Category: Psychologists

People with Anxiety may become accustomed to feelings of fear and anxiety. However, panic attacks can cause extreme anxiety and panic. In such situations, psychotherapy is the recommended treatment. Nonetheless, there are ways to learn how to manage and overcome anxiety attacks on your own. Our advice for managing and calming anxiety attacks is provided here, but it is important to note that none of these methods should replace psychotherapeutic treatment.

Practice A Mindfulness Exercise. 

During an anxiety attack, it is difficult to control our thoughts. Mindfulness allows you to voluntarily focus on something very specific in order to allow you to return to the present. This technique consists of paying attention to the direct environment, that is to say, the place where you are. Then try to name and describe each object you see around you (it could be a vase, a table, a plant, an armchair, etc.). The idea is to calm your mind, increase your relaxation and ground yourself in the environment around you.

Stimulate Acupressure Points 

You can by yourself activate two specific acupressure points that allow you to relieve stress. The first is located in your right hand, at the extension of the little finger, at the base of your wrist, between the bone and the tendon.

The second point is between the index finger and the thumb. To activate it, you have to pinch the flesh located in this area quite firmly for a few minutes.

Self-Hypnosis 

Self-hypnosis is a very effective technique and is increasingly used by health professionals to manage anxiety attacks. This technique consists of closing your eyes as soon as you feel the onset of a crisis and trying to imagine yourself in a place that you really appreciate. It can be a garden, a beach, or a chalet in the mountains.

Then, try to describe what you are feeling:

• The sun on your skin
• The soft sand under your feet
• The caress of the wind on your cheek

This will help calm your mind and reduce the signs and physical symptoms of the anxiety attack.

Stimulate Your Thymus 

It is also called “the point of happiness.” The thymus is located in the neck, near the sternum. This organ centralizes part of your body’s energy, and stimulating it reduces stress. You can do this by smiling broadly and tapping it for about 15 seconds.

Essential Oils 

Essential oils have a soothing power that reduces blood pressure and therefore lowers the heart rate.

In case of extreme muscle tension, it is advisable to use Roman chamomile to relieve yourself by massaging the solar plexus or the wrist with a few drops of this oil. You can also put a few drops of fine lavender at night in case of a night crisis.

Tension-Relaxation Cycles 

To soothe an anxiety attack, you can tense and then relax your body. This technique is very often used in Yoga. It consists of taking a deep breath, then holding your breath for 5 to 10 seconds by putting your body in tension. Do this exercise for at least 10 minutes. This will decrease your muscle tension.

After decades spent suffering from clichés and stigmas of all kinds, psychotherapy today seems to be well-accepted by society. In appearance, at least. Since there is still a large section of the population for whom mental health issues remain desperately taboo: adult men. If most of them willingly accept that their spouses and female relatives share their problems with psychologists, they find it difficult to take the plunge. Proof of weakness, lack of virility, and clichés die hard. They, too, can benefit from an external perspective, especially since they are encouraged to keep it quiet. Which only multiplies the harmful consequences of these moments of down. So, how do you convince a man to consult?

Find Other Men Who Have Consulted A Psychologist.

The major problem with psychotherapy for men is that these gentlemen still see consulting as evidence of weakness. Having moments of weakness is nothing to be ashamed of, and everyone goes through it in their lifetime. Unfortunately, the collective unconscious still considers this weakness as a defect to be concealed at all costs. Acceptable for women certainly, but not for men. Fortunately, more and more of them understand that these stereotypes are not only archaic but that they are also dangerous. Indeed, because of this taboo, the suicide rate is almost three times higher among men than among women.

There are probably men around you who have taken the plunge. They have not lost their virility, however. These men could therefore intervene with your loved one to explain the process but, above all, the daily benefits of online or in-office psychotherapy.

Give It Time And Offer Information.

