Anxiety: a Tool to Help You Disengage

anxiety; A Tool to Disengage

Anxiety is something that has become all too common in our modern world, and is something many of us do not enjoy. Can you think of anyone who appreciates the dread and worry that comes from paying extra attention to an uncomfortable situation? For some people, it can even have a physical element, from headaches and upset stomachs to all out panic attacks.

Disengaging from the discomfort of anxiety can be as simple as breathing, when you know  what you need to do and when. First, we have to know a few things about feelings. Feelings are also called emotions…energy in motion.

All emotions trigger in the same way:

An event occurs;

  1.  There is a physical response;
  2.  You process the event in your thoughts;
  3.  There is an evaluation of the meaning of the event.

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6 Ways Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Can Help You

psychoanalytic psychotherapyWould you want to work with just any therapist, or would you rather work with one who could be more effective than his or her peers?

Recent research has shown therapists in the psychoanalytic tradition can be more effective with their clients because their goal is not just symptom relief but to find the underlying causes of what is hurting you.

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy has been developing for more than 100 years. Sigmund Freud, a

pioneer in the field, has a bad reputation in some circles because of his emphasis on sexual fantasies. While his theories were not completely correct, he is acknowledged for making revolutionary advancements in the field. Continue reading

8 Qualities of Mindfulness

8 qualities of mindfulnessFrequently, we talk about mindfulness as a way to stop living on auto-pilot by paying attention to your life and making intentional decisions. Mindfulness is a way to tap into your internal resources so you can use them to reduce stress and conflict.

Sounds good, but how do you get there?  Here are some key concepts which can help you develop an attitude of mindfulness in your everyday living. Continue reading

Patterns, Maps and Finding Your Way In Relationships

Patterns, Maps and Finding Your Way In RelationshipsWe become who we are through relationships. Our early relationships shape and mold our internal maps of who we are, what we believe about other people and our expectations. These maps are largely unconscious until they begin to emerge in our important relationships.

Maps to guide us

These maps and the patterns they contain are acted out dramatically in our romantic relationships, but they also play out in less intense ways in all our relationships: with friends, with co-workers, even with children.

We are taught what love means in these early relationships. Those lessons become our “conditions for loving.” They come from how we were treated, how people talked to us, and how people talked about us in those early years.  They are the patterns necessary for us to feel loved.

These conditions will determine who we love and who we choose to be within relationships, both romantic and platonic. Everyone has conditions for loving

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