Anxiety Disorders Treatment Category
The Molecular Weight of Secrets...
May 9, 2013
It is a beautiful Spring day in Portland, Oregon. I turn in my chair to look out the big skylight in my office. A stately dark green Maple tree is perfectly framed. Honey bees are busy visiting the small cream-colored flowers. The sky is that color of blue that reminds me of the sea above a shallow coral reef. I check in with my heart. My heart checks in with me. The clear message is that I want to go for a walk. I have a lot of work to do in the office. My heart wins. I put on my coat. I open the door. I start walking.
Though it is still early morning, the sidewalks are quickly filling up with others who are similarly drawn to the cool air...to the lilac bushes...to small butterflies. They are walking.
One of the benefits and accompanying drawbacks of being a therapist, is that I find myself extending my emotional self to people I do not know. Simply put, I want to know how their day is going. I want to know what their stories might be. It is an interesting, genuine, an...
Help for Empty Nesters
EMPTY-NEST SYNDROME
Empty-nest syndrome is the name given to the constellation of feelings many parents have when their last or only child leaves home, and they no longer have a baby “chick” in their nest.
After having spent at least two decades as a parent, it is only reasonable to expect that this change will prove difficult. You might experience the following symptoms: sadness, fear in what your role in life is now, major adjustments in what you do each day, how you view yourself, and how your marriage functions.
These problems used to belong almost exclusively to women who were the primary caretakers of the children, and those who had no career. They had no other identity to fall back on. Today both men and women may suffer from empty nest because many women work and men are far more involved in their children’s lives.
THOSE MOST AT RISK FOR THE EMPTY NEST:
Those who have difficulty with separation and change.
Full-time parents.
Those who also struggle with menopause, ...
Anxiety Symptoms and Treatment
It’s important to remember that when dealing with anxiety we first understand that it is normal for individuals to feel worried and tense when they are under pressure or are in the midst of a stressful situartion. Everyones threshold for anxiety and dealing with pressure is different. Anxiety is a normal response that we cannot avoid but we can learn to minimize anxiety and learn to cope with it in a productive and non destructive way. Anxiety starts to become a problem when it starts to impede on our lives and causes interruptions in our day to day functioning (work, relationships with others, day to day activities, etc). If you feel your anxiety is getting worse and to the point where it is becoming unmanageable, it may be time to seek help from a professional. What are some of the signs that anxiety is has gone from a natural response to a disorder?
-Are you constantly on edge and tense, feeling that your are crippled with worry over feeling ...
Seen, Heard, and Understood
(From the Downtown Therapy blog. Check it out to see more)
I found myself on vacation recently. My partner and I went to France. It was equal parts charming and idyllic. It was also curiously stressful.
You see, in Toronto – at the best of times – when I go out I will inevitably have a selection of personalities to encounter: the barista making my americano, the TTC operator at the front of the streetcar, the person operating the cash register at the local grocery store. Ideally, in this sequence of events, even if I’m not consciously aware of it, I’ll be seen, heard, and understood.
These are three very important things to experience in day-to-day life: it feels good to be recognized, to be listened to, and to feel that the person on the other side of our dealings-with acknowledges our existence. Sadly, this doesn’t always come to be. The barista may get my order wrong, the TTC operator might be a bit gruff, the person operating the cash might...
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is defined as “a state of uneasiness, accompanied by dysphoria and somatic signs and symptoms of tension, focused on apprehension of possible failure, misfortune, or danger.”
“How do I know if I’m suffering from anxiety?” Anxiety is your reaction to stressful events that can cause you to feel nervous, tense or apprehensive. Many people suffer from anxiety time to time but when it affects your daily life and especially when it prevents you from enjoying life, partaking in events or activities that give you pleasure or you are avoiding contact with others then it might be time to seek out help.
“How do I know if I’m suffering from anxiety? And how do I know I should seek professional help?” Try answering yourself the following questions.
- Am I Losing sleep at night because I am waking up and worrying about work, people, realtionships or other things tat bother me?
- Have I changed my eating patterns because I am stressed and worr...
MINDFULNESS-BASED ART THERAPY
Mindfulness is a state of mind where the focus on the bodily sensations is at its highest peak. A mindful person is aware of how his/her body is reacting to the anxiety provoking thoughts and symptoms of anxiety.
In the practice of mindful art therapy one practices to be present and remain present to face distressing thoughts, fears, future, or expectations of others. Changing your responses rather than reacting is the aim of mindfulness art therapy.
The latter could be practiced with art activities, which we will introduce in future posts. Please follow our posts on www.montrealarttherapy.com
By: Reyhane Namdari/ Art Therapist
Connecting the Dots
One of the most powerful experiences in counseling is that moment when you “connect the dots.” After talking about the stress, pain, anxiety and frustration that brought you to therapy, out of nowhere you have a different way of looking at things. You have ideas and new solutions to problems which seemed overwhelming.
Working with your counselor, you start figuring out how to take the new ideas and use them to make life better.
Sometimes we make things too complicated. Often we just need to let our minds and emotions work on a problem we have brought out and examined by talking it through with a therapist. This is when the “fun” begins as you start seeing how you can make different choices.
Are you ready to start connecting the dots?
For additional blogs, go to http://zandas.net/blog-2/
Cali Estes Featured in the News
The decision to abandon a life of addiction is the first big step in a long process. You have to learn to transfer your dependency on substances to a dependency on faith, relationships, and your own strength. But this isn’t an easy road to walk and often requires the help of treatment centers and sobriety programs to help you manage the transition. Even though support options vary, all programs work better when the former alcoholic commits to long-term life changes that enhance success. So what does this look like? We asked three experts in addiction counseling to offer their advice:
1. What are the benefits of choosing a treatment center versus other options?
PAUL HOKEMEYER (clinical consultant at Caron Treatment Centers): Treatment centers are for people who have tried the other options and are unable to stay sober. They are also appropriate when a person's drinking or drug use is placing his or her life in danger. Residential programs envelop the person in a safe, contained ...
Is anxiety genetic?
Many of my counselling clients who come to me for anxiety treatment, ask if anxiety is genetic. That line of questioning usually leads to stories about many relatives who have all kinds of anxiety. So what's the answer to the question about whether or not there's a genetic pre-disposition to anxiety disorders including panic attacks and agoraphobia? Without wanting to sound like a lawyer (Attorney), I have to say that the answer is yes. And no.
Sorry, but the data are not in on a firm answer one way or another. Just because you and a couple of your cousins have episodes of out-of-the-blue panic, or just because you have high levels of anxiety, doesn't mean that you have inherited those responses.
Many of the people who come to me with anxiety problems have extended families filled with exciting, excitable, interesting and vivacious people with all sorts of anxiety problems. Then again, just as many clients who have worrying levels of fear of public speaking or more general anxiety, c...
Does a Dog in the Office Make it Animal Assisted Therapy?
Because of the recent press about the amazing benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy more and more therapists are bringing their dogs to work. Is this Animal Assisted Therapy?
Animal Assisted Therapy involves a trained counselor or therapist working with a trained animal in a goal-directed way within that therapists' area of expertise. The therapist should be trained in conducting Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and ideally have completed a training and/or Certification program as well. While there are no state or national standards to call oneself an "Animal Assisted Therapist" it is considered an area of specialty. As part of their training a therapist learns how to integrate the animal(s) safely and effectively into the therapeutic process. The safety of both the client and the animal must be monitored and considered at all times; during AAT the animal is working - this can be tiring and stressful for any animal. This is why most trained AAT clincians work only with animal...
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