ellis/ Mon, 27 Dec 2010 20:48:13 GMT This co-dependency article is the last chapter on managing anxiety. We will manage anxiety by learning cognitive behavioral strategies. To review, the other strategies include physical exercise to burn off adrenaline and relaxation breathing. We are learning to manage anxiety, because when we let go of co-dependent behaviors and beliefs, we often feel some anxiety. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sex-holidays-relationships-couples/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sex-holidays-relationships-couples/ Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:53:04 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emotional-response-music-human-contact/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emotional-response-music-human-contact/ Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:00:47 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/daily-anxiety-stress-relieve-techniques/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/daily-anxiety-stress-relieve-techniques/ Sat, 25 Dec 2010 15:00:29 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tips-coping-holiday-loneliness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/tips-coping-holiday-loneliness/ Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:06:32 GMT By Marta Rocha, MHCI http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-relationship-trauma-self-care/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-relationship-trauma-self-care/ Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:51:41 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/inner-imaginal-conversations-jungian-dream-analysis/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/inner-imaginal-conversations-jungian-dream-analysis/ Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:10:08 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-relationship-tips/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-relationship-tips/ Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:51:53 GMT The holiday season can be really tough on relationships and expectations. Often the holidays are times when relationship problems become the most evident. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/conflict-with-care/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/conflict-with-care/ Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:54:24 GMT When we find ourselves embattled, either viscerally aggressive or frozen, there is always an underlying process of anxiety occurring in our neural and limbic systems. The ?fight or flight? mechanism that often spirals us beyond the limit of reason and self-control has immediate effects in our neurochemical and hormonal processes. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-abuse-trauma-prayer-meditation-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-abuse-trauma-prayer-meditation-psychotherapy/ Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:00:50 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-care-holidays-eating-disorder-womens-issues-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-care-holidays-eating-disorder-womens-issues-psychotherapy/ Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:11:56 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/obesity-depression-weight-psychotherapy-reciprocal-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/obesity-depression-weight-psychotherapy-reciprocal-relationship/ Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:00:24 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationships-self-esteem-object-relations-parenting-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationships-self-esteem-object-relations-parenting-psychotherapy/ Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:07:45 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/winter-play-therapy-family-children-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/winter-play-therapy-family-children-psychology/ Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:39:11 GMT Both children and adults learn through play. This of course is not news to those of us in the field of play. What is news is the fact that we need to improve the quality of play for everyone. Many parents and educators are no longer in touch with the need for play for children in our driven, achievement-oriented culture. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dr-phil-television-psychotherapy-process-oriented/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dr-phil-television-psychotherapy-process-oriented/ Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:00:18 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holidate-holiday-season-relationships-marriage-happiness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holidate-holiday-season-relationships-marriage-happiness/ Thu, 9 Dec 2010 23:34:55 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-season-mindfulness-less-is-more-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-season-mindfulness-less-is-more-psychotherapy/ Thu, 9 Dec 2010 20:00:04 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-calm-mind-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-calm-mind-psychotherapy/ Tue, 7 Dec 2010 20:00:08 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-eating-during-holidays/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holiday-eating-during-holidays/ Tue, 7 Dec 2010 16:32:38 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapeutic-play-sandplay-therapy-attachment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapeutic-play-sandplay-therapy-attachment/ Mon, 6 Dec 2010 21:56:25 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/santa-artist-creative-blocks-art-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/santa-artist-creative-blocks-art-therapy/ Mon, 6 Dec 2010 20:40:07 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/success-love-now-gratitude-purpose-surrender-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/success-love-now-gratitude-purpose-surrender-psychotherapy/ Fri, 3 Dec 2010 16:04:28 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-guided-imagery-creativity-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-guided-imagery-creativity-psychotherapy/ Fri, 3 Dec 2010 15:42:07 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relational-psychotherapy-intersubjective-psychotherapy-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relational-psychotherapy-intersubjective-psychotherapy-relationship/ Thu, 2 Dec 2010 22:20:39 GMT A good place to begin a discussion of Relational Psychology might well be with the all too familiar experience of the ?awkward silence?. At some point in the therapeutic process a moment occurs that seems out of context. A Kleenex box is dropped. An offhand comment gets drowned out by the wail of an ambulance siren. The squeaky chair makes another embarrassing sound. It is during such everyday gaffes as these that the two people in a room are reminded of their shared humanity. Nothing too dramatic has occurred yet, in this moment of meeting, the roles between that of helper and client may appear temporarily confused. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-thought-choice-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-thought-choice-psychotherapy/ Thu, 2 Dec 2010 15:11:33 GMT 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. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-chronic-pain-cbt-psychotropic-medication/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-chronic-pain-cbt-psychotropic-medication/ Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:54:02 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/attitude-through-body-baby-caregiver-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/attitude-through-body-baby-caregiver-psychotherapy/ Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:21:04 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/chronic-illness-family-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/chronic-illness-family-psychotherapy/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:13:47 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/awareness-mindfulness-body-mind-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/awareness-mindfulness-body-mind-psychotherapy/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:59:04 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/wellness-work-program-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/wellness-work-program-psychotherapy/ Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:00:04 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing-psychotherapy-personal-history/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing-psychotherapy-personal-history/ Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:59:14 GMT ?I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.? -  Louisa May Alcott http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/managing-anxiety-relaxation-technique-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/managing-anxiety-relaxation-technique-psychotherapy/ Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:47:05 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/distraction-stress-city-life-happiness-psychotherapy-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/distraction-stress-city-life-happiness-psychotherapy-psychology/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:00:24 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/classical-music-therapy-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/classical-music-therapy-depression/ Sat, 13 Nov 2010 07:00:42 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian-therapy-dream-spirituality/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian-therapy-dream-spirituality/ Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:43:14 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/television-children-play-therapy-parenting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/television-children-play-therapy-parenting/ Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:04:32 GMT A recent article in the Friday Journal section of the Wall Street Journal, dated November 5, 2010 states that preschoolers, aged 2 to 5, spend an average of more than 32 hours in front of the TV screen each week, according to Nielsen. To add to this horrific statistic a large percentage of preschoolers watch TV from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/senior-depression-psychotherapy-identifying-treatment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/senior-depression-psychotherapy-identifying-treatment/ Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:00:05 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/divorce-marriage-communication-internal-family-systems/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/divorce-marriage-communication-internal-family-systems/ Mon, 8 Nov 2010 18:11:30 GMT Oh no ? another couple you know is getting a divorce. Do you think it?s contagious? Are you worried that break-ups are like a virus you could catch? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-food-issues-compulsive-binge-recovery-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-food-issues-compulsive-binge-recovery-psychotherapy/ Mon, 8 Nov 2010 17:35:37 GMT When I write articles for GoodTherapy, I usually write about my views on recovery from disordered eating and body image concerns, and about things I?ve learned from my professional experience. This article is different: it?s about my personal experience. This month?s article was originally due the day after Halloween.  For reasons I?ll mention shortly, I hadn?t started writing it by Halloween day. On Halloween afternoon, I pondered this aloud, and my son asked what the article that I had to write was about.  I told him, ?disordered eating,? and he said, ?You have to write it about Halloween candy!? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anger-management-motivation-reward-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anger-management-motivation-reward-psychotherapy/ Fri, 5 Nov 2010 19:00:12 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adulthood-parenting-psychotherapy-emdr-self-care/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adulthood-parenting-psychotherapy-emdr-self-care/ Fri, 5 Nov 2010 14:59:42 GMT I believe the task of childhood is to learn to be a good parent to ourselves, and the task of parenthood is to teach our children to become good parents to themselves. When this doesn?t happen, it becomes the goal of therapy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/childhood-sexual-abuse-trauma-art-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/childhood-sexual-abuse-trauma-art-therapy/ Fri, 5 Nov 2010 14:34:41 GMT When November arrives, depression is not far behind. Something about the turn of the season, less daylight, less outdoor activities, the holiday bustle nudging its way back into consciousness can make some people turn inward and find deep dissatisfaction in their lives. Deep dissatisfaction can show up as a persistent weight pulling you down. Sometimes it is hard to get out of bed, to do anything. Most people are able to cope with these feelings by ?pushing through? or ?acting as if? they are feeling alright.  Enrolling in new classes, filling calendars with arts, sports, theater, shopping and exercise routines can help lift depression. ?Crafting? marketed by Martha Stewart has hit the culture in a big way. She was featured on Oprah in October, 2010. Her crafting ideas are well thought out and planned to provide hours of pleasure that some people find in making things. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/communication-marriage-conflict-resolution/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/communication-marriage-conflict-resolution/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:13:30 GMT What little words turn out to be provocative, with huge potential for undermining goodwill in a relationship? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/fibromyalgia-childhood-stress-body-mind-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/fibromyalgia-childhood-stress-body-mind-psychotherapy/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:55:23 GMT Starting the day with fibromyalgia pain made Vera angry http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/masochistic-anger-management-self-flagellation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/masochistic-anger-management-self-flagellation/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:37:26 GMT Shirking duties was guaranteed to get Ezra angry http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/voice-dialogue-psychotherapy-inner-scapegoat/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/voice-dialogue-psychotherapy-inner-scapegoat/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:17:56 GMT This is the third in a series of articles on the Scapegoat and how Voice Dialogue can help heal this ancient phenomenon that continues to occur within all human communities and within certain sensitive and susceptible individuals. The first two articles explored the Shadow, the phenomenon called projection, and the history of the Scapegoat in human communities. See the first two articles at: http://www.goodtherapy.org/voice-dialogue-article.html. