Therapy and Counseling Articles

Most of us in New England and certainly here in Connecticut have heard of Lyme Disease. It got its name from Lyme, CT as it was first officially identified there. There are certain geographic regions where Lyme Disease is more abundant but according to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), the disease is prevalent across the United States and throughout the world. ILADS states that Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the nation.

People noticed the healing, almost miraculous influence of music on people’s mental health long time ago. Nowadays these observations are being successfully scientifically confirmed. Did you know that, according to British scientists, classical music contributes to longer dinners at restaurants? Ever heard that the level of stress hormones in our blood decreases strikingly if we practise listening to relaxing music? Don’t you know that cheerful songs are healthy for peopl

The question comes up often: what is trauma? Most therapists recognize trauma from the DSM-V definition:

Many of us have been conditioned to control, ignore or dismiss our emotions rather than use them as a source of valuable information. This leads to what is known as “bucket dumping”. We accumulate our feeling responses inside of us and when full, we dump it on whatever situation or person that happens to add the final drop into the bucket.

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Therapy and Counseling. Therapy and Counseling allow for the treatment, discussion, and consulting of anything from physical to mental to emotional problems. D'Arcy Vanderpool is the Official Guide to Therapy and Counseling .nn When Bad Things Happen to Good People , by Harold S. Kushner, is a valuable resource for people interested in Therapy and Counseling , and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes &

As a social worker I spent 6 years assessing the mental health treatment needs of adults who get caught in the revolving door to a state criminal justice system in New England. In piecing together the histories of these clients I spoke with their parents when these opportunities arise. What was often the case during these interviews is that these parents pled ignorance when it comes to how events in the lives of their families impacted their children. Clearly, these parents were either unwilling and/or unable to empathize and build bridges to their children’s rich inner worlds.

n n Mental Health Professional nA mental health professional is a person who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental illness. These professionals include psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses as well as other professionals. These professionals often deal with the same illnesses, disorders, conditions, and issues; however their scope of practice often differs. The most significan

Part II What Can Past Life Regression Do for Us? The emotional reactions associated with past life events which are most often seen in therapy, involve emotional residues of the fear based emotions such as anger, resentment, revenge, fear, guilt, remorse; and distortions of love manifesting as jealousy, possessiveness, even violence.

Many of us have encountered the self proclaimed victim, be it a family member, a friend or a work colleague. What never ceases to amaze is that these people make it their life purpose to report to the world of their misfortune or short coming. Granted some people may have incurred a health ...

Who doesn’t love Fall? As soon as we feel the chill in the air and smell the unmistakable scent of burning leaves, we know that pumpkin carving, football games, and holidays are right around the corner. Still, in the middle of all of the fun times with family and friends, fall does have its down side for some of us. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D., begins its onset around this time of year for millions of Americans. Rianna Wilson, who schedules counseling appointment

For most of us, there’s a lot more going on inside our minds and bodies than we let on. We may carry ourselves with the utmost confidence,when in reality we feel like a mess. There’s a lot we haven’t processed,perhaps because we don’t know how or simply don’t want to. When we bottle up negative thoughts and feelings for too long, we get sick. This negativity may manifest itself in something as minor as a common cold, or even in something as serious as a chronic illness. To

Have you ever had a 'gut' feel about something and found out later it was completely accurate? I have become fascinated by our ability to 'know' things without any real knowledge about them. Does this ability come from our brain or some way of 'knowing' that we don't yet fully understand? Researchers are working to unravel this mystery.

Mindfulness as taught in Mindfulness Psychotherapy and Mindfulness Meditation Therapy, is a particular awareness skill that teaches us to be aware of what is happening while it is happening. Through diligent practice, we begin to recognize reactions as they arise form moment to moment throughout the day. We learn to respond to each reaction with the simple formula: STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. When a reaction arises we simply greet it with: “No. Not now.

