Emotions Category
New Private Addiction Services: Not your Grandfather's Treatment Approach
The bad news: According to the National Institue on Drug Abuse, overal relapse rates for drug addiction at 60 percent.
The good news: People can recover from addiction. In most cases, people need qualified help to assist in the recovery process. If people could do it on their own, it wouldn't be called an addiction.
Treatment methods for substance abuse and drug addiction have progressed from crude and barbaric (my apologies to the Barbars), to thoughtful and evidence-based approaches that do more to address brain chemistry and mental health. It seems, however, that with a 60 percent relapse rate, more can be done to improve treatment outcomes.
In my 25+ years of experience in the substance abuse and mental disorder treatment field, I have worked with many clients who deeply desired recovery from addiction, but were unsucessful. I felt powerless to help people who seemed doomed to go in and out of the revolving door of "treatment as usual".
In 2006 ...
Emotional Reasoning
Let's talk about another cognitive distortion.
Last time we talked about all-or-nothing thinking. This time we'll talk about emotional reasoning.
Emotional reasoning is what you do when you FEEL something so strongly that you are convinced it is true. You don't have any factual evidence. You just feel it.
Often when you know things are true you have an accompanying feeling of conviction or surety or peace or something similar. This is not emotional reasoning. You have a feeling AND a thought. Rational AND emotion mind working together.
Emotional reasoning is based only on feeling. It's drawing conclusions from your emotions, not from evidence.
For example, you see your husband with a cute girl and you have a fearful reaction that he's cheating on you. Your fear is strong and you just KNOW that it wouldn't be so strong if it wasn't true. So you suddenly "know" he's cheating on you because your feeling is so strong. No other evidence, just your fear.
This is emotional reasoning. It...
Sleep - you are Not a giraffe!
Fun fact: Giraffes require on average only 1.9 hours of sleep per day. Who knew!
It's easy to assume that the bigger you are, the more sleep you require, but that just isn't the case. Brown bats are at the other extreme, using around 20 hours of sleep per day.
Humans need between 7.5 to 9. This doesn't mean you can get by on 7 hours. Getting by on less sleep than you need creates what's called SLEEP DEBT and your brain actually tracks this. One solid night's sleep will help you feel better but your stamina is affected.
Sleep is crucial to your overall health. Lack of sleep is connected to diabetes, to fibromyalgia and to trouble losing weight.
Turn off the TV and computer early. Dim the lights for the couple hours before you turn in. Keep your room cool. Move sources of electromagnetic energy as far away from your bed as you can manage as these energy waves can disrupt your sleep.
Quality and quantity count. You might get used to feeling sleep deprived but your body will not adapt...
Old Habits Die Easily
When you contact me about hypnosis, reiki or eft, you most likely want to know how a session "works." I always ask you a series of questions such as, are you committed to replacing the habits you have now? Here is what I mean when I say this: Habits, just like energy, always exist in some form. The ones that you have now are not working for you (or you would not be contacting me). So in lieu of "getting rid" of the habits we merely utilize the power of your mind to replace the habits you currently have with ones that work better for you. It is really quite simple and super effective and the best part: you are really doing it yourself. All I do is guide or empower you along the way.
http://www.abetterlife4u.us
ART THERAPY FOR SENIORS WITH ALZHEIMER’S
eniors facing early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s usually suffer from boredom, powerlessness, and loneliness. Therefore, art activities for seniors with Alzheimer’s should aim at improving their quality of life in the years they struggle with this disease. Art therapists working with this population focus on strengthening the remaining cognitive and physical abilities of elderlies instead of attempting to make changes or increase their mental and functional abilities. In this process, nonverbal communication through art making, making simple choices, and releasing emotions bring about a sense of pride and dignity; a feeling that Alzheimer’s disease gradually takes away.
To obtain more information about our individual and group art therapy services for seniors and our art therapy home services for seniors, please visit our website at www.montrealarttherapy.com
The Importance of Nurturing your Inner Pollyanna
I have always been a bit of a Pollyanna. I say this affectionately about myself. Because, in my line of work, I happen to know that Pollyanna Syndrome is protective against all kinds of physical and emotional maladies. If you believe that the world is essentially good, and that the people in it are also pretty alright, (if sometimes kinda broken) than you’re not looking for the boogie man around the corner. And you also have the great luxury of thinking that when people screw your over, they didn’t do it because of any inherent evil. That means, in a nutshell, that you believe deep into your bones that no matter what, people can change. This is a helpful logic to have when one is a therapist–I would quickly feel defeated by my job if I didn’t have faith in our ability to transform terrible things into better ones. I have managed to maintain this worldview despite working with sex offenders, clients adjudicated for domestic violence and with folks in prisons. I t...
The Benefits of Talking to Yourself
Sometimes I have a hard time deciding what to write for my blog entries. I will get this inexplicable urge to write, and some sort of inner push to put voice to screen. And then I say to the universe, “But I don’t know what I’m supposed to say today.” Do you ever have that too? Do you have that feeling that there is something to be stated, something that’s inside you to share, but you the inspiration hasn’t fully formed yet?
I’m working on the hunch that the drive to express oneself always predates any actual good ideas. So, I am sitting here with the itch to blog and no great idea how to scratch it. But, while we’re waiting, we can muse about something else that has been on my mind lately: the power of self talk.
You might as well monitor what you tell yourself, because you are your own best and most captive audience.
I have found that at the root of many of the emotional and spiritual troubles that nag at my clients is a voice that i...
Developing an Alter Ego and other Adventures in Mental Health
Who do you want to be, really? I mean, we all have these people that we walk around as day in and day out, and I think we’re pretty good folks most of us. But doesn’t everyone have a secret interior life? Somewhere in each of us is an unrealized ____ just waiting to come out and experience the world through our eyes. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time each and every one of us just threw down the gauntlet and let that guy/gal off the bench.
The inspiration for this post is my friend, Angela. She’s the person who makes me chicken dip when I’m sick, and knows how to do just about any bizarre and crafty thing you can imagine with a hot glue gun. She’s girly and frilly and in addition to that, she’s a really good therapist. So, just picture her now–resplendent with a careful manicure and a kind, nurturing smile. For god’s sakes, the woman makes bedazzled aprons in her spare time. However, my sweet Angela has an alter ego...
N Vision
Because you can predict it, YOU hold the key to your own future. That's right! All you have to do is envision how you see yourself and it will happen. It is important to use all your senses so nothing gets left out. Want to meet the right person? Picture yourself with them! Run a successful business, then feel what it's like to be in charge! Then just keep on practicing it (make it a habit) If you have trouble envisioning, borrow the image from a book, a movie, a tv show or a friend's life. Doesn't matter where you get it as long as it resonates with you. Every great idea, leader, country, etc comes from one or many who first envisioned it. They did it and so can you!
http://wwwabetterlife4u.us
Setting Goals/Getting Souls
If you're like me, you've encountered the concept of goal setting countless times. The concept is simple: Set a goal, break it down into smaller steps and then, drum roll please, work at it until it happens. This is a fine plan and definitely works, especially for those people who are Type A personalities. But what about us Type B's? What is missing from the 'A' concept is the idea of openly accepting what God (the universe, the cosmic joker) has in store for us. It is all well and good to approach life methodically and be goal oriented but it could be preventing us from seeing the Big Picture. Never let your goals interfere with the idea that you are who you are, right here and now. Life is really what happens to us as we open up our hearts and minds to accepting what comes our way; realizing that with some positive thinking and a bit of effort, everything will turn out just fine.
www.abetterlife4u.us
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