What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy that focuses on mindfulness and acceptance. In addition to identifying and challenging irrational thinking patterns, DBT encourages patients to accept themselves and their reality and focus on the present moment. DBT was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Marsha Linehan….
What Is Crippling Depression?
Millions of people are diagnosed with depression every year. Depression has a range of different presentations, which are often categorized by severity and symptoms. Crippling depression is a term used to describe a type of depression that is characterized by depressive symptoms that are so severe they limit the person’s ability to function normally and…
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a hands-on treatment that helps people understand that their thoughts are directly connected to how they feel, and how they feel is directly connected to their behavior. Recognizing this can help a person realize that if they can change their automatic thoughts in negative situations (using a variety of tips,…
How to Cope With Nighttime Depression
Depressive symptoms can sneak up on us and attack when we least expect it. Sometimes life events are the root cause but sometimes there is no clear reason. Common symptoms of major depression disorder (MDD) include feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in usual activities. Many who suffer from depression can function adequately…
Grounding Techniques for Coping With Anxiety
If you are having a difficult time managing the symptoms of your anxiety, you are not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems today. People experience various types of anxiety ranging from mild to severely debilitating. Anxiety is associated with many different intense emotional states. It can be difficult to focus…
8 Tips For Saving a Failing Relationship
If you’ve been involved in romantic relationships that have come to an end, you are likely familiar with that feeling you get when you realize things are going south. Maybe you and your partner spent time trying to fix the relationship to no avail. It’s difficult and even painful to watch your relationship struggle and…
What Is Spectrophobia?
Spectrophobia refers to the fear of mirrors. This fear is not limited just to the mirrors themselves, but what people see reflected back at them. Spectrophobia is classified as a specific phobia, a category of anxiety disorders in which people experience irrational fear in response to certain objects and situations. Many times, this fear can…
How Do You Know if You Have a Damaged Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve connects the brain to almost every major internal organ. It plays an important role in regulating physical and emotional health. This system supports the body to regulate stress responses, such as heart rate, sleep quality, and digestion. Damage to the vagus nerve can interrupt or alter these processes, causing negative health symptoms….
What Is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychological response to a traumatic event. Those suffering from this condition experience disturbing thoughts and feelings about their trauma long after it has passed. A common condition treated by mental health professionals, PTSD can interfere with a person’s daily functioning at work and home. What Causes PTSD? Even…
Semantic Memory: What is it and Why is it Important?
Scientists have been studying how human memory works for years to figure out how memories are stored short and long-term and what the functions and purpose of memory storage are. When we think of memory we think of how our own experiences in life get stored in our brains and how those memories of the…
Fluid Versus Crystallized Intelligence
Intelligence is one of the most talked-about subjects in psychology. What comes to mind when you think of intelligence? Is it the accumulation of facts? Or, the ability to solve complex puzzles? Intelligence is more complicated than that. There are two main types of intelligence: crystallized and fluid. In the 1940s, psychologist Raymond B. Cattell…
Depression and Anxiety Chat Rooms: An Overview
If you have experienced depression or anxiety at any time during your life, you know that it can be hard to manage alone. The symptoms can make it hard to function in your everyday life to such a degree that even getting out of bed can prove to be a difficult task, much less going…
The Benefits of a Long-Distance Relationship
We’re told that getting into a long-distance relationship is a bad idea. But research says that may not be true anymore. It’s reported that 75% of college students in relationships and 3 million adult couples live apart from their partners (Long-distance Relationships Can Form Stronger Bonds Than Face-to-face Ones, 2013b). People in long-distance relationships have…
What Is Trypophobia? Definitions, Signs, and Treatments
Trypophobia is disgust or fear of small holes or bumps, such as the holes in sliced bread, a cheese grater, strawberry seeds, honeycombs, skin problems, spotted animals, showerheads, and even some flowers. The origin of the name comes from the Greek word “trypa,” which means “hole” or “drilling.” Despite its fairly common occurrence, the American…
Is Online Premarital Counseling Effective?
Ask any married couple and they will tell you that marriage is hard work. Even the happiest couples have arguments and struggle every once in a while. But the joys that come from a loving partnership make the extra effort and compromises all worthwhile. Many couples find that premarital counseling is a beneficial and positive…
Eating Disorders: An Overview
Eating disorders are a type of illness characterized by a severe disturbance in eating behaviors and thoughts and emotions related to food and eating. People with eating disorders typically become preoccupied with food and their body weight. They also tend to experience distortions in body image. Eating disorders affect people of all ages and social…
Is Mental Illness Genetic?
Nearly one in five American adults will experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime. This includes all levels of severity, from mild to serious mental illnesses. While the US is among the countries with the highest rates of reported mental health disorders, it is by no means an outlier, as roughly 10% of the…
How to Foster Better Self-Awareness: 3 Tips
Self-awareness entails seeing yourself honestly and becoming aware of your behaviors, traits, and feelings, including both your strengths and flaws. Developing self-awareness has been found to improve self-control, creative abilities, self-esteem, and an understanding of other people’s perspectives.[1] I’ve found three core strategies to be effective in nurturing the capacity for self-awareness and improving overall…
How to Cope With a Midlife Crisis?
