Trauma Archives - claritytherapynyc.com https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/category/trauma/ Clarity Therapy NYC Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:16:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-Artboard-4@logo-150x150.png Trauma Archives - claritytherapynyc.com https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/category/trauma/ 32 32 Psychedelic Harm Reduction: Maximizing Benefits and Minimizing Risks https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/psychedelic-harm-reduction-maximizing-benefits-and-minimizing-risks/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/psychedelic-harm-reduction-maximizing-benefits-and-minimizing-risks/#respond Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:02:04 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=48702 Many people are familiar with the term ‘harm reduction’, especially in the context of substance use. However, less are aware that this concept has expanded beyond addressing addiction, and now has important implications for the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

The post Psychedelic Harm Reduction: Maximizing Benefits and Minimizing Risks appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
Are you curious about the psychedelic medicine movement, but confused about how these substances are being used safely? What are the risks of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?

Do you want to understand how licensed therapists can explore topics related to psychedelic healing with you? 

Many people are familiar with the term ‘harm reduction’, especially in the context of substance use. However, less are aware that this concept has expanded beyond addressing addiction, and now has important implications for the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. If you’re here because you are looking into the power of psychedelics for healing and self-growth, then keep reading to gain a better understanding of how psychedelic harm reduction can support your journey.

What is Harm Reduction?

At its core, harm reduction means exactly what it sounds like – taking deliberate action to reduce harm and mitigate risk. This term was popularized by mental health and social justice advocates who recognized that the abstinence-only model of treating disordered substance use was not proving to be effective for a large percentage of people seeking treatment. Furthermore, promoting only abstinence-based approaches perpetuates the stigma associated with substance use. Stigma usually involves taking a moral stance against something, and shaming an individual if they are not aligned with the morally “correct” choice. 

People who feel the effects of stigma may experience intense shame that does not stop their substance use behaviors, only hides it from the view of others. In doing so, people are more likely to use substances in a risky or harmful way. In my sessions with clients, they often express feeling relieved that they can be honest about their substance use, and admit that there are few other environments where they can talk about substance use behaviors so candidly and still receive non-judgmental, empathetic support. 

What does a Harm Reduction Model Do?

The harm reduction model helped medical and mental health professionals incorporate the reality that drugs are available and being used despite laws and guidelines trying to control their spread and ingestion. Harm reduction also highlights and respects an individual’s autonomy, which is something that everyone deserves when receiving care. Harm reduction approaches are now used to promote safer sex, reduce the transmission of viruses through intravenous drug use, and decrease the number of drug (especially opioid) overdoses

spring cleaning grounding
Psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness can support the reduction of symptoms associated with common mental health disorders, as well as the existential distress that may be part of being human. 

Emerging Evidence Related to an Increase in Psychedelic Use and Psychotherapy

Unlike substances such as heroin, cocaine, and alcohol – that facilitate the numbing out and avoidance of painful feelings and memories – psychedelics appear to be being used more than ever by individuals to confront and overcome the uncomfortable and challenging aspects of their experience. An ever-growing body of academic research is consistently showing that psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness can support the reduction of symptoms associated with common mental health disorders, as well as the existential distress that may be part of being human. 

 

What is the Research on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?

Psychedelic-assisted therapy that is done in research settings, or with regulated substances such as ketamine, is legal and rigorously controlled. However, we know that people also use psychedelics in other settings such as spiritual or religious ceremonies, or even in more casual settings, such as with a group of friends or alone. In all of these environments, people are turning to psychedelics because they are seeking meaningful healing and transformation. In a society where people continue to have unmet needs around their mental health and well-being – especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, curiosity, rather than moral judgment, is a valuable tool to examine the possibility of psychedelic medicine to meet those needs. We can turn towards psychedelic harm reduction for a better framework to understand and work with all possible choices that people might make regarding their psychedelic use. 

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, curiosity, rather than moral judgment, is a valuable tool to examine the possibility of psychedelic medicine.
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

What is the goal of psychedelic harm reduction?

Psychedelic harm reduction is a theoretical approach for conceptualizing and working with individuals who choose to use psychedelics. The goal of psychedelic harm reduction is to decrease the risk of negative physical and psychological outcomes, and increase the likelihood of positive outcomes and benefits. Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration (PHRI) is a clinical model created by Ingmar Gorman, Elizabeth Nielson, and other members of their team at Fluence, an organization that emphasizes psychedelic research and education. (The value of psychedelic integration in therapy was covered in a previous blog post, so this entry will maintain the spotlight on psychedelic harm reduction.)

How are Therapists Using Psychedelic Harm Reduction in Therapy?

Using psychedelic harm reduction in therapy allows the clinician to honor several key aspects of the therapeutic process. First and foremost, respecting a person’s autonomy and ability to make their own decisions is a crucial part of creating a safe and productive therapeutic relationship. Many popular therapy modalities focus on creating a non-judgmental, non-directive container in which healing occurs. Another aspect of psychotherapy that can be strengthened by the psychedelic harm reduction model is the opportunity to provide psychoeducation, which is the intentional teaching and transfer of clinical knowledge from therapist to client. 

What are the risks of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy?

Psychoeducation is not always an intervention in therapy, but it is crucial for supporting safety within psychedelic-assisted therapy. There are risks associated with using psychedelics, or even attempting non-ordinary states of consciousness through something like breathwork, and not everyone is aware of these risks. As a licensed psychotherapist, I use my clinical knowledge and training to provide objective information about psychedelics, and create a supportive space for the client to consider their options and make an informed decision. 

In my sessions with clients, they often express feeling relieved that they can be honest about their substance use, and admit that there are few other environments where they can talk about substance use behaviors so candidly and still receive non-judgmental, empathetic support. 

Psychedelic harm reduction sometimes also looks like discouraging a decision that carries higher levels of risk, or connecting clients with resources that will help them determine how a choice related to their treatment affects them uniquely. For example, when I am supporting a client through the preparation phase of psychedelic integration therapy, I make sure to inform a client about how a psychedelic substance they are considering taking might interact with a medication they are currently prescribed.

Risks of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy should always be candidly discussed with the client.This might look like considering other options for their psychedelic journey, or consulting with a psychiatrist for an assessment and possible medication management services. Without this frank and honest discussion, the client would risk ingesting a substance that could be a dangerous combination with their medication.

The goal of psychedelic harm reduction is to decrease the risk of negative physical and psychological outcomes, and increase the likelihood of positive outcomes and benefits.
financial infidelity

Embracing the power of psychedelic harm reduction

Clients and clinicians who embrace the psychedelic harm reduction model are embracing the reality that psychedelics are, and will continue to be something that people seek out for healing purposes. In my experience as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York, this type of authenticity is deeply appreciated by my clients, and supports them getting the maximum benefit out of therapy. In addition to upholding safety, helping clients get the most out of their treatment is something I will always value as a therapist.

Psychedelic harm reduction, and psychedelic integration therapy can be combined with regular “talk therapy” as well as other modalities such as Accelerated Resolution Therapy, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and more. Psychedelic harm reduction is one more way to customize the therapy you receive to your individual needs and circumstances.  

 If you’re interested in learning more about how psychedelic harm reduction can help you reach your goals in therapy, you can book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with me today.

The post Psychedelic Harm Reduction: Maximizing Benefits and Minimizing Risks appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/psychedelic-harm-reduction-maximizing-benefits-and-minimizing-risks/feed/ 0
Seeking Help Amid Crisis: Therapy for Those Enduring Active Trauma https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/seeking-help-amid-crisis-therapy-for-those-enduring-active-trauma/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/seeking-help-amid-crisis-therapy-for-those-enduring-active-trauma/#respond Tue, 26 Sep 2023 14:36:03 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=48641 Our current models of diagnosing and treating trauma are mostly during the post-traumatic phase. Protecting people from post-traumatic symptoms is an important part of this work, and we can best do that if we intervene as soon as possible- and we can only intervene if someone is capable of seeing that they are living through active distress.

The post Seeking Help Amid Crisis: Therapy for Those Enduring Active Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

The field of mental health still has a long way to go in our general understanding of trauma. Trauma-based disorders are one of the few conditions that require a life-changing event for a diagnosis to be made. And unfortunately, many of our diagnostic understanding of trauma is looking at it after the fact. Mental health professionals typically explore the symptoms and functioning of people who have already endured a traumatic experience. But very little is said for the people who are still actively enduring traumatic situations, some even in their daily lives.

As with most things in healthcare, our current models of diagnosing and treating trauma are mostly during the post-traumatic phase.

Post-traumatic stress disorder has been the landmark understanding of trauma for decades. We know now these symptoms are only one possible presentation of trauma. Complex PTSD provides a deeper understanding of what it can look like for someone to endure chronic exposures to distress and overwhelm and helps paint a broader picture of symptoms that individuals may face

But there is an overwhelming need for us to examine what it looks like for people who are currently surviving adversity- understanding how symptoms present when exposed to active threats and how to better prioritize prevention. As with most things in healthcare, our current models of diagnosing and treating trauma are mostly during the post-traumatic phase. Protecting people from post-traumatic symptoms is an important part of this work, and we can best do that if we intervene as soon as possible- and we can only intervene if someone is capable of seeing that they are living through active distress.

What Happens When You Are in Active Distress?

Stress is psychological and physiological. It impacts you in your body and your brain- and the process by which this happens is a universal, neurobiological experience for everyone. In essence

  • You are exposed to a demand or a threat that you perceive to be challenging or overwhelming
  • This stressor is then processed by your body as a “bad thing” and a dangerous thing
  • Your body communicates to your brain via the vagus nerve that you are now in the presence of danger and must shift into self-preservation mode
  • This then puts you into fight or flight, and you shift out of your thinking brain
  • Reflexively and automatically, you become more aware of how bad the stressor feels and you become fixated on how you can get relief from the stress
  • Your body starts to feel uncomfortable because your heart is racing, your muscles are tense, your stomach hurts, and you have too much adrenaline and/or cortisol in your bloodstream
  • It becomes harder to focus, to feel comfortable, to feel motivated and your behaviors shift into self-protective behaviors to get away from the stressor. You may:
    • Fight: Become self-defensive or conflictual
    • Flight: Try to avoid or escape the stressor
    • Freeze: Become paralyzed or stuck
    • Fawn: People-please or drop your boundaries
    • Flop: Submit and give up
    • Fright: Panic and explode
  • You stay stuck in these behaviors until it feels like you have adequately dealt with the stressor
  • Your body produces adrenaline and cortisol and then you crash into a low period so you can recuperate

This neurobiological process works great when presented with acute threats such as a bear in the woods. These processes do not work as great, however, when you are trying to function at work or in a relationship and you are stuck in a state of distress.

The longer you are in distress, the more damage your stress chemicals do to your brain and body. The more frequently you are exposed to distress, the more your ability to tolerate erodes away. The more intense or threatening the distress, the more you develop complicated or harmful coping strategies. When you are flooded with stress due to active crisis, your capacity to function becomes highly dysregulated. This regulation must be intervened before it becomes ingrained in us as a post-traumatic symptom of distress.

What Does Active Distress Mean?

While life almost always guarantees adversity, not everyone is exposed to the same intensity or frequency of adversity. And even fewer people are exposed to what would be considered true threats to their survival. When you have active threats of harm facing you, you move through the world differently than your peers. When exposed to intense, frequent, or harmful threats, you spend more resources in self-preservation and survival mode and therefore have fewer resources to expend on other parts of your life.

Systemic distress can look different to different individuals. For example:

  • Financial insecurity is distressing because it poses a threat to housing or food.
  • Housing insecurity is distressing because it poses a threat to safety and protection.
  • Food insecurity is distressing because it poses a threat to survival and nourishment.
  • Community violence is distressing because it poses a threat to safety and connections.
  • Harsh political climates are distressing because they pose a threat to policy-driven needs and access to resources.

Some groups of people are more greatly impacted by these threats than others.

On a smaller scale, many people are exposed to threats of safety within their own homes. They may be exposed to

  • An abusive partner, parent, sibling, or family member.
  • High conflict or high control groups.
  • Neglect or abandonment.
  • Loss or grief.
  • Substance use or harmful mental health challenges.
spring cleaning grounding
When exposed to intense, frequent, or harmful threats, you spend more resources in self-preservation and survival mode.

When Does Distress Become Trauma?

When someone is exposed to frequent, intense, and unsupported experiences of distress, it can become “toxic”. Your body is designed to only handle so much turmoil before it makes you sick. Trauma is psychological and physiological injury due to repeated or intense exposures to unregulated stress. Quite literally, trauma is when your stress exposure is so strong and so unmediated that it alters the way you feel and function.

From a behavioral perspective: if you are exposed to so much stress that it is harming you, your behaviors are going to become hyper-fixated on getting relief from the distress. This might lead to the development of relief-seeking behaviors that often exist within self-harm: non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), eating disorders, substance use, etc. People might also develop compulsive behaviors to get relief which can develop into obsessive-compulsive disorders. On a more surface level, someone may also spend so much time and energy on surviving (working too much, protecting themselves from harmful people, etc.) that they can’t do anything else.

From a neurobiological perspective: chronic and uninterrupted exposure to adrenaline and cortisol causes damage to your brain and body. Your amygdala grows, your hippocampus shrinks, and you have less activation in your PFC. This changes how you experience and process emotions, how you access memories, how you think, and how you make decisions. This changes your capacity to make good, healing choices.

When you are flooded with stress due to active crisis, your capacity to function becomes highly dysregulated. This regulation must be intervened before it becomes ingrained in us as a post-traumatic symptom of distress.

From a physiological perspective: adrenaline and cortisol are also degrading to your digestive systems, pulmonary systems, cardiac systems, and endocrinological systems. Stress chemicals degrade you from the inside out which is one explanation behind why trauma survivors have worse health outcomes. This changes how much you can rely on your body to move you through life.

From an evolutionary perspective: you are moldable so you can adapt to your environments. You adapt in spaces of hostility so you can ensure your survival, but those adaptations do not easily apply to worlds outside of your trauma. These changes can be hard to get away from, causing repeated patterns of pain even when trying to heal from past trauma.
In short- when distress is too much, too intense, or too frequent, you can develop symptoms of traumatic stress. And trauma is complicated because it compounds. When this compounding is complex and chronic, it can change the trajectory of development, play a hand in the worsening of mental health conditions, and change the way you perceive and interact with your world.

If you’re exposed to so much stress that it’s harming you, your behaviors may become hyper-fixated on getting relief from distress.
financial infidelity

Does Everyone Realize They Are Developing Trauma?

When your world is so overwhelming and chaotic that the distress could be damaging, it also interrupts your ability to assess what’s going on. Your situation might be so familiar or so normal you don’t even know it could be harmful. It could be so overwhelming and consuming you don’t have the space to realize what’s happening. It can be so shameful or hard to look at that you ignore or deny it.

It is often difficult for people who are in active distress to act in ways that are healing enough to protect themselves from trauma. The way that we talk about trauma is so focused on how to identify it once you have survived. The gap in identifying how to know when you’re actively living it is so important for survivors to get help as soon as possible, to better prevent the establishment of long-term, chronic symptomatology. It also helps inform providers on how to best address symptoms of distress.

How to Tell if You Are Living in Active Distress

Typical adversity is acute, short-term, and usually recoverable with minimal effort. Everyone endures adversity, and as issues in our society get more complicated, the more intense the overall adversity impacts the members of that society. Right now, there is a lot of systemic pressure impacting people. You have collectively endured multiple political, social, financial, medical, and other crises that have changed the landscape in which you function. But this being normal and universal doesn’t make it any less traumatic on our body systems. Social normalization of distress does not lead to improved tolerance of distress. It just leads to a more distressed group of people.

On a personal level, you can assess for active distress by looking at 2 environments: internal and external.

  1. Internal environments are signs and symptoms coming from within the body. Your symptoms can be worsened by external triggers, but they can also be worsened by changes in health or illness. When faced with active distress, you can expect to experience big changes in the following:
        • Disruptions in sleep
        • Disruptions in eating/drinking
        • Changes in substance use
        • Changes in self-destructive or harmful behaviors
        • Disruptions in social behavior
        • Changes in self-care or self-preservation
        • Increases in discomfort, pain, or injury
        • Increases in challenging emotions
        • Increases in fear-based behaviors or responses
        • Changes in thinking patterns
        • Disruptions in hopefulness or helpfulness
  2. External environments are triggers and influences coming from outside of yourself. These are stressors and sources of threat that may or may not be within your control. When faced with active distress, it is possible for your experiences to include:
        • Increases in conflict, chaos, or ruptures
        • Increases in threats to safety or stability
        • Exposure to frequent or intense adversity
        • Disruptions in the community or connections
        • Experience with harm, pain, or violence
        • Losses, grievances, or abandonment
        • Neglect or unmet needs
        • Little or no supportive care or rehabilitation

If you have unwavering symptoms, the development of worsening mental health, and a shift in how comfortable it feels to live in your body- that is a pretty good sign that you might be enduring active distress or crises. If these symptoms are being influenced by outside forces that cause harm or threaten your well-being, then you might be living through an active trauma event.

If you feel yourself slipping from reality, becoming unknown to yourself, and feeling shame or disgust in yourself, you are likely enduring active trauma.

When adversity is so impactful it changes us, that is trauma. If you feel yourself slipping from reality, becoming unknown to yourself, and feeling shame or disgust in yourself, you are likely enduring active trauma. Getting help as soon as possible is the best way to avoid continued dysfunction and to get yourself back to stable functioning.

 

 

Why is it Hard to Get Help When I am Living in Active Trauma?

Seeking out therapy when in active trauma can be both complicated and burdensome. Some reasons why therapy in crisis can be hard:

  1. You have limited time, resources, or energy given how consuming your active distress is, leaving little left to seek out or engage in therapy. Even if you do engage in therapy, you might not have the bandwidth to participate in deep healing or challenging interventions.
  2. You may not even be aware of what is going on. You might be socialized to ignore your distress or power through it on your own. You may not know that you can get help when you are in crisis, or you may fear that you won’t be taken seriously.
  3. You cannot change your circumstances, so it feels like you need whatever coping mechanisms you have developed. The idea of losing these mechanisms, no matter how harmful they are, can feel very scary.
  4. Your symptoms are being misinterpreted as something else. If you struggle to talk about what is happening, your treatment provider may misunderstand your symptoms, and this might lead to misdiagnosis and therefore the treatment is less effective. This can result in an attempt to treat the symptoms without any change to the underlying distress that is bringing the symptoms forward.
      • Oftentimes, this can look like “treatment resistance”, when in reality, you are just generating symptoms at the same rate as you are enduring distress

      • This can be a Band-Aid effect that doesn’t offer real relief or change, causing frustration or a lack of trust in treatment

      • There might be an overemphasis on over-pathologizing a normal reaction to an abnormal situation

  5. You don’t have to wait until you are post-trauma to get treatment. Receiving appropriate, trauma-informed care can help you navigate your active crises while mitigating the long-term impact they have on you.
If you feel yourself slipping from reality, becoming unknown to yourself, and feeling shame or disgust in yourself, you are likely enduring active trauma.
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

What Does Therapy for Active Trauma Look Like?

As a trauma therapist, it is most important to establish trust with clients- especially those in active crisis. One part of that is helping you to build awareness and acknowledge the harmful nature of your current circumstances:

– Naming your distress as traumatic helps communicate that it must be changed, survived, or escaped. It paints a clearer picture of your reality and provides the opportunity to make healthier decisions

Establishing safety is the most important step when working through active trauma. In our work, this means helping move you away from the threat in as reasonable and timely manner as possible.