Man or woman, between the moment when we notice that our mental health is not in good shape and the moment when we decide to consult, there is always a period of progress and acceptance. It takes time to realize that we are not well. Factually mention his difficulties, and the possibility of consulting, without inciting or forcing. Even if this may seem unfair to you, and it often adds to an already existing mental load for companions and loved ones, do not hesitate to carry out research. Contact details of professionals (find several, so he can make his choice), studies publishing the positive effects of psychotherapy (online or in the office) for men. Share this information with him without doing the steps for him unless he asks you to, of course.

You can also suggest that he begin by discussing his difficulties with his attending physician. Or any healthcare professional he trusts. They are authorized to act in an emergency situation and to provide advice. If he hears them from the mouth of a competent authority, he may more easily agree to seek the necessary help.

Let Him Choose The Psychotherapy And The Psychologist That Suits Him.

The patient must be able to choose who he addresses and how he wants to be treated. However, faced with a closed and lost man, one can be tempted to take the steps and manage everything. However, the process of psychological care implies that one is motivated and that one participates actively in his recovery. And it starts with making your own decisions. Or at least that we clearly ask for help from those around us. If you take care of everything, your loved one will arrive at their first session without having had time to walk. He will wonder what he is doing there. At best, it will not be receptive; at worst, it will be permanently closed.

In addition, there are many types of therapy and as many professional profiles. What suits you, or seems interesting to you, is not necessarily what will resonate with him. Type of psychotherapy, current of the psychologist, frequency of sessions, configuration (face-to-face, online, or asynchronously). It is up to him to choose among the many choices at his disposal.

If he is still resistant to traditional therapy, distance psychotherapy may prove to be an excellent option. He will be able to discuss at his own pace and from the comfort of his home without facing the inquisitive looks in the waiting room (probably imagined). If he is more comfortable in writing, he will be able to express himself in this way. Or just talk when he feels the need.

Start Group Therapy

As a family or as a couple, group therapies bring together several people around the psychologist in the office or online. This allows the man who needs to consult to be reassured. And suppose the latter is still too imbued with gender stereotypes. In that case, he can take advantage of the sessions while arranging with his conscience, on the pretext that he does not consult himself and is content to accompany his partner or a member of his family.

Eventually, this mode of therapy should give him the desire and the courage to go it alone.

If you are at a loss when faced with a man around you who is suffering, do not hesitate to consult a psychologist to see more clearly and explore all your options.

Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Los Angeles, California. If you are looking for a Psychotherapist in Los Angeles, visit The Traffic Light Center website for more information.

When stress persists, the body suffers and becomes exhausted. Positive emotions “improve” our physiological parameters and reduce the risk of physical or psychological disorders. How to activate these emotions that do good?

When the brain reacts to a threatening situation, it is the amygdala, a structure belonging to the limbic system which manages the emotion, perceives the signal of danger, and is activated, causing a cascade of physiological modifications: the energy reserves are mobilized, the heart rate increases to better supply the muscles with nutrients, the sweating increases, the respiration increases in order to allow a large quantity of oxygen to reach the brain and the muscles, natural analgesics are released in a preventive way, platelets are activated to minimize blood loss in the event of an injury, inflammatory phenomena are triggered to protect the body.

During this reaction, the body, therefore, mobilizes to face a threat, and it is this automatic response that enables our ancestors to survive and face the dangers and predators to which they were subjected (fight or flight: we fight or we flee).

This stress response is therefore necessary for the body in many situations, for example, when we are crossing the road, and a car is approaching quickly.

Or, when in the event of an injury, the mechanisms of inflammation are activated to promote wound healing. On the other hand, the stress response is harmful when it is too frequent and becomes chronic (for example, when we are “under tension” at work).

This response does not leave time or the possibility for the body to return to a state of balance; in the long term, the body “wears out,” which can promote the development of certain pathologies such as depression, viral diseases, or cardiovascular abnormalities.

Alongside these biological mechanisms, behavioral factors can also influence the risk of developing cardiovascular disease: diet, tobacco, and lack of physical exercise. Stressed, we can eat more, smoke, and do less sport, for example. , as many risk factors are again linked to our emotions.

So What Is An Emotion?