A midlife crisis is a period in a person’s life, typically sometime between ages 40 to 60 when they evaluate the choices they have made during their lives and experience anxiety resulting from thoughts about their mortality. Feeling confronted by end-of-life concerns, regret over missed opportunities, questioning self-doubt, and contemplating the way forward are all…
How to Bring Romance Back Into Your Marriage
Marriage can be difficult, and many couples experience moments where they feel less connected, less intimate, and less engaged in the romance and passion they experienced when the relationship began. This is a normal part of a relationship and is not something to worry about or fear; it is a result of seeping into the…
How to Cope With Parental Anxiety
Parents have much to worry about, the health and well-being of their family, finances, and much more. While worry and stress are common feelings from time to time, some people experience these emotions intensely, with little or no respite. If you find yourself worrying excessively, to the point that it interferes with your daily functioning,…
How to Stop Panic Attacks: 7 Helpful Tips
For those who suffer from panic attacks, the onset of symptoms is undeniable. They often seem to come out of nowhere and mimic medical emergencies such as a heart attack. The pressure and mounting stress set off a chain of unpleasant events in the body leading to a panic attack. Why Panic Attacks Happen Panic…
What is Stendhal Syndrome?
The condition of experiencing rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion, or even hallucinations when encountering artwork or objects of great beauty is known as Stendhal syndrome, a rarely documented psychological condition first identified back in 1817. While many mental health professionals are skeptical about the true nature of this condition, people have reported experiencing it for…
Are Children With ADHD More Likely to Lie?
Fibs, white lies, or straight-up whoppers, call them what you want, but at one time or another, parents may catch their kids in a lie. Sometime around the age of three, children discover that conjuring up tales can impress their friends, get them what they want, or keep them out of trouble. Older children may…
How Does Trauma Therapy Work?
Trauma therapy refers to the various psychotherapy treatments for helping individuals manage the intense emotional response triggered by experiences of extreme fear, stress, or danger. Such responses can include irritability, guilt, shame, flashbacks, emotional distress, difficulty sleeping, and many more. For those who have experienced trauma, support groups and counseling, such as trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, are…
An Overview of How PTSD Service Dogs Can Help
Post-traumatic stress disorder may result from a single encounter with trauma or from a series of traumatic episodes. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can greatly impact a person’s quality of life and ability to function. Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, and avoidance of triggering memories. Other symptoms may include agitation, irritability, anxiety, or isolating behaviors. Specially trained…
How to Deal With Enochlophobia (Fear of Crowds)
Enochlophobia is the fear of crowds and crowded places. It is categorized as a specific phobia, an intense, excessive, and irrational fear of certain objects and situations that are not actually harmful. The anxiety experienced as a result of this phobia can be unbearable enough to make you resort to avoidance behaviors. On the one…
How Is Anxiety Linked to Appetite Loss?
Fight-or-flight mode is our body’s natural response when we’re in jeopardy. It helps people cope in dire situations and causes various changes in the body including reduced appetite. Sometimes anxiety can cause you to enter fight-or-flight mode, leading your body to respond as it does to danger. Prolonged anxiety often causes changes in appetite and…
Signs of a Female Psychopath
People tend to associate the term “psychopath” with an evil criminal or serial killer. We have books, television, and movies to thank for that distorted perception. In reality, though, a psychopath is not necessarily evil. Psychopathy typically refers to those with antisocial personality disorder, a condition in which one exhibits signs of manipulative and anti-social…
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is an integrative or complementary treatment that is used in the treatment of a variety of mental health conditions. This science-backed treatment can help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance the overall quality of life of patients. Practitioners of music therapy are called music therapists, using specific evidence-based interventions to help clients meet…
Is Skype Secure for Online Therapy Sessions?
One of the most common video conferencing platforms used for online therapy is Skype. While it’s among the oldest and most popular communication tools on the Internet, it’s wise to explore how Skype handles your personal information and what security measures are taken to protect your sensitive data. Are Skype Therapy Sessions Secure? The short…
Is Online Therapy Secure and Confidential?
It’s not always easy to decide to engage in mental health treatment. Yet for many, it is a choice that has transformed or even saved their lives. While the traditional, in-office model for therapy is still the default option people think of when deciding to seek help, online therapy is proving to be an increasingly…
What is Acute Stress Disorder?
Acute stress disorder refers to the aftereffects someone experiences following an intense event where the person believed that they were witnessing a serious threat to their life or someone else’s, or when they or someone close to them experienced a serious injury, accident, or violent physical encounter or death. This diagnosis is similar to a…
Can Daith Piercing Reduce Anxiety?
Piercings are incredibly popular and prevalent in today’s culture. People engage in piercing for various reasons, such as self-expression, artistic appearance, or for religious and cultural purposes. One popular trend is the piercing of the daith, which is believed by some to alleviate anxiety and migraines. The daith is a tiny piece of inner cartilage that folds…
Using EMDR to Treat Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can be extremely dangerous for those who suffer from them. Drastic changes to food intake can make a person seriously ill, therefore it is crucial for those who struggle with managing their relationship with food to enlist help and support from a professional. The types of treatment approaches for eating disorders vary depending…
What You Should Know About PTSD Triggers
For those dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it can be a highly painful and disruptive psychological condition. It is estimated