– If you are living in an environment that is hostile or abusive, the first step is working with a provider on how to get safe. What safety looks like for you depends on your specific areas of distress. Communicating to a provider about what needs are unmet is the best way to get connected to the appropriate resources.

– You might need help finding housing support, financial or food support, case management, changes in health insurance, domestic violence support, substance use support, etc.

Understanding your symptoms through compassionate education can relieve a lot of shame. Providing normalization of trauma while validating the experience is vital in the healing process.

– When you have the words to explain what you are going through, you feel less alone. When you can understand there is some normalcy in developing challenging symptoms when faced with challenging circumstances, you feel less ashamed about your behaviors and difficulties

– When you can name what’s wrong, you can better and more appropriately apply intervention

Learning how to tolerate distress for the unavoidable will help mitigate long-term symptoms. By teaching clients how to better manage their symptoms, they’re able to regain a sense of comfort and control within their own bodies.

– When in active trauma, you may not be able to get away from the source of your threats. The only thing you can do then, is manage the impact this threat has on your systems. Learning to apply distress tolerance skills may not solve the problem- but it will certainly reduce how much the problem hurts.

– Building healthier coping skills will prevent harmful behaviors from becoming habits- meaning they will stick around even once the threat is gone. If the world is hurting you, the least you can do is not inflict further pain or unnecessary suffering.

Connecting with support and community can help cushion the impact of trauma. This connection starts in the therapy space but then spreads out into your life.

Isolation is one of the most damaging facets in developing post-traumatic stress symptoms. When you are enduring overwhelm that can’t be escaped, finding connection among trusted people and learning to safely attach can prevent a lot of long-term symptoms.

If you have signs or symptoms that you may be enduring active trauma, it is an act of love and survival to reach out for support. While it may be uncomfortable, communicating to your therapist where your sources of threat are coming from is a very important way for you to be connected to the appropriate safety resources. As a trauma therapist, I am trained to look at areas of vulnerability and to build a safe relationship for you to explore your distress.

Just as hostility and chaos change your brain- so does healing and connection. Trauma therapy has been shown to reverse trauma-induced changes in the brain and has evidential support for building resilience and post-traumatic growth following adversity. Your challenges don’t have to damage you- with help, you can endure the inescapable and still find a life worth living on the other side.

Your Turn: Do you have signs or symptoms of active distress? What does this look like to you? How have you found healing? Share in the comments below.

The post Seeking Help Amid Crisis: Therapy for Those Enduring Active Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/seeking-help-amid-crisis-therapy-for-those-enduring-active-trauma/feed/ 0
Is Your Job Defining You? How to Discover Who You Are Outside of Work https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/is-your-job-defining-you-discover-who-you-are-outside-of-work/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/is-your-job-defining-you-discover-who-you-are-outside-of-work/#respond Wed, 23 Aug 2023 10:59:42 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=46099 The post Is Your Job Defining You? How to Discover Who You Are Outside of Work appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

If you’ve lived or socialized in New York City for any length of time, you’ve probably had someone ask, “What do you do?” The culture is fixated on work – what it is, how it’s going, what successes or headaches you’ve experienced there, how much of a monster your boss is, the amount of your paycheck, etc. A common response is, “I’m a…” Continuing the theme of fixation, we use the verb “to be” in relation to our work. We are our work, and it is us.

But in truth, despite it often being placed at the very center of our lives and identity, work is only one part of our experience and does not need to be a part of our identity. Who we are outside of work, and all its complexity, is often left unexplored, unnourished, and undeveloped.

The Psychology of Career and Identity

As an adult living in the US, you are more likely to spend the majority of your waking hours at work than anywhere else. (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those working outside the home averaged 7.9 hours of work per day, which does not include getting ready for work or commuting). Your sense of self and identity can easily become fused with, or overwhelmed by, where you are spending so much time.

This tendency is turbocharged by the social significance given to work-related ideas like productivity, working hard, getting ahead, chasing promotions, having to “hustle,” and consumerism. While this can feel uplifting for those experiencing a highpoint in their work, any changes in your ability to be optimally productive (such as getting sick, being fired, or leaving the workforce) can lead to big questions.

Who are you outside of work? What is important to you? For some, these questions may be accompanied by feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, grief, feeling lost, and more.

If you seemingly are your work, some of the below experiences may sound familiar:

    • Not having much to talk about other than work or colleagues

    • Difficulty identifying your likes, dislikes, or interests

    • Relating everything back to work (ex: positive qualities are those that allow you to succeed at work)

    • Belief that the next title bump, raise, or job will give you a sense of fulfillment or satisfaction

    • No sense of play (ability to do something simply for the sake of enjoyment, rather than for financial or professional purposes)

Who we are outside of work, and all its complexity, is often left unexplored, unnourished, and undeveloped.

I often work with clients to explore the impact that the internalization of capitalism has on their self-worth, goals, and identity. If the above experiences resonate with you, it may be a sign that you’re ready to challenge the status quo and break free from some of the capitalistic ideals that you’ve bought into for so long. So, let’s help you discover who you are outside of work.

spring cleaning grounding
As an adult living in the US, you are more likely to spend the majority of your waking hours at work than anywhere else.

How to discover who you are outside of work

The importance of exploring your core values and purpose

If your sense of self and identity are consumed by work, imagining anything else or thinking about where to begin may seem daunting. This is extremely common and understandable – you’re challenging yourself to grow in new ways that aren’t often talked about or encouraged. So, how can you start to discover who you are outside of work? One way to begin is by thinking about your values, interests, hopes, and dreams.

Understanding these things can help you recognize the parts of yourself unrelated to job titles and salary brackets. Here are some questions I invite you to reflect on:

  • How do I like to spend my free time? (this can help illuminate any areas of enjoyment, hobbies, or potential passions that you may want to lean into)
  • Do I have any interests or talents that I haven’t explored (or given myself permission to explore) yet?
  • What aspects of my character do I appreciate? (if this is difficult to answer, ask yourself
  • what do others appreciate about you?)
  • What values do I hold dear in life?
  • What are my strengths? What are my areas for growth?
  • What drives my behavior and how do I make decisions?
  • Who have been the most influential people in my life and why?
  • How can I be a better friend, partner, or person to those around me?

If reflecting on the above questions truthfully, some of your answers may be uncomfortable. The purpose of thinking about them isn’t to have everything precisely figured out, but rather to serve as a starting point for learning more about yourself. For many, acknowledging the less comfortable parts of yourself or areas of life you’d like to be different is an important step toward growth and change.

Asking yourself simple questions such as “How do I like to spend my free time?” can help illuminate any areas of enjoyment, hobbies, or potential passions.
financial infidelity

You are a whole person outside of work, deserving of rest and fulfillment

How capitalism keeps us stuck

In the United States, work and profit are valued above all else. We are taught from a very young age that to be unemployed or “unproductive” are among the worst things a person can be (just think about how intense the fear of being perceived as “lazy” is). Inevitably, this means many of us are consumed by work as we strive to be the most productive.

The fact that this constant striving leaves little time for the development of personhood is not by accident. People who are too tired and beaten down from work don’t have an opportunity to develop passions, break out of their isolation, organize with others to address their grievances and fight for change, or generally challenge the status quo. Keeping you focused on work affects things from the macro (national, state, and community level) all the way down to you.

For many, acknowledging the less comfortable parts of yourself or areas of life you’d like to be different is an important step toward growth and change.

So, how could you start to break out of this very intentional cycle and begin to get to know yourself better? In addition to reflecting on the questions above, having various building blocks in place can be helpful. Tending to things like your mental health, physical health, and your relationships can go a long way to having you feel supported as you push yourself to grow in new and exciting ways.

You Are More Than Your Job

I’m here to remind you that you are not your job. It may take up significant amounts of your time, energy, and attention, but at the end of the day, it is what you do, not who you are. Exploring your interests, values, and passions can be a great way to begin to untangle work from the parts of your life and identity that are just waiting to be cultivated. You deserve to rest and discover who you are outside of work. Embarking on this journey of growth and development with a trusted professional can be an especially rewarding and fulfilling experience. Regardless of how you get there, though, my hope is that the next time a New Yorker asks you about yourself, you will have more to say than you are your job.

Your Turn: Have you taken time to explore your values, passions, interests and who you are outside of work? Do you find it challenging to give yourself permission to rest? What has your experience been? Share in the comments below.

The post Is Your Job Defining You? How to Discover Who You Are Outside of Work appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/is-your-job-defining-you-discover-who-you-are-outside-of-work/feed/ 0
What is psychedelic integration therapy and why is it important? https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/what-is-psychedelic-integration-therapy-and-why-is-it-important/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/what-is-psychedelic-integration-therapy-and-why-is-it-important/#respond Tue, 08 Aug 2023 12:07:26 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=45124 People learn about the power of psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness through many different avenues, but often come to the same question: How can psychedelics help improve my mental health? Read on to discover how this groundbreaking approach can help you navigate psychedelic experiences, providing support, healing, and integration for lasting personal growth.

The post What is psychedelic integration therapy and why is it important? appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
Maybe you’re here because you just watched How To Change Your Mind on Netflix. Or maybe you’re here because your friend came back from an ayahuasca retreat in Peru claiming they experienced years worth of healing in a week. People learn about the power of psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness through many different avenues, but often come to the same question: How can psychedelics help improve my mental health?

If you’re asking that question, you’re in the right place! I offer clients the opportunity to explore possible answers to questions including:
“Are psychedelics considered safe?”
“How does ketamine help people feel less depressed?”
“How should I mentally prepare for taking a psychedelic?”
“Can you help me make sense of my psychedelic trip?”

Psychedelic integration therapy, within a safe and trusting environment, provides personalized support tailored to your individual needs, and has been scientifically demonstrated to have positive effects on your emotional wellbeing. Here, you’ll learn how these essential components are put into practice, and what you can expect from the process.

What is psychedelic integration?

Psychedelics have been used for thousands of years to promote spiritual growth, healing, and community building. During the past century, psychedelics entered the mainstream in U.S. culture and have remained here ever since. Even more recently, there has been a boom in academic and clinical research demonstrating the numerous benefits of psychedelics for mental and physical wellness.

More and more people are seeking out psychedelic experiences to heal from mental health disorders and existential distress through clinical research studies, in therapy with qualified providers, and in religious and shamanic settings.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy involves using mind-altering substances such as ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness during sessions with a trained professional. Psychedelic integration focuses on what happens before and after the experience to make meaning, deepen understanding, and apply new insights to daily life. Psychedelic integration therapy is highly beneficial even without your integration therapist being present for your journey. What does this mean exactly?

Many individuals experience a wide range of complex thoughts, emotions, and even memories. All thoughts, feelings, and memories that come up during a psychedelic experience can be a meaningful part of your healing process. Integration work can help you make sense of their meaning , not just during the experience itself, but also in the days and months to come. Without integrating your journey, insights may slip away like sand through your fingers, making it harder to evolve any new awareness into long-lasting change. I often hear from people that their psychedelic experience “feels like a dream” – integration can help transfer those dreamlike memories into new perspectives and insights that positively impact your everyday reality. Psychedelic integration therapy is a safe, confidential space to navigate these insights and create real transformation in your life.

small brown mushrooms on green grass
During the past century, psychedelics entered the mainstream in U.S. culture and have remained here ever since.

How does psychedelic integration work?

The specific course of psychedelic integration therapy depends on your unique needs and goals. Most people who work with me participate in the following sequence:

  1. Preparation
    1. Typically, the first step is to explore what you’re hoping to get out of a psychedelic experience. If applicable, we will discuss any past use of psychedelics or other instances of achieving non-ordinary states of consciousness (ie., meditation).
    2. Then, you and your clinician will discuss your medical and mental health history as it relates to the psychedelic medicine you are interested in working with. At this point, a referral to a psychiatrist will be made, if no significant risk factors are identified.
    3. Now you’re ready to establish intentions, explore and manage expectations for your psychedelic journey, and ensure you are setting yourself up for success – by examining your daily routines, environment, social interactions, and more. At this stage we may also build up your coping skills through exercises like breathwork and body relaxation techniques.
  2. Journey completed outside of therapy sessions
    (Reminder: Psychedelic integration therapy does not include the administration of any substances, or guiding through any substance-induced experiences.)

    There are many different avenues people may select for embarking on their psychedelic journey. Some people may choose to:

    1. Receive infusions at a ketamine clinic
    2. Travel to a country where indigenous healers offer medicine ceremonies
    3. Join a church that uses psychedelics as a sacrament
    4. Work with a healer that offers alternative methods for attaining altered states of consciousness, such as through holotropic breathwork
  3. Integration
    This is the time for us to make sense of and unpack your experience in the here in and now, which is meant to help promote new perspectives, insights, and even transformative behavior change.
    1. I begin the integration process in a very open-ended way so that I am not interfering in your meaning-making process. I’ll support you by exploring key points, images, and themes you noticed on your journey.
    2. Then, we’ll ensure you’re engaging in self-care practices that allow you to honor the still vulnerable or “raw” psychological state you may find yourself in.
    3. Once you’ve identified the most significant aspects of your journey, we’ll connect them back to your therapeutic goals and intentions.
    4. When you feel ready, we will integrate the lessons and knowledge gained from your psychedelic experience into new behaviors and thought patterns for you to try in your daily life.

Remember, as with most forms of psychotherapy, this process is not linear – especially in the integration stage. Clients often discover new insights over a period of time, which then may shift the focus of change they are trying to make in their life. For example, someone might gradually come to terms with the loss of a loved one through periods of first honoring their grief, then embodying self-forgiveness, and eventually, exploring a newfound spiritual understanding. Some individuals also benefit from more time and support from the therapist than others when attempting behavioral change.

Psychedelic integration therapy can help promote profound new perspectives, insights, and even transformative behavior change.
financial infidelity

What can I expect from the therapist during a psychedelic integration therapy session?

As with other therapy services I offer, I use concepts from Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and psychodynamic therapies to facilitate holistic, comprehensive care. We will explore somatic practices, contemplative techniques, and parts work to prepare and integrate your experience. This means we may look at how your experiences, thoughts, and feelings are felt in your body. You may be asked to journal between sessions or engage in various forms of meditation. You might practice deep breathing or visualization techniques to help you manage challenging moments during therapy.

Additionally, in alignment with MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) protocol for their clinical research studies, I place strong emphasis on the client’s ‘inner healing intelligence’. This person-centered concept suggests that you already have what you need inside of you to reach your goals. You may have struggled to access this innate healer before, but once you are in touch with it, it will be a powerful force that moves you towards healing and wholeness.

Psychedelic integration therapy may be right for you if:

  • You are curious about the safe use of psychedelics as a tool for personal growth
  • You want to use psychedelics to help improve mental health concerns
  • You had a psychedelic experience that left you feeling confused, and feel that you cannot make sense of it on your own
  • You are in need of professional support after a traumatic experience with psychedelics

What are the possible risks associated with psychedelic integration therapy?

Psychedelics aren’t right for everyone, nor are they a cure-all for all problems. Also, like any other substance, there is the potential for abuse (although research indicates that the risk for abuse is lower with traditional psychedelics than the drugs that commonly lead to substance use disorders).

Psychedelic substances have potential interactions with medications as well as physical and mental health conditions. Substances not carefully controlled in a clinical setting pose the risk of being adulterated with other ingredients that can be harmful. Being under the influence of any drug can increase physical safety risks as intoxication can lead to loss of coordination and falling.

I am not in a position to provide medical advice. My services are not a substitute for proper medical care or consultation with a qualified health provider. When we’re exploring whether or not psychedelics are a good option for you, I will redirect you to your primary care provider to first address any medical concerns.

spring cleaning grounding
Psychedelic integration therapy may be right for you’re curious about exploring psychedelics to help improve certain mental health concerns.

Frequently asked questions about psychedelic integration therapy

Q: Is psychedelic integration therapy safe?

A : Different substances elicit profoundly different effects, with many factors playing a role: dosage, the environment you are in, who is with you, your mental health status, any medications you are taking, and more.
If proper attention isn’t given to these factors, the risk of harm can increase. I’ve witnessed a mystical experience or otherwise inducing a non-ordinary state of consciousness even become traumatic without the proper preparation and support. For this reason, supporting your safety is of utmost importance to me. My goal is to help you explore all options so that you can make an informed decision that feels aligned with your needs and preferences. Thanks to this intentional approach, we’re able to significantly reduce the risk of a harmful experience.
As with all of my therapeutic approaches, I also incorporate trauma-informed care, if it could be beneficial for your treatment. This allows us to better understand how your past trauma may play a role in any non-ordinary states of consciousness, including managing and processing memories that can surface.

Q: Is psychedelic integration therapy only started after a psychedelic journey?

A: No, psychedelic integration can also include a preparation phase before you take any medicine. I will help you create intentions, manage expectations, and if needed, establish grounding practices for any periods of anxiety that may come up during your journey. I always recommend and help my clients create a comprehensive preparation plan before taking a mind-altering substance.

Q: Do I have to see a psychiatrist to do psychedelic integration therapy?

A: No, however for some people I will recommend a referral to a psychiatrist before you attempt to experience altered states of consciousness. Certain physical health conditions, mental health conditions, and medications will affect the risk level of taking a psychedelic medicine, or even doing intense breathwork.

For example, it can be dangerous for individuals with uncontrolled high blood pressure to take ketamine. In this situation, a trained therapist will direct the client to consult with a psychedelic-friendly psychiatrist about medication to manage their blood pressure as part of the preparation process.

Q: Is it safe for me to talk about my use of psychedelics with a therapist?

A: Like traditional talk therapy, information about your psychedelic use is kept confidential, and cannot be disclosed to other people without your consent. However, it is important to remember that not all therapists are trained in psychedelic integration, and some may have their own biases about the choice to heal using psychedelics. This is why it is so important to find a therapist that understands your needs, goals, and has the appropriate clinical expertise to understand and work with non-ordinary states of consciousness.

Q: Is psychedelic integration therapy helpful if I am receiving ketamine infusions?

A: Absolutely! While ketamine is not a classic psychedelic, it does have powerful therapeutic benefits and can facilitate an intense non-ordinary state of consciousness. Integration therapy will help you get the most out of your infusions.

Q: Can I integrate a psychedelic experience from years ago?

A: Yes, it is never too late to integrate! I also believe that the process of integration continues throughout your life – insight can come when you least expect it, and perpetually unfold into deeper awareness and utilization for where you are in your life.

Q: Can I integrate an experience with non-ordinary states of consciousness that did not occur from psychedelics?

A: Yes. People have “peak” or “mystical experiences” through breathwork, meditation, and other forms of expanding consciousness. These methods are just as valid, valuable, and worthy of integrating into your daily life.

Q: I think this could be right for me and would like to learn more about psychedelic integration services at Clarity, what's the first step in the process?

A: Email Nicole at nicole@claritytherapynyc.com, or schedule a free 30-minute consultation call to talk more about working with her for your psychedelic integration needs!

The post What is psychedelic integration therapy and why is it important? appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/what-is-psychedelic-integration-therapy-and-why-is-it-important/feed/ 0
Coping with ADHD as an Adult: How Therapy Can Help https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/coping-with-adhd-as-an-adult-how-therapy-can-help/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/coping-with-adhd-as-an-adult-how-therapy-can-help/#respond Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:16:53 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=45117 Have you sought out a professional opinion and have already received a diagnosis of ADHD? For some people receiving a diagnosis may come as a surprise, while for others it actually makes perfect sense and explains why you were facing so many difficulties.