As soon as enough of us decide to live with the intention of dispelling dysfunctional, outdated myths, paradigms, prejudices, belief systems and frames on God, humanity, and life itself, we will reach sufficient momentum and everything in the morphic field will shift and come into alignment with divine right order without any further effort on our part. Together we can heal the world. Peace, loving kindness and the cooperation principle begins with each of us, one person at a time until we reach critical mass and human consciousness shifts of its own accord.

Food represents so many things to us—nourishment, comfort, friend, enemy, guilt, pleasure, emptiness, fullness, desire, sensuality. In spite of thousands of books and articles written on the subject, and fad diets that come and go, our population is becoming increasingly unhealthy. Yet, research ...

Often we think about creating our lives in terms of what we wish for ourselves. We can also create the world we want by thinking globally. I'd like to illustrate. Over a decade ago my good friend Jennifer went through a divorce. Before moving to a new home, Jen called a piano retailer and registered her piano to be sold on consignment. Within a couple months, Jen received a hefty check from the piano retailer for the sale of her ivories. She used the "piano money" to furnish her new place. A few years went by. Jennifer received a check in the mail for the sale of her piano. Huh?

Initially the attraction is euphoria taking a mini vacation. Someone once told me getting high is like God putting a warm blanket around you and rubbing your temples telling you everything will be alright. This is a powerful draw. The mini vacation to escape life’s hardships becomes more frequent and all encompassing. Physically the body comes addicted. Psychologically the individual needs the drug to maintain emotional stability and to cope with life’s stress. Individuals with addicted family members are at an unfair disadvantage.

Depression usually starts out simple. For my patient, Cindy, for example, it began with down days during her first semester in college, when she wouldn’t get out of bed. She did not leave her apartment, wore sweat pants all the time, stopped doing her hair and makeup, gave up her spin class, and neglected her bathing and hygiene. As time went on, she became more and more isolated from her friends. Her eating habits deteriorated -- Skittles and Chinese food became her staple, and in order to sleep, she took Benadryl with a giant glass of wine. Symptoms and Treatment of Depression

I want to share two stories to help those with drug problems -- or those with loved ones who have drug problems -- see how addiction works and how it can be overcome. My clients, Belle and Bob, were both addicts. Belle managed to dig herself out. Bob did not. At the most basic level, these two people had bad relationships with themselves. It really all comes down to that. Improve your relationship with yourself and you can get better. Continue to hate yourself, and the ending can be very bad. Belle’s Story

What's the big deal about taking responsibility for what you think, feel and do? One big deal is the enormous fear people have about adopting self-answer-ability. However, the benefits of adoption are a gigantic positive deal. Once you taste "the deal" you won't make a sandwich without it. What do people fear about self responsibility?

The Livenn Expert Help area at our web site (http://www.youthchg.com) is being inundated with requests for aid for just a single problem area. Frankly, we are very conce ed to be getting so many requests for help with students who are verbally abusing, defying or hitting their ...

In my heart of hearts’ means that you know or have known that something is true even if you have not been willing to admit it to yourself or others.” On the deepest level I believe we instinctively know when our health is in jeopardy and death is threatening; when our life force or the lives of our loved ones are in serious danger. There are also times when in spite of a diagnosis and prognoses, in our heart of hearts there is a knowing which for lack of a better explanation is, that it just isn’t time.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. "Tender points" refers to tenderness that occurs in precise, localized areas, particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips. People with this syndrome may also experience sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and other symptoms.nnAlthough the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, researchers have several theories abou

‘…I was by the cosmetics, standing before the mirror and trying to pull off a tiny piece of dead skin from my face. Instead of coming off, it pulled more skin with it. I wanted to get rid of them too, which pulled even more… and a bigger piece, one after another and it just wouldn’t stop. Slowly my naked face stared back at me with the pure muscles exposed without any layer of skin remaining. A cosmetician appeared behind me and nonchalantly stated: You will recover soon...’

