Tag: exposure-therapy

The 9 Most Common Specific Phobias (Mental Health Guru)

Phobias are characterized by intense avoidance of things. Take a quick look at the most common aversions! http://mental.healthguru.com/

What is the Cycle of Anxiety?

When left untreated and unaddressed, anxiety has a tendency to grow. This is explained by the cycle of anxiety. When the uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety feel like too much, one of the simplest ways to feel better is avoidance. This means avoiding the source of anxiety, or numbing the uncomfortable feelings. The good news is, avoidance works… for a little bit. The bad news is, the relief that avoidance brings is temporary, and the anxiety tends to come back worse than before. Download the accompanying cycle of anxiety worksheet on Therapist Aid: http://therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/cycle-of-anxiety

Four Things that Counselors Don’t Know About Social Anxiety Disorder

This video answers the question: What are some things that counselors may not know about Social Anxiety Disorder. When I use the term counselor at least in the context of this video I’m really talking about anyone who delivers talk therapy. Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -Fear or anxiety in social situations (humiliated embarrassed or rejected) -social situations almost always provoke fear or anxiety (not occasional) -social situations may be avoided or endured with intense anxiety -fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual threat -symptoms need to be present for six months or more and need to cause clinically significant distress or impairment Four things that counselors may not know about Social Anxiety Disorder: 1. Not understanding the relationship between trauma and social anxiety disorder 2. Understanding the chronic nature of the illness 3. Not considering exposure therapy when looking at treatment options 4. How to use the panic attack specifier Norton, A. R., & Abbott, M. J. (2017). Bridging the Gap between Aetiological and Maintaining Factors in Social Anxiety Disorder: The Impact of Socially Traumatic Experiences on Beliefs, Imagery and Symptomatology. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(3), 747–765.

How to do Exposure Therapy for Anxiety- The Exposure Hierarchy-Anxiety Skills #20

An Exposure Hierarchy is just a fancy way of saying “The Skill of breaking your fears down into tiny steps and facing them in your growth zone instead of panicking or avoiding” You can overcome your fears, phobias, anxiety and OCD using an Exposure hierarchy. An Exposure Hierarchy is a tool developed by psychologists to help you develop the skills needed to beat anxiety through tiny little steps. When you face fears in the right way, without jumping in too fast or avoiding them, your brain basically rewires itself to believe that you are safe, reducing anxiety and increasing your ability to face your fears without that fight flight freeze response. Anxiety Course still in progress! Check out my “Change your Brain Course” You can change your brain! Check out my online course “Change your Brain: 10 alternatives to medication to change Brain Chemistry” it’s packed with ways you can improve your mental health through simple changes that take minutes a day: https://www.udemy.com/change-your-brain/?couponCode=THERAPYNUT Sign up for my Newsletter: www.therapynutshell.com Change your Brain: Mental Health and Neuroplasticity Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/change-your-brain/?referralCode=49D58F6A4DDAB470C05C Coping Skills and Self-Care for Mental Health Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/coping-skills-and-self-care-for-mental-health/?referralCode=B581946ECDF88EAE776D How to Help Course: Practical Skills to help Loved ones with Mental Illness: https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-help-depression-and-anxiety/?referralCode=9BE508815586D307F4A2 My Favorite Books for Mental Health: The Anatomy of Peace: https://amzn.to/372uqco Anxiety/Depression: Get out of your Mind and Into Your Life: https://amzn.to/2udkG0s Trauma- Healing Trauma: https://amzn.to/2u9VZlk Marriage- The 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work: https://amzn.to/3auVPWy Anxiety/Depression-Get out of your mind and into your life for Teens: https://amzn.to/2Tws3dT Social Anxiety- Painfully Shy: https://amzn.to/2NA5P6M The Worry Solution: https://amzn.to/2R21wDE A Calm Brain: https://amzn.to/2G13Swa https://youth.anxietycanada.com/build-fear-ladder

What is the Cycle of Anxiety?

When left untreated and unaddressed, anxiety has a tendency to grow. This is explained by the cycle of anxiety. When the uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety feel like too much, one of the simplest ways to feel better is avoidance. This means avoiding the source of anxiety, or numbing the uncomfortable feelings. The good news is, avoidance works… for a little bit. The bad news is, the relief that avoidance brings is temporary, and the anxiety tends to come back worse than before. Download the accompanying cycle of anxiety worksheet on Therapist Aid: http://therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/cycle-of-anxiety

Boy’s Chocolate Pudding Tantrum Reveals How Uncomfortable OCD Treatment Can Be

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They say you shouldn’t judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. But many are rushing to conclusions about one mom’s parenting tactics. Andrea Lunsford’s son Rafael has obsessive-compulsive disorder and high functioning autism.

Recently, she filmed one of her son’s episodes and demonstrated how she deals with them. While many think her reaction to his emotional response is cruel, she argues that it’s a form of treatment. According to the Daily Mail, “she first came across exposure therapy, the method of treatment she uses in the video while watching British television show ‘Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners.'” She commented, “We are choosing exposure therapy to make him face his fears and expose him to things that would cause him anxiety, so he can overcome it and realize it will not control his life if things are not perfect.”

Andrea appears to laugh and consistently pokes holes in Rafael’s logic concerning his pudding wrapper. After considerable back and forth, Rafael does something amazing.

Read More: A Boy With Autism Went To Meet Santa — What He Found Melted Our Hearts

The reaction to the video has been mixed. Some say her method creates distrust and dismisses his mental illness as something he can be talked out of.

YouTube / FoolyLiving

YouTube commenter Mc Kenna wrote, “I work with kids like this. You are constantly working towards goals. Sure there are and will be bumps in their road ahead. But egging on the issues when he is showing success is just cruel.” Others say her method is successful and that exposure therapy is legitimate for treating OCD, as evidenced by the fact that Rafael does eat the pudding. Another commenter, Larissa Gaines, revealed she also has Asperger’s and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. She writes, “She is trying to show him that he doesn’t need to obsess over it, and it’s possible for him to move on from the problem (the wrapper).”

It’s important to remember that mental illness is never straightforward, and treatments that work for one person may not work for another. Here’s hoping Rafael’s doctors and his family have found a treatment that works for him.

What do you think? Cruel or logical? Let us know!
Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/ocd-treatment-controversy/