How CBT Came to Be and Why It Matters Today Today, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is the world’s most studied and widely practiced form of therapy. It helps millions of people manage anxiety, depression, and stress not by changing what happens to them, but by changing how they interpret what happens. Most people assume CBT … Continue reading How CBT Came to Be: The Roots of Modern Therapy and Why It Matters Today
Is Ketamine Effective for treating PTSD?
Is Ketamine Effective for treating PTSD? Like many of you, I have been hearing about Ketamine in the treatment of PTSD. Also like many of you, I've wondered how effective it actually is in treating it. I've been doing some research to see if it would a helpful treatment for trauma or not. I'll share … Continue reading Is Ketamine Effective for treating PTSD?
Does EMDR really help people recover from grief and loss?
I thought it might be a good idea to follow up my post on EMDR treating trauma with one discussing how it may be helpful to people who have experienced significant losses. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy originally developed to help people recover from trauma. In recent years, research … Continue reading Does EMDR really help people recover from grief and loss?
Does EMDR really help people with PTSD?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy designed to help people recover from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I've used it for years, and have found it to be very helpful for practically everyone with trauma. Research has been done for over 30 years now, studying it. I wanted to share some … Continue reading Does EMDR really help people with PTSD?
8 ways that friends and family members can help a rape survivor
Many of us know, have known, or will know someone who is a victim of rape. If you are a friend or family member, how can you be helpful? The following are some suggestions given by experts at universities around the country, and as a professional and specialist I endorse all of them: 1. Respect … Continue reading 8 ways that friends and family members can help a rape survivor
Everything you’ve done (or not done) is Forgivable
I want to discuss a sensitive subject, which is forgiveness. Forgiveness of others and especially ourselves is crucial to living a happy life. I want to share an example from a client of mine I treated years ago. A man came to see me because his teenage daughter had taken her own life, and he … Continue reading Everything you’ve done (or not done) is Forgivable
How to grieve a death or other loss
I am writing this article because I have found many folks would benefit from learning a bit more about how to cope with a significant loss in their lives. I'll start by telling you something you may not know. Men, generally speaking, favor what's called instrumental grieving, which means grieving cognitively or physically. They tend … Continue reading How to grieve a death or other loss
Finding the right therapist for complex PTSD or dissociation
It's been a while since I've posted. I want to rectify that by sharing a recent experience I had with a couple of colleagues. I wanted to pass on a lesson from that for those seeking treatment. We were consulting on cases and I mentioned Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which is on the extreme end … Continue reading Finding the right therapist for complex PTSD or dissociation
Here are five benefits of grief journaling
Grief journaling is a crucial part of the bereavement process, and I ask practically everyone I do grief work with to at least try. Research and my own professional experience show that it really does help. When I use the term "journaling" I am using it broadly, to include drawing and poetry as well. Some … Continue reading Here are five benefits of grief journaling
Five misconceptions about grief and loss
It's been a while since I've posted! This is partly because I am developing a second specialty, which is the field of grief and loss. As as therapist I feel as though I have some competence in treating these issues, but my goal is to be more than competent. I want to be better at … Continue reading Five misconceptions about grief and loss