"How can I help?" I am not a doctor and I cannot assist medically with COVID-19 but I do work with individuals’ reactions to crises every day. That, I would say, makes me an expert in managing various crises one may face -- specifically in managing our reactions to crises.
So much of my practice centers around anxiety, trauma, phobias, panic disorder, obsessions, compulsions, and unhealthy coping patterns related to anxiety. The COVID-19 is scary for many people, and it is a crisis.
It appears that most people think that they can come to therapy whenever they want and return when they feel like it. As if therapy is an as-needed type of attendance when...
Recently I relearned about inhibitory learning. I love knowledge that challenges me to look at things in an alternative way. It is probably due to my Anthropology brain/degree. I’d compare it to learning another perspective of viewing a problem.
It's hard to imagine that a man that looked like this, could die. I don’t think anything can prepare you for the death of a parent. Whether distant or close, it leaves a mark within.
Most individuals do not even think it is a problem to be an overachiever. They attribute their problems to procrastination, a lack of intellect, depression, or anxiety.
I continue to struggle with actually reading a book and so recently I got into the audiobook scene. I began with two health books followed by, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed.
Many people have what I call Trauma Brain and have no idea that it is the cause of their current symptoms.
Most clients have no idea how long it will take to change reactions to symptoms or habits that are part of how they live their lives. Changing our reactions to symptoms depends on several factors such as how long we have been experiencing symptoms and maladaptive reactions. Are they connected to other habits or symptoms?
Diagnosis vs Symptoms
People come to therapy for various reasons. The symptoms of individuals I see are self-reported or observable and consist of anxiety, phobia, exposure to traumatic events, symptoms of depression, obsessions, compulsions, and experiencing significant life events.