An emotion is an affective state caused by an automatic evaluation of our needs. It involves behavioral, physiological, and cognitive adjustments related to the situation. It prepares the body to act effectively and appropriately in a given context. Emotions are divided into two categories: negative or unpleasant and positive or pleasant.

The study of the impact of emotions on health is a fairly developed area of ​​research, and the impact of negative emotions on health is widely known, but since the 1990s, has also been studied, the link between emotions such as joy, vitality, curiosity, gratitude, and improved physical health. Some conclusions have also shown a higher resistance to infections and a reduced probability of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents or diseases of aging.

Our emotions would therefore have a direct influence on the health of our heart, and different methods make it possible to better manage stress in the face of destabilizing situations such as mindfulness meditation or hypnosis, for example.

You can work to develop your hedonic well-being, which corresponds to the pursuit of pleasure, and your eudemonic well-being, which is linked to self-realization, autonomy, positive relationships with others, and meaning that we give into existence.

It has indeed been shown that hedonic well-being and eudemonic well-being (which goes beyond immediate gratification) and more for the latter are associated with the activation of “anti-stress” genes.

How Can You Improve Your Well-Being In Order To Activate These “Anti-Stress” Factors?

Slow walking in the forest is increasingly advocated in Japan as a form of preventive anti-stress medicine.

The “Shinrin-yoku,” which means “forest bathing,” leads the person to pay attention to the freshness of the air, the colors, and the sounds. It is a form of meditation that consists of being present in the environment. 

Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor is a famous licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, California. If you are looking for the Best Psychologist in Los Angeles, Contact us.

Here is a short list of the most common mental blocks that prevent you from changing your life and living the way you dream. Some of them will certainly look very familiar to you.

• Lack of Open-Mindedness

You believe that what you have done in the past limits what you can do in the future. Therefore, although this is true to some extent, you are convinced that your abilities have certain limits that you cannot overcome. A lack of open-mindedness will prevent you from growing, learning, and going beyond your comfort zone. You will agree to arbitrary limits and remain tied to the familiar, unable to see your potential.

• Permanent Indecision

Indecision causes you to place too much importance on every decision. You are convinced that making the best decision on a single option necessarily determines your success or failure in an entire domain. The result is an inability to concentrate. This indecision may come from being unsure of your priorities or from being unsure of what is important.

• Comparison to Others

Comparison will keep you in a state of anger because you will always find other people who seem to be doing a better job than you. Their successes will make you think that all your efforts are wasted. If they succeed before you do, they pose a threat to you. You’ll want to give up and search for the land you can claim first.

• Believe That There Are No Limits.

To be convinced that no limits exist seems to be anything but a mental block. However, believing in the absence of limits leads to many dead ends. It stems from our ability to overestimate our own resources and abilities despite all the evidence.

Because you want to do too many things, you cannot make significant progress in anything. You go in circles, trying to move your projects forward at once. You then start to get depressed, and soon you want to stop.

• Uncertainty about Implementing Your Actions

Uncertainty differs from indecision in how you can make a decision. Still, you cannot understand how to implement it, paralyzing you in making your decision. With constant access to the Internet and information, it has become even easier to feel overwhelmed by all the methods and tools available.

If you’ve ever spent an hour choosing between 4 or 5 webinars like the ones here, you know what uncertainty feels like. Because the options are so similar, the brain can no longer determine which is best. The differences are so small that you keep evaluating endlessly.

• Living with Tunnel Vision

Tunnel vision locks you into your perspective, no matter how inaccurate or distorted. You then lose all objectivity, which can lead to problems because you can no longer see other options that are easier and more accessible. Tunnel vision can also cause you to feel lonely when you’re not or see obstacles as bigger than they are.

Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor is among the famous Relationship and Marriage Counseling Therapists in Los Angeles, California. If you are looking for the Best Psychotherapist in Los Angeles, visit The Traffic Light Center website for more information.