The post Coping with ADHD as an Adult: How Therapy Can Help appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adulthood has become more and more prevalent recently. You may have heard of it and even know more people who have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Some of us may experience symptoms that mimic those of ADHD however, they can be indicative of other conditions or a temporary states, such as when we feel emotionally drained after a breakup and find ourselves struggling to concentrate in the workplace or keep up with conversations, and forget things more frequently than usual; or when a medical condition can cause disruption to our cognitive capabilities.

Maybe you yourself have experienced difficulty with different tasks for some time now, and wonder if ADHD-like symptoms are the cause for your challenges.

Have you sought out a professional opinion and have already received a diagnosis of ADHD? For some people receiving a diagnosis may come as a surprise, while for others it actually makes perfect sense and explains why you were facing so many difficulties.

Now that you know ADHD is causing your struggles, what steps can you take to make things better? In this blog we’ll explore the challenges that many people with ADHD face, dispel common myths, and share ways you can channel your ADHD symptoms to live a more expansive life.

How is ADHD diagnosed?

Talking to a mental health professional experienced in diagnosing ADHD is the best way to find out if you or someone you care about is living with it. A professional may ask you specific questions or provide a psychological evaluation. Rating scales and questionnaires, such as the Conners, can also be used to help assess ADHD. A diagnosis isn’t based on one single test, but is made up of a picture of your symptoms and overall behavior. Neuropsychological testing is currently the most accurate approach to receive a diagnosis.

As our understanding of ADHD continues to progress, we have come to know that it can be present from childhood and, in most cases, is a chronic condition. However, for some, symptoms will lessen or change in presentation as they age, while others may even have a full or partial remission (become less severe or even disappear completely) as they enter adulthood. Yet there are also cases of individuals who managed to make it through their schooling without a diagnosis, but as life demands become more complex, symptoms often become more prominent and a diagnosis is made later in life.

It’s estimated that ADHD affects more than 8 million adults (around 5% of Americans) most of whom aren’t even aware they have it.

As life demands become more complex, ADHD symptoms may often become more prominent and a diagnosis is made later in life.

What does an ADHD diagnosis mean for me?

You may already be aware that ADHD is having an effect in various areas of your life, such as:

  • Productivity at work may depend on how interested you are in the activity, leading to procrastination that can put you in a bad position.
  • Minor everyday tasks can feel overwhelming, leading to difficulty with scheduling and even going to sleep.
  • Intense emotions can lead to uncomfortable reactions
  • Social and family life may be experienced more as obligations vs enjoyment
  • Ultimately, these struggles can have a negative effect on your self-esteem and mood.

As your life changes over time, these challenges may present themselves differently, but having the right tools and the empowered attitude can make them easier to deal with. Managing these changes is a work-in-progress journey, and it’s possible with the right support. For some people this may look like medication, psychotherapy, support groups, specific coping strategies, or some combination of these.

Seeking help to find the best path to managing your ADHD is not a sign of incapability; it’s taking advantage of the resources available with confidence and self-trust. Just as we turn to professionals to resolve plumbing issues or correct our posture, we can turn to those who can help us find direction and strategies for living with ADHD. With the right support, you can take control and live your best life. With proper understanding and an action plan, you can use the diagnosis to help foster smoother relationships and functioning on a daily basis.

Remember: you’re a person, not a diagnosis. While it’s easy to focus on how ADHD makes your life more challenging, it’s very important to recognize the specific strengths you have. These may include:

1. Increased creative abilities
2. Heightened curiosity
3. Ability to hyperfocus and hone in on specific details and projects you enjoy
4. Unique outlooks and perspectives
5. Increased multitasking skills
6. Ability to think outside the box
8. Increased energy and enthusiasm
9. Increased appreciation of the present moment
10. An increased level of empathy

Do any of the above qualities resonate with you? If so, you may already be aware that you possess the power to effectively utilize the special talents you possess and successfully address the issues you are facing in order to have an enriching life, improve your relationships, and achieve your goals day by day.

Common Myths About ADHD

There are many myths about ADHD that often lead to misconceptions and misunderstanding. It’s commonly believed that ADHD is only experienced during childhood and vanishes in adulthood, yet in reality it is often a chronic condition with symptoms that fluctuate with age. The average age for ADHD diagnosis is 7, and every adult who has ADHD also experienced symptoms in childhood.However, some people do not experience problematic symptoms until later in life – potentially due to increasing demands from jobs, relationships or parenting – and only receive a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood. 

Other popular myths include that ADHD is not a real disorder, parents are to blame for ADHD due to poor discipline, or that laziness and lack of willpower are the root causes of the conditions. Of course, none of these myths are true and it’s important to stay informed of the facts in order to better understand ADHD. It is also very important to have the family and loved ones receive this information so that they can also develop the necessary tools to cope with the aspects that affect them, and they can cooperate on a more balanced relationship.

It’s a common myth that ADHD is primarily experienced in childhood. It’s estimated that around 8 million adults in the U.S. experience ADHD.

How can therapy help someone with ADHD?

During the years I have worked with people experiencing ADHD, some of the responses I have witnessed are a lot of confusion about what is their real wish/feeling they have about something, and what comes from the anxiety or the symptoms; dejection about “being different and just having to suffer from these symptoms, and a lot of self-criticism. When a change of perspective is established many benefits can start to appear.

Therapy is one option that can help you to manage the symptoms of ADHD, allow you to harness your strengths, develop new coping strategies, increase self-compassion and learn to navigate life’s challenges.

Psychotherapy can be a great starting point to learn about ADHD. Through attending individual or group therapy sessions, you can gain insight into the perspective of others and may learn essential skills to better manage challenges and unwanted symptoms. Additionally, therapy can help to boost self-esteem and motivation, as well as provide you with tools in certain areas where you need a little extra support. Additionally, therapy can help you:

1. Improve social skills – If this is an area you struggle with, your therapist can help you explore how to enrich your interactions and communication with others.

2. Decrease reactivity and impulsivity – Therapy can help you learn vital strategies to identify impulsive actions and behaviors, and stop destructive or unwanted behaviors before they occur.

3. Learn stress-reduction techniques – Relaxation training and stress-reduction techniques can help you manage symptoms of ADHD and feel better prepared to focus and take on life’s challenges.

4. Increase problem solving skills – Therapy can assist in developing better problem-solving abilities including coping mechanisms and decision making.

5. Improve overall coping skills – Therapy can teach someone with ADHD how to better deal with difficult emotions and difficult situations.

6. Learn how to manage ADHD-specific symptoms – Therapy can help you to develop tools and strategies for managing the unique symptoms associated with ADHD, such as hyper-focusing or difficulty organizing your thoughts.

7. Medication management – If needed, your therapist may collaborate with a psychiatric professional and/or assist you on how to manage side effects and other aspects related to this modality of treatment.

8. Improve self-esteem – Therapy can boost self-esteem, confidence, and wellbeing, providing a sense of care, support, and improving your outlook and overall mental health.

9. Assertiveness – Learn how to recognize your own needs, practice asking for what you need, set appropriate boundaries, and develop healthy communication skills with others.

10. Goal setting – Feeling stuck or all over the place are common experiences for people with ADHD. Breaking goals down into achievable steps, focusing on one goal at a time, discussing rewards and consequences, and creating plans to manage potential distractions are all strategies that can help you stay motivated and on track.

A trained professional can help you tap into your inner strengths and improve how you manage unwanted ADHD symptoms.

Harness the Power of Therapy to Manage ADHD and Thrive

If you’ve just been diagnosed with a mental health condition, it is understandably overwhelming. However, it is important to remember that while there may be challenging moments to navigate, it’s essential to focus on the opportunities for personal growth that diagnosis and treatment offer. In order to process your diagnosis in a healthy way, try to reframe your thoughts towards your diagnosis as an opportunity for growth and development.

It’s also vital to be kind to yourself – ADHD and other mental health conditions can affect each of us differently, but understanding it is the first step towards managing it. Remember, you’re not alone – there is support available to aid you in your journey to better understand your diagnosis and find the tools to effectively manage it.

The post Coping with ADHD as an Adult: How Therapy Can Help appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/coping-with-adhd-as-an-adult-how-therapy-can-help/feed/ 0
4 Transformative Ways Exercise Strengthens Mental Health https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/4-transformative-ways-exercise-strengthens-mental-health/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/4-transformative-ways-exercise-strengthens-mental-health/#respond Tue, 04 Jul 2023 04:34:36 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=43846 Boundary setting is a keystone to a healthy relationship- do you struggle to set boundaries or follow boundaries set by others? Maybe you act clingy towards your partner. Maybe you spend too much time alone. You might constantly seek validation and approval, or you might tend to remain aloof and not dependent on anyone — even your partner. These behaviors all stem from people’s individual attachment style. Identifying your own attachment style may help you figure out (and solve) your problems with setting boundaries.

The post 4 Transformative Ways Exercise Strengthens Mental Health appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

As a therapist who works with clients who struggle with grief, depression and anxiety, movement is medicine.

It’s probably no surprise to hear that exercise is great for your mental health, just as it is for your physical health. After all, exercise has long been touted for its numerous physical health benefits, from improving cardiovascular health to reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

When I begin working with clients struggling with grief, anxiety and depression, I often encourage setting up a routine for exercise and movement. While the benefits of exercise aren’t immediate, commitment to a regular exercise routine can be a powerful medicine and a wise teacher.

I started my health and fitness journey with a personal trainer shortly after experiencing a loss in my family. New York City was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city was locked down, businesses were closed, and the streets echoed a deafening silence. I couldn’t do the things that I typically did to process my grief. To make matters worse, my health started to decline after a few months of being sedentary.

In this blog post, we’ll cover the transformative ways exercise strengthens mental health by helping to improve your mood and reduce stress.

 

4 Transformative Ways Exercise Strengthens Mental Health

1. Reduces Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health disorders, affecting millions of people worldwide. While therapy and medication are often recommended for treating these conditions, exercise can also be a powerful medicine in reducing symptoms.

Why is this exactly? Research has shown that exercise has a powerful effect on the brain. It can increase the production of endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that act as natural mood lifters. To echo the words of an iconic philosopher, Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” Regular exercise has also beenlinked to an increase in the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that promotes the growth and survival of brain cells and can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Just when you think you can’t do another rep, your body tells you otherwise. Exercise reveals to us that what we are is more than our thoughts.

Progressing in your fitness goals teaches us that progress is not linear. Having one bad work out or skipping a run doesn’t put you back at square one. In fact, it’s important to take breaks so our bodies can rest.

I initially started my fitness journey with the intent to improve my health, increase my weight and appetite, and improve my mobility. I met my fitness goals within the first year of weightlifting and I was the healthiest I had ever been. I was surprised to discover that my first year of exercise gave me more than I initially asked for. I saw a boost in my mood, my memory, my focus and attention, self-esteem, confidence and my ability to cope with stress. Even my posture improved.

2. Increases Self-Esteem

Another way that exercise can positively impact mental health is by increasing self-esteem. When we exercise, our bodies release chemicals called endocannabinoids, which can improve mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. Additionally, regular exercise can help you feel more in control of your body and life, leading to a greater sense of self-confidence and self-worth. In order to increase your self-esteem it’s necessary to engage in esteemable acts, and there’s no better action than keeping a promise to take care of yourself.

3. Shifts your focus from perfection to progress

If you engage in all-or-nothing (often called black or white thinking), regular exercise can also improve how you live life in the gray area. Commitment to exercise teaches us that, with all things in life, progress and growth is more important than perfection. You soon realize that some physical activity is better than none – to focus on your lifting form over your ego, or gradually ramping up your mileage before attempting a marathon distance. Focusing on the journey and not only the destination encourages a balanced lifestyle. As a result, living in this nuanced area can help you achieve balance in other areas of your life that may be off kilter.

4. Improved Coping and Stress Management

Finally, exercise can help us cope with stress more effectively. When we’re stressed, our bodies produce cortisol, a hormone that can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression. However, regular exercise can reduce cortisol levels and help us manage stress more effectively. Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist focusing on exercise and its effects on the brain, says that “a single workout can increase neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline that are released in the brain to boost your mood. A single workout can improve your ability to shift your focus and attention.”

In one client I worked with, faced a surprising turn of events with an unexpected health crisis that left him feeling like his body was working against him. Typically an energetic person, my client felt emotionally isolated, lethargic, and noticed significant loss in his strength, especially when he had to climb stairs or carry groceries. He worked with his medical team and received treatment to address the issue, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of his body working against him. High energy group fitness and dance classes, and consistent strength training in the gym, helped cultivate my client’s mind-body connection, revitalize his energy, regain the strength he lost, and reclaim control of his body. Exercise and movement was a soothing balm for the stress he experienced while he navigated his health crisis. Two years later, upon reflecting on his fitness progress, my client is in the best shape of his life. With the added bonus of looking and feeling good in his body, movement and exercise also greatly improved his self-esteem.

Enhance Your Wellbeing: Promote SelfEsteem and SelfConfidence through Movement

I notice the greatest change in my mood on leg days that engage my hips. I remember having a cathartic release of pent up emotions. Across many disciplines, from yoga to neuroscience, it is commonly believed that stress, trauma, and emotions are stored in the hips. Without knowing it, exercising regularly helped me move through my grief, especially on leg days.

Exercise is not just good for your physical health – it’s also incredibly beneficial for your mental health. Exercise and movement strengthened my mind – if I’m strong enough to move the weight in front of me, then I’m strong enough to move through my grief and take on anything that life throws at me. Whether you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, or just want to improve your overall well-being, incorporating regular physical activity into your routine can help you feel better both mentally and physically. I’ve experienced the benefits in myself and witnessed the transformation in my clients. 

So why not lace up your sneakers and head out for a walk or try a new fitness class today? Your mind and body will thank you.

The post 4 Transformative Ways Exercise Strengthens Mental Health appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/4-transformative-ways-exercise-strengthens-mental-health/feed/ 0
How Does Attachment Style Impact Your Ability To Set Boundaries? https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-does-your-attachment-style-impact-boundaries/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-does-your-attachment-style-impact-boundaries/#respond Tue, 30 May 2023 18:31:34 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=42808 Boundary setting is a keystone to a healthy relationship- do you struggle to set boundaries or follow boundaries set by others? Maybe you act clingy towards your partner. Maybe you spend too much time alone. You might constantly seek validation and approval, or you might tend to remain aloof and not dependent on anyone — even your partner. These behaviors all stem from people’s individual attachment style. Identifying your own attachment style may help you figure out (and solve) your problems with setting boundaries.

The post How Does Attachment Style Impact Your Ability To Set Boundaries? appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

Boundary setting is a keystone to a healthy relationship- do you struggle to set boundaries or follow boundaries set by others?

Maybe you act clingy towards your partner. Maybe you spend too much time alone. You might constantly seek validation and approval, or you might tend to remain aloof and not dependent on anyone — even your partner.

These behaviors all stem from people’s individual attachment style. Identifying your own attachment style may help you figure out (and solve) your problems with setting boundaries.

What Is Attachment?

Attachment is how you securely connect with others, and the degree to which you feel safe in your relationships. You can think of it as how you interact and connect with the people around you, especially those you love.

Attachment is the level of closeness you feel with others: it’s how you show love, care, and affection. But it is also how you interpret or understand others’ affection towards you. The degree to which you feel comfortable in vulnerability is strongly determined by attachment.

Have you ever felt fear or anxiety over your partner leaving you, or how your friends and family truly feel about you? Have you ever struggled to balance time with yourself versus with others? Are you unsure of how to determine how close to get to others? These are likely influenced by your attachment style.

What are attachment styles?

Attachment styles are the pattern of behavior or traits you develop when dealing with people — especially those with whom you have a strong emotional connection.

Basically, your attachment style is what shapes and influences your behaviors when it comes to relationships. That includes setting and following boundaries.

Although we call them styles, they’re actually more like “attachment states” simply because you can’t change them according to your whim — like how you can with your fashion style. Unless you dig deep, identify, and actively work on your attachment style, it will remain how it is, likely for the rest of your life.

The Attachment Theory

The concept of attachment styles was first developed by psychiatrist John Bowlby back in the 1950s when he came up with what we now call the attachment theory.

Everyone forms their attachment styles early on — during their first five years as a child, in fact. Which attachment style you develop depends on your primary or earliest caregivers. This means your parents, your aunts or uncles, your grandparents, or other guardians.

Your earliest relationships set the stage for the relationships you later have in life. It impacts what you view as safe, what you think is possible, how you connect with others, how you trust others, and much more.

Whether you feel safe, loved, and fully secure in your adult relationships depends on whether you were able to feel the same way as a child.

Identifying Your Attachment Style

There are two main attachment styles based on the attachment theory: secure and insecure. However, the second one can be further divided into three types: anxious, avoidant, and disorganized. This gives us four separate attachment styles.

Out of these four, the secure attachment style is the healthiest and most stable.

The remaining three insecure attachment types are often rooted in poor relationships, some form of insecurity, or even childhood trauma. In turn, these usually result in negative patterns of behavior when you get into relationships as an adult.

Secure Attachment

A secure attachment style is born from a safe, visibly loving, and of course, secure relationship with your earliest caregivers.

You don’t need to grow up in a perfect environment to form a secure attachment. What’s important is you can trust your parents or guardians to tend to your needs — both physical and emotional.

Which attachment style you develop depends on your primary or earliest caregivers.

As a child, you didn’t have any anxieties or worries that you’ll be left to fend for yourself. You felt secure in your relationships with your parents or caregivers, and knew they truly loved you, supported you, and would come back for you even if they left.

Additionally, you were given both freedom and safe, firm limits.

What does having a secure attachment style look like as a grown adult?

  • You maintain a sense of independence.
  • You learn to appreciate your own self-worth.
  • You have a positive view of yourself or have self-esteem and self-confidence.
  • You have high closeness desires while still feeling comfortable alone.
  • You can maintain a healthy balance of “me time” and “connected time” with your partner.
  • You are not afraid of intimacy.
  • You have low avoidance or feel comfortable being with others.
  • You can reliably self-reflect and manage your emotions.
  • You can trust others and give your trust in return.
  • You feel confident in starting new relationships even after one ends.
  • You feel comfortable depending on others and being relied on by your partner.

A great way to figure out if you have a secure attachment style is to think back on whether or not you fear or get anxious about being on your own.

Anxious-insecure Attachment

Also known as anxious-ambivalent or anxious-preoccupied, this is the likely attachment state of those who need a lot of reassurance to feel safe in their relationships. Like the name implies, you have high anxiety about being abandoned.

Anxious attachment is formed when the support, love, and care your parents or guardians provided were inconsistent. When you don’t know when your needs will be met, you feel as if you need to strongly hold on to, cling to, or make a scene to be noticed by your primary caregiver.

This also results in you constantly craving for emotional intimacy and validation. As adults, this can turn into acting “needy” or clingy. As a child, this worked, as it forced the adults to attend to your needs. In adult relationships, however, it can lead to ruptures in the relationship.

Other ways anxious attachment can look like for adults in relationships are:

  • You can become too fixated with your partner.
  • You feel anxious when your partner is away.
  • You want to be close with others but at the same time are reluctant to fully do so.
  • You constantly worry about what your others really think about you.
  • You try to read between the lines too much.
  • You often seek approval or support from your partner.
  • You can become too demanding or controlling towards your partner.
  • You feel less positive about yourself or have lower self-esteem.
  • You have a tendency to overreact, especially to what you may consider threats to your relationship.
  • You may struggle to maintain other close relationships, outside of your partner.
  • You feel as if you won’t survive without your relationship and fear you’ll end up alone forever.