As Mother’s Day approaches I thought it timely to share out of the ordinary extraordinary stories about becoming mothers. Both my experiences are unconventional and with each child woman’s intuition played a vital role guiding my jou eys to motherhood. Sometimes planned sometimes not, many women say they know the moment their children were conceived. It wasn’t that simple for me.

For someone who has never walked inside a hoarder's home, but has a some idea of what it might look like once they walk through the front door, it is more times than not more troubling than expected when they finally get inside. How can this person acquire so many items to a point of endangering themselves and cause such a rift with their loved ones? And so the big question everyone wants to know is: "What is really going on inside a hoarder's house?" No two hoarders are exac

Some people seem to have a propensity for intuiting impending danger, including catastrophes like the events of September 11, 2001. I can hardly imagine the weight of not knowing whether these types of intense perceptions are real? When we sense or dream that something is wrong with family members or friends, we have the option of alerting them, and checking things out.

BEING IN LOVE WITH ROMANCE Romantic love is exciting and feels wonderful but it is not the love that keeps couples together over time. There comes a day in every committed relationship when you look at your partner and mumble, “What was I thinking?” At that point romance seems gone for good. Romance is a feeling, a deep longing we have for someone who will cherish us. When that longing is being fulfilled by watching a romantic movie, or by getting to know someone special, we ride an emotional high. You would think fulfillment of longing would be a good thing but there is one catch.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) first came to the attention of doctors during the First World War when relatively large numbers of soldiers returned from combat exhibiting intense emotional distress in which they seemed to re-live the terrifying events of war long after the event. However, war is only one context in which PTSD arises. Later, it became clear that this phenomenon of delayed emotional reactivity could result from many other contexts such as accidents and illness, physical assault, rape or witnessing acts of violence and devastation, natural or man-made.

Did you know that 75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are due to stress-related illness? We've all heard about stress: what causes it, what it does to us. But have you really thought about the stressors in your life? And have you developed healthy habits for managing stress?

If you have experienced a traumatic event or series of events that you have not really recovered from, you may be suffering from PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. You don’t feel like you did before the incident, you are easily triggered, too guarded to connect with your family, fearful, having flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, and self medicating. These are just a few of the symptoms that can disrupt your life and the biggest fear is that you will never return to normal again.

This week I wanted to post about fear and how it can greatly limit our potential but when used correctly can also be a very powerful motivator. Here’s to a week of channeling your fears!

Question: “I am going out of my mind. I have two small children and my husband, behind my back, went out and bought a very expensive car. We are hardly making our monthly expenses and he goes out and does something like that. Is he stupid, or what? I am furious! I am on the verge of divorcing ...

I first started thinking about oxygen back when I started a running program (it was a milestone birthday and I realized, “damn, I’ve got to get in shape!”). I’d been walking about an hour a day for years after hearing that exercise was the most effective treatment for depression. Walking had helped, but when I began running, my mood spiked up in a way that made me realize it hadn’t been enough. I ran my one and only 5K at the completion of the program and then promptly went back to walking.

Metaphysical teaching through the ages has proposed that fostering a certain mentality will connect us to the esoteric and the supe atural. Meditation, positive affirmations, focused breath and movement, are all spiritual practices which guide one to develop a sense of inner connection to the infinite. And the simple, yet profound act of deciding to make things happen, consciously assuming responsibility for the quality of our life, creates shifts which seem to literally influence our ability to actualize and manifest what we want.

Anyone who’s been in a long term relationship will tell you there are rough periods, and most people, when they’re honest, will admit to doubts along the way. But sometimes we don’t know how to assess, “Just how bad is it?” Here’s a list of symptoms that suggest a relationship is in trouble. The ...

In cognitive therapy, cognitive distortions represent the lenses out of which we view the world and filter our version of reality. In light of recent developments among some therapists, dichotomous (either/or) thinking has emerged as a professional hazard. I recently attended a national mental health conference. I was intrigued as presenters and colleagues alike made comments that presented a distorted perspective regarding some significant behavioral health issues. As M.