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/personality-birth-order-family-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/personality-birth-order-family-therapy/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:55:49 GMT For generations, family members have noted the differences that naturally arise in children raised in the same family. How is it that John, the first born and only boy, seems to have such different personality characteristics than his younger brother, raised in the same house by the same parents just two years apart?  Good question! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-psychotherapy/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:12:03 GMT What is ?mindfulness?? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mental-illness-health-resilience-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mental-illness-health-resilience-psychology/ Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:00:17 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pollyanna-mindfulness-meditation-buddhist-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pollyanna-mindfulness-meditation-buddhist-psychology/ Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:45:09 GMT Often, in the context of cultivating mindfulness, I heard people emphasize ? ?I don?t want to become a Pollyanna?. As someone who grew up loving Pollyanna ? a child heroine of U.S. novelist Eleanor Hodgman Porter1 - I want to clear her name and claim that there is a lot to learn from her character in our efforts to be mindful. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/maudsley-method-family-therapy-eating-issues-anorexia/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/maudsley-method-family-therapy-eating-issues-anorexia/ Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:00:06 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relief-for-clients-facing-postpartum-issues-and-anxiety/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relief-for-clients-facing-postpartum-issues-and-anxiety/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:40:43 GMT Having a baby is a milestone occasion in many women?s lives. It is a time of profound role transition and development of reordering of priorities. For many women, motherhood brings joy, a sense of wonder, and tremendous fulfillment. And, for at least 20% of all child-bearing women, motherhood can bring about significant perinatal mood/anxiety concerns. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/antidepressant-medication-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/antidepressant-medication-psychotherapy/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:00:48 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/children-obsessive-compulsive-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/children-obsessive-compulsive-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:01:18 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/person-centered-rogerian-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/person-centered-rogerian-therapy/ Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:15:09 GMT Have you ever been in a relationship that challenged your assumptions and beliefs about yourself and the world around you? If so, then you know how powerful and life changing some relationships can be. Imagine then, forming a relationship with a professional who is trained to develop relationships that encourage self-exploration, insight and positive change. Carl Rogers, founder of Person Centered Psychotherapy, outlined three essential ingredients of a just such a successful therapeutic relationship? unconditional positive regard, genuineness and empathy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-abuse-recovery-marriage-healing/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-abuse-recovery-marriage-healing/ Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:19:40 GMT The media is inundated with stories about domestic violence and the havoc that alcohol or drugs can cause with love relationships. However, there is little attention paid to more subtle types of hurtful behavior like verbal or emotional abuse. These damaging behaviors can occur with partners who are neither physically violent nor addicts. They are partners who may have some other mental illness not so widely understood by the average person. Some emotionally abusive partners aren?t mentally ill at all; they nevertheless have learned to use power and control as a major style of operation within their relationships. Like victims of domestic violence, partners in emotionally abusive relationships suffer quietly. Unlike those that fear physical safety, victims of emotional abuse may have little understanding they are in fact being abused. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emdr-training-certification-therapists/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/emdr-training-certification-therapists/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:04:59 GMT Like we talked about last month, the alphabet soup of degrees, licenses, and various organizations related to all things EMDR. But, while that information is important, as you look for your therapist, it is imperative that you review your therapist?s level of training. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/nature-scene-physical-pain-serenity-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/nature-scene-physical-pain-serenity-psychotherapy/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:00:17 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/schizophrenia-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-stigma/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/schizophrenia-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-stigma/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:00:45 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/synchronicity-jungian-psychotherapy-dreams-meaningful-coincidence/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/synchronicity-jungian-psychotherapy-dreams-meaningful-coincidence/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:16:14 GMT In Synchronicity and the Stories of our Lives, Robert H. Hopcke presents synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, using examples that are written in every day language making this Jungian concept easier to relate to and understand. Paying attention and connecting the dots after a series of synchronistic events and dreams can be helpful in developing our awareness and intuition. Ultimately, by increasing our awareness of synchronicities in our lives we are able to connect more fully with our dreams, increase our feelings of trust and support, and prepare for and take action in creating the life we want to live fully and truthfully according to our nature. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-stress-work-enjoy-life/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-stress-work-enjoy-life/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:04:27 GMT Sally does not stop for breakfast and instead goes straight from her bed to her desk. She begins typing on the computer while unknowingly holding her breath. Jumping from one website to the next she feels busy. Her muscles tense. She pushes herself to continue working. By the end of the day, she is exhausted and restless. Feeling very tired and wired she takes a sleeping pill to go to sleep. This daily work pattern continues until she finds herself sick in bed with the flu. Illness brings on a needed a period of rest. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/animal-assisted-therapy-psychological-issues/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/animal-assisted-therapy-psychological-issues/ Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:00:46 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/grief-decisions-depression-trauma/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/grief-decisions-depression-trauma/ Thu, 7 Oct 2010 13:33:21 GMT Sometimes, when people experience a terrible loss, especially if it?s a traumatic loss, they make a life-changing decision in the middle of the intense emotional pain, often without even realizing it or remembering it. This decision can potentially affect them for the rest of their lives, and can cause chronic depression. People do this as a way of coping with the loss. In the shock of loss, people focus very narrowly on getting through each excruciating moment. Thoughts like ?I?ll never love again? or I?ll never trust again? seem at the time like ways to avoid ever feeling this unbearable pain again. When people aren?t feeling acute pain, and are able to let other life experiences inform their decisions, they don?t usually make these kinds of grief-driven decisions. Let me give you some examples of what I mean. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-stress-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-stress-psychotherapy/ Wed, 6 Oct 2010 19:50:47 GMT The news media is filled with negative stories depicting despicable people who were put into powerful positions either by election (politicians) or by talent (sports/entertainment). Newspapers often read like cheap tabloids. We?re bombarded by images online of politicians who are bilking taxpayers of billions of dollars and sports/entertainment heroes whose lives are out-of-control. We are lured to click onto seductive headlines by wiggling bodies vying for our attention. Crime on the streets and in neighborhoods is rising at alarming rates. Promises of health care reform have not trickled down into ordinary people?s lives. In fact, insurance companies more than medical professionals are dictating the treatment people choose and with whom they trust their care. Insurance concerns are in a sense representative of the ?lucky ones? who have health care, access to computers to research their treatment plans and a place to call home. Many, many more people these days are living without access. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-disorder-teen-self-esteem-family-origin/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-disorder-teen-self-esteem-family-origin/ Tue, 5 Oct 2010 14:12:27 GMT I often say, when explaining eating disorders, that someday I?m going to invent the Eating Disorder Board Game. I certainly don?t meant to make light of eating disorders, for they are serious conditions that cause tremendous pain to those that suffer from them and to those close to the sufferer. It?s just that I?m big on using analogies to explain the significance of eating-disordered beliefs and behaviors. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/multiple-sclerosis-meditation-depression-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/multiple-sclerosis-meditation-depression-psychotherapy/ Mon, 4 Oct 2010 19:00:25 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cancer-body-mind-psychotherapy-chronic-stress/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cancer-body-mind-psychotherapy-chronic-stress/ Mon, 4 Oct 2010 15:26:46 GMT Should Elijah be concerned about his mole? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-intervening-children-trauma/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-intervening-children-trauma/ Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:00:46 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-impulses-eating-adhd-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-impulses-eating-adhd-psychotherapy/ Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:00:36 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy-catharsis-healing/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy-catharsis-healing/ Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:47:34 GMT Oddly enough, a recent ant bite has got me thinking about human behavior and psychotherapy! The little guy lived in the dessert where survival skills are paramount and he got me a good one, it hurt like the dickens for about 5 minutes. Then I forgot about it. But days later the site around the bite was swollen in a circle nearly 3 inches across. It was hard, and hot and itched- itched- itched- itched- itched. Scratching made it itch even more. Scratching also tore up the skin that was stretched tight over the inflamed tissue which could cause problems of a different nature. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teens-sports-physical-mental-health/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teens-sports-physical-mental-health/ Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:37:33 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing-trauma-resilience/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing-trauma-resilience/ Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:14:14 GMT Something that I have found fascinating in working from a Somatic Experiencing framework is the way in which a charge that has been held by the physiology from an unresolved critical incident can impact behavior and thought in unexpected ways. I have mentioned this in my previous entries. It is something that I have experienced personally as well as witnessed in my practice. Seemingly unrelated aspects of one?s life can shift as the physiology is able to dissipate the held, or remembered, charge from previous critical incidents. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/marriage-communication-voice-tone-emotional-control/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/marriage-communication-voice-tone-emotional-control/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:01:04 GMT In what ways does tone of voice matter? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/indirect-direct-communication-relationships-marriage/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/indirect-direct-communication-relationships-marriage/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:51:13 GMT Indirect communication means hinting or acting out. For instance, if you feel disappointed, ?Hmmm? would be hinting. Stewing and pouting would be acting out what you feel instead of saying it. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teen-tween-toddlerhood-parenting-praise-communication/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/teen-tween-toddlerhood-parenting-praise-communication/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:29:47 GMT If you have an adolescent, somewhere between 11 years old and 16, listen up! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-psychotherapy-children-teens-divorce-parenting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-psychotherapy-children-teens-divorce-parenting/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:48:10 GMT It?s not uncommon for a parent to bring a child to therapy and say, ?Fix it!? Of course, they don?t typically say ?it?; rather, they say, ?Fix Larry!? I can imagine my mother taking me to a therapist when I was in my teens because I needed (as we say down South) ?fixin.? At these moments I intentionally look at the adolescent or child to see their reaction. Sadly, most of them display no reactions at all ? they hear this statement on a regular basis. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/antidepressant-medication-over-prescribed-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/antidepressant-medication-over-prescribed-psychotherapy/ Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:00:23 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting-technology-family-therapy-social-network/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting-technology-family-therapy-social-network/ Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:27:56 GMT The human experience of parenting has changed some over the years. Biologically, having a child still involves all the relevant body parts, but these parts don?t necessarily have to belong to the parent in question; a mother?s body, a man?s sperm, can now all be borrowed, rented or purchased. All the wonders of the laboratory and operating suite of modern medicine that have been refined for assisting pregnancy just confirm the overwhelmingly shared human drive to procreate and have a family. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-grief-body-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-grief-body-psychotherapy/ Thu, 9 Sep 2010 17:08:52 GMT ?It feels heavy right here,? Rebecca* said, crying and touching her chest, ?like a huge rock is sitting on me. It?s like that old cartoon, where a boulder would fall off a cliff and pin the roadrunner to the ground ? it feels like I can?t move.? Rebecca had come to see me last year, a 32 year-old successful marketing professional, whose older sister had recently been diagnosed with a psychotic condition. She seemed lost in grief. Fluctuating bewilderment, sadness, fear, anger, tenderness, and love were tying knots in every part of her. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-psychotherapy-dream-analysis-play/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jung-psychotherapy-dream-analysis-play/ Tue, 7 Sep 2010 19:15:46 GMT The dream shows the inner truth and reality of the patient as it really is: not as I conjecture it to be, and not as he would like it to be, but as it is. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/addiction-smoking-psychotherapy-counseling-medicare/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/addiction-smoking-psychotherapy-counseling-medicare/ Mon, 6 Sep 2010 14:00:00 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-to-relationship-enhancement-couples-monogamy-counselin/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-to-relationship-enhancement-couples-monogamy-counselin/ Fri, 3 Sep 2010 18:50:50 GMT Slow down and listen. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-meditation-peace-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-meditation-peace-psychotherapy/ Fri, 3 Sep 2010 18:26:51 GMT Just Bow http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-summer-vacation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-summer-vacation/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:56:01 GMT Standing in line a few weeks ago at my local Whole Foods market, Time magazine caught my eye. Its cover had an idyllic full page picture of a young boy skipping stones on a pond with the headline ?THE CASE AGAINST SUMMER VACATION?. I caught my breath and groaned shaking my head in dismay. The sub title read our children are falling behind and loose even more after summer break. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/apa-mindfulness-meditation-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/apa-mindfulness-meditation-psychotherapy/ Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:00:02 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mothers-abusive-relationships-counseling-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mothers-abusive-relationships-counseling-psychotherapy/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:00:39 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencingpsychotherapy-trauma/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencingpsychotherapy-trauma/ Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:09:35 GMT The ability to navigate life as it comes. Our Autonomic Nervous System is elegantly designed for negotiating our encounters with all that is unexpected, shocking, threatening, frustrating, painful, dangerous, or enraging that life throws our way. Our complicated social relationships and structures, medical interventions, and technology can at times effectively block our hard-wired ability to make our way through these events completely. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/india-holistic-healing-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/india-holistic-healing-psychotherapy/ Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:00:50 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-cooperative-dialogue/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-cooperative-dialogue/ Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:44:53 GMT Cooperative Dialogue Skills--let's unpack those words... http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-bed-children-sleep/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-bed-children-sleep/ Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:10:24 GMT Young parents, especially exhausted moms, relish the moments when their children fall asleep in their arms. Ask any parent of teenage children: those long-ago moments when their infant children rested against their chests, heavy with sleep, are among their most cherished memories of parenthood. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/smoking-addiction-psychotherapy-suppression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/smoking-addiction-psychotherapy-suppression/ Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:00:45 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychological-children-incarcerated-parents/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychological-children-incarcerated-parents/ Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:00:59 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-depression/ Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:19:52 GMT Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob was famous for his ability to interpret dreams. The biblical story tells us that when he was in Egypt the Pharaoh had two dreams. In the first he saw a field with seven healthy and ripe sheafs (bundles) of grains and seven thin sheafs of grain consumed them. In the second dream there were 7 healthy, fat cows coming up from the Nile and after them, 7 lean, bad looking cows came up and ate the healthy ones. No one knew the meaning of the dreams until Joseph was called to the palace. His interpretation of the dreams was that there are going to be 7 good years for Egypt but after that, 7 years of drought will hit and bring famine. Joseph suggested taking advantage of the good years to store wheat in the barns so that when the 7 bad years arrive there will be food to feed the people. When the years of famine arrived, people from all over the region, not just Egypt, came to find food ? including Joseph?s family ? but this is another story. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eye-movement-desensitization-process/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eye-movement-desensitization-process/ Mon, 9 Aug 2010 16:03:40 GMT He called me, as most new clients would, needing to know the usual questions about me, my practice, and my approach to helping. Of course he would; he is supposed to. The catch is that on this call, I found myself having to educate him about EMDR, not because he didn?t know, but because what he had ?heard about it? from his current therapist, was inaccurate. Unfortunately, and with therapy especially, this happens a lot. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy/ Sat, 7 Aug 2010 14:00:57 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anger-management-counseling/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anger-management-counseling/ Fri, 6 Aug 2010 14:00:00 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-sports/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-sports/ Thu, 5 Aug 2010 14:00:01 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/marriage-partners/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/marriage-partners/ Wed, 4 Aug 2010 20:38:10 GMT Marriage partners are in a sense yoked together. Couples need therefore skills for making decisions cooperatively. If they can choose together when to turn left and when to turn right neither of them will feel powered-over, dominated, controlled, or even compromised. Instead, each shared decision just enhances their loving partnership. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-quit-smoking/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-quit-smoking/ Wed, 4 Aug 2010 14:55:08 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/equine-assisted-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/equine-assisted-psychotherapy/ Wed, 4 Aug 2010 14:22:24 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/china-positive-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/china-positive-psychology/ Tue, 3 Aug 2010 14:00:16 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/rheumatoid-arthritis/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/rheumatoid-arthritis/ Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:44:28 GMT Rheumatoid arthritis disrupts Anika's career early in life. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-meditation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-meditation/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:30:31 GMT I don?t know exactly what a prayer is. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/masochistic-anger-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/masochistic-anger-therapy/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:06:50 GMT Anger overwhelmed Conrad when he couldn't hang on to a relaxing day. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/natural-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/natural-therapy/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:34:00 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-is-co-dependency/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-is-co-dependency/ Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:04:51 GMT Co-dependency is a pattern of behaviors and beliefs that are learned by children of dysfunctional families while they are growing up. These behaviors and beliefs can be helpful to the family unit, because they enable it to survive. The child learns to depend on them to manage in the family system. Unfortunately, in the long run they are very harmful to the child, whom we will call the ?family hero?. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/procrastination/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/procrastination/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:44:47 GMT A central aspect in working from a Somatic Experiencing perspective is awareness of sensation. Awareness is key? deepening awareness into the ways that unresolved overwhelm and trauma show up when the intellectual brain quiets and attention is brought inward to sensations. As I?ve mentioned previously, sensation is the language of the reptilian brain, a critical part of what we are working to access in Somatic Experiencing. Pounding or racing heart. Constricted muscles. Nausea. Burning. Clammy. Butterflies. These are examples of what can be noticed when awareness is brought inward to the signals that identify incomplete physiological responses to previous events or circumstances. Noticing these cues can provide a map to helping the nervous system finish what was initiated but not resolved during these earlier experiences. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pets-improve-mental-health/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pets-improve-mental-health/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:25:14 GMT Mazey was three months old when I got her from the Humane Society. She and her three feral siblings were found in the snowy Rocky Mountains and needed a home. I took them all in and became their temporary mother while they learned to trust and even love humans. Like many animals, Mazey was special. She was attentive, affectionate, and friendly. She loved to meet new people and loves to give hugs, often at just the right time. Now at just over a year old Mazey is my therapy cat. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/attitude-body-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/attitude-body-psychotherapy/ Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:51:41 GMT My last article discussed the physiological reaction of a young infant to external stress. As this infant grows and develops coordination and strength he will have new and different ways to meet the world. But if he had prolonged reactions to external stimuli, the early reaction pattern may stay buried in his system only to be triggered in the future; it creates a vulnerability and sets him up for perceiving the world in a certain way where trust is a big issue. Stress on a newborn can lead to particular psychological stressors later in life. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting/ Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:56:05 GMT Social scientists love to study trends. These trends, whether short or long term, get written up into articles or lectures, and add to the general knowledge base of human beings and the world. Families, marriage, children and parenting are among those things most frequently written about and studied. That?s a very good thing. The problem comes when writers translate those carefully crafted statistics, trends or curves into newspaper, magazine, radio stories or full-length books. Trends become truth; small differences become the latest evidence of irreversible change. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapist-versus-friends/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapist-versus-friends/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:28:05 GMT Sometimes people ask me why they should bother seeing a therapist when they can just talk to their friends. Friends know your history, you?re comfortable together, and you trust and care for each other. Friends don?t expect to get paid, either, and you can meet socially instead of making an office appointment. All that?s true and wonderful. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/married-couples-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/married-couples-therapy/ Wed, 7 Jul 2010 19:10:01 GMT All couples sometimes have different viewpoints. All couples, especially in the early years of marriage, discover areas where his way and her way differ. The challenge of becoming fully successful marriage partners is to be able to talk over each of those differences toward the goal of creating an "our way," a plan of action that truly works well for both partners. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-upsides/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-upsides/ Wed, 7 Jul 2010 18:07:21 GMT We all likely have our favorite personal qualities that we secretly (or publicly) admire about ourselves. While many of these characteristics are probably universally positive, it possible that something we love about ourselves -- for example, assertiveness -- might be perceived as someone else as bossy or overly forward. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavior-therapy-body-dysmorphic-disorder/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavior-therapy-body-dysmorphic-disorder/ Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:00:06 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/heart-of-forgiveness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/heart-of-forgiveness/ Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:36:20 GMT Give up contention: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-exercises/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-exercises/ Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:45:54 GMT Distressing, intrusive and overwhelming experiences/symptoms are an all too common for an anxious or traumatized mind. My clients often report feeling that they do not feel in control of their thoughts. As our thoughts and emotions are reliant upon one another, it makes sense that overwhelming or disturbing thoughts may result in a downward spiral of one?s mood. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing-therapy/ Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:41:44 GMT I would like to begin this, my second entry, with a statement that I believe is an important one for me to make. I don?t consider myself an expert on Somatic Experiencing. Perhaps Peter Levine is the only pure expert. The sense in which I intend this is the following. I was a Body-centered Psychotherapist for twenty-six years prior to beginning my training in Somatic Experiencing. I had many years of learning both from other teachers as well as hands-on in my own practice. I am the separate and unique individual that I am, as we all are, and I bring my uniqueness to my work. This statement, really, is unnecessary because it is merely fact that no matter whose theory we study we never become a clone. It is a literal impossibility. Our brain?s unique process of interpreting and integrating new teachings will always be the background fabric into which the new threads are woven. I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Certified by the Foundation for Human Enrichment. I bring the expertise I have acquired from both my years on the planet and on the job. I cannot truthfully claim to be an expert on Somatic Experiencing. I believe this is an important distinction to make. I am writing from the wisdom I have, how I have integrated the body of knowledge of Somatic Experiencing as it was taught to me, and from my heart and Soul. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hypnotherapy-addiction/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hypnotherapy-addiction/ Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:03:28 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gender-identity-gay-families/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gender-identity-gay-families/ Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:36:47 GMT For years in our culture, most of us have defined family in a particular way. We assume that when we say ?family? we mean a group of people who are related by birth, adoption, and marriage. And when we say marriage, we have pictured the promised relationships between men and women. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-superstitions/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-superstitions/ Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:00:41 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-anger-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-anger-therapy/ Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:00:56 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-dogs/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-dogs/ Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:00:15 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-creativity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-creativity/ Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:25:24 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/luck-solution-focused-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/luck-solution-focused-therapy/ Mon, 7 Jun 2010 17:31:55 GMT Have you ever wondered at the difference between those who seem blessed with luck and those who seem perpetually unlucky? I?m talking about circumstances that run deeper than just rain on a wedding day or missing the bus by 30 seconds. It turns out that the most essential quality that lucky people possess is a state of mind. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/child-therapy-cancer/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/child-therapy-cancer/ Mon, 7 Jun 2010 17:17:50 GMT Christa, 35, initially presented to therapy because she wanted a place where her ten year old daughter, Nina, could share her feelings about Christa?s breast cancer. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/nature-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/nature-therapy/ Sun, 6 Jun 2010 14:00:54 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/child-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/child-therapy/ Sat, 5 Jun 2010 14:00:51 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-pain-perception/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-pain-perception/ Fri, 4 Jun 2010 14:00:22 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/communication-good-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/communication-good-relationship/ Thu, 3 Jun 2010 15:41:15 GMT When people say, "We have a great relationship,? what they're talking about is how they feel when they talk with each other. They mean, ?I feel positive toward that person when we interact. I send and I receive positive vibes with them." http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-aging-wisdom/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-aging-wisdom/ Thu, 3 Jun 2010 14:14:32 GMT The time will come http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-tinnitus/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-tinnitus/ Tue, 1 Jun 2010 16:09:52 GMT Tinnitus is brought on by worry and fear of disapproval. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/imago-therapy-passion/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/imago-therapy-passion/ Tue, 25 May 2010 19:38:47 GMT For those of you in relationship, think back to the time when you first met your partner. You see him/her across the room, and something inside you says, she/he is the one. There is a sense of excitement and passion in you. You eventually meet and start dating. You just cannot get enough of this person and you find yourself thinking about him/her all the time. Eventually you start having sex and its passionate and really hot. Eventually you become a committed couple (for some couples it may even lead to engagement and marriage). Two years pass and one day you roll over, look at your partner and say, where did the passion go? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-experiencing/ Mon, 24 May 2010 17:21:02 GMT ?Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the event itself. They arise when residual energy from the experience is not discharged from the body. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.? - Peter Levine http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-generosity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-generosity/ Mon, 24 May 2010 15:40:31 GMT Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/building-a-great-marriage/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/building-a-great-marriage/ Fri, 21 May 2010 14:18:37 GMT Life can be lonely when it's a story of just one person. With two, there's a sense of completeness. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-art-of-letting-go/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-art-of-letting-go/ Wed, 19 May 2010 19:25:07 GMT ?Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect any praise or reward. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end.? ~ Still Forest Pool - Achaan Cha http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/buddhist-mindfulness-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/buddhist-mindfulness-psychotherapy/ Wed, 19 May 2010 19:00:03 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-tourettes-children/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-tourettes-children/ Wed, 19 May 2010 06:00:01 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-treating-eating-disorders/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-treating-eating-disorders/ Tue, 18 May 2010 16:41:01 GMT Eating disorders are complex animals whose treatment requires a variety of approaches. After 20 years in the field, I continue to be amazed by the creativity of health care professionals who work with eating disorders. Last week I had the opportunity to sample some of the wonderful work that?s being done when I traveled to the Chicago area to present a workshop at an eating disorders conference. It was titled, ?Replenishing Our Toolbox: Innovative Therapies for eating Disordered Clients,? a joint venture of Castlewood, a residential eating disorders treatment center in St. Louis, MO, The Awakening Center, an outpatient eating disorders treatment center in Chicago, and the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). At this one-day conference, there were two keynote speakers and 14 one-hour workshops, broken up into three sessions. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-compromise/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-compromise/ Tue, 18 May 2010 15:14:16 GMT An Internal Family Systems Perspective http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-attention-visual-perception/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/meditation-attention-visual-perception/ Fri, 14 May 2010 19:00:25 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/thought-behavior-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/thought-behavior-therapy/ Thu, 13 May 2010 19:00:09 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/neurobiology-changing-criticism/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/neurobiology-changing-criticism/ Wed, 12 May 2010 17:11:45 GMT A client just recently told me of how he very often hears things as criticism when they are not meant to be critical. For instance he and his wife had a disagreement about buying snack bars. When at the store he had agreed that he would eat the raisin filled bars since she and son did not like them. And when it came time to fill lunch bags he also wanted one of the other variety and she said," Oh no, you wanted the raisin ones, you cannot have these." This innocent interaction between two people who love each other became a "big deal" and they both left the house in a fowl mood, holding animosity toward the other. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/global-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/global-psychology/ Tue, 11 May 2010 18:01:32 GMT Two weeks ago I went to Antalya, Turkey, to attend the World Conference on Psychology, Counseling and Guidance, and to give a paper called ?Two in a room together: yoga breathing and psychotherapy alleviate anxiety.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-intrapersonal-conversations/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-intrapersonal-conversations/ Tue, 11 May 2010 17:04:20 GMT ?Understand that communication begins on the inside and determines the outside.? ~ P.S. Perkins http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/divorce-is-a-family-problem/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/divorce-is-a-family-problem/ Thu, 6 May 2010 16:42:57 GMT ?And what?s romance? Usually, a nice little tale where you are everything as you like it, where rain never wets your jacket and gnats never bite your nose and it?s always daisy-time.? ?D. H. Lawrence http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-unconditional-presence/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-unconditional-presence/ Tue, 4 May 2010 18:57:47 GMT If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/springtime-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/springtime-therapy/ Mon, 3 May 2010 17:37:05 GMT The thought manifests as the word; http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/counseling-anger/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/counseling-anger/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:20:37 GMT The first in a series of articles dedicated to understanding, appreciating, and coping with our anger. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/solution-focused-therapy-communication/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/solution-focused-therapy-communication/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:07:27 GMT One of the most powerful advantages of solution-focused therapy is its ability to give the client control of his or her therapy. A client learns to see himself through his strengths, and not weaknesses; he learns to apply useful tools he already uses in an area he might never thought he would need them. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eye-movement-desensitization-reprocessing/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eye-movement-desensitization-reprocessing/ Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:28:46 GMT They always say its weird. In fact, I expect it. Ten years into being trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), I am still amazed by its ability to transform a life filled with trauma, anxiety, hypervigilance, and triggers, into a state of presence, mindfulness, and relief. But, it?s still a ?weird looking therapy,? despite it being supported by research. And, clients and clinicians often find themselves confused about EMDR. This blog, and many in the future, will address the many aspects of EMDR. Today, we are going to address that what we mean by it being a ?symptom based? and ?eight phased? trauma treatment. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/young-adults-disabilities/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/young-adults-disabilities/ Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:20:00 GMT When I was 16 and an academic superstar, I set up a number of appointments to visit Ivy League and other colleges that I might attend the following year. Most of these visits involved campus tours on which my parents would accompany me. A few involved the opportunity to be hosted overnight by current freshmen in their dormitories. Although extremely socially uncomfortable, I managed the Princeton overnight with a modicum of grace. The Princeton campus was suburban and reminded me a lot of the university town in which I had grown up. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-dreaming-learning/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-dreaming-learning/ Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:00:35 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/buddhist-meditation-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/buddhist-meditation-psychotherapy/ Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:00:40 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-money/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-money/ Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:38:35 GMT With all of our tax returns due last week, the subject of money, what we make and how we spend it, has been on all our minds. It?s never far away, of course. Managing our resources is one of the most important life skills we will ever have. And with the realities of this last recession, bank failures and job losses, upside down mortgages and eviscerated pension plans, money has been on our minds more than ever. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-mindfulness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-mindfulness/ Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:16:55 GMT In my previous posting ?Mindfulness and Knowledge,? I wrote about the gift of connecting with our inner knowledge that we gain through the practice of mindfulness. This time I want to point out the quality of Not-Knowing that one can develop through mindfulness practice and the benefits of acquiring such quality and approach to life. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-mindfulness-meditation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-mindfulness-meditation/ Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:00:14 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/journal-therapy-colors-imagery/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/journal-therapy-colors-imagery/ Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:03:52 GMT Journaling is a wonderful way to explore, embrace and accept your inner world. However, colors and pictures further enhance your understanding of the deep, mysterious world that abides within. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holistic-psychotherapist/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holistic-psychotherapist/ Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:50:38 GMT When life throws you a curve ball, whether from a death, break-up, newly empty nest, illness, major move, traumatic event, or job loss, you may want to consult with a holistic psychotherapist. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/music-therapy-dyslexia/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/music-therapy-dyslexia/ Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:00:35 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/depression-transcentental-meditation-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/depression-transcentental-meditation-therapy/ Thu, 8 Apr 2010 19:00:52 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/interpersonal-neurobiology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/interpersonal-neurobiology/ Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:34:23 GMT It has only been in the past 10+ years that researchers have discovered "experience" changes the way neurons fire in our bodies. Just in the past few months, it has been revealed that the genes of infants are altered by trauma. This leads to the possibility that if trauma experience can change our neurons and genes, then why not "positive" experiences can restore our bodies to emotional and physical health. I know as an Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) therapist that my clients, as a result of new emotional experiences, often make substantial changes in their feelings, moods, and behaviors. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couple-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couple-therapy/ Tue, 6 Apr 2010 19:01:43 GMT The Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy (at pp. 421-423) describes the three ?most common types of couples therapy?: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-children/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/play-therapy-children/ Sat, 3 Apr 2010 19:00:34 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-body/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-body/ Fri, 2 Apr 2010 17:42:27 GMT Last month?s article noted that ?as the body reacts to external situations we have internal reactions. The degree to which we can allow the ?charge? from the external stimulus to be expressed, to ?discharge?, determines the degree that the experience stays with us.? This month let?s look at this physiological response in more detail. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychodrama-family-sculpting/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychodrama-family-sculpting/ Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:47:29 GMT An example of one type of psychodrama that can be done in a group setting is a family sculpting. The first step involves determining who has a sense of readiness to do their family sculpting at this time. I generally ask this question to the group and then wait to see who is interested in doing work. If more than one person is interested, then I encourage each person to talk about how important it is for them to do work now versus considering a later date. Whoever has the most pressing need is then afforded the opportunity to do the sculpting. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pain-versus-suffering/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pain-versus-suffering/ Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:00:48 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-self-compassion/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-self-compassion/ Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:37:59 GMT OK, so people who come to therapy are not ready to take it easy. They are interested in problem-solving and usually frustrated by what they perceive to be their own failures in remedying their situation on their own. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-nightmares/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-nightmares/ Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:00:48 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/voice-dialogue-shadow-work/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/voice-dialogue-shadow-work/ Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:07:07 GMT The human shadow carries with it the potential for global annihilation and the potential to regenerate and evolve our species. At the crossroads, which road shall we choose? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/attachment-parenting-book-review/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/attachment-parenting-book-review/ Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:06:46 GMT There are a number of excellent books about attachment, parenting, and treatment. I will describe in this article two books I have written that both therapists and parents may find valuable. In future articles I will describe other helpful books for therapists and parents. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/components-of-dyadic-development-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/components-of-dyadic-development-psychotherapy/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:40:55 GMT There are a number of ways to think about Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. One way is to consider what are the essential components of this evidence-based, effective, and empirically validated treatment, which was developed by Dr. Daniel Hughes. The following list is a listing of what are some of these essential components. Future articles will describe these elements in more detail. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-family-travel/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-family-travel/ Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:13:12 GMT The weather?s slowly warming across the country, and along with snow melt and longer days comes that familiar family travel time known as Spring Vacation. And though they may not be, as Charles Dickens?s wrote, ?the best of times, the worst of times? in your family?s lives, travels together as a group can be some of the happiest as well as most stressful times you have together as a family. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ecotherapy-blame-stories/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ecotherapy-blame-stories/ Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:00:35 GMT I spoke to a friend the other day who, like many others, has been hit hard by the economic downturn. In spite of health problems and the great difficulties he is undergoing, he so badly wanted to offer the work he does (in the field of healing), that he conducted a workshop and donated all of the proceeds to the institution that allowed him to use their facilities. So it surprised him when, upon turning in the donations and asking for some reimbursement for some copies he had to make for the workshop (a paltry amount), that he was then told about others who used the facilities who were able to give more, and about how much it cost to keep the building he'd used up and running, even as his receipt was micro-analyzed and questioned. Although the workshop went wonderfully well and he made a sizable amount of money for the organization, he left feeling confused, inadequate and ashamed. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/light-therapy-sad/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/light-therapy-sad/ Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:06 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/journal-therapy-self/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/journal-therapy-self/ Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:32:36 GMT I enjoy writing to myself. Sound strange? Initially, I chose not to share this information with anyone else because I thought people would be confused by this statement. However, ?writing to myself? is very helpful to work, relationships, and self-evolvement. I hope this technique is as beneficial to you as well. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/misogyny/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/misogyny/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:55:55 GMT GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Judith Barr, MS, LPC http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-knowledge/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-knowledge/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:57:25 GMT When Eve was tempted to eat the apple way back at the Garden of Eden, she was faced with a choice of picking one of two forbidden trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. Eve chose knowledge over life and set us, all human beings, to a limited life span of suffering with an endless source of evolving knowledge. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holistic-psychotherapy-defined/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holistic-psychotherapy-defined/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:23:17 GMT I am thinking that a good place to start with my initial article on Holistic Psychotherapy is to define this term or label. Just what does ?Holistic Psychotherapy? mean? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-caring-treatment-ipnb/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-caring-treatment-ipnb/ Mon, 8 Mar 2010 20:15:08 GMT In my first IPNB article two months ago, I went into detail about the significance of starting the therapy with our advertising and our first phone contact, email, or voicemail. Our intentions need to be clear and of the upmost integrity as these greatly influence the client even if they do not attend a session. Our kindness and helpfulness also beneficially impact ourselves. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-auto-immune/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-auto-immune/ Mon, 8 Mar 2010 20:00:49 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sports-psychology-olympics/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/sports-psychology-olympics/ Thu, 4 Mar 2010 21:41:17 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-psychotherapy/ Wed, 3 Mar 2010 16:44:16 GMT My favorite bumper sticker: Don?t Believe Everything You Think. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychodrama/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychodrama/ Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:27:29 GMT I have been incorporating psychodrama into my therapy sessions for the past 21 years. I utilize it primarily in group sessions but there are some helpful applications in individual sessions as well. Psychodrama can be defined as follows: a method of group psychotherapy in which participants take roles in improvisational dramatizations of emotionally charged life situations. The extemporized dramatization is designed to afford catharsis and social relearning for one or more of the participants from whose life history the plot is abstracted. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pre-marital-counseling-relationship/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/pre-marital-counseling-relationship/ Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:52:34 GMT Three qualities that are essential for creating a healthy, enduring relationship are: respect, friendship, and trust. When we hold respect for our partner, we foster a feeling of esteem and admiration. We feel good about who they are. We see them in a positive light. And this positive factor has been proven to be a critical determinant in the health and welfare of a couple. John Gottman, who has directed the ?Love Lab? at the University of Washington in Seattle since 1986, has a 90% accuracy rate at predicting which newlywed couples choose to stay together vs. those who divorce 4-6 years later. This exceedingly high prediction rate is based on his extensive research using observation, biofeedback, and other scientific measurements. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-voice-dialogue/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-voice-dialogue/ Mon, 1 Mar 2010 18:56:11 GMT Why did I choose Voice Dialogue as the cornerstone of my counseling and coaching practice? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/encouragement-move-forward/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/encouragement-move-forward/ Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:38:08 GMT How often do we seem to find ourselves struggling with difficult places that stiffen our growth? When one is struggling with these difficult places, it is easy to throw in the towel and call defeat or to blame the defeat on others. What about when it is more fruitful to tackle these difficult places so that we can have a more abundant life? One must tap into that inner strength and vision to begin the process of renewal. One must reclaim self and redefine self, but this also requires self discovery and the ability to deal with what is about to come. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-seniors-depression-exergames/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-seniors-depression-exergames/ Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:00:45 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-anxiety-exercise/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-anxiety-exercise/ Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:00:04 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychodynamic-psychotherapy-meta-study/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychodynamic-psychotherapy-meta-study/ Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:00:18 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/solution-focused-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/solution-focused-therapy/ Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:59:45 GMT Solution-focused therapy is a new type of therapy to many people, including psychology professionals. It is considered a form of brief therapy, much like Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, though it doesn?t necessarily have to be practiced in the short-term. I consider these kinds of therapies to be ?strength-based? as opposed to ?insight-oriented.