The ambivalent side of the anxious attachment style comes into play when you’re unable to fully trust or rely on the intimacy and love you receive. This is why relationships with anxious attachment people can still feel cold and distant, despite the clinginess.

This can often result in the end of relationships — turning your worries into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Avoidant-insecure Attachment

Similar to people with an anxious-ambivalent attachment style, avoidant attachment also stems from feeling unsafe in relationships. If you have an avoidant attachment style, you still have high anxiety regarding being potentially abandoned.

However, instead of clinging to others, you feel wary of others, of forming connections, and especially of relying on other people. As a result, you do the complete opposite and simply avoid or push them away first.

Relationships with anxious attachment people can still feel cold and distant, despite the clinginess.

This is why it’s also called the dismissive attachment style. “They can’t leave me if I leave them first,” or even worse, “They can’t abandon me if I never let them in.”

Avoidant attachment usually forms if you were left to fend for yourself at a young age. You learn early on that it’s hard to trust and depend on others — and that it’s ultimately easier and safer to simply depend on yourself.

If you were reprimanded or even rejected by your primary caregivers for showing emotions, expressing your needs, or depending on them, then you likely be an avoidant type as an adult, too.

In adults, the some signs of having an avoidant or dismissive attachment style are:

  • You avoid physical or emotional intimacy or both.
  • You feel more comfortable alone.
  • You believe you don’t need others to survive.
  • You are dismissive of other people or of their concerns and feelings.
  • You find it hard to trust others, even without any reason to distrust them.
  • You don’t want to depend on others or have others to depend on you.
  • You don’t feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and feelings.
  • You often don’t feel desire for relationships.
  • When in a relationship, you keep your partner at arm’s length.
  • You prefer more casual relationships than long-term ones.
  • The romantic relationships you form feel shallow or lacking deep emotion.

Although this attachment type doesn’t seek the approval of others, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have high self-esteem or a positive view of themselves. In fact, many are the opposite. Instead of having high self-esteem, you might simply not care about what others think.

Disorganized Attachment

Disorganized attachment — also called fearful-avoidant attachment — is usually formed when kids grow up in unpredictable, highly chaotic, or even risky environments. It can often stem from some sort of childhood trauma or abuse.

As a result, you also didn’t learn how to trust and rely on others, or even yourself. You want to love and be loved. However, you also don’t know how to show and accept love offered to you in a safe or healthy way.

Not only do you have a high anxiety about being abandoned, you also have conflicting wants; you have high avoidance but also have high enmeshment. You might want to be left alone or you may insert yourself into others’ life with ease. You might really struggle with boundary setting.

This attachment style can manifest as the following:

  • You’re fearful of being left behind yet tend to start conflicts.
  • You find yourself emotionally shutting down and pushing your partner away.
  • You tend to not take responsibility for your actions.
  • You often blame yourself when fights happen.
  • You have a highly negative view of both yourself and your future.
  • You can become overly involved in your partner’s life.
  • You find it hard to depend on others.
  • You struggle with independence due to a lack of skills or self-esteem.
  • You struggle with regulating your emotions and can be volatile.
  • You find it hard to communicate, or you have unhealthy communication behaviors.
  • You can be insensitive or unnecessarily hard on your partner.
  • You’re prone to dangerous or risky behaviors when under extreme stress, such as violence, self-harm, or substance abuse.

 

upset couple
Avoidant attachment usually forms if you were left to fend for yourself at a young age.

 

Do Certain Attachment Styles Gravitate Towards Each Other?

Any attachment style can be paired with each other, and since these are usually unspoken patterns in relationships, you might not even be aware of your partner’s attachment style.

Having a secure relationship does not mean it will be perfect or last forever, but there will usually be healthier management if it does end. Additionally, two insecure attachment styles together doesn’t always mean the relationship will be unhealthy or end badly — though there might be a higher risk for rupture.

Though attachment styles may have certain distinguishing traits, each person is still different. Their growth and overall journey and life will still shape their attachment style — or even shift it as they grow older and wiser.

Still, there is a lot of information we can infer from two different attachment styles getting together.

  • Secure and secure: This is the winning combination, generally leading to healthy relationships and positive, healthy changes individually.
  • Secure and any insecure attachment: The secure attachment can potentially help heal their partner and serve as a positive impact. At the same time, they might not tolerate crossed boundaries and unhealthy relationship signs and simply step away.
  • Anxious and anxious: This is generally only good at first as both heavily prioritize the other. The downside is the lack of independence from both makes it an unsustainable dynamic.
  • Anxious and avoidant: The anxious attachment often gets the short end of the stick. They tend to prioritize their partner and seek reassurance, which is great for the avoidant. However, as the avoidant attachment fails to give reassurance and instead pulls back, this raises the other’s anxiety and risk for unhealthy behavior.
  • Anxious and disorganized: This is usually a chaotic pair. The relationship tends to be an endless loop filled with insecurity and stress for the anxious attachment while their disorganized partner goes back and forth between wanting and not wanting intimacy.
  • Avoidant and avoidant: This is most likely to end early, as both feel at ease walking away.
  • Avoidant and disorganized: While the disorganized attachment can match their partner’s avoidant behavior, they are also prone to pushing for a closer relationship, which can potentially cause chaos.

How Can You Tell if Your Attachment Style Is Insecure or Impacted?

One of the easiest ways to tell if your attachment style is insecure is to think back to how you think and act towards your partner or loved one.

Do you thrive only when you’re in a relationship and not when you’re single? Do you heavily depend on your partner? Do you constantly seek approval of others?

Do you feel extremely anxious about being left alone? Do you find being on your own uncomfortable? Do you find the need to insert yourself thoroughly in all aspects of your partner’s life — just to reassure yourself of their love and trust them?

How about worrying about what others really think about you? Do you stress about oversharing your real thoughts and feelings, thinking you’d be judged for them?

If your answer to these questions are “no” then you most likely have a secure attachment. If you answered yes to a couple (or even just one) of these questions, then your attachment style has most likely been impacted by your life experiences.

How Do Different Attachment Styles Impact How You Express and Receive Love?

Different attachment styles can dictate how comfortable you are with expressing love and receiving love, affection, and trust.

Secure attachments basically don’t have any problem with giving and receiving love. They do both in healthy, positive ways — making it easier for their partner to also feel secure, heard, and seen.

If you have an anxious-insecure attachment style, you find it hard to trust your partner and the security of your relationship. You tend to question and second-guess the love you give, as well as the love you receive. Many are also more reactive — rather than taking initiative, you take first then reciprocate.

For avoidant attachment types, there’s often a deep struggle with showing meaningful love. You tend to make shallow gestures instead. In many cases, avoidant partners may feel pressured to give more than they are comfortable.

With disorganized attachments, it’s basically both anxious and avoidant behaviors combined. You crave intimacy and seek love but often push others away or find it hard to express love in return.

upset couple
If you experience a disorganized attachment style, you may feel insulted or threatened by your partner’s boundaries.

How Does Attachment Impact Our Ability To Set Boundaries?

From the examples of behaviors we gave for the four attachment styles, you can already start to see how each one sets and recognizes boundaries.

Secure Attachments and Boundaries

Secure attachments are generally the best at both setting and receiving boundaries.

In many cases, avoidant partners may feel pressured to give more than they are comfortable.

You know your limits, what feels comfortable for you, and most importantly, what you deserve. As such, you can set healthy boundaries accordingly.

You’re also able to communicate these boundaries well with your partner. If one of your boundaries is crossed, you’re confident and secure enough to walk away.

Moreover, because you know the value of boundaries and can set them accordingly, you are also able to receive and respect your partner’s boundaries.

All three insecure attachment types struggle with boundaries — but in very different ways.

Anxious Attachments and Boundaries

Anxious attachment finds it hard to set boundaries. When they do set boundaries, they struggle with following through on them. The fear of being abandoned plays a huge part in this.

Because of fear and anxiety, you’re more likely to let crossed boundaries slide. You’re also less likely to set conditions because of this fear. On the other hand, you’re also more likely to receive your partner’s boundaries well — also due to your fear and anxieties.

Avoidant Attachments and Boundaries

Meanwhile, avoidant attachment styles are actually good at setting boundaries — maybe a little too good.

If you’re an avoidant type, you’re more likely to set overly rigid or strict boundaries. Your desire to avoid dependence on others (and others’ dependence on you) can push you to make extreme boundaries designed to push your partner away.

When it comes to a partner’s boundaries, avoidants respect and recognize them well. Again, you may push this to the extreme and use it as an excuse to end a relationship. This can make it hard for your partner to set boundaries.

When you know the value of boundaries and can set them accordingly, you are also able to receive and respect your partner’s boundaries.

Disorganized Attachments and Boundaries

Disorganized styles are the ones who struggle most with setting boundaries. It’s usually because they don’t know what they want in the first place. It might also be easy to feel insulted or threatened by your partner’s boundaries.

Another thing that can make setting boundaries difficult for you if you’re a disorganized attachment is your difficulty in expressing yourself. Even if you know what you want, you struggle with communicating it with others.

Additionally, disorganized styles are less likely to steadily uphold boundaries — both your own and other people’s.

How Can You Improve Your Boundary Setting Skills?

There are several ways to improve your boundary setting skills. Knowing your attachment style and how it affects your abilities to set and receive boundaries goes a long way.

After all, recognizing the problem is always the first step to arriving at the correct solution. Knowing where you may be faltering will help you address it better.

Other tried and true ways to help you improve your boundary setting skills are:

  • Improving your communication style
  • Improving your beliefs about yourself and others
  • Improving your understanding of other people’s needs
  • Improving your understanding of your own needs
  • Improving tolerance when faced with conflicts and loss of relationships

The exact way of how you can improve all these will depend on your attachment style, too!

group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline
Knowing your attachment style and how it affects your abilities to set and receive boundaries goes a long way.

Taking Steps To Repair Your Attachment Style

Perhaps repair might be too strong a word. After all, your attachment style isn’t “broken” — it may simply be unhealthy for your mental, emotional, and social well-being.

That being said, what can you do about it? Are there any ways to correct, improve, or change your attachment style? Yes, there are!

The following steps can greatly help you:

  • Improve your fear of abandonment or judgment

  • Find balance between isolation and enmeshment

  • Improve desires for closeness

  • Manage mental health or physical health challenges that are hurdles

  • Enhance your overall relationships

  • Find better support systems in life

  • Grieve damaged and lost relationships in a healthy manner

  • Improve emotional safety

  • Heal from your past trauma, neglect, abuse, or betrayal

When you know your attachment style, you can start to work on it. You may be one of the insecure types today, but by addressing the issues you struggle with, you can eventually gain a secure attachment style some day.

The post How Does Attachment Style Impact Your Ability To Set Boundaries? appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-does-your-attachment-style-impact-boundaries/feed/ 0
How is ART different from EMDR? https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-is-art-different-from-emdr/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-is-art-different-from-emdr/#respond Sat, 08 Apr 2023 11:48:02 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=40530 The post How is ART different from EMDR? appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

As a licensed psychotherapist who is trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and prioritizes trauma-informed care for my clients, I’m dedicated to helping people create meaningful change in their life in a way that feels safe for them.

I specialize in working with clients who have experienced various forms of trauma, including abuse or bullying during childhood, narcissistic relationships, sexual violence, car accidents, systemic oppression, and more. The list of possible trauma-inducing experiences is almost endless. Oftentimes, people may not even be fully aware that they’ve experienced trauma.

For example, in situations such as childhood emotional neglect, where essential emotional connection with a caregiver was missing, or emotional abuse from a romantic partner disguised as jealousy, it can be difficult to pinpoint exact memories that one would label as a typical ‘trauma’. Still, the suffering is immense.

A therapist’s firsthand experience with ART

Because ART is an effective short-term approach, I’m glad to see the majority of my clients experience relief from troubling symptoms typically in one to five sixty-minute sessions. While I’ve witnessed the significant and positive impacts this approach has on clients firsthand, it’s also a newer form of therapy. Many clients who seek therapy to heal trauma have heard of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which has gained attention in recent years. However, most clients aren’t aware that they can attain healing for the same presenting problems with ART.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are two different types of evidence-based therapy that are both effective in treating trauma-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. While both ART and EMDR utilize bilateral stimulation in their techniques, there are some key differences between these two therapies which we’ll explore together in this blog.

What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)?

ART is proven to be effective for the treatment of anxiety, trauma, phobias, and more.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a relatively new evidence-based therapy that combines principles from several traditional forms of psychotherapy to reduce the effect of trauma and other psychological disorders. ART was created in 2008 by psychologist Dr. Laney Rosenzweig, who was originally trained in EMDR.

It uses eye movements and visualization techniques to help the client replace negative images in the mind that cause the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress (or other distressing mental health problems) with positive images of the client’s choosing. This is often done quickly: it is expected that most traumatic memories or images can be processed in a single session. This means that the client starts to feel better right away, and can feel safe moving on to addressing the next troubling memory or presenting concern. ART is an evidence-based therapy that can create dramatic improvements in a variety of mental health concerns such as phobias, anxiety, trauma, depressive symptoms, and more.

spring cleaning grounding
ART also uses eye movements and visualization techniques to help the client replace negative images in the mind that cause distress.

Who can benefit from Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a highly effective therapy for individuals who have experienced trauma or other mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, and are motivated to achieve profound healing. It’s particularly effective in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is used by many mental health professionals to treat veterans, first responders, victims of sexual assault and childhood abuse, and other individuals who have experienced trauma.

With ART, clients often start to feel better right away, which means they feel safe moving on to address the next troubling memory or concern.

ART is also used to treat a variety of other mental health conditions, such as panic disorder, phobias, grief, and substance abuse disorders. It can be used as an adjunct treatment to other mental health interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication management, or done on its own. ART allows for the client to have full choice over the nature of the services, in order to create a comprehensive treatment plan suited to the unique needs of each individual.

It is important to note that ART may not be appropriate for everyone. People with health issues related to their vision, or those with certain neurological disorders, may not be able to participate in ART’s eye movements. Anyone with eye or brain-related health conditions should be cleared by their relevant medical providers before participating in an ART session. ART may also not be effective for individuals who are unable to see and hold an image or thought in their “mind’s eye”, as this is a major component of the protocol. It’s necessary to consult with a qualified mental health professional to determine if ART is a suitable treatment option for you.

ART is also used to treat a variety of other mental health conditions, such as panic disorder, phobias, grief, and substance abuse disorders.
financial infidelity

Can a therapist who doesn’t have specialized training in ART administer the treatment?

In order for ART to be effective, it must be administered by a mental health professional who has at least completed the Basic level training in the technique. The Basic training allows clinicians to start using ART immediately and successfully. Part of the training includes the clinicians stepping into the client role and receiving an ART session themselves, which creates a deeper understanding of the intervention and what is happening internally for the client. With enough hours of real world experience facilitating ART sessions, Basic-level trained clinicians can obtain formal certification from the Rosenzweig Center for Rapid Recovery, and move onto more advanced training levels.

Engaging in ART with an officially trained mental health professional is crucial for ensuring client safety, and maximizing likelihood of positive outcomes.

How is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) different from EMDR?

One of the main differences between ART and EMDR is the length of treatment. ART is typically shorter in duration than Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), with many clients experiencing relief from symptoms after as few as one to five sessions. EMDR, on the other hand, typically requires at least seven or eight sessions for clients to see significant improvement, with more sessions needed for complex trauma.

Given that ART can be scheduled one session at a time instead of a course of treatment lasting weeks or months, ART is more flexible to suit each individual’s schedule and financial situation. ART will still be effective for most issues even if the client does not want to or cannot commit to sessions every week. This also makes it a great cost-efficient option at a time when many people are concerned about their expenses.

Research shows that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who undergo ART often experience symptom improvement over one to five one-hour sessions, on average.

While both EMDR and ART attend to emotions and physical sensations that come up when processing memories and images, ART emphasizes reducing negative feelings as soon as possible. This helps the client with overall feelings of distress during each session, and even allows opportunities to enhance positive emotions and sensations when they start to occur.

Another difference is that ART places less emphasis on the content of the traumatic memories than EMDR. Instead, the focus is on identifying and reprocessing the negative emotions, sensations and images associated with the trauma. With ART, clients are guided to replace unpleasant imagery, whereas with EMDR clients are primarily desensitized to the images.

The client does not need to verbalize more of the details of their painful experiences than they feel comfortable sharing. In fact, with ART, the clinician may redirect the client to return to inner processing after brief periods of talking to ensure the session moves along smoothly and to completion.

For this reason, according to its creator and some providers who have been trained in EMDR report that ART is easier on both the client and the provider. Providers perceive specific benefits of ART over other therapies, such as the fact that ART is very direct and efficient, while putting the client in control of the session. And while ART is delivered in a systematic manner, no two sessions are the same.

Research shows that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who undergo ART often experience symptom improvement over one to five one-hour sessions, on average.

Many clients experience relief from troubling symptoms after as few as one to five ART sessions
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

If you’re looking for a treatment that can help you resolve trauma and reduce symptoms of anxiety, ART is a great option.

I’ve personally witnessed the positive impact of ART on clients, and the change from the start of a session to the end never ceases to amaze me. The improvement is evident in clients’ more positive facial expressions, relaxed body language, and optimistic way they speak.

Clients are often surprised at how much calmer they feel before even reaching the end of the ART session. The majority of clients who have experienced ART with me have shared that their stress levels are significantly reduced, if not eliminated, by the end of a session. It’s quite common for clients to share that it feels like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders, or that the memory is “over” and safely in the past after experiencing ART.

A particular client, who after ART was able to see connections between how his family treated him in the past and how he treats himself now, expressed to me that he wished he had learned about this treatment a long, long time ago.

The bottom line

Both ART and EMDR are effective when administered by trained professionals who know how to use them properly. No one intervention or technique will work for every single person, so it’s ideal to explore your options with a qualified professional. Individual differences between clients may lead to a preference for ART over EMDR, or vice versa.

It’s worth trying different forms of trauma therapy to see what works best for your individual needs. If you’re interested in learning more about how ART works, I encourage you to schedule a complimentary phone consultation with me today. 

Your Turn: Have you ever received EMDR Therapy or ART? Share your experience in the comments below.

The post How is ART different from EMDR? appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-is-art-different-from-emdr/feed/ 0
 Coping with C-PTSD: Learning to Conquer Fear https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/learning-to-conquer-fear-coping-with-c-ptsd/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/learning-to-conquer-fear-coping-with-c-ptsd/#respond Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:09:25 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=38103 Fear is a normal reaction to trauma, it's your body's way of protecting itself from danger (or perceived danger). Managing fear and coping with C-PTSD can help to reduce stress and anxiety.

The post  Coping with C-PTSD: Learning to Conquer Fear appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

Fear directs survival. A lot of fears are very rational: not only do they make sense, but they serve a critically important function of keeping us alive. For instance, if you’re afraid of heights, you will probably stay away from mountains and therefore reduce your risk of dying by falling off a cliff.

Fear is a natural and healthy reaction to danger. Some fear can be beneficial, but persistent fear can be debilitating- even life-threatening. We can learn to better manage our fear by understanding the flight/fight process of the nervous system, and how this process impacts the brain and body. Learning how to heal after a traumatic experience will help you take control over fear, so fear stops controlling you.

When humans are exposed to real threat to life- physical harm, childhood abuse or neglect, violence, sexual assault, or systematic oppression, your brain shifts in how it prioritizes fear. You become hyper-attuned to threats. When you don’t have adequate support after exposure to threat, this hyper-focus becomes semi-permanent. It’s an extended symptom to keep you on high alert to future threats.