Mental health is a growing concern. Since the pandemic, mental health issues have reached a tipping point. But the main problem is that people are reluctant to seek help and are afraid to talk about their mental health issues or admit they have them. Why are people reluctant to talk about such an important topic as mental health? You must search Clinical Psychologists Near Me in Los Angeles to seek help if you are an LA resident.

The Stigma around Mental Health

Stigma prevents people from seeking support for their mental health problems because they are ashamed or fear the reaction of others. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to end stigma and promote better mental health:

• Let people know that they are not alone in dealing with these challenges, have nothing inherently wrong, and are not alone.
• Encourage them to talk about their experiences by helping them recognize that their mental health is as important as their physical health.
• Normalize the conversation.

Shame and isolation contribute to poor mental health. However, talking about your difficulties and being in contact with other people can help relieve anxiety, concerns, and fears.

Openly expressing your feelings reduces their hold. Talking about mental health should be as common as talking about physical health. Unfortunately, society still considers it taboo. This needs to change: at the individual, educational, and work levels because millions of people feel unable to talk about mental health issues for fear of being stigmatized.

Prejudices and Misconceptions about Mental Health Issues

Misconceptions about mental health issues are another barrier to seeking help. These include the idea that:

• Mental health is a weakness
• A simple change of mentality can be enough.
• Mental health problems only affect certain types of people. But it affects people from all walks of life.

Fear of Being Seen As Weak

Another reason people don’t talk about their mental health issues because they think others will look down on their suffering. Or that they will see it as a sign of weakness. However, mental health problems are neither a weakness nor the result of bad choices.

Mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status. And it doesn’t just affect those who look like they are “having a bad day.” Many people with a smile suffer from mental health issues beneath their happy appearance, just like many celebrities.

Mental health issues are still a source of stigma in our society, and this means that people with mental illness often suffer in silence because they are afraid to speak up and seek help. As a result, many mental health issues go untreated, and this can lead to serious consequences (loss of employment, homelessness, addictions, and even suicide).

Fear of Being Treated Differently

Coping with the day-to-day realities of mental illness is hard enough, and feeling obligated to keep it a secret only worsens things. When people don’t talk about their mental health, it perpetuates the stigma around these illnesses and prevents others from seeking help. This silence also reinforces the idea that mental health is something to be ashamed of instead of a real medical problem needing treatment. Speaking openly about our experience can help break down these barriers and make it easier for others to access the support they need.

Feeling of Helplessness

When someone is experiencing a mental health issue, it can be difficult to know where to start. He/ she may feel like nothing can be done, there is no cure, and talking won’t change anything. But talking can help. It also makes it easier for people with mental health problems to get professional help. Talking about mental health is useful for people who suffer from it; it is also important for relatives and friends who support them in this difficult time.

Societal Pressures

Society exerts pressure to make us happy and successful, increasing reluctance to seek help for mental health issues.

People are constantly bombarded with messages about the perfect job, partner (and family), and the best home. Additionally, there is pressure within your social group to conform to standards of behavior and appearance. People often feel they have to conform to this ideal and feel judged by others when they don’t. It is then difficult for them to admit that they are not up to it.

Society needs to help people feel empowered to take action to improve mental health care. It’s important to talk about your experiences with mental illness, seek treatment if needed, and not feel like society looks down on people who do. This conversation has been suppressed for too long, with catastrophic consequences.

Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Los Angeles, California. If you are looking for a Psychotherapist in Los Angeles, visit The Traffic Light Center website for more information.

We can think of emotions as warning signs that let us know when something is happening that can have positive or negative consequences.

Usually, these are transient states, but they can become something much more lasting. Sometimes, especially if they are negative emotions, they can cause suffering, which is why it is important to know them and learn to give them the right weight. If you are facing such emotions and you are a resident of LA, you must consult a Psychotherapist in Los Angeles.

Awareness of Negative Emotions

Some emotions are perceived more strongly, making them more intrusive and able to influence us. When this occurs as a result of negative emotions, the consequence can be undue fear and excessive anxiety. Let’s consider emotions as sentinels that alert us to what is happening to prepare us to respond in the most appropriate way. It is easy to understand that it is more useful for our survival to be aware of potentially dangerous situations. Only situations that can make us happy.