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-psychotherapy-meditation-mental-health/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-psychotherapy-meditation-mental-health/ Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:59:12 GMT "Hold fast to the Great Form within http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-exercise/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-exercise/ Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:00:07 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ecotherapy-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ecotherapy-depression/ Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:49:37 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-disorder-treatment/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/eating-disorder-treatment/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:24:09 GMT When it comes to eating and food-related problems, various philosophies determine how eating problems are defined and addressed. When the eating disorders treatment field was in its infancy, professionals often based their approaches on those used in the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. The addictions model has been used to salvage the lives of alcoholics since the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), in the 1930?s. AA spawned myriad other 12-Step programs for addressing various addictive problems. One of the earliest of these was Gamblers Anonymous (GA). Overeaters Anonymous (OA), a 12-Step self-help program for people who feel compelled to overeat, was created in 1960, modeled after GA. OA philosophy views compulsive overeating as an addiction to both a substance--various types of food--and to the behavior of overeating compulsively. As OA grew, people suffering from all types of eating problems began attending, and found help there. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-virtual-reality/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/ptsd-virtual-reality/ Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:00:54 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-childhood-trauma-mind-body/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-childhood-trauma-mind-body/ Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:00:34 GMT Trauma survivors often hear, ?Just forget about it. It was in the past. You need to move on.? Unfortunately, this is not accurate for many and until they resolve the past traumatic experiences, they are unable to ?move on?. When trauma survivors find themselves unable to ?get past? the past, then they might consider seeking the help of a licensed therapist. It is not unusual for those with past traumatic experiences to struggle with one or more emotional difficulties, mental disorders, and/or physical health concerns and diagnoses. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-curses-to-blessings/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/relationship-curses-to-blessings/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:03:21 GMT Horror of horrors?you?ve just caught your spouse listing his name on internet sites for meeting sexual partners. What now!! You are furious, and you let him know it in no uncertain terms. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/core-energetics/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/core-energetics/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:21:34 GMT Core Energetics (CE) was created by John C. Pierrakos in the 1970s. Pierrakos was a student of Wilhelm Reich and worked closely with Alexander Lowen. After jointly creating Bioenergetics, Pierrakos split with Lowen to create his own unique way of working with his patients. Influenced by the work of Carl Jung and his wife, Eva Pierrakos, CE evolved to include not only the roots or Reichian theory, but also an eclectic mix of energy and consciousness theory. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dyadic-developmental-psychotherapy-connections/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dyadic-developmental-psychotherapy-connections/ Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:41:32 GMT In the previous articles about Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy I described the ten take-away points that I want therapists to take away from my Master Class, Level I, an Introductory courses in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. I then described a few of these in detail. In this article I will describe several of the others. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-therapy-bully-work/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-therapy-bully-work/ Wed, 3 Feb 2010 18:30:01 GMT Relationships with our co-workers and bosses can really affect our lives! When they go well our lives are enriched. When they are difficult, we and our families can suffer. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-psychotherapy-intimacy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/contemplative-psychotherapy-intimacy/ Tue, 2 Feb 2010 21:24:39 GMT Contemplative psychotherapy, unlike most western models of psychotherapy, does not see the individual as ill. Pathology is not the focus of treatment, rather it is present moment awareness of just what is happening that forms the foundation of therapy. The core belief that we all suffer, and that suffering is inevitable, is the basis of the work. The Buddha taught The Four Noble Truths, which identify: that suffering exists, what the cause of suffering is, and how we can be released from suffering. Symptoms, ranging from unresolved grief of a partner to fixation on physical appearance, offer an invitation to enter into our shared human suffering. Any aspect of our mental or physical preoccupations can become a vehicle that assists us in uncovering the surface appearances that keep suffering in place. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-therapy-reauthoring/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-therapy-reauthoring/ Tue, 2 Feb 2010 19:36:52 GMT ** The following article is a continuation from last month?s GoodTherapy.org submission, ?The Use of Scaffolding Map in Narrative Therapy? ** http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-ecotherapy-spirituality/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-ecotherapy-spirituality/ Mon, 1 Feb 2010 20:10:37 GMT Tu B'Shvat, a Jewish celebration of trees, begins the evening of January 29th, marking the time when the tree sap begins to rise in the region of the custom's origin. During this time of appreciating and respecting life, celebrants eat tree fruit or nuts. If I was a Jewish celebrant, this evening after sunset I might take a pomegranate and savor its sweetness, feel its tang on my tongue, and imagine the dusty region my ancestors came from, how they may have tilled the earth, or walked or prayed or sang together, connecting through taste and spiritual practice to the earth and my people. Although I may now be severed from that place, in this way I would remember and acknowledge my ongoing rootedness and connection to it. Why might a practice like this be important for our health and mental well-being? While nearly every religion has been used to excuse a lot of harm and mayhem, religion also seems to hold much value for containing restorative practices that may actually nurture a sense of meaning and act in beneficial ways in our lives. The spiritual aspects of a religion hold true, even if some manipulate it for their own less than benign purposes. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mental-health-library-uk/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mental-health-library-uk/ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:44:18 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-sacred/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-sacred/ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:04:47 GMT There is nothing more satisfying for me than hearing, "I have been in therapy for years talking about this and today with you is the first time I felt like someone really believed me." The client comes to this relief when she senses my intention and ability to hear her story, be emotionally present, and be impacted emotionally by her. Possibly for the first time, she is "seen" without judgment. And I let her know that I appreciate that she is willing to let me in on something that is so personal and sacred. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-ptsd-normal-reactions-to-traumatic-events/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-ptsd-normal-reactions-to-traumatic-events/ Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:07:19 GMT My heart goes out to the people in Haiti and to their loved ones here in America. I practice in South Florida and have been called upon to provide critical incident stress debriefing to people who have been affected by the earthquake. I?ve spoken with people who were there and now back here, people who do not know the status of their loved ones, and people who have lost multiple family members. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-scared-stiff/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-scared-stiff/ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:58:17 GMT As David Frawley wrote in Yoga: the Greater Tradition, ?Breath and Mind are connected like the two wings of a bird. The breath reflects our thoughts and emotions. . . .fear makes us forget to breathe." http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-connection/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-connection/ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:40:54 GMT Family harmony is a dream we all share. Wouldn?t it be great if we could function day to day like our favorite families on television? Sure, life would come along with a one-two punch, but because we are so connected, in sync, funny and resilient, by the end of the day we would land on our feet, together. Whether you relate more to the family of The Cosby Show, Malcolm in the Middle or Family Guy, those families always come out wiser and still united in the end. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-treatment-phobias/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-treatment-phobias/ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:19:32 GMT Phobias and avoidant behaviors are often a byproduct of panic attacks and high anxiety states. For example, if you have a panic attack while driving in traffic youmay want to avoid driving in traffic in the future. The two situations have become linked in your mind and just thinking about doing it can bring on some anxiety. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/morphine-therapy-ptsd/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/morphine-therapy-ptsd/ Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:00:11 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-treatment-types/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-treatment-types/ Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:00:12 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-depression-army-wives/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-depression-army-wives/ Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:32:45 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-models-controversy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-models-controversy/ Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:00:42 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-conflict-resolution/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapists-conflict-resolution/ Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:51:05 GMT Couples entering therapy typically want help with resolving their conflicts. They want their therapist to guide them to safe and satisfying resolution of the topics that have generated tensions between them, and they want to learn how to talk over and solve differences more effectively together in the future. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-mindfulness-meditation/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-mindfulness-meditation/ Thu, 7 Jan 2010 15:00:41 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holistic-pyschotherapy-therapist/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/holistic-pyschotherapy-therapist/ Wed, 6 Jan 2010 20:18:53 GMT Holistic psychotherapists use techniques from many disciplines, not just psychology, to mobilize people?s innate abilities to heal themselves. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-psychology-brain-development/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/somatic-psychology-brain-development/ Wed, 6 Jan 2010 19:55:37 GMT It is an exciting time in the world of Somatic Psychology! Over the past 15 years or so, our field has grown to find itself positioned on the cutting edge of many leading developments in psychology and mental health. Mindfulness, trauma, attachment theory, and other growing parts of the field have all come to a basic conclusion: a focus on and utilization of the body in psychotherapy is necessary for healing. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapeutic-relationship-therapist/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapeutic-relationship-therapist/ Mon, 4 Jan 2010 23:27:50 GMT Before we go further into the theory underlying Core Energetics, Core Evolution and other body-psychotherapies, I want to discuss the therapeutic relationship. This is a subject I feel very passionate about! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-therapy-new-years-resolutions/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-therapy-new-years-resolutions/ Mon, 4 Jan 2010 23:11:53 GMT Michael White (2000) describes the "absent but implicit" as "associated with the idea that in order to express one's experience of life, one must distinguish this experience from what it is not." Thus, White proposes that our descriptions of our lived experience are always relational rather than direct representations. If a therapist engages in an act of "double listening," they can discern and explore significant meaning in what is implied or left unspoken. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-alchoholism-support/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychotherapy-alchoholism-support/ Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:48 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-therapy-relationship-marriage/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-therapy-relationship-marriage/ Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:48:15 GMT You have a mate you love, you want it to be the best relationship it can be ? but things keep getting in the way. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/interpersonal-neurobiology-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/interpersonal-neurobiology-therapy/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:18:37 GMT The most important question concerning Psychotherapy is, "What has to happen in therapy for it to work, for it to be effective and really help the client?" The simple answer is "the client has to experience positive changes in the brain, in the neurological system". When we are in distress, anxious, depressed, or just plain unhappy, our neurons are firing in a certain way. In "fight, flight or freeze" mode, the limbic brain is engaged, and the body is producing hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, in order to prepare the body to deal with the stressful situation. Sometimes we have these hormones pumping away for long periods of time and don't stop even during sleep. Effective therapy helps the client reduce the arousal levels, and get to a place of relaxation where we are no longer reacting as if in danger. This means that cortisol and adrenaline have ceased or greatly diminished, and oxytocin and dopamine are being released into the body. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-therapy-scaffolding-map/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-therapy-scaffolding-map/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:36:29 GMT Recently in my private practice I had the pleasure of meeting with an 11 year old boy named Peter. His father referred him to me because Peter was showing signs of ?melancholy?, anger, and seemed to be lacking in his ability to experience happiness and/or high levels of positive emotion. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hakomi-therapy-frequently-asked-questions/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hakomi-therapy-frequently-asked-questions/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:49:45 GMT 1. What does the name ?Hakomi? mean? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/you-can-go-home-again/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/you-can-go-home-again/ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:22:51 GMT For better or worse, we first learn about making and keeping relationships in our families. During our formative years, our parents establish patterns with us; patterns of connection and separation, of independence and dependence, of give and take, that literally shape our developing brains and how they work for the rest of our lives. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/happy-holidays-are-you-happy-enough/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/happy-holidays-are-you-happy-enough/ Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:05:02 GMT "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." - Albert Schweitzer http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creative-therapy-program-in-nyc-shows-marked-success/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creative-therapy-program-in-nyc-shows-marked-success/ Sun, 6 Dec 2009 07:00:06 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-couples-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/narrative-couples-therapy/ Wed, 2 Dec 2009 19:50:13 GMT The practices of Narrative Therapy often challenge simple explanations of objective truth. Our lives are seen as multi-storied, rich with details and diverse experiences. In narrative therapy, we seek the neglected aspects of our stories that have been given less power and visibility. In my work with couples, externalization allows for the excavation of affirmative stories that are hidden beneath problems such as blame, conflict and disconnection. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-and-multicultural-couple-relationships/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-and-multicultural-couple-relationships/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:19:24 GMT If you are in a multicultural marriage, you know how hard communication can be. Whether it?s about: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-focused-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-focused-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:03:45 GMT Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or TF-CBT is a short-term evidence-based practice that is highly effective for children and adolescent survivors of trauma. Trauma is defined as sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, witness to domestic violence, witness to murder or death. Often times these experiences can cause a person to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The symptoms of this disorder include hyper-vigilance, increased startle response, avoidance around any thoughts or feelings associated with the traumatic event, nightmares, dreams or feelings that the event is reoccurring, as well as acting out or behavior problems. TF-CBT is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions and can help an individual gain control over one's life again. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/principles-of-hakomi-body-centered-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/principles-of-hakomi-body-centered-therapy/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:06:46 GMT Prospective clients often ask what first drew me to study Hakomi therapy. My answer: the principles. (And a touch of fate or providence.) http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/your-holiday-story/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/your-holiday-story/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:33:18 GMT What?s your ?Holiday Story?? For some, it may be about connecting with friends and family, eating hearty meals and treats, singing songs, or getting in touch with one?s spirituality. For others, it may be laced with groans and moans, trepidation, loneliness, frustration, angst, and bouts of depression and anxiety. Often both ?stories? can somehow co-exist. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/non-directive-play-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/non-directive-play-therapy/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:06:12 GMT Play therapy is a counseling method used to help children communicate their inner experiences through the use of toys. Non-directive play therapy, also called child-centered play therapy is a non-pathologizing technique based on the belief that children have the internal drive to wellness. Non-directive play therapists are trained to trust that children are capable to direct their own process rather than the therapist imposing their own ideas of what the child needs to do in therapy to work through any challenges they may be facing. This requires the therapist to enter the emotional world of the child rather then expecting the child to understand the therapist?s world, which is beyond their capability. Play therapy is based on the theory that play is a child?s language, the toys in the play room considered the ?words? that a child uses to express their inner experiences and how they perceive and experience the world. The toys in the play room are then used by the child to ?speak? to the therapist and communicate their inner thoughts and feelings. Within a play session and over the course of sessions, themes emerge in the child?s play, giving the therapist insight into the child?s experiences, thoughts, feelings and interpretations of their world. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-calming-skills/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/self-calming-skills/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:50:15 GMT You?re worried about money. You?re afraid you?ll catch the flu. You can?t sleep because you can?t stop fretting about? your children, your family, your job or lack thereof, the country/government, terrorists, the stock market, pollution, and on and on. Feeling overwhelmed? Anxious? Then it?s time to get back in the driver?s seat of your own mind! There are things you can do to take control and calm yourself. Did you ever notice that all your worries, no matter what you?re worried about, are about something that hasn?t happened yet? Something you made up in your mind. Anxiety is all about the future. But the only way the future exists is as a thought in your brain. When you are anxious, you are actually fantasizing the worst about some imaginary event and feeling actual fear about it. From a logical standpoint, that doesn?t make much sense does it? Sure, some of the things you are worried about may happen, but you?re using valuable energy to be scared about them. Energy that could be better spent planning, preparing, or paying attention to what?s going on around you right now. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/elements-of-dyadic-developmental-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/elements-of-dyadic-developmental-psychotherapy/ Tue, 3 Nov 2009 22:47:23 GMT Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, which is an evidence-based, effective, and empirically validated treatment is composed of a variety of elements and based on a number of principles that have strong empirical support. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is, in some respects, an amalgam of effective principles of treatment. This article will describe the elements of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and a few of its underlying principles. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/virtual-reality-treatment-shows-promise-for-nicotine-addiction/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/virtual-reality-treatment-shows-promise-for-nicotine-addiction/ Mon, 2 Nov 2009 07:00:30 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-%e2%80%9cwhere-the-wild-things-are%e2%80%9d/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/internal-family-systems-%e2%80%9cwhere-the-wild-things-are%e2%80%9d/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:59:15 GMT David Brooks, New York Times columnist, was recently inspired by the movie, ?Where the Wild Things Are.? He wonders if we are one person, with an ingrained, stable character ? or are we different people in different situations, tripping around the truth with one person and going whole hog honest with another? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gestalt-therapy-cycle-of-experience/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gestalt-therapy-cycle-of-experience/ Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:24:55 GMT When I tell colleagues that I am a Gestalt therapist, I generally hear ?so you hit pillows? or ?so you just talk to an empty chair.? The general lack of understanding of basic underlying theory and guiding philosophy is surprising given the approach's popularity and influence over that last 60 years. In this article I would like to describe and discuss a concept that is at the heart of Gestalt therapy. This concept is the Gestalt ?cycle of experience.? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy-why-the-body/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy-why-the-body/ Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:18:49 GMT Human beings are fascinating bio-psycho-social organisms. What makes up a person? Traditional psychotherapy works toward congruence in a person?s thinking, emotions, and actions/reactions. There are many therapeutic techniques that have been developed over time to explore and improve these aspects of our life. We do exist on several levels simultaneously, but are we limited to thoughts, emotions and actions? If we look at life and the human experience we see that there are five basic levels on which we function. There is the Intellect/Thought, and the Emotions and Actions as mentioned above, and we also exist in the physical realm, the level of the Body. For many people there is also an acknowledgment of something larger and beyond ourselves and the ?seen? world that contributes to our life force. Many people have experiences in the Spiritual realm that is considered an additional level of existence. Therefore a person is a psychosomatic unity (psyche plus soma, meaning physical) that exists on all five levels. Body-oriented therapy (Somatic approaches, Core Energetics, Core Evolution, Bio-Energetics, Bio-dynamics) understands that the body is profoundly affected by our life experiences and the body, in turn, affects our future. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hakomi-body-centered-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hakomi-body-centered-psychotherapy/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:07:24 GMT Hi, my name is Jaffy Phillips. I am a certified Hakomi therapist, and I have studied a number of other body-centered approaches to therapy as well. I volunteered to be the topic expert for Hakomi therapy here at Goodtherapy.org because I feel that Hakomi makes such an important contribution to the larger field of psychotherapy, and because it is really the foundation of my own practice. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/scientist-predicts-importance-of-mental-exercise-will-skyrocket/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/scientist-predicts-importance-of-mental-exercise-will-skyrocket/ Mon, 5 Oct 2009 19:00:28 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-mind-psychotherapy-what-hurts/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-mind-psychotherapy-what-hurts/ Thu, 1 Oct 2009 19:03:25 GMT In my practice I am often visited by clients who have both physical and emotional concerns. Often they have been to numerous medical specialists in hopes of alleviating a ?pain? that continues to go undiagnosed and or untreated. They are frustrated, I am excited. Why?? This is my key to where therapy needs to begin. Sometimes we are plagued by a nagging ache, stomach problems, headaches, etc. The bottom line is the physical pain has been either unexplained by medical doctors or minimized as in our heads. The latter is probably the most accurate (though there are cases where medical treatment or second opinions are required). Through the examination of these symptoms in regards to when they started, what was going on, how they have responded to any treatment, and what makes them better or worse, I can learn a tremendous amount in regards to the client?s emotional pain. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anxiety/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/anxiety/ Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:42:13 GMT One of the most common requests I get from clients in my psychotherapy practice is ?Please help me get rid of this anxiety!? I then get to explain the Bad news and the Good news. The Bad news is that you are not going to get rid of your anxiety. In fact, it would be harmful to not be able to feel anxious. Anxiety and fear come with being alive. Anxiety can be useful when it causes you to be extra alert or careful, such as when you are walking to your car in a dark parking lot or when you are taking a test. Human beings were designed to feel anxious when faced with danger or a challenge. The fight or flight response is triggered causing adrenaline and other chemicals to increase heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, narrow our focus of attention, and enable us to do what we need to do to stay alive. However, human beings were not designed to be chronically anxious. Recent studies have shown that chronic anxiety plays a major part in either causing or exacerbating several physical illnesses, including heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and chronic respiratory disorders. Therefore, it is a good thing to learn to manage your anxiety. That brings us to the Good news. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/greater-attention-paid-to-artwork-in-hospitals-to-brighten-clients-experience/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/greater-attention-paid-to-artwork-in-hospitals-to-brighten-clients-experience/ Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:00:58 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/exploring-the-unconscious/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/exploring-the-unconscious/ Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:13:45 GMT ?Man's task is to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious.? -- Carl Gustav Jung http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-effective-online-in-precise-circumstances/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-effective-online-in-precise-circumstances/ Mon, 7 Sep 2009 15:00:55 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-zealand-takes-mental-health-for-a-row/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/new-zealand-takes-mental-health-for-a-row/ Thu, 3 Sep 2009 21:49:35 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cornwall-welcomes-sailing-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cornwall-welcomes-sailing-therapy/ Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:17:26 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/review-questions-classification-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/review-questions-classification-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder/ Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:44:07 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-reinforcement/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-reinforcement/ Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:15:13 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-in-the-pool/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-in-the-pool/ Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:02:27 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-psychology-in-the-news-huffington-post/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-psychology-in-the-news-huffington-post/ Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:14:43 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/in-therapy-child-parent/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/in-therapy-child-parent/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:09:10 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-psychology/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-psychology/ Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:25:10 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/study-scrutinizes-positive-thinking/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/study-scrutinizes-positive-thinking/ Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:52:19 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-psychology-ipod/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/positive-psychology-ipod/ Mon, 6 Jul 2009 02:16:49 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/german-study-finds-long-term-psychodynamic-therapy-superior/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/german-study-finds-long-term-psychodynamic-therapy-superior/ Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:06:04 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-in-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-in-psychotherapy/ Thu, 21 May 2009 13:49:01 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/jungian/ Tue, 12 May 2009 05:01:08 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/yoga-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/yoga-therapy/ Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:09:19 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-depression/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/family-therapy-depression/ Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:32:28 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/acceptance-commitment-therapy-kids-chronic-pain/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/acceptance-commitment-therapy-kids-chronic-pain/ Thu, 2 Apr 2009 02:06:41 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Update http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-for-iraqi-victims/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-for-iraqi-victims/ Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:33:20 GMT Though violence in Iraq has greatly diminished since the peak of the recent war, greatly traumatic events still take place on a regular basis and many Iraqis are left with not only physical, but emotional scars and remain in need of assistance. Unfortunately, the difficulty in securing modern medicine and health care is separated by a magnitude of ease in comparison to locating a properly trained psychotherapist. Yet with the efforts of a team from Switzerland's Zurich University, and the power of the Internet, many suffering Iraqis are finding that therapy is not entirely out of reach. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/chronic-pain-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/chronic-pain-psychotherapy/ Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:42:25 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-therapy-diet/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/cognitive-therapy-diet/ Mon, 9 Feb 2009 20:14:13 GMT Just another diet book? It seems unlikely that the book, ?The Complete Beck Diet for Life: The Five-Stage Program for Weight Loss? (Oxmoor House, 2008) can be dismissed so easily. After all, the author is Judith Beck, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Bala Cynwyd, PA. Her father, Dr. Aaron Beck, developed what is now a well-researched psychotherapy for depression, cognitive therapy, commonly referred to as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT has been used successfully for a wide range of behavioral and psychological issues. Judith Beck, released her new book in December of 2008 and follows one she wrote the year before, "The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person" (Oxmoor House, 2007), but this one focuses more on development of behavioral habits or skills. The 2007 book primarily used cognitive principles to help people think like thin people. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/social-anxiety-disorder/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/social-anxiety-disorder/ Sat, 7 Feb 2009 20:07:38 GMT A GoodTherapy.org News Summary http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/body-psychotherapy/ Fri, 2 Jan 2009 04:47:12 GMT In the ongoing practice of psychotherapy clients and therapists exchange many words in the often frustrating attempt to make the therapeutic conversation come alive. In the midst of all the verbal communication what is often missing is the sense of both people being fully engaged and focused. Therapy can often too easily become reduced to people talking, communicating with words, and often ignoring the intense sense of life that can emerge when we tap into our immediate emotional and body-centered experience. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/knowing-how-you-know/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/knowing-how-you-know/ Thu, 4 Dec 2008 23:22:48 GMT ?You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you?ll discover will be wonderful. What you?ll discover is yourself.? ? Alan Alda http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-group/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/therapy-group/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:43:18 GMT What is a Psychotherapy Process Oriented group and how does it work? http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/center-for-disease-control/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/center-for-disease-control/ Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:02:01 GMT A recent study by the Center for Disease Control, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is being touted as evidence that some very common treatments for trauma lack empirical evidence of success in helping children and adolescents. The study, which reviewed a small percentage of the available literature, found evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral treatment, but not for six other kinds of therapy, including what may be the most widely used interventions ? play and art therapy. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-in-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/mindfulness-in-therapy/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:22:30 GMT ?When I counted up my demons I saw there was one for every day. But with the good ones on my shoulder, I drove the other ones away.? ? Coldplay http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-2/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/couples-therapy-2/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:27:09 GMT What to Expect in Internal Family Sytems (IFS) Couples Therapy http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/the-art-of-soul-transformation-self-psychology-and-creativity/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/the-art-of-soul-transformation-self-psychology-and-creativity/ Tue, 20 May 2008 01:12:44 GMT So many of us understand counseling to be an art, a marriage of knowledge and a certain ability to use that knowledge elegantly, incorporating intuition and spirituality. In my experience as a minister offering counseling and as a chaplain in a hospital, I have found that there is another dimension to the ?art? of counseling: the intentional creative process coupled with the understandings of self-psychology provide a transformational template that has love and compassion at its center. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/feminist-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/feminist-therapy/ Thu, 3 Apr 2008 05:02:55 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adlerian-psychology-psychotherapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/adlerian-psychology-psychotherapy/ Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:18:05 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/forum-somatic-experiencing/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/forum-somatic-experiencing/ Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:09:54 GMT Dear Members and Visitors to GoodTherapy.org, http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parent-child-interaction-therapypcit/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parent-child-interaction-therapypcit/ Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:51:28 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt-core-mindfulness/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt-core-mindfulness/ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 04:41:03 GMT 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. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gottman-method-for-couples-counseling-marriage-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gottman-method-for-couples-counseling-marriage-therapy/ Mon, 14 Jan 2008 03:19:34 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/283/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/283/ Thu, 6 Dec 2007 03:00:52 GMT When I began training in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) several years ago, my whole life became a healing story. It is difficult to even know how to begin or focus in the attempt to tell it. I was drawn to the model after reading Dick?s textbook in graduate school. It stirred my heart. It just felt right to me. And now I know why! http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/ Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:06:29 GMT http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/the-use-of-narrative-therapy-in-the-transformative-work-of-grief/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/the-use-of-narrative-therapy-in-the-transformative-work-of-grief/ Tue, 9 Oct 2007 01:10:30 GMT Helen Keller has said that ?the only way to get to the other side is to go through the door.? This is certainly true in the work of transforming grief into healing and growth. This process involves allowing ourselves to feel the intense emotions of grief ? sadness, anger, despair and other difficult emotions, as well as tapping into our internal strengths and external sources of support and ultimately finding new ways to stay connected to our departed loved ones. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/why-does-goodtherapyorg-include-a-list-of-psychotherapy-counseling-approaches/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/why-does-goodtherapyorg-include-a-list-of-psychotherapy-counseling-approaches/ Mon, 1 Oct 2007 18:54:46 GMT GoodTherapy.org recently updated its list of psychotherapy approaches and its list of concerns addressed. In response we received a small handful of emails from some thoughtful members with concerns about our lists: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/update-to-list-of-psychotherapy-counseling-approaches/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/update-to-list-of-psychotherapy-counseling-approaches/ Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:12:55 GMT Dear GoodTherapy.org Members, http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/theory-and-techniques-of-feminist-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/theory-and-techniques-of-feminist-therapy/ Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:48:00 GMT Abstract http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-has-healing-power-art-activities-help-students-prepare-for-hurricane-season/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/art-therapy-has-healing-power-art-activities-help-students-prepare-for-hurricane-season/ Tue, 28 Aug 2007 02:00:42 GMT In 1992 after Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida on August 24, 1992 I contributed to an article a list of art activities that children could do at home to help them process their thoughts and feelings after their hurricane experience that year.  The activities are still relevant today, but not only as a way to process a hurricane experience but to prepare for one by taking a more proactive approach. The activities in the original article were listed and categorized under the following headings. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-is-bioenergetic-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-is-bioenergetic-therapy/ Sun, 19 Aug 2007 18:41:35 GMT Bioenergetics is a form of psychodynamic psychotherapy that combines work with the body and mind to help people result their emotional problems and realize more of their potential for pleasure injoy in living. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gestalt-group-therapy-an-interactive-approach/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/gestalt-group-therapy-an-interactive-approach/ Sat, 18 Aug 2007 01:14:00 GMT Abstract http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/lets-not-throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bath-water/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/lets-not-throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bath-water/ Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:24:13 GMT Dear Members, I received a blog post this morning from a caring professional who's concerned about some of the therapies in our List of Models. This is a topic I've addressed in an earlier post called Good Model of Therapy?? Not for us to decide? , but as a result of this post I feel the need to address this again. It is an important topic. First, here is what she writes: http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/models-of-therapy/ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/models-of-therapy/ Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:25:23 GMT Is there an approach to counseling or psychotherapy which is empowering, collaborative, and nonpathologizing, but is not in our List of Therapies?  If so, please feel free to suggest it to us (please be sure to include a link to more infomation) and we'll consider adding it to the list. We receive many suggestions to include therapies which are already on our list, so please confirm that your therapy is not already on our list by clicking here. You can make your suggestion by replying to this post in the reply box below (scroll to the bottom). When you make your suggestion please include a link to a website where we can find more information. Be aware that your suggestions will be viewed publicly.