When this experience happens often or with great intensity, more and more resources are directed towards your survival mechanisms. The number one job of the nervous system is to protect your survival by any means necessary. Unfortunately, complex trauma rewires us to be hyper-focused on staying safe. Your nervous system becomes so overloaded with messages of threat that it comes unreliable and unpredictable. You feel fear everywhere, while also losing your ability to tolerate the fear. You can become so scared you actually lose the capacity to keep yourself safe.

 

What is complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)?

 

This slow pressure of threat on the nervous system is the main crux of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (also known as C-PTSD). C-PTSD results from repeated and prolonged exposure to traumatic events. It’s characterized by a range of symptoms such as difficulty regulating emotions, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, difficulty in relationships, and an altered sense of self. C-PTSD is distinct from PTSD in that it involves multiple traumatic events and a longer duration of exposure.

C-PTSD is most often diagnosed among people who have been victims of prolonged, repetitive trauma. It’s most commonly found in those who have experienced childhood abuse or neglect; domestic violence; and sexual assault.

 

Coping with C-PTSD

The impact of trauma on the brain, emotions, and behavior. 

Trauma can have a profound effect on the brain, emotions, and behavior. Traumatic events can cause changes in brain chemistry and structure, leading to changes in behavior and emotional reactions. These changes can range from difficulty concentrating and problems with memory to feeling detached from reality, increased anxiety and depression, and changes in personality.

Some people may also have difficulty regulating emotions, become more aggressive or impulsive, or have difficulty establishing close relationships. Trauma can also lead to an increased risk of physical health problems, substance abuse, and self-harming behaviors. Coping with C-PTSD poses its own set of challenges, and can be further complicated if an individual doesn’t have a support network or trusted individuals to lean on.

The following are some common ways that trauma can affect one’s ability to function:

    • Memory problems – forgetting things more than usual, difficulty paying attention, or completing tasks.

    • Anxiety or panic attacks – feeling like your emotions or bodily sensations are out of your control.

    • Depression – feeling hopefulness, sad or not enjoying activities you normally enjoy.

    • Hypervigilance – feeling on edge or fearful in your day to day life, despite lack of actual threat.

    • Heightened startle response – exaggerated response to unexpected stimuli, especially sounds, that can feel intense and long-lasting (i.e.jumping at the sound of an ambulance siren, feeling physical sensations like heart palpitations, sweaty palms, or anxiety that takes awhile to dissipate).

    • Intrusive thoughts – Image-based memory is also tied to fear, along with belief systems. Your brain will prioritize these, earmarked as “urgent” increasing the frequency in which you experience negative thoughts and intrusive memories.

    • Depersonalization/Derealization – feeling disconnected from your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, or surroundings. You may experience yourself as an outside observer of your own life or experience a sense of unreality or dreamlike state, as if you’re living in a fog. 

spring cleaning grounding
C-PTSD is most often diagnosed among people who have been victims of prolonged, repetitive trauma.

How does fear impact the nervous system?

Fear is activated when we sense a threat in our environment. In a process called neuroception, skin receptors are scanning the environment for threat. Have you ever felt someone looking at you even if you couldn’t see them? That’s neuroception. This process allows our brain to be more active in other processes such as executive functions. But the moment we sense danger, there’s an immediate reaction. Trauma disrupts our capacity to accurately sense danger in our environment. 

Depersonalization or derealization may cause you to experience yourself as an outside observer of your own life or experience a sense of unreality or dreamlike state, as if you’re living in a fog. 

Sometimes we have a sense that a threat could appear, and this sensation is called anxiety. Anxiety is the anticipation of something bad to come, which can present as lingering discomfort, easily tripped into fear. When a threat is observed or felt, fear kicks in.

You might not always be in active fear, but you might be living every day with elevated anxiety. Anxiety is an uncomfortable sensation telling you that a threat could appear at any moment. Anxiety keeps you on edge, in the anticipation of something bad to come.

When in a constant state of worry, there is a higher risk of tripping into a fear state. Once a threat is sensed, fear turns on, and this sets off a series of physiological reactions to bolster our capacity for self-defense and self-preservation.

For example, imagine that you are walking in the woods. Anxiety keeps you on alert to possible threats, including signs of a bear. This is normal and important. When a bear steps into your line of vision, a fear response kicks in, your sympathetic nervous system turns on, and adrenaline is released in the body. Your muscles get tense, heart rate increases, breathing becomes more anaerobic, and one of ten fear modes will happen based on a few key observations.

 

 

What are the 10 fear responses?

  1. Fight- I can beat the bear
  2. Flight- I can escape the bear
  3. Freeze- I can hide from the bear
  4. Flounder- I attempt self defense but struggle
  5. Fawn- I can please the bear
  6. Friend- I can become the bear
  7. Fright- I can scare the bear
  8. Flop- I can submit to the bear
  9. Faint- I can detach from the bear
  10. Face- I can control my response to the bear
When we’re under threat, fear is responsible for creating a series of physiological reactions to bolster our capacity for self-defense and self-preservation.
financial infidelity

How fear hijacks the nervous system’s threat response.

When faced with fear, your responses change based on your perceived ability to beat the threat, your ability to escape the threat, or your ability to evade harm. When you see the bear, a subconscious judgment is made and then a response is activated. This response is then either strengthened or changed based on your actual experiences.

Fear is a normal reaction to trauma, and is your body’s way of protecting itself from danger – real or perceived.

The more your system learns it has no power over the threat, the more it shifts down into helplessness. Chronic activation of fear, especially fear that led to actual harm or danger, can disrupt the way your nervous system regulates. Living with C-PTSD, you might stop feeling fearful at all, you might experience numbness or dissociation, or you might experience intense depressive episodes. For other people, you may be able to maintain elevated responses, where you find yourself activated constantly. Most people bounce between these two states.

People who have experienced trauma may see bears everywhere, literally. This is because the amygdala- or the fear center of the brain– has adapted to see bears even when there aren’t any. Studies show that people coping with C-PTSD have amygdalas which are unable to recognize the difference between a threat in the past and a current threat. This means that if you’re reminded of a past experience, it’s as if you’re experiencing the traumatic event for the first time. This phenomenon is designed to keep you in a state of self-defense even when there is nothing to defend against. Our brain is trying to keep us safe, but it’s actually hurting us.

With complex trauma disorders, the amygdala has become hyperactive. You might experience a trigger or emotional flashback by something completely unrelated to your trauma. This is because the amygdala also hijacks most emotional processing- meaning fear gets woven into almost all of your experiences- even post-trauma experience. Emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and memories can all become tainted by fear. This is made more complicated due to the under-active prefrontal cortex.

So while your amygdala is overreacting to nonexistent threats, your prefrontal cortex (the rational, decision-making area of the brain) isn’t assessing threats as well as it should be. Having an underactive prefrontal cortex can mean slow learning of new information (which may help how you respond to fear), logical thinking, and having a harder time controlling your fear response.

assessing threat and coping with c-ptsd

Learn how to distinguish ‘real threat’ from ‘perceived threat.’

 

One of the most important steps is to improve your capacity to assess threat, distinguish threat, and recover from fear. Though your experiences have given you very real evidence that the world is scary, healing needs you to believe that you have the potential to be safe. Which is why it’s vital to first extinguish any real threats. You won’t benefit from using coping skills during an active crisis or traumatic event. It’s important to prioritize getting to a safer environment or set of circumstances as soon as possible.

By reducing the fear reactions you experience when no threat is present, you’re retraining our nervous system to become more accurate and less reactive. 

Once real safety has been established, it’s key to learn the signs of your fear responses and understand what happens when you perceive a threat. You’ll first want to understand what triggers your fear and how to determine real threat versus the perceived threat. When no threat is present, you’ll be able to practice shifting down your physiological response and grounding into safety. It’s important to trust that you are not presently at risk or in danger. The more safe environments that you can create or join, the more you can practice felt-safety and give your nervous system a rest. This in turn helps your nervous system better signal threat through neuroception- eventually it only goes off when you see real bears.

Engage in activities or grounding exercises that you find calming or enjoyable can help you better manage fear and your stress response. Try yoga, meditation, or even just going for a walk in nature.
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

How to improve coping with C-PTSD and managing fear

Fear is a normal reaction to trauma, it’s your body’s way of protecting itself from danger (or perceived danger). It can be managed consciously and by taking steps to reduce stress and anxiety.

You do this through repeated practice of regulating our reactions to stress, seeing it like a form of physical therapy for your nervous system. We can’t stop the train from leaving the station- our nervous system is reflexive and autopilot shifts on easily. Coping with C-PTSD means that we can catch the train quicker, slow it down quicker, and rope it back into the station more effectively.

Here are things you can do that will help you feel safer when you’re feeling fearful, including:

    • Practice mindful breathing: Take slow, deep breaths, focusing on your breath and trying to relax your body.

    • Practice progressive muscle relaxation: Slowly tense and relax each muscle group in your body, starting with your feet and working up to your head.

    • Engage in activities or grounding exercises that you find calming or enjoyable: Try yoga, meditation, or even just going for a walk in nature.

    • If possible, remove yourself or take a break from whatever situation makes you feel anxious until your nervous system calms down.

    • Take care of  your basic needs and your health make sure you are: eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise, engaging in activities you enjoy (like drawing, socializing, or playing music)

    • Challenge your negative thought patterns: Identify the negative thoughts that come up when you feel fear and challenge them with positive, more realistic thoughts.

    • Talk to friends and family: Sharing your experiences with someone can be a great way to reduce fear reactions and build a support system.

    • Seek professional help: If your fear reactions are persistent and affecting your quality of life, it might be beneficial to speak to a trauma-informed therapist who specializes in working with people who’ve experienced trauma.

Coping with C-PTSD can look like sharing your experiences with someone to reduce stress and build a support system.
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

learn the signs of your fear responses to retrain your nervous system

 

When you can reduce the fear reactions you experience when NO threat is present, you’re retraining your nervous system to become more accurate and less reactive. This triggers a slow but important domino effect where your thoughts are less connected to fear, your emotions are less connected to fear, and your behaviors are less driven by fear.

The result is that you’re in better control of your physical symptoms, you improve your self-care, and begin to feel more present in life. When we aren’t motored by worry, we have space for more emotions and can experience true safety.

Here are some things you can do when you’re not in a fearful state to begin to retrain the nervous system:

    • What were the real threats, or your “bears?” How did you respond to stay safe? Why was this most likely the safest way to react to the bear?
    • Identify any coping mechanisms or strategies that may no longer be serving you.
    • What is a non-threat that triggers fear? Can you notice and manage symptoms that come up? Why does this feel so much like a bear?

Healing from C-PTSD is possible

The journey toward healing and recovery from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a process. There is no one size fits all approach, and it can be particularly challenging when you’re working on your own. You need to be patient with yourself, but also know that it’s okay if you need help from others along the way.

Coping with Complex-PTSD and learning how to heal is ideal in the presence of a trained trauma therapist. A trauma-informed therapist can help give you the necessary tools to practice soothing yourself out of fear, and help you distinguish between real and perceived threats. If you’re ready to take control of your own safety and stop living in fear, reach out to begin the process of healing with trauma therapy today.

 

 

Your Turn: What were your bears? How did you respond to stay safe? How have you let go of fear-based behaviors that are no longer serving you?

The post  Coping with C-PTSD: Learning to Conquer Fear appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/learning-to-conquer-fear-coping-with-c-ptsd/feed/ 0
The Benefits of Group Therapy After a Higher Level of Care https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/the-benefits-of-group-therapy-after-higher-level-of-care/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/the-benefits-of-group-therapy-after-higher-level-of-care/#respond Thu, 16 Feb 2023 19:11:56 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=38022 Graduating from IOP or inpatient treatment can be exciting and scary at the same time. You’ve experienced a certain routine, structure, and support likely for several intensive weeks. Group therapy can be especially helpful if you’ve recently completed treatment and are looking for the next step in your mental health journey.

The post The Benefits of Group Therapy After a Higher Level of Care appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

Receiving Higher Levels of Care (HLOC) is a necessary step for many people in their healing journey, but it can often be difficult transitioning back into everyday life. The transition from residential placement, inpatient care, or an intensive outpatient program (IOP) back to outpatient treatment can feel scary and intimidating. Your treatment program likely provided a reliable structure and added support to your routine. Some people often find it helpful to have a supportive network ready to help them or their loved ones navigate this transition.

Group therapy is a great option if you’ve just completed an IOP or inpatient treatment and are looking for extra support and accountability. Groups can help you build supportive relationships and share experiences with others who can relate to your experience. Group therapy also offers a safe space for individuals to learn new skills and challenge any negative thought patterns or destructive behaviors.

A support group that fits your specific needs is likely a great resource in your aftercare plan post treatment. However, unlike member-run support groups, group therapists have the necessary qualifications, training, and clinical knowledge to provide guidance, targeted support, and accountability to help you along your emotional wellness journey.

Receiving a higher level of care is a necessary step for many people in their healing journey, but it can often be difficult transitioning back into everyday life.
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

How can group therapy help someone leaving an intensive outpatient program (IOP) or inpatient treatment program?

 

Group therapy acts as a structured yet open forum to discuss personal experiences and challenges. Many group members find that over time, what they practice and experience within the group has a direct impact on their thoughts, feelings and behaviors outside the group, in their day-to-day lives.

With the guidance of a trained professional in a group setting, you may expect to:
 

  1. Share and receive support and feedback among other group members
  2. Developing skills to better handle stress and enhance communication
  3. Learn and practice new effective coping strategies and techniques
  4. Identify and better understand triggers of distress
  5. Experience increased empathy and insight into personal and collective issues
  6. Work towards your own personal growth 
  7. Explore unhelpful thoughts, feelings and behaviors
  8. Create meaningful connections with others
  9. Develop healthier relationships with yourself and others

 

we offer virtual group therapy options for dbt and trauma

Dialectical Behavior Skills (DBT) Group, Trauma Skills Group, and a Trauma Processing Group.

Groups meet online once a week with one or two therapists and between 6-15 members who are seeking care for similar challenges. You’ll be guided through exercises and interventions, and engage in active group discussions. The overall flow of the session and group therapy activities carried out will be largely dependent on the style and the goals of the group.

spring cleaning grounding
Group therapy can help you explore unhelpful thoughts, behaviors, and feelings, and develop a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

Dialectical Behavior Skills (DBT) GroupTuesdays 5pm-6:30pm 

Our DBT skills group is an open group (meaning group members can come and go at any time) of 3-15 members. You’ll learn new techniques to better manage stress, cope with negative feelings, and improve your relationships. You can expect to deepen your emotional understanding of yourself, while improving how you communicate and relate to others. You’ll learn about and build four major skills of DBT:

 

    • Interpersonal Effectiveness– improve relationships, communication, and conflict management

       

    • Mindfulness– learn to be present and more engaged in life while accepting yourself without judgment

       

    • Emotion Regulation– recognize and express feelings in healthier ways while feeling greater control over your emotions

       

    • Distress Tolerance– manage crisis and extreme experiences of stress through the use of coping skills

       

 

 

Mindfulness is the practice of learning
to be present and more engaged in life, while accepting yourself without judgment.

Trauma Skills GroupWednesdays 5pm-6:30pm

If you’ve experienced trauma, we recommend starting with our trauma skills group to improve how you cope with unpleasant trauma symptoms. This is a closed group, which means it has the same members for the full 10 weeks.

You’ll learn effective coping skills to manage traumatic stress and gain knowledge about trauma’s impact on your thoughts, feelings, behaviors and relationships. In this group you can expect to feel heard and seen while healing through support from others who have also experienced trauma.

 

Trauma Processing Group Saturdays 9:30am-11am

Once you gain the foundational skills, we encourage you to join our trauma processing group to begin your journey towards healing. This is an open group which consists of 3-10 members.

You’ll learn how to build trust, feel less shame, and work through difficult emotions as you share your story with the guidance of a trained professional. You can expect to deepen your self-awareness, gain new perspectives, and foster a sense of connection and community with others in a safe space.

In our trauma skills group, you can expect to feel heard and seen while healing through support from others who have also experienced trauma.
financial infidelity

Group therapy has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health concerns including:

Anger issues – Group therapy can provide a safe space to discuss and effectively manage anger.

Social anxiety – Group therapy can help participants build confidence, support each other in difficult social scenarios and decrease fear of judging.

Grief and loss – Group therapy can provide a sense of community and understanding, help people better understand the bereavement process and support those struggling to cope with the loss of a loved one.

Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Group therapy can help people process and cope with traumatic life experiences, increase assertiveness, and learn strategies for regulated emotional responses.

Depression – Group therapy provides a supportive environment for individuals to gain insight into their negative thought patterns, discuss their feelings and learn problem-solving strategies to cope with depression.

Eating disorders – Group therapy can help individuals develop healthy attitudes and behaviors towards food and eating, increase understanding of their triggers and the causes of their disordered eating, and learn comprehensive methods of coping with their symptoms.

Substance abuse – Group therapy can aid individuals to identify patterns leading to substance abuse, recognize and control destructive triggers, develop social and recreational activities to replace substance usage and form strong, healthy relationships with peers.

Behavioral addictions – Group therapy for behavioral addictions such as gambling can provide structure and support to help individuals stay accountable and develop healthier relationships with themselves and others.

Stress management – Group therapy can encourage clients to discuss stressors and come up with effective strategies for responding to stress.

Low self-esteem – Group therapy can help individuals recognize and reframe unhelpful thinking patterns, develop assertiveness skills and receive positive feedback from their peers.

Family conflict – Group therapy can help families identify the causes of conflict, work through their disputes in a more constructive manner, build better communication methods and form stronger relationships.

Major life transitions – Group therapy can support individuals in adapting to new changes, allowing them to feel less isolated and more prepared for growth.

Chronic pain and illness – Group therapy can provide much needed support, understanding, and normalization for people suffering from chronic pain and illnesses. It can help create a sense of solidarity by allowing individuals to connect with others who genuinely understand the everyday struggles that come with managing chronic pain and illnesses.

Emotion regulation – Group therapy can help individuals identify and communicate their feelings in more constructive ways, improve how they cope with and respond to difficult feelings.

spring cleaning grounding
Group therapy can help individuals recognize and reframe unhelpful thinking patterns, develop assertiveness skills and receive positive feedback from others experiencing similar challenges.

Discover the benefits of group therapy

Graduating from IOP or inpatient treatment can be exciting and scary at the same time. You’ve experienced a certain routine, structure, and support likely for several intensive weeks. Group therapy can be especially helpful if you’ve recently completed treatment and are looking for the next step in your mental health journey.

You’ll be able to build on your progress and continue to practice how to cope more effectively, build meaningful relationships with other group members, share your experience in a safe, supportive environment, hear stories of healing and transformation, and ultimately heal and gain insight into yourself. Reach out today to schedule a complimentary consultation to see if group therapy is the right fit for you.

 

Your Turn: What helped you add extra structure and support into your routine after leaving a higher level of care? If you’ve participated in group therapy before, what benefits did you experience? Share in the comments below.

The post The Benefits of Group Therapy After a Higher Level of Care appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/the-benefits-of-group-therapy-after-higher-level-of-care/feed/ 0
How to Manage Emotional Flashbacks after Trauma https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-to-manage-emotional-flashbacks-after-trauma/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-to-manage-emotional-flashbacks-after-trauma/#respond Thu, 22 Dec 2022 03:37:51 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=35172 Emotional flashbacks can be jarring and upsetting. Explore ways to manage your flashbacks so that you can regain control of your life.

