Blogs
Various types of psychotherapy are effective at treating trauma survivors and one type of psychotherapy for combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy has been well-studied within the military population and involves PTSD survivors re-experiencing their trauma. While this may sound terrible, it’s actually a very effective way of dealing with trauma. Prolonged exposure therapy currently has the best supporting evidence.
Are habits hurting your self-esteem? Emily Roberts identifies 4 common habits that hurt self-esteem and how-to get rid of them for good.
Branding has never been more popular in mainstream American culture. Roughly speaking, a brand is the idea a prospect has of a given company. When I say NFL, you conjure up a host of opinions and preconceptions. The NFL is one of the most valuable, and fiercely protected, brands ever created.
The NFL is careful to distinguish between authorized, sanctioned goods/services and off-label, bootleg material. Let’s say you're on your way to enjoy a football game at a major market stadium somewhere in the United States. You walk across the expansive parking lot where people burn chicken parts, drink excessively, and gesticulate with misplaced passion in the mistaken impression that their delirious enthusiasm may somehow influence the upcoming game’s outcome.
Just as no two people are exactly the same, depression treatment is not a one-size-fits-all approach. What works to treat one person’s depression may not work to treat another’s, which is why anyone struggling with depression should learn as much as possible about depression, treatment options, and care at home for depression. This will allow each person who has depression to be their own best advocate when it comes to managing the disorder. The best treatments for depression include medication management, therapy, and lifestyle changes.
Since the inception of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychologists have known that your behavior is vital in treating depression successfully. And, if you've ever been depressed, you know that a hallmark symptom of depression is having no motivation or desire to do anything--even things you previously enjoyed. You just can't imagine feeling any sense of satisfaction or enjoyment, and the problem is, you're partially correct! Anhedonia (lack of ability to experience pleasure) and amotivation (lack of motivation) are two of the most debilitating symptoms of depression because they keep you from doing the things that would make you feel better.
When I was a patient at Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, we had a few bullies on our unit. One, named Katie, ruled through physical force--and at a whopping 500 pounds, that was easy. Another one, named Angel, enjoyed provoking people to self-injure and was even responsible for a couple of suicide attempts. Both were probably sociopaths, in addition to having borderline personality disorder (BPD). Such people can dominate your life if you let them. So how do you take your power back?
I often hear from people who are in the very nastiest, lowest, deadliest pits of despair in their bipolar depression. It’s natural to reach out during these times. You need help and you need help now. And what these people want to know is:
How can I fix my life?
The answer to this question is both good and bad. The answer is: baby steps.
As I thought about what to share in this post, I thought about how words matter. But, along with being careful about our words, we need to have faith. Faith is something more connected to spirituality or religion. But, I'm not talking about that kind of faith. I'm talking about the kind of faith that encourages people to be at their best and do their best.
I had a really fun lecture recently about evidence-based practices and spinal dysfunctions and it led me to believe that having impulsive thoughts aren't always necessarily bad. Sometimes impulsive thoughts can be beneficial - such is true of medial diagnoses. You may say, "Yeah, yeah, Liz. Sure, saying that impulsive comment to my wife last night was 'beneficial' for me." What would I say back? I think the trick is to target impulsivity - to know when to give into it and when to lose it.
Having depression has taught me many things. I've learned how very debilitating depression can be, but I've also learned how resilient people with depression are - myself included. I've learned about stigma but I've also learned about acceptance. I've learned about brain chemistry and depression medications, about cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis, prayer, positivity and other treatments.
I believe she will only be able to rid herself of her demons, and hopefully her BPD as well, when she's ready to confront the abuse of her father. If she can put the blame where it belongs, she may stop projecting that victim/perpetrator cycle on the present men in her life. These demons are a metaphor for the purgatory she has created for herself. That reality has consequences in the real world, but it need not be real in the tangible sense. Exorcising her demons will require the expenditure of real physical energy and probably the destruction of aspects of her personality. If this ever happens, and it's possible but not probable, then these demons will evaporate. They are only as real as one's personality is real. In short, reality is not the question, it's what you make of the things you feel to be real.