…ation of the amygdala (within emotional center of the brain that registers fear), and with Mindfulness, we increase our Middle Pre Frontal Cortex functions, one of which is our ability to respond versus react. My response was to take a deep breath and begin again, and in fact, the experience allowed me to write from truth, to walk my talk, and helped me to write from the reality of experience versus abstract notions. (There was possibility in the…
Learn More
…e mid-1970s with not a single year’s decrease below epidemic levels of 8 to 11. Beginning in 1993, however, Clinton’s first year in office, the murder rate for the first time since 1933 began a steep and uninterrupted year by year decline, beginning at 10.5 in 1993, falling below 8 by 1997, and bottoming out at 6.4 by 2000, his last year in office (following which, under Bush Jr., it began once again increasing). To explain why this occurred, we n…
Learn More
…ly in public, all parents experience humiliation. They are embarrassed and fear that onlookers will regard them as faulty parents. However, do not let your self-consciousness or self-attacks affect your actions. Your focus should not be on worrying about how you are being seen, but on tending to the agony that your child is going through. When your kid is in this state, do not send her to her room. Isolation is not a constructive solution because…
Learn More
…an unconscious as well as conscious level, most remain unaware of how the fear of death influences significant aspects of their lives and motivates many of their actions. Whether death anxiety is conscious or unconscious, most of us react to it by defending ourselves to avoid feeling the excruciating pain and sadness that comes with the full realization that life is temporary. Instead, we choose some degree of denial and escape, and in the proces…
Learn More
…y in agreement with little much else to say. He expressed that his biggest fears were about being alone and “something bad happening” to him or his parents. He often worried about getting kidnapped or his parents getting into a car accident. He also had fears of contamination, and avoided any potentially contaminated items. To ensure that nothing “bad” would happen, Nick developed a set of behavioral and mental compulsions, including: tapping a ce…
Learn More
…and often, for much of her days. As she wrote down and acknowledged these fears, she began to deal with them on a conscious and “feeling” level. Alleviating her fear of the anxiety in itself helped this woman to take control of her sleep disorder. Through dedication and bravery, she was able to overcome a problem that had plagued her for decades. This is not to say that carefully used and professionally monitored medications are not of value. It…
Learn More
…ess of exposures. This exercise requires clients to write about their most feared situations. Exposures via writing require the highest level of cognitive functioning. Unlike visual or auditory processing which comes and goes, when we write, we make a concerted effort to mindfully process our thoughts before externalizing them onto paper. This is infinitely more effective. Even if a client exposes to a feared situation in vivo, s/he can avoid or e…
Learn More
…e third time. This leaves them into a state of hyper-vigilance, a state of fear and distrust that persists beyond deployment. After facing constant stress and threat to their lives, how then do they psychologically re-adapt to a safe environment? A feeling of isolation is another strong factor contributing to increased suicide risk. The uniquely traumatic events veterans experience can leave them feeling distanced from the families and friends the…
Learn More
…mponent is the “performance” condition. Social anxiety sufferers intensely fear being rejected, criticized, judged, or simply perceived unfavorably when having to perform. Although these presumed negative consequences can occur in “social” situations, not all social environments require you to “perform”. Thus, an individual with SAD can be socially sophisticated until s/he imagines the possibility of being disapproved while having to perform (e.g….
Learn More
…er relationships. She explored the isolation she maintained because of the fear of others’ judgment. How food had become her drug was also explored: Both overeating and undereating were ways she used to stuff her pain or disconnect from it. I had so much respect for Rose’s courage and willingness to explore herself at this level. Although Rose was getting a lot out of individual therapy, I encouraged her to also look for a group to join and maybe…
Learn More