The post How to Manage Emotional Flashbacks after Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

Flashbacks are a common symptom of trauma disorders. Trauma is an experience of unmanageable stress following exposure to a threat or actual harm. Trauma can be responsible for lasting symptoms that rob you of a fulfilling life. A flashback is an intense recollection of a traumatic experience.

Emotional flashbacks don’t always give us time to prepare for them, and they can be jarring and upsetting when they happen. You might feel an extreme rush of emotions that feel out of your control. They occur when our system is triggered, and they can be difficult and challenging to understand.

Overtime, you might be uncomfortable with your feelings. You might even become afraid of your feelings.

While emotional flashbacks have the potential to be debilitating for many, it is possible to heal from this overwhelming symptom of trauma. By exploring different feelings and learning to experience emotion without fear, you can regain control of your body and your life. 

By exploring different feelings and learning to experience emotion without fear, you can regain control of your body and your life. 
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline

What are emotional flashbacks?

An emotional flashback is when it feels like you are reliving a traumatic experience, even when you’re not. These might feel like extremely intense emotions, physical sensations, or body activation for self-defense. This gives you a sense that you are actively reliving it and your body may feel the same level of terror, sadness, anger, hopelessness, etc.

These emotional experiences can feel very extreme and can be very difficult to endure. They can cause major changes in a person’s capacity to function – both in terms of day-to-day experiences as well as longer term goals.

What’s the difference between a flashback and an emotional flashback?

A flashback is when you experience a memory so intensely, it feels like you are reliving the traumatic experience. When your memory is horrifying to think about, the flashback is equally horrifying to endure.

Each person might experience flashback differently, but some common patterns include:

 

    • Vivid memories in the form of daydreams, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and hallucinations. It may feel like you’re seeing the traumatic experience happen, whether you see it in your head (like a daydream) or immersed in your environment (like a hallucination).
    • Dissociation in the form of detachment from reality, a loss of time, disconnection from the environment, or splitting
    • Terror in the form of panic attack, intense emotions, or total shut down
group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline
Emotional flashbacks can activate your fight, flight, or freeze response.

Emotional flashbacks are not what you see or hear in your memory- they are how you feel in your body during that memory. Emotional flashbacks are as diverse as the people experiencing them, but some common patterns include:

    • Extreme experience of emotions that feel out of control or confusing. Common emotions in flashbacks are fear, sadness, anger, or shame.
    • Activation of fight, flight, freeze, etc. where the body reacts as if facing actual threat of harm in real time.
    • Physical sensation memory such as pressure, pain, pleasure, or other body reactions.

It’s typical for flashbacks and emotional flashbacks to occur at the same time. With the flashback, you might see yourself standing outside in the cold. With an emotional flashback, you might start to shiver and tense up and become panicked about freezing.

 

Why do emotional flashbacks happen?

Your brain and body remember experiences to help you survive.

Your brain and body remember things to help you survive. When you are exposed to something scary or dangerous, your brain prioritizes that information, as it is deemed extra-important. The goal of this is to help you stay safe the next time you encounter something dangerous. This information is stored in your nervous system, which is a fast-acting messenger system.

One important type of information stored following a trauma is sensory information, or bits of memory connected to your five senses. Your brain might hold on to things you smelled, things you saw, things you heard, things you tasted, and things you felt. This includes emotions you might have been feeling before, during, or after the trauma. When a feeling is connected to a trauma trigger, you might experience an emotional flashback.

When we get a sense of fear or anxiety, our nervous system sends messages all throughout our body to get us ready for self-defense. This is called your fight/flight/freeze response. The nervous system might make your heart race, or make your breathing shallow, or cause your muscles to get tight. When you have a history of trauma, however, you feel scared more often, and your self-defense is more intense. This means your emotions might also feel more intense. Your body’s attempt at keeping you safe may actually add to your distress.

spring cleaning grounding
Your nervous system is a fast-acting messenger system. 

Where is emotional trauma stored?

Pretend you’re walking in the woods and you see a bear. That bear is a real threat to your safety, and it is best if you can get into self-defense mode as quickly as possible. Your muscles will need to tense, your heart rate will need to increase, and your breathing will need to change. Your digestion system will temporarily turn off, your thinking brain will temporarily turn off, and all of your resources will be directed at staying safe from the bear.

Because of how quick this process needs to be, information about safety is stored in your body. Muscle memory is when your body can react without having to think about it. Overtime, muscle memory becomes a reflex, and happens outside of your control.

For people with trauma, your muscle memory causes your body to feel like it did during your trauma. The reaction in your body can make you feel like you’re actively reliving it, even if you logically know you’re safe.

What triggers emotional flashbacks?

Our brain has a very large task of maintaining survival. If someone has been exposed to an experience where this survival was threatened, your brain is going to do everything it can to protect you from that experience moving forward. Unfortunately, the mechanisms for survival require your brain to remind you of possible threats, even if it is distressing. For people with trauma, your feelings become intertwined with these messages of threat.

You will always encounter emotions in some form. Feelings act as messages that tell you about your environment. 

You will always encounter emotions in some form. Feelings act as messages that tell you about your environment. Sadness tells you that you are in pain. Happiness tells you that you are doing something you like. Anger tells you there has been an injustice. Feelings are all around you all the time. While some feelings may be uncomfortable, feelings in general are a normal part of the human experience.

Unfortunately, emotional flashbacks are triggered when you experience a feeling. If you were sad during your trauma, feeling sad could trigger an emotional flashback. This might mean anytime you are sad, you also feel incredibly afraid. What makes emotional flashbacks complicated, is they can be triggered by very neutral, or even positive, experiences. Something as safe as a sad movie could put you into a state of fight or flight.

group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline
Whether it’s riding in a car on a road trip or jumping in a lake, we feel our memories all the time.  

What does an actual emotional flashback feel like?

We feel our memories all the time. Think about how you’re feeling while envisioning these scenarios to deepen your understanding of how your mind and body revisit experiences.

 

  •  Imagine for a moment that you are riding in a car on an interstate, and you roll the window down. Can you feel the sensation of air on your skin?
  •  Imagine you’re about to jump into a cold pool of water. Maybe you felt your body tense and you held your breath.
  •  Imagine the last time you experienced something funny. Did your face smile or get a twitch in your belly?

Emotional flashbacks are more insidious. Traumatic memories often include experiences of harm, neglect, and danger. Imagine instead, that the emotions and physical sensations you recall are associated with a memory of extreme terror, hopelessness, or overwhelm. 

When thinking about your traumatic experiences, you might get a sensation of heat or heaviness in your chest. You might be hit with a sudden experience of terror, discomfort, or an extreme sensation that feels out of control. Your body might instantly become unsafe or unstable.

Why do I experience emotional flashbacks?

Emotional flashbacks are often a symptom of trauma. Trauma is a broad experience, and many people have trauma even if they don’t realize it. Flashbacks of any kind usually come from your own lived experience, but not always.

Firsthand flashbacks are when the memory is your own. You might be the target of the threat, or you were observing someone else being the target of the threat.

Secondhand flashbacks, or vicarious trauma, are when the memory was created after hearing about someone else’s story. You might hear about trauma from a family member in vivid detail, causing an intense emotional reaction.

You might have emotional flashbacks even if you can’t remember your trauma. If you are having emotional flashbacks, you could benefit from talking with a trained therapist to explore a possible history of trauma.

How can I cope with emotional flashbacks?

Emotional flashbacks are triggered by feelings, and feelings are impossible to hide from. You might find yourself trying to numb certain emotions or avoid certain emotions. Emotional flashbacks can increase the risk of dissociation as you attempt to escape your body. This might increase isolation as an attempt to reduce triggers in your life.

Over time, you may rely on harmful or unhealthy coping behaviors that impact your mental health. Someone might overuse  substances, develop eating disorders, or engage in self-harm. These are all attempts that may provide relief in the short-term to control how you feel and to reduce the emotional reaction in your body.

By learning that emotional flashbacks are a form of muscle memory for your body to keep you safe, you can develop a better understanding for how to manage them.

By learning that emotional flashbacks are a form of muscle memory for your body to keep you safe, you can develop a better understanding for how to manage them. Working with a trauma therapist can help you learn new ways to respond to feelings and practice being safe in your body. Trauma therapy can safely expose you to certain feelings to help you get used to the experience and make it less scary. You might practice “feeling sad” in therapy and then get support through skills and compassion.

Over time, this makes the feeling more tolerable and for some- even enjoyable! We can’t imagine feeling better until we actually experience feeling better. While feelings of sadness might cause a lot of pain now, you could one day enjoy a sad song or watching a sad movie. Maybe happiness has been tarnished by a difficult experience, but in the future you might find yourself feeling joy and appreciation. When we learn to understand our feelings, our feelings become safer to feel.

We can’t imagine feeling better until we actually experience feeling better.
financial infidelity

Strategies for coping with unwanted flashbacks

Emotional flashbacks can sometimes feel impossible to tolerate, but with practice and support, you can learn to sit in your emotions more comfortably. According to Pete Walker, a specialist in complex trauma, there are steps that can be taken to improve your ability to experience your feelings.

 

  1. Work with a qualified professional to learn about your emotions, recognize triggers that set-off your flashbacks, and to safely reconnect with your body.
  2. Participate in targeted trauma therapy to establish peace in your present life, to nurture your wounded parts, and practice safely recalling your traumatic experiences.
  3. Learn and implement tools to improve safety, to challenge critical thoughts, and to improve supportive connections with others.
  4. Remember that all emotions can be safe, your flashbacks will pass with time, and be patient with yourself as the most stable recovery is a process that takes time.

With support, healing is possible

Through healing, you’ll be able to release yourself from the paralysis of fear and avoidance. 

Emotional flashbacks can be overwhelming and often unbearable. Through healing, you’ll be able to release yourself from the paralysis of fear and avoidance. You’ll be able to trust yourself more and be less overwhelmed by the possibility of reliving past pain and traumatic experiences with intolerable emotion.

Learning how to manage your flashbacks and heal from some of your experiences can give you the freedom to move forward in a new way – a way that allows you to live how you desire and deserve. The goal is to no longer avoid unwanted feelings and to live life more present and open. 

group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline
Learning how to manage your flashbacks and heal from some of your experiences can give you the freedom to move forward in a new way – a way that allows you to live how you desire and deserve.

Although healing from trauma can feel like a daunting journey, it’s possible with the right support. As a trauma therapist, I have experience helping clients just like you learn how to successfully cope with unwanted emotions and emotional flashbacks so that they can feel better.

My wish for you is that you’ve found this helpful in your journey to also begin healing from trauma. If any of this resonates with you or you’d like to learn more about how to manage emotional flashbacks, please get in touch with me today.

 

Your Turn: How have you managed emotional flashbacks? What’s helped you along the way? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post How to Manage Emotional Flashbacks after Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-to-manage-emotional-flashbacks-after-trauma/feed/ 0
Prolonged Grief Disorder: Here’s Why We Should Be Talking About It https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/prolonged-grief-disorder/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/prolonged-grief-disorder/#respond Wed, 06 Apr 2022 14:58:11 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=18627 Do you feel “stuck” in your grief? Understanding prolonged grief disorder may provide some much-needed answers - and relief.

The post Prolonged Grief Disorder: Here’s Why We Should Be Talking About It appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

If you’ve suffered the loss of a loved one during the pandemic, and you’re struggling to readjust to normal life, you’re not alone.

Many people, right now, are wondering why they can’t move on or why they feel “stuck” in their grief. Prolonged grief disorder may provide some much-needed answers – and relief.

What you’re going through is not your fault. It’s an understandable response to an incredibly painful experience of loss and the inability to process that loss fully due to the pandemic.

Knowing the signs of prolonged grief disorder can help you or someone you care about get the help they need.

prolonged grief disorder
Knowing the signs of prolonged grief disorder can help you or someone you care about get the help they need.

What is Prolonged Grief Disorder

Prolonged grief, also referred to as complicated grief, has just been added to the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in light of the pandemic. This goes to prove that we still may not completely understand the far reaching impact COVID-19 has had on our collective mental health.

Prolonged Grief Disorder looks like an intense longing for the person you’ve lost and fixation on thoughts of the deceased. Someone suffering from prolonged grief may find it difficult to function on a daily basis and struggle to return to a new normal.

Getting support immediately when you recognize the signs can break the cycle and help you start your healing process.

Prolonged grief differs from normal grief in intensity and duration. The grief reactions you tend to see in the days or weeks immediately following a death – crying, trouble sleeping and eating, withdrawing from relationships – may go on for months or even years after the loss.

While there is no exact threshold for when normal grief crosses into prolonged grief, the new diagnosis states that if you remain incapacitated and unable to return to your daily life 12 months after a loss, you may be suffering from prolonged grief disorder.

It’s important to remember that since everyone moves through grief at their own pace, the 12 month guideline should be taken as a rule of thumb. The duration of your grief is not the only determining factor. It’s when grief becomes debilitating and goes beyond what is considered normal that can indicate prolonged grief disorder.

Prolonged Grief Disorder Criteria

People who suffer from prolonged grief disorder may look like they cannot fully move on from their loss. They struggle to accept the loss and cope with it on a day to day basis. It’s a feeling of being trapped in their grief and not knowing how to break the cycle.

These symptoms, especially if they persist for over 12 months, can signal prolonged grief disorder. But remember, you don’t have to wait until the 12th month mark in order to seek help. Getting support immediately when you recognize the signs can break the cycle and help you start your healing process. Other indicators of prolonged grief include:

 

  • Intense longing for the deceased
  • Denial and inability to accept the loss
  • Ruminating thoughts about the deceased or the circumstances surrounding their death
  • Feeling numb
  • Believing that life is meaningless
  • Problems functioning in your social, work, or school life
  • Avoiding reminders of the deceased
  • Feeling as though a part of you has died
  • Catastrophizing about the future
  • Self-blame
  • Difficulty planning for the focus
  • Anger or irritability
  • Difficulty focusing
  • Feeling alone or detached from others
prolonged grief
People suffering from prolonged grief may not even realize there’s a name for what they’re experiencing.

Who’s at Risk?

People who have lost a primary relationship – such as a partner, child, or parent – are at higher risk for developing prolonged grief disorder. Deaths that are abrupt or violent can also put you at higher risk.

Lastly, the sheer magnitude of loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic puts many more people at risk of developing prolonged grief disorder.

Navigating the loss of a loved one under normal circumstances is difficult enough. When you step back and see how the pandemic took away many of the structures in place that help people cope with a loss, you can understand why this loss may look and feel different.

Not being able to be by your loved one’s side in their final moments, celebrate their life, or lean on your support system could have strongly disrupted your grieving process. It could have even made it impossible to move forward.

We don’t know yet what far-reaching implications the pandemic has had on people’s grieving process. But the introduction of a new diagnosis may give people the language and the tools they need to seek help.

Why Should You Care about Prolonged Grief Disorder?

Because prolonged grief is a relatively new diagnosis, many people do not know about prolonged grief disorder or what it looks like. People suffering from prolonged grief may not even realize there’s a name for what they’re experiencing.

In fact, many people suffering mistake what’s going on as depression – which doesn’t quite capture the nuance of prolonged grief disorder. Similarly, people suffering from prolonged grief disorder don’t respond well to treatment for depression.

In prolonged grief disorder, your brain’s reward system lights up when you think of the deceased. This is a bodily response that more closely mimics addiction than depression. As such, prolonged grief disorder requires its own unique treatment plan.

Psychologists estimate a wave of prolonged grief cases in the upcoming years. COVID-19 has left a wake of bereaved people and continues to do so. People who have lost someone during the pandemic could be at a higher risk to develop the disorder.

It’s important to stay educated on the symptoms of prolonged grief to recognize the symptoms in yourself or someone close to you.

Thankfully, recognizing prolonged grief disorder in yourself or someone close to you is the first step toward healing

How Therapy can Help 

Thankfully, recognizing prolonged grief disorder in yourself or someone close to you is the first step toward healing. Prolonged grief disorder is responsive to treatment, and therapy can help you find your way back to yourself. You can learn to live with loss and find the ability to be happy again. 

If you’re suffering with intense and unrelenting feelings of grief, schedule a free consultation with one of our therapists specializing in Prolonged Grief Disorder today. 

Your Turn: Do you suspect yourself or a loved one has experienced Prolonged Grief Disorder? Share your experience and how you cope in the comments below.

The post Prolonged Grief Disorder: Here’s Why We Should Be Talking About It appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/prolonged-grief-disorder/feed/ 0
3 Essential Tips on How to Heal Emotional Wounds and Trauma https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-to-heal-emotional-wounds/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-to-heal-emotional-wounds/#respond Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:12:59 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=14082 The post 3 Essential Tips on How to Heal Emotional Wounds and Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

W hen we think of the term “healing”, we tend to first think of a physical injury— a broken bone, a strained muscle, an open wound. We can acknowledge that each requires time, rest, a tender touch, and medical attention in order for healing to take place and occur properly so that all is restored. But what happens when the wound is an emotional one? Learn three tips for how to heal emotional wounds and recover from trauma. 

What is emotional trauma?

Emotional and psychological traumas are the result of extremely stressful events that leave us feeling unsafe and disconnected from everyone around us. They leave us feeling helpless, powerless, and overwhelmed. Many people also experience painful feelings and memories as well as anxiety that won’t go away. 

Just like the traumas that the body endures, we need to recognize that we each experience a range of emotional traumas as the result of life’s many hardships. Emotional trauma is suffered by the mind, heart, or spirit. It can stem from any number of experiences, including:

 

Emotional trauma can leave us feeling helpless, powerless, and overwhelmed.
anxiety

Emotional and psychological traumas are the result of extremely stressful events that leave us feeling unsafe and disconnected from everyone around us.

click to tweet Click to tweet

What are the symptoms of emotional or psychological trauma?

Emotional traumas can often be difficult to detect because symptoms manifest differently from person to person. Some might fall into a deep depression and pull away from everyone. Others might mask their pain with drugs, alcohol, or some other acting-out behaviors. Many people might appear to carry on as if it’s business as usual.

Issues of the mind and heart are harder to detect. Therefore, they are easier to hide from the outside world.  As a result, we fool ourselves into dismissing, ignoring, or avoiding them in an effort to convince ourselves that we are okay and should just “move on”. But just like any physical wound, a broken heart requires attention, care, love, and healing.  We must go through an emotional healing process. Understanding the stages of trauma and recovery is a helpful place to start. 

generalized anxiety
Emotional traumas can often be difficult to detect because symptoms manifest differently from person to person.

How to heal yourself emotionally from trauma or tragedy

The best course of action for healing old emotional wounds is to be an active participant in your healing process. Here are three tips for healing emotional wounds to recover from trauma: 

Healing Trauma Tip #1: Practice Identifying The Cause 

Injuries to our mind, heart, and spirit must first be identified and acknowledged before they can be treated. So often we walk around carrying pains we don’t even remember picking up.  We carry them with us through life. Sometimes, this pain begins in early childhood and stays with us as we navigate adulthood. Other times, sudden shifts or unexpected life changes throw us into a crisis of identity that leaves us feeling lost. 

Either way, you will not be able to release the pain you have been carrying if you don’t know that you’re holding onto it.  You cannot heal an emotional wound that you invalidate or resist acknowledging. 

Ways to identify the cause of emotional wounds

As a therapist, identifying the root causes of clients’ emotional pain and suffering is part of my mission. Meeting with a therapist or counselor is a fantastic opportunity to get in touch with your suffering and general discomfort associated with healing emotional pain.  In order to address the underlying trauma, it’s important that you work with a therapist who is both trained in treating trauma and a good fit for your personality. Feeling understood and supported is key to this process.