The problem is not so much feeling negative emotions as what these emotions can cause.

We may also find that we often feel more drawn to bad news than good news. This is also apparent from the increased space the media devotes to negative news as an obvious response to public demands and demands. According to a study conducted by the American psychologist John Cacioppo, which confirms what has just been mentioned, it would be the negative effect explained by evolutionary reasons related to our survival, for which ignoring negative information would be much riskier than ignoring a positive one.

Ignoring a cyclone’s arrival can be much more dangerous than ignoring a story with a happy ending. Despite this, most people claim to prefer good news to be bad and say they would rather hear more news with a happy ending.

We may also notice that our culture often leads us to try to avoid sadness, to relegate it to a corner, to hide it or mask it because it is seen as negative, a sign of weakness. Experiencing sadness is the only way to learn how to deal with it. The first step is admitting to ourselves and others that we are vulnerable. One of the main functions of sadness is to make our loved ones understand that we need them, their support, and their comfort in difficult times. It also helps us reflect and deeply analyze what is happening to us to find meaning in our mood. Therefore, it helps process unpleasant events and acts as a stimulant to induce change.

Conclusions

It will only be when the little girl manages to accept her sadness that she will be able to cry, and this will open the eyes of the parents, until now oblivious to her discomfort.

From them will come the comfort that will bring back serenity, and the acceptance of sadness will give rise to new memories and to the awareness (necessary for each of us) that life is also made up of frustrations, greater or lesser, that we must overcome so as not to remain trapped and be able to focus on new objectives.

Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor is among the famous Relationship and Marriage Counseling Therapists in Los Angeles, California. If you are looking for the Best Family Therapist in Los Angeles, visit The Traffic Light Center website for more information.

Phobias are the most common anxiety disorder. This article will give you a better understanding of what specific phobias are. So, continue reading the article and don’t go anywhere.

What Is A Phobia?

A phobia is an intense and debilitating fear of a specific situation, object, or creature. The most common phobias are fear of heights, fear of flying, fear of snakes, and fear of needles. You may know some phobias by their Latin names, such as arachnophobia, which refers to the fear of spiders, but this name is rarely used by psychologists, who instead refer to them as “specific phobia of spiders.”

Phobias cause high levels of distress and incapacity in those diagnosed, who often have to go to great lengths to avoid those things they fear. Fortunately, phobias can be treated. Some treatments can effectively eliminate the symptoms of fear in just a few hours of work.

Definition of Specific Phobia

A phobia is an intense fear of a particular situation or object (called “phobic stimulus”). Phobias can relate to almost anything, but many of them fall into one of four categories:

• Animal phobias – fear of snakes, spiders, dogs, etc.
• Environmental phobias – fear of heights, thunderstorms, the ocean, etc.
• Situational fear: fear of specific situations such as flying or being in an enclosed space, fear of dying.
• Blood, disease, and injury – fear of needles, medical procedures, blood, disease, etc. 

Many people fear some of these situations – like spiders, snakes, and emptiness. These things are, after all, a certain level of threat. But not all of these people meet the criteria for phobia.

Diagnosis of Phobia

To be diagnosed as a phobia, the fear the person feels must be considered excessive or unreasonable, given the actual level of danger.

Most people would experience some trepidation seeing a large spider running across their living room floor. Still, someone with a specific fear of spiders might experience such uncontrollable anxiety that they would be forced to leave the room. Then be so frightened by the experience that she would refuse to enter the room again without checking every square inch for any signs of the presence of spiders.

Effects of Phobia

A phobia also causes extreme distress or impairment. A person with a phobia may be constantly on edge and live in fear of the next encounter with the phobic stimulus. His fears can prevent him from going to certain places or disrupt his life considerably. For example, a person who develops a fear of heights may be forced to move if they live in a building. A person with a phobia of confined spaces may have to walk to work rather than drive or take public transportation.

Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Los Angeles, California.