Deaf blind children can be taught to enjoy dance and movement. They do, however, require long and careful preparation to reach this point.We should not underestimate the enormous challenges facing a person with a dual sensory impairment and those supporting them. The impairment can have a ...

“I Don’t Need Counseling!” But, your teen says, "I don't need counseling!" or "There's nothing wrong with me!" or "People will think I'm crazy if they find out I am going to counseling!" Now what? "I don't need counseling" Answers: - Give it three chances, then we can talk more about this. - It is a chance for you to have a safe, private place to talk about anything you want. "There is nothing wrong with me!" Answer:rn- You are right! "People will think I am crazy if they find out I am going to counseling!" - You know that you are not crazy, right?

Many of us hear the word stress all the time but often ignore the signs and symptoms in ourselves which can have a debilitating effect on our health, with our relationships, in our occupation, and in general. There are many things in life that can either “cause” or influence the level of stress in a person such as our job, our relationship, finances, and our own traits/attitudes.

As a last argument in a debate, my best friend asked her husband: - “Are we living for working or are we working for living?” You can guess; the argument was about how much time they spend with working and how much they have left for the family. How many of us are in the same situation? The economy is quite challenging lately, we want to maintain, even flourish our businesses, no matter if they are currently small or large. We try everything what we can to make it happen; but for what price?

When you really look closely at anxiety, depression, fear, anger or stress, you will almost always find recurring patterns of negative thoughts, traumatic memories and habitual emotional reactions. They are our tormentors, the pesky biting insects that annoy us throughout the day. They ambush our consciousness, pull us down and cause stress and emotional suffering. They come uninvited, cause havoc, and we wish that they would go away. If only we could control them, we would certainly have a better chance of controlling our mental state. So how do we do this?

Presenteeism is the act of an employee showing up at work without fully engaging their energy, hearts and minds. In many organizations, it is actually the norm. Employees gather around the water cooler talking about what they’re manager is doing wrong, what the company should be doing for them, what a lousy place they live they work in or spending time preparing grocery lists, shopping or surfing the internet, chatting on msn. These are all symptoms of disengagement and emotional distress in the work place.r

I often describe Andropause or Male Menopause as adolescence the second time around or as puberty in reverse.

Can mindfulness help ADHD? Lidia Zylowska, MD of UCLA says ‘yes’. She and her colleagues conducted a feasibility study on mindfulness for teens and adults with ADHD. A majority of the participants reported decreased ADHD symptoms as well as less stress, anxiety, and depression. Cognitive testing showed improvements in attention, memory, and reasoning. What person with or without ADHD couldn’t benefit from at least some of these things?

Are you or have you been “over”involved with someone who has introduced you to the experience of being in Hell? Forsake not! This type of relationship is absolutely necessary for you to go through, as it prepares your entrance into the next stage of soulmate transcendence. I understand how much ...

It can be hard for people to socialize when the tools necessary to do so were never taught to them in their childhood or if they have aspergers, a disability, or some mental illness. Though it may seem initially difficult, and maybe even a bit daunting, there are a few simple ways for adults to build these essential social skills, no matter the situation. COMMUNICATION Being able to communicate your thoughts, wishes, needs and desires with others is crucial, among the most i

"Is My Child Too Young for Counseling"? Children, like any of us, have troubles and worries. Sometimes their troubles and worries are bigger than they know how to express or manage. A child may have experienced separation or divorce of their parents, the loss of a loved one or even a pet, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, an alcoholic or addicted parent. They may be struggling in school with academics, or struggling with their relationships with friends or family members. These are all common issues that many children struggle with.

There are many reasons why you might feel like your efforts to incorporate mindfulness into your life haven’t worked for you. Here are some common mistakes that interfere with successful mindfulness practice followed by effective ways to avoid and overcome these obstacles. a. I don’t have time. People are busy these days. And, at first, many people feel that mindfulness is a waste of time and they should use the time to get stuff done.