If you’re reluctant to see a professional, or if professional help is not available, you can still begin to understand the causes of your pain through honestly examining yourself. Look at the people in your life.  Determine who and what is triggering your suffering and take notes.  Keeping track of thoughts and in a journal can help you find patterns.

If you can’t work with a therapist right away, taking stock of what is causing pain is an important first step. Then you can move toward deciding how to heal emotionally.

If you can’t work with a therapist right away, taking stock of what is causing pain is an important first step. Then you can move toward deciding how to heal emotionally.

click to tweet Click to tweet

Healing Trauma Tip #2: Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness means being self-aware and present in the current moment. This is key to a peaceful life at any stage, but especially after emotional trauma. There’s a reason why people need to take time off from work and social engagements after a breakup or significant loss. Slowing down allows us to acknowledge and validate our pain and wounded feelings. This is much better than masking it with busy schedules or obligations.

Additionally, because mindfulness aligns you with the power of now, the traumas of your past will slowly begin to have less control over your emotional state. I tell my clients that healing occurs in the present, not by dredging through all of the trauma forever. We may revisit the traumatic moments as a means of releasing the pain and so that the wound can be uncovered.  However, we do not live in the past or stay there for too long. Mindfulness can help retrain your brain to react differently to painful thoughts and memories.

Once you get to the root cause of your pain, you must lean into it and allow yourself to release it. The past only exists in the mind.  Where you once were a victim, you can now choose to be a survivor by focusing on the beautiful opportunities available to you in the present moment. This is what a positive mental healing process involves.

spring cleaning grounding
Healing occurs in the present, not by dredging through all of the trauma forever.

Healing Trauma Tip #3: Practice Patience

Another crucial aspect of emotional healing is patience. We all know that if you pick at a wound, it won’t heal. If you don’t rest a strained muscle, you risk further damage. The same is true of emotional scars. Stop interfering. Give yourself real time to heal.  You cannot put a deadline on your progress. 

The choice to heal emotions can be made at any given moment. However, it may take a significant part of a lifetime to heal deeply rooted suffering. Rushing yourself will only result in more distress. Instead, breathe and continue to encourage yourself. Be proud of every step you are taking towards repairing your mental, emotional, and spiritual wounds. Check out this blog post for how breathwork can help you manage overwhelming emotions, including anxiety.

Are you prepared to heal emotional wounds that are keeping you stuck?

The therapists at Clarity Therapy NYC work with people every day who have experienced various kinds of trauma. They help clients develop a healthier view of themselves, strengthen their relationships, and build a new sense of purpose. As a result, people feel more peaceful, whole, and safe. Are you ready to work toward healing?

Your Turn: What coping methods have you found success with to heal emotional wounds? Share what’s worked for you in the comments below.

The post 3 Essential Tips on How to Heal Emotional Wounds and Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/how-to-heal-emotional-wounds/feed/ 0
Why Teachers Need Our Support Now More Than Ever https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/why-teachers-need-our-support-now-more-than-ever/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/why-teachers-need-our-support-now-more-than-ever/#respond Sat, 19 Dec 2020 03:27:27 +0000 https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/?p=9784 Teachers often take on the stress and emotions of their students. This year in particular, teachers may experience more vicarious trauma.

The post Why Teachers Need Our Support Now More Than Ever appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

In normal years, teachers often take on and hold the stress and emotions of their students. Some teachers think of themselves as second parents to these children, spending hours each day of the week with them. Believe it or not, most teachers don’t stop at caring about their students’ academic achievements. They are oftentimes the first line of support for students experiencing any social emotional struggles or concerns.

Working in a school based mental health center for years, I witnessed first-hand that it was often, if not always, the teachers who noticed when something was “off” with a student, and came to the wellness center to address this and try to get their student the support that they needed. This is no easy task, putting the emotional wellbeing of each of your students on your plate, in addition to your actual job description of giving them a quality education. I have heard of many teachers who spend their nights worried about students who shared their not so great home situation, or the student who told them about their eating disorder. We don’t often look at teachers as this first line of support to our children and adolescents, but it’s time that we start.

We don’t often look at teachers as the first line of support to our children and adolescents, but it’s time that we start.

click to tweet Click to tweet

This year, it’s no secret that the presence of stress and negative emotions students will be bringing in will be elevated. Many students are dealing with the burden of grief and loss for the very first time. They’ve been exposed to trauma in many forms caused by the media and recent social-political movements, as well as lingering effects of isolation. When teachers care for their students, they may begin to experience vicarious trauma – indirect trauma that stems from engagement in others traumatic stories and experiences.

Aside from the feelings of their students, teachers are likely coming in with some of their own concerns as well. Whether it was the loss of a loved one, financial struggles, or the stress and self-doubt of having to adjust to this brand new virtual/hybrid learning, this year will likely not be an easy one for our educators.

Whether it was the loss of a loved one, financial struggles, or the stress and self-doubt of having to adjust to this brand new virtual/hybrid learning, this year will likely not be an easy one for teachers.
hybrid learning and teachers

Signs that it is time to seek help

The biggest indicator for a teacher that it might be time to seek support is burnout. Burn out refers to a state of exhaustion – on psychological, emotional, and physical levels. We begin to experience this when we feel continuously overwhelmed and stressed by life and work.

We become especially susceptible to burnout when we take our work home with us.

click to tweet Click to tweet

We become especially susceptible to burnout when we take our work home with us. If we’re finding that we are spending hours each night thinking about our students; how can we be better virtual educators, how is that one student that we’re worried about holding up – it begins to consume our lives.

There are signs that can give us clues that we may benefit from an additional form of support.

You can notice if you’re in danger of experiencing burnout if you’re feeling a few of the physical or psychological symptoms listed below:

Psychological Symptoms of Burnout

  • Feeling more irritable
  • Loss of motivation for work
  • Having trouble feeling compassion
  • Reduced performance at work
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Excessive stress
  • Sadness or Anger
  • Anxiety
  • Difficulty Sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Feeling ineffective at work
  • Forgetfulness

Physical Symptoms of Burnout

 

  • Feeling tired more easily
  • High blood pressure
  • Headaches
  • Stomach aches or  other gastrointestinal symptoms
  • Increased susceptibility to illness
  • Loss of appetite
hybrid learning and teachers
Pay attention to any of your symptoms. Are you in danger of experiencing burnout?

The benefits of therapy for teachers

Teachers, like most people, would benefit from therapy as a place to debrief, learn coping skills, and process everything they take in daily. We often hear teachers describe the shocking lack of support they receive just to do their jobs on a basic level. What’s worse is that even schools that are equipped with mental health centers for the students often don’t serve the teacher population the same way.

Think about the care you give to each and every one of your students, and afford yourself that same compassion.

click to tweet Click to tweet

When you’re on an airplane and they tell you to always put on your mask before helping others, this is for a reason. If our mask isn’t on first, we may be unable and inept to help anyone else. This is a metaphor that can be used for our mental health and self-care as well. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, how can we possibly be there and take care of others. As a teacher, you are responsible for so many on a daily basis. It is especially important to put your mask on first! You will be the best teacher you can be if you take care of yourself first. Think about the care you give to each and every one of your students, and afford yourself that same compassion.

Therapy has many benefits for people of all ages and careers. For our teachers out there, therapy can help you:

 

  • Learn how to effectively set boundaries with colleagues, students, and parents without feeling guilty
  • Learn effective communication skills to advocate for yourself in your career and life
  • Explore and determine the safety measures that feel right for you
  • Receive support for all feelings that come up during your day to day living
  • Process the many experiences that come your way each work day
  • Better manage stress and anxiety so that you feel more in control inside and outside of the classroom
  • Learn how to leave the stresses of the work day at work, instead of “bringing them home” with you
Explore and determine the safety measures that feel right for you. Learn how to leave the stresses of the work day at work, instead of “bringing them home” with you.
coping with imposter syndrome

Teachers are under an enormous amount of pressure, even during the best of times. Due to the stress of being back at school during an ongoing pandemic, teachers may feel like they’re being thrown into the deep end without a life preserver.

Now more than ever it’s vital for teachers to reach out and receive care and support. These are just a few of the many benefits you can take from seeking support with a therapist. If you are, or know, a teacher who may be struggling this school year please encourage them to reach out for support.

Your Turn: How do you combat signs of burnout? What do these signs look like for you? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below.

The post Why Teachers Need Our Support Now More Than Ever appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>
https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/why-teachers-need-our-support-now-more-than-ever/feed/ 0
Cybervictimization: A Hidden Perpetrator of Race-Based Trauma https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/cybervictimization-a-hidden-perpetrator-of-race-based-trauma/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/cybervictimization-a-hidden-perpetrator-of-race-based-trauma/#respond Sat, 19 Dec 2020 03:05:21 +0000 http://resourceful-nonfiction.flywheelsites.com/?p=8863 Racism is systemic and has led to generations of race-based trauma. Technology has provided an outlet for racism via cybervictimization and bullying.

The post Cybervictimization: A Hidden Perpetrator of Race-Based Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

]]>

After centuries of trauma and oppression, the impact of racism in the United States is finally being brought to light.  Racism is systemically ingrained in our society and has led to generations of race-based trauma.  While the racist activity of today is often less blatant and overt than in the past, technology has provided an outlet for both blatant and subtle racism via cybervictimization and bullying.

Cyberbullying and cybervictimization are terms that can be used interchangeably to describe acts of harm towards others online.  However, cybervictimization may also refer to the longer-lasting consequences as a result of cyberbullying, such as race-based trauma.  Cyberbullying is often mistakenly thought to be a problem exclusive to youth.  However, it occurs across all age groups, perhaps even more so in racially-motivated ways.

Race-Based Trauma
Cyberbullying is often mistakenly thought to be a problem exclusive to youth.  However, it occurs across all age groups, perhaps even more so in racially-motivated ways.

What is race-based trauma?

Race-based trauma is a form of complex, internal traumatic responses resulting from overt, covert, and systemic acts of racism.  Race-based trauma is chronic and tends to include experiences such as hypervigilance, fear, feeling “on-edge,” irritability, depression, trouble concentrating, and distrust.  These responses have been learned as a means of survival in a society where people of color are not treated with the same value as the majority.

Recent events have extubated traumatic experiences.  With the recent killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery, Black individuals are being reminded of how unsafe society can be for them.  Oftentimes, emotional reactions are dismissed or invalidated by those in positions of privilege.  Other times, the idea of systemic racism is denied altogether.  This invalidation, known as gaslighting, adds fuel to fire of race-based trauma.

For a more in-depth look at race-based trauma and how to cope, see my previous post, 6 Ways to Cope with Race-Based Trauma.

How cyberbullying plays a part

The internet provides many outlets for overt and covert racism to occur. Overt racism includes acts such as verbal abuse, racial slurs, and acts of violence. Covert racism includes subtle acts to subvert, distort, restrict, and deny racial minorities access to societal privileges and benefits. This can include microaggressions, which by nature are difficult to detect as they include subtle messages and behaviors that highlight racist attitudes. These often involve harmful assumptions about black people or the denial of equitable opportunities.

With the veil of anonymity and sense of safety behind the screen, individuals have an easier time displaying both overt and covert racism, even in actions that are deemed socially unacceptable by today’s standards. Acts of cyberbullying can occur on an individual, group, or systemic level.

With the veil of anonymity and sense of safety behind the screen, individuals have an easier time displaying both overt and covert racism, even in actions that are deemed socially unacceptable by today’s standards.

click to tweet Click to tweet

Common acts of race-based cybervictimization and cyberbullying include racist memes and jokes, overt abuse and racist remarks directed towards an individual of color, racist remarks directed towards an ethnicity or racial group, derogatory comments or jokes made about victims of racism (i.e. jokes about the death of George Floyd), white supremacist groups and forums, sharing inaccurate or biased information against people of color, defamation, denial of racism, censoring the voices of people of color, and invalidating expressions of pain and injustice from people of color.

Race-based cybervictimization can be isolating and disempowering. It often removes the ability to defend oneself, and the perpetrator may receive no consequence for their actions. The acts of racism may also be publicized.

The power imbalance, lack of defense, and lack of consequences of cyberbullying are as profound as the overt racism from decades prior. Research is currently underway that suggests that Black people are especially prone to race-based trauma and cybervictimization. Compared to other ethnic groups, Black people may be the most likely to experience acts of race-based cyberbullying. Black people may also experience the strongest traumatic effects due to it. Research also shows that the effects of cybervictimization can be as profound as any trauma leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

race and racism
The power imbalance, lack of defense, and lack of consequences of cyberbullying are as profound as the overt racism from decades prior.

In general, cyberbullying can lead to serious mental health consequences. These can include:

  • Major depression
  • Shame
  • Low self-esteem and self-worth
  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Agoraphobia (fear of leaving home)
  • Self-harm
  • Suicide
  • Those who experience cyberbullying are also more likely to drop out of school or experience challenges at work.

    Cyberbullying does not need to be directed at an individual.  As mentioned, it can happen on a group or systemic level as well.  Gaslighting is a major problem when dealing with these levels of cybervictimization.  For example, let’s say you come across a racist joke or meme posted by a friend on social media.  This is a form of cyberbullying and cybervictimization.  Perhaps this joke upset you, and you express your feelings about it to this person.  The person may respond with something similar to, “It was just a joke” or “you’re being too sensitive.”  This is a form of gaslighting, which further contributes to race-based trauma. This contributes to  an individual questioning their lived experience, authentic emotions, and having to manage legitimate levels of outrage out of concern about how they may be perceived.

    The responsibility to end racism shouldn’t fall on People of Color

    Ending systemic racism is the responsibility of those in positions of privilege. It’s the responsibility of white people to hold themselves and each other accountable for acts of racism. Anti-racist sentiment is just as easy to accomplish online as racist sentiment, and white people should be actively anti-racist. At the same time, it is also the responsibility of white people to avoid acting as a “white savor.” White saviorism is when a white person serves in a helping role for a person of color in a way that is also self-serving or attention-seeking, making the white person appear heroic in some form. Elevating the voices of People of Color and allowing the space for self-empowerment is crucial.

    It’s the responsibility of white people to hold themselves and each other accountable for acts of racism.

    click to tweet Click to tweet
    race and racism
    Elevating the voices of People of Color and allowing the space for self-empowerment is crucial.

    Coping with cybervictimization

    One problem that people of color, especially women, have to deal with is the idea of always having to be “strong.” Well-intentioned people may try to empower people of color by saying something like, “You’re so strong” in situations of adversity. While it may be true, it can also be exhausting to constantly live up to the idea of being a strong person. This can also be a harmful race-based trope of the “strong black woman.” While the intention is to empower the individual, it can oftentimes take away the reality and space which allows individuals to be a full human, that is allowing for moments of strength and vulnerability.

    It also contributes to and plays on the fact that black women have had to be strong figures within the family unit due to direct and indirect impacts of chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws, and mass incarceration. Kind sentiments also do little to change systemic racism. It is OK to be tired of always having to be strong and it’s OK to not always be strong.

     

    1. Recognize and avoid self-blame or internalization

    Cybervictimization is always the fault of the perpetrator.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    When we are on the receiving end of cybervictimization, we often become more critical of ourselves. If bullying occurs on an individual-level, we may wonder if we did something to deserve it, or regret standing up for ourselves. Cybervictimization is always the fault of the perpetrator. Being aware of this practice, and stopping ourselves when we notice it, can reduce the internalization of these experiences.

    2. Remove the harm from your environment.

    With the importance of technology and social media in the modern world, this task can be challenging. It is OK to delete victimizing “friends” from our account, create new social media accounts, or take a break from social media completely. It’s helpful to reflect upon what would make your online environment the most comfortable and plan accordingly. How you remove the harm from your online environment is up to you.

    self-love
    How you remove the harm from your online environment is up to you.

    3. Find social support.

    Connecting with supportive friends and family is absolutely vital to well-being. It is even more important when dealing with trauma of any form.

    Connecting with supportive friends and family is absolutely vital to well-being.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    Online support groups can also help. DailyStrength.org has support groups dedicated to a wide range of issues, including cyberbullying. Connecting with a counselor is also helpful.

    4. Connect with empowering organizations and online communities.

    There are many organizations dedicated to empowering people of color. To find an organization, see the articles 28 Organizations that Empower Black Communities, 50 WOC-led Organizations in the U.S. That We Should Support, and 11 Hispanic and Latino Organizations Everyone Should Know.

    Finding a therapist

    When searching for a therapist, it is important to find someone who you feel is a valuable ally. If a therapist is of a different racial or ethnic background than you, it is good to explore their stance on anti-racism. It is also OK to inquire about what they have done to fight against racism. It is important to feel comfortable with your therapist, so don’t be afraid to ask.

    It’s important that you feel heard, seen, and understood in your lived experience by your therapist.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    It is also OK to request a therapist of the same racial or ethnic background as you. Being able to voice your needs means that you empower yourself in your journey to improved emotional wellbeing. After all, the relationship and rapport you have with your therapist is key to your success in therapy. It’s important that you feel heard, seen, and understood in your lived experience by your therapist. Finding the right therapist means finding an unconditional source of support and genuine connection.

    The Bottom Line

    You deserve to feel heard, be valued, and feel safe online. Many resources are available to combat race-based trauma and cybervictimization, and you never have to deal with the trauma alone. While technology has allowed cybervictimization to occur, it also provides avenues and opportunity to fight against it.

    Your Turn: Have you experienced cyberbullying due to your race or ethnicity? How did you handle it? Share what helped you to cope in the comments below.

    The post Cybervictimization: A Hidden Perpetrator of Race-Based Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

    ]]>
    https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/cybervictimization-a-hidden-perpetrator-of-race-based-trauma/feed/ 0
    6 Ways to Cope With Race-Based Trauma https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/6-ways-to-cope-with-race-based-trauma/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/6-ways-to-cope-with-race-based-trauma/#respond Mon, 24 Aug 2020 12:17:47 +0000 https://claritytherapyonline.com/?p=4251 When people hear the word “trauma,” they often think of one single, dramatic, life-changing event or moment in time. Race-based trauma occurs much more insidiously, on a systemic level, and is experienced through both micro and macroaggressions.

    The post 6 Ways to Cope With Race-Based Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

    ]]>

    Our nation is in the throes of a powerful social movement—one that’s been determined, in fact, to be one of the largest in U.S. history.

    With the recent and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other black Americans killed while going about their daily lives, the Black Lives Matter movement has been at the forefront of personal, corporate, and legislative conversations.

    While the world grapples with issues of systemic injustice, it’s important to keep in mind how this unique form of trauma impacts the health of individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color).

    Conversations around health disparities related to racism are entering the mainstream, in part because of the wildly disproportionate effects of COVID-19 that have been seen in racial and ethnic minority groups. It’s crucial that mental health is included in those conversations and, specifically, that people are taught to understand how race-based trauma impacts our immediate mental health, while also having greater, lasting health implications.

    race-based trauma
    With the recent and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other black Americans killed while going about their daily lives, the Black Lives Matter movement has been at the forefront of personal, corporate, and legislative conversations.

     

    For example, we know that racism can profoundly impact our health. The stress of discrimination can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and even premature mortality. 

    We also know that black Americans and other minorities receive inferior healthcare compared to their white counterparts. Black mothers are three to four times more likely to die due to complications in childbirth than white mothers. Even tennis champion Serena Williams, who attempted to alert her doctors of pre-existing issues after giving birth, wasn’t immune from this life-threatening bias.

