Finding Deep Relaxation with Self-Hypnosis
“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” – La Rochefoucauld The word “hypnosis” is derived from the name of the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos. Dr. James Braid went on to coin the word “hypnotism” in 1843. The current commonly word “hypnosis” became an alternate word…
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Self-Preservation vs. Self-Transformation
“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin In order to transform ourselves in positive and healthy ways, we have to leave the safe zone of defending or preserving the self. We must choose to step away…
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Identify Your Typical Tactics for Dealing with Stress
“There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.” – Sylvia Plath We all handle stress differently. Before beginning the process of modifying one’s coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, it is important to take inventory of one’s current tactics for handling stress. Try…
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What are the 4 Basic Sources of Stress?
“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” – Ovid Stress is an unavoidable byproduct of life. When natural changes occur, we typically experience stress during the process of adaptation. It is worthwhile to note that stress results from both positive and negative changes. When we experience negative changes (e.g., experiencing some…
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Lasting Love Requires Equal Commitment, Not “More” Commitment
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.” – Mother Theresa It is a natural human desire to be in a loving relationship. But, how do we know what factors predict lasting love? What type of individuals and what type of relationships tend to make it for the…
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Tolerate Distress with A-C-C-E-P-T-S
“The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.” – Thomas Merton Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers many useful approaches to…
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What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Kahlil Gibran When an individual experiences a traumatic stressor, a wide array of distressing symptoms may arise. Depending upon one’s individual physiology, temperamental disposition, and life experiences, very different responses may occur as the result of trauma. The…
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Is Mental Illness a Choice?
The way that we understand “mental illness” has an enormous impact on how we view individuals suffering from psychological and emotional conditions. Do we believe these individuals to be suffering from a “disease” beyond their control or from normal responses to abnormal situations? There is much debate over whether or not psychological and emotional conditions…
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Fusion vs. Defusion
“Doubt is not a pleasant state of mind, but certainty is absurd.” – Voltaire Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) contends that there are opportunities for purpose and meaning even in the midst of intense pain or suffering. The goal of ACT is not to merely eliminate suffering, but to find a way to use one’s…
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Identify 7 Basic Self-Esteem Concepts
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you are right.” – Henry Ford Self-esteem relates to your appreciative and realistic opinion of yourself. When we go too far in either direction on the continuum of self-esteem we move towards either self-defeating shame or self-defeating pride. A healthy sense of self-esteem requires a…
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