Surviving Anxiety

Anxiety and fear have taken hold. Many lives these days are influenced by decisions not based on reasoned sense but on the fear that has been created all around us.  But how much of that fear is real and how much of it is inflicted upon us by our own sense of lack and doubt?

If we pause and look at fear, it is often based on the failures of our past and if we examine anxiety, it is often based on trying to predict and control the future.  But what about right now. What do you really have to be fearful about in this moment? NOW!

Bringing the fine art of awareness into our lives can benefit both ourselves and the people we meet in our lives. Facing our own fears and anxieties is important in these stressful times so that we can be fully present in our lives.  We need to find our own means of centering and self-care whether it be meditation, yoga, hiking, reading, therapy, or spending time with our loved ones.

I find that when I take time to get some perspective and peace, it brings me back to what is real, right here, right now. It allows me to appreciate each moment and live life more fully.

So dose yourself with some personal time, make space for some perspective and see if anxiety and fear can go on vacation leaving you room to enjoy life and prosper.

To learn more visit JohnSovec.com

John Sovec's Profile

Addiction and Psychological Defenses

Defense mechanisms are an extremely important aspect of healthy psychological functioning. There can however be a fine line between defenses that are healthy, and one’s that are dysfunctional and potentially damaging. Defenses such as repression (pushing away conscious thought of unpleasantness) , projection(disavowing a disliked aspect of one’s self and attributing it to others) , displacement (phobias), rationalization (attempting to use logic to explain the illogical), and the gran’daddy of them all, denial (no explanation necessary).

Both healthy and unhealthy people utilize the very same defenses. It is only the manner in which these defenses are used that defines what is functional or dysfunctional. A psychologically healthy individual can use all of these defenses in a flexible and circumstantial manner. Essentially, healthy individuals do not attempt to utilize one specific defense or another, and can at times confront uncomfortable feelings and engage in introspection. There is value in experiencing your emotions good or bad, at least occasionally, preferably more often.
Psychologically unhealthy individuals use defenses such as these in a much different manner. They will attemptto NEVER feel negative feelings, and addicts and abusers of drugs or alcohol will use substances to strengthen their defense mechanisms and avoid unpleasant feelings at all costs. Interestingly these individuals will also attempt to utilize the same defense mechanism in a rigid manner across situations such as the person who always seems to accuse others of misdeeds without addressing his own.

If there is one defense that is most common among drug addicts and alcoholics, it would have to be denial. Denial is the only way that an addict can abuse drugs despite losing their health, losing friends, maybe their job or getting in trouble with the law. The consistent abuse of these substances despite experiencing severe negative consequences simply does not make any type of logical sense. But the addict will battle their own denial that undermines their health even in sobriety. Every day a recovering addict must remind themselves that they still possess this sickness that can strip them of their lives because their own denial threatens to lure them back to the life of using.

It has been reported that 12.5% of Americans report experiencing alcohol dependence in at least some point of their lives. 18% report alcohol abuse in at least some part of their lives. However only 24% of those dependent upon alcohol ever enter into any kind of treatment and only 7% of those alcohol abusers ever enter treatment. Why are the numbers of people seeking treatment for alcoholism so low? It certainly is not due to scarcity of options. Between A.A. and all of the therapists offering treatment for addictions, help is never very far away. The reason these numbers are so low is because of denial. I would venture the guess that those seeking help are the ones who can admit they even have a problem, while most of the others cannot admit this to themselves despite overwhelming evidence in some cases. Denial, though necessary to survive the daily rigors of life for both healthy and unhealthy psyches can present a major problem if used as one’s exclusive method of dealing with stress.

Dr. Maloff's Profile

Hyperactive Behavior: A Basic Guide for Parents

In my practice, a common symptom that parents approach me about is hyperactivity.  Contrary to popular belief, hyperactivity is not necessarily an attention disorder issue.  First, depending on the age of the child, some hyperactive behavior can be age appropriate (preschool).  Other times, if an older child demonstrates hyperactivity or even inattentiveness, it can also mean that the child is anxious or agitated about something, and this may be the way in which they are discharging nervous energy.  In addition, a child could have a learning issue that may be leading to difficulty in school.  This can result in frustration and avoidance of schoolwork, and can look like hyperactivity when in fact it is a coping skill the child has developed to deal with the academic issue.   At home, hyperactive behavior may stem from an overstimulating environment (such as a lot of toys, noise, or activity), or a lack of limits.

Although hyperactivity can be indicative of a childhood disorder, many times this behavior can be a result of the above variables.  It is important to tease out what may be leading to the hyperactive behavior before attempting to give the child a diagnosis or prescribe medication.  In my practice, I contact the child's teacher, interview the parent, and observe the child across multiple environments to clearly evaluate the cause.  It is important to go through all of these avenues so that the child is diagnosed correctly and gets the appropriate intervention to meet their needs.

Amy Samuel Ph.D.'s Profile

A Website Designed to Help Professionals and Clients Connect

It's finally live!  After 6 months of labor, Therapist Concierge.com is finally live!  Now people looking to find a therapist can go to www.therapistconcierge.com and browse mental health professionals via their zip code.  Unlike Psychology Today or Find-a-Therapist, individuals will be able to watch videos and listen to audio files to get a feel for the therapist before they even call to set up an appointment.  I hope this will help individuals locate therapists, psychologists, and marriage and family counselors with much ease.