    What Is Race-Based Trauma? 

    When people hear the word “trauma,” they often think of one single, dramatic, life-changing event or moment in time. Race-based trauma occurs much more insidiously, on a systemic level, and is experienced through both micro and macroaggressions. 

    Race-based trauma refers to people of color’s reactions to dangerous events and experiences of racial discrimination. These events can have such a pervasive impact on an individual because of the subtle and nefarious nature of insidious trauma. 

    The impact of race-based trauma can alter an individual’s perception of the world, their sense of self, and the nature of their relationships.

    What Are Microaggressions? 

    A microaggression is a subtle stab, often with language, that stems from a long history of oppression. It sends a hostile or negative message, and although these messages may appear harmless to outsiders (in fact, perpetrators may themselves be unaware of the biases reflected in such statements), they’re considered covert forms of discrimination. 

    Microaggressions are sometimes so insidious that it’s possible that an individual experiencing them may not fully realize how internalizing them is negatively affecting their wellbeing.

    One example of a microaggression would be a black woman being told in a surprised tone, “You’re so articulate.” On the surface, it seems the speaker is being complimentary, but the covert assumption is that as a black woman, you’re not supposed to be as intelligent or well-spoken as a white person. The speaker is inferring that they believed you to be one way and is surprised their assumption is untrue, simply based on the color of your skin. 

    Worse yet, if the person perpetrating the microaggression is well-intentioned, as in the case of a friend or colleague, they may be shocked or confused if confronted on why these types of comments are damaging. Such conversations sometimes lead to the perpetrator unintentionally gaslighting the person of color: The burden of the interaction is redirected to the person of color, who further internalized that stress and trauma.

    protect your space
    If the person perpetrating the microaggression is well-intentioned, as in the case of a friend or colleague, they may be shocked or confused if confronted on why these types of comments are damaging.
    The world of dating provides another example of how insidious and subtle systemic racism can be.

    Some of my BIPOC female clients tend to struggle with issues surrounding appearance and desirability, which is only amplified when dating. They begin to question their attractiveness compared to what are considered conventional white-European or otherwise Westernized standards of beauty. In our sessions, I help my clients explore their early experiences and where these feelings originated. 

    From a young age, most people of color see that people in positions of power as well as ideal images of beauty look differently than they do. It’s no surprise, then, that feelings of inadequacy or self-esteem may arise as a result. Essentially, people of color have to grow up in a society that values things they don’t have.

    What Are Macroaggressions?

    Unlike microaggressions, which are more subtle or ambiguous, macroaggressions refer to overt forms of racial discimination such as verbal abuse, racials slurs, or hate crimes. In today’s world, macroaggressions are typically considered less socially acceptable, and for this reason may occur less frequently than microaggressions.

    What Does Race-Based Trauma Look Like?

    Race-based trauma can exhibit itself in many different forms. Here are some of the psychological symptoms commonly seen in individuals experiencing race-based trauma: 

    Hypervigilance: Feeling on edge, distrustful, or the need to protect yourself when interacting with the world around you because there’s always a potential threat, whether it’s more subtle discrimination or outright violence.

    Depression and Helplessness: Loss of hope in our elected officials, leaders, or community to effectively help and protect us. Trying to understand what this means for our own children or future generations and fearing that we may not be able to protect them.

    Anger: Feelings of anger, rage, or sadness at the unchallenged system, community, and elected leaders who allow people of color to continue to be mistreated and killed. Also, anger that it’s taken so long for these issues to be brought to the forefront of conversations in the daily lives of others, when it’s been affecting people of color for generations.

    Monitoring Your Authentic Self: We may begin to take great measures to change our behavior and stifle our emotions, or even valid reactions, in order to avoid being perceived as a negative stereotype.

    Questioning Your Reality: Self-doubt and questioning one’s lived experience. It’s not uncommon to wonder, “Are the microaggressions or injustices I experience really that bad if they’re allowed to continue without anyone batting an eyelash? Am I just overreacting?”

    race-based trauma
    It’s not uncommon to wonder, “Are the microaggressions or injustices I experience really that bad if they’re allowed to continue without anyone batting an eyelash? Am I just overreacting?”

    6 Ways to Cope with Race-Based Trauma

    It’s painstaking to learn how to thrive in a world that you’re told and shown is not made for you. The psychic energy required to maintain this level of hypervigilance merely to exist in this world as a person of color is physically exhausting. 

    1. Gain Critical Consciousness
    2. Flip the Narrative to Highlight Resilience
    3. Develop Mindfulness and Objectivity
    4. Take Social Action for Empowerment
    5. Release Emotional Energy With Compassion
    6. Radical Self-Care as a Method of Resistance

    1. Start by Gaining Critical Consciousness.

    Critical consciousness—the ability to identify and question systems of inequality—is one of the guiding principles of social justice teaching. By gaining an in-depth understanding of our social and historical experiences, we can begin to take action against oppression.

    Put it into practice: In order to begin increasing our awareness to the power structures in our society, we can deconstruct racism by asking ourselves several questions:

      1. Why does racism/inequality exist? 
      2. Who is benefitting from this oppressive system?
      3. How does it favor this group?
      4. What allows this type of system to continue to thrive? 
    Resilient
    Many of us are feeling anger, rage, and sadness at the unchallenged system, community, and elected leaders who allow people of color to continue to be mistreated and killed.

    2. Flip the Narrative to Highlight Resilience.

    So often, the victors get to claim the narrative (Christopher Columbus, anyone?). This time, let’s flip the switch. Focus your attention not on your deficits but instead on your intrinsic value and strengths. Reject the negative story that’s being told to you that you’re somehow not adequate, and instead choose to highlight your resilience. You can do this by identifying the achievements and character strengths you’ve developed in spite of a system that is not built to help you thrive. 

    Put it into practice: Ask yourself:

    1. What have you accomplished despite all odds? 
    2. What are your values that you’ve managed to uphold in the face of adversity?
    3. What do you bring to the table, and with your unique position, can you help other people navigate these obstacles?

    For every one person who does outwardly praise you on your strengths or accomplishments, there’s another five people who likely took note but never spoke up.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

     

    The truth is that you may not feel 100% sure about yourself all of the time, and that’s okay, that’s also part of being human. What’s important to remember, however, as a person of color is that for every one person who does outwardly praise you on your strengths or accomplishments, there’s another five people who likely took note but never spoke up. 

    Consider the uncomfortable task of standing up for yourself during an awkward or difficult interaction with a colleague during a work meeting. This may not seem to affect anyone but you on the surface, but this action can have a powerful ripple effect on observers. You never know who’s learning from your behavior and who you will positively impact. 

    3. Develop Mindfulness and Objectivity.

    Resist internalizing the micro- and macroaggressions you face. This, understandably, is incredibly difficult, and it’s usually more effective if done after working through the initial steps outlined above. A technique I like to use with my clients is imagining that you’re sitting on a riverbank watching your thoughts pass by as fish swimming downstream. 

    This doesn’t mean giving the people or institutions who’ve wronged you a free pass; it means gaining distance from the situation by resisting internalizing the negativity. Being able to gain a bit of distance and objectivity when viewing our experiences helps decrease our emotional reactivity, which in and of itself is freeing. 

    Put it into practice: Let’s take a negative interaction with a coworker or colleague as an example. By acknowledging that my coworker (who may or may not be knowingly racist) is a product of our flawed system, and that her insensitive comments aren’t a reflection of me or my worth—but, rather, her own limitations, upbringing, and blind spots—I can prevent myself from internalizing her hurtful comments and, therefore, feeling negatively about myself. 

    I want to be clear that I’m not saying she doesn’t need to be held accountable for racist behavior, whether ignorant or malicious in intent. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The point of this exercise is to help you understand her behavior in a way that helps you distance yourself from it emotionally, which allows you to be freer with your energy. In this scenario, the perpetrator still has the option to learn, but the burden of that education is no longer placed on the person of color.

    4. Take Social Action for Empowerment.

    Find and join a local social justice group, either online or in person. It may initially feel like the first day of school, and it could take a couple of meetings or interactions to get to know others, and that’s okay. There’s strength and power in numbers. Get and stay connected to others who are just as passionate about social justice and putting their words to power. 

    Put it into practice: Explore various racial equity groups in your area. Find ways to engage in advocacy, share testimony, or provide education on a topic you feel strongly about. Remember to stay safe if protesting in public, and use protective measures such as wearing a mask, maintaining distance when possible, and using hand sanitizer frequently.

     

    Race-based trauma
    There’s strength and power in numbers. Get and stay connected to others who are putting their words to power.

     

    “We inadvertently burden ourselves with unnecessary emotional labor when we assume malicious intent in others.”

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    5. Extend Compassion to Yourself and Others by Releasing Emotional Energy.

    Be gentle and patient with yourself. We didn’t choose our socialization or conditioning, yet we were all born into a society that sets us up with systems of privilege and oppression. Because of this, we’re all collectively grappling with our individual racial identities, some for the very first time. 

    Extending compassion to others isn’t the same as excusing or condoning terrible behavior. By extending compassion to others, we in turn extend compassion to ourselves. We inadvertently burden ourselves with unnecessary emotional labor when we assume malicious intent in others.

    This can be an especially challenging exercise, though, and one that puts undue emotional labor on people of color. It may not be the right exercise for everyone. But for those who are able and willing to put in the work, the benefits can make it deeply worthwhile.

    A good way to think about this exercise is with a “both–and” approach. For instance, you can acknowledge that you and the other person—as a non-BIPOC individual—are socialized in a way that one or both of you may not completely understand the things that upset, anger, and harm you. While extending compassion to the other person and realizing that they’re working on their progress, you can still safeguard yourself. 

    You can step back in ways that protect your mental and physical health while also believing in their growth.

     Put it into practice: Acknowledge that nobody is perfect, including ourselves. This permission to be human, flawed, and at whatever stage of awakening in our racial identity, can help us stay sane by reducing stress levels and decreasing negative emotional energy. I often tell my clients that they can think of self-compassion by imagining they’re running a marathon.

    You can run the entire marathon thinking self-defeating thoughts such as, “I’m slow, I’m in pain, I hate this, when will this be over?” Or you can be your own cheerleader when things feel tough, highlight the reasons to be grateful (“I get to run—my body is healthy and able” vs. “I have to run—this is hard and painful”), and find joy in the journey. Either way, you’re going to finish the marathon, but the attitude you choose to endure during the race is entirely up to you. 

    6. Radical Self-Care as a Method of Resistance.

    When we think of self-care, we often think of taking a day off from work to do something fun or pamper ourselves. But self-care can be much simpler and more straightforward. Find what brings you joy and what nurtures you, and reach for it in times of need. Do you love listening to music from the early ’90s? Getting some fresh air in nature after being in a cramped apartment all day? Being creative? Talking to friends, or talking to no one, if that’s what you need? 

    Put it into practice: Make note of what nurtures your soul and consciously pull out these tools any time you need a mental break or require an emotional shift. Remember, you don’t have to have to shell out for a full-service spa day just to take care of yourself. For some of us, when we’re feeling particularly out of sorts, it can be as simple as making sure we’re sticking to a regular sleep and meal schedule that helps us get back to feeling a bit more human.

    Practicing self-care is a way to de-stress, which combats some of the worst consequences of racism. After all, living as a minority within a system that wasn’t created for your survival is in itself an act of resistance. We need to nurture and care for ourselves as we do it.

    Extending compassion to others isn’t the same as excusing or condoning terrible behavior. By extending compassion to others, we in turn extend compassion to ourselves.

    By extending compassion to others, we in turn extend compassion to ourselves.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    Feeling Outrage Over the Lack of Outrage

    Many of us may have for the first time experienced an outpouring of support as Black Lives Matter gained traction around the world this summer. For some of us, this may have been a frustrating or even angering experience. Suddenly, white colleagues, friends, and community are reaching out to check in on me and are apparently going through their own “journey” of uncovering their white privilege. Why now? Where was this outrage when this happened to Eric Gardner, Sandra Bland, or Treyvon Martin? What about Ferguson?

    It’s normal to feel frustrated that the world has been asleep at the wheel while we’ve been suffering. And it’s infuriating to know that I will always have to work more than other people at this. However, something that helps me is finding this balance between acceptance and extending compassion. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel frustrated that it took so long for people’s eyes to finally be opened. My negative emotions are still real, and they deserve their own space. Working consciously to approach my own journey and that of others with compassion just helps to make this difficult process a little bit easier. 

    At the end of the day, I want to make sure I welcome those who join us in this long fight with open arms, even if they are a bit late to the party. 

    Your Turn: How have you been combatting the effects of race-based trauma and stress? I’d love to know what’s been helpful and healing for you, so feel free to share in the comments below.

    Many of the tips outlined in this article require patience, as well as continuous practice and growth. Working with an affirming therapist can be helpful in this journey, along with tapping into any other loving support systems you may have.

    The post 6 Ways to Cope With Race-Based Trauma appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

    ]]>
    https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/6-ways-to-cope-with-race-based-trauma/feed/ 0
    The Stages of Trauma and Recovery https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/stages-of-trauma-and-recovery/ https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/stages-of-trauma-and-recovery/#respond Sun, 17 May 2020 08:00:00 +0000 https://claritytherapyonline.com/?p=3290 Trauma occurs when an abnormal event overwhelms our ability to cope. It shocks, confuses, and can leave us in a fog. It can bring on feelings of intense anxiety and cause us to question our sense of reality.

    The post The Stages of Trauma and Recovery appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

    ]]>

    “I never thought this would happen to me.” 

    “I always thought things like this only happened on TV.”   

    Why me?”

    If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, you might find yourself saying similar things.

    The stages of trauma look different for everyone, but understanding the similarities can help you heal.

    What is Trauma?

    Trauma occurs when an abnormal event overwhelms one’s ability to cope. It shocks, confuses, and can leave you in a fog. It can bring on feelings of intense anxiety, helplessness, and may even cause you to question your sense of reality.

    The trauma response can be difficult to understand. It can also alter our daily lives which can lead us to feel disconnected from ourselves and others.

    A traumatic event includes witnessing or being in an accident, experiencing sexual assault, or abuse. It can also result from experiencing combat and natural disasters. But, a traumatic event doesn’t need to fall within these categories to bring on a trauma response. For example, medical trauma and religious trauma are also unique forms of trauma that include wide range of personal experiences. Like with any trauma, each person’s personal experience may look and feel quite different.

    In some individuals, untreated or unaddressed trauma can lead to mental health concerns including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD).

    Ready to understand what you’re experiencing? Read on to understand the stages of trauma.

    Trauma doesn’t discriminate and is a human experience.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    The Stages of Trauma and Healing

    We hear a lot about trauma these days. The news is full of traumatic experiences.

    Trauma doesn’t discriminate and is a human experience. After you experience trauma it’s not uncommon to feel shame, guilt, or negative effects to your self-esteem.

    But, do we actually understand the effects of trauma?

    By understanding the stages of trauma, you’ll know what to expect and may feel more in control of what you’re experiencing. Explore the following stages to gain insight and awareness on your recovery path towards healing.

    stages of trauma
    By knowing the stages of trauma, you can help yourself heal and feel more in control of what you’re experiencing.

    1. Stabilization and Safety

    Following the traumatic event, you may find yourself withdrawing from others. This withdrawal process is normal and is a survival mechanism. During this time, you may feel anger, guilt, fear, and denial.

    Other emotions may also surface unique to the event and based on who you are as an individual. It’s normal to feel unsafe in your own body, relationships, and in the world. This phase can last for weeks, months, or even years. Especially if the trauma is not processed, understood, and supported during therapy.

    A therapist will begin to help you understand your emotions during the stabilization and safety stages. They will work with you to identify areas of your life where safety and stabilization need to be addressed.

    To recover, you will learn how to first regulate difficult emotions by learning new coping skills. Therapists will understand if the trauma is too overwhelming for you to discuss.

     

    In this case, the therapist may teach you how to use mindfulness, yoga, and deep breathing to soothe yourself. Cultivating new routines should also be a part of this recovery stage.

    The key is to find space where you can review the trauma but not relive it.

    click to tweet Click to tweet

    2. Mourning and Remembrance

    During this stage, you’ll begin to create your own answers to the question, “What does this all mean?”

    This stage in the recovery process is all about processing and making meaning of the trauma. The key is to find space where you can review the trauma but not relive it. You can go through this phase at your own pace. If you’re working with a therapist, then they will continue to make safety and stabilization a priority.

    As you become ready, you can grieve the losses resulting from the traumatic event. Talk about your emotions. Allow yourself to release painful feelings and thoughts. Be gentle with yourself during this time. Be compassionate and patient. There’s no “right” timeline you should be following.

    EMDR Therapy may also be an effective tool used during this time. EMDR is a therapeutic technique that helps you to review the traumatic event while focusing on a bilateral external stimulus. The stimulus could be physical, visual, or auditory. For example this may look like tapping, buzzing, or eye movements.

    A trained EMDR therapist can help you better understand your emotions during the stabilization and safety stages. They will work with you to identify areas of your life where safety and stabilization need to be addressed.

    group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline
    A trained therapist can help you learn how to process difficult emotions.

    3. Integration and Reconnection

    After a traumatic event, your sense of self may change. The traumatic event may seem to define you, simply because the negative impact is so overwhelming. The final stage of trauma recovery helps to overcome these effects so you can lead a fulfilling and joyful life.

    During this phase, you‘ll work on cultivating a new sense of self. You’ll also learn how to build upon healthy experiences and plan for the future. Reconnecting with others and redefining meaningful relationships in your life is an integral part of the process.

    By now, the trauma itself becomes integrated as a part of your history. It no longer defines you and instead becomes one chapter in your life story. You recognize the impact of the event and what it means, and now you’re ready to take action. This stage is about making meaning out of the traumatic event.

    For example, you may decide to work with or help people who have experienced similar trauma. You might consider writing a book or speaking publicly about your experience. Some examples of this in action are foundations or organizations, surrounding specific causes (such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

    Making meaning from the trauma can also be experienced on a smaller scale that’s equally as impactful. For example, you may decide to live a healthier lifestyle or change careers. Through these efforts, you empower yourself and others. You’ll create new, healthy beliefs about yourself that allow you to step forward into your new sense of reality. A reality that is created by you and that you’re determined to achieve.

    Taking meaning from the trauma can also be experienced on a smaller scale that’s equally as impactful. For example, you may decide to live a healthier lifestyle, change careers, or end a relationship that no longer serves you.

     

    group of women sitting in front of NYC skyline
    Making meaning from the trauma can also be experienced on a smaller scale that’s equally as impactful. For example, you may decide to live a healthier lifestyle or change careers. 

    You’re Not Alone:  Moving Through The Stages of Trauma

    The stages of trauma are experienced differently by each individual. Just like grief, they can be experienced more than once. Always remind yourself that you’re never alone even if your responses and coping mechanisms differ from others.

    For extra support in moving through the stages of trauma, it’s often helpful to connect with an experienced therapist. A therapist can help you to process, integrate, and cope with the trauma in a healthy and productive way. They can help you understand yourself better and make sense of the way you’re feeling.

    We may never truly understand why bad things happen, but we can learn how to cope more effectively. We can learn how to become more resilient and more loving towards ourselves and others as well. For more resources and tips to promote healing from trauma, browse our specialty pages by concern. 

    Your Turn: How did you heal or create meaning out of your experience that led you to where you are today? Share what helped in the comments below.

    The post The Stages of Trauma and Recovery appeared first on claritytherapynyc.com.

    ]]>
    https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/stages-of-trauma-and-recovery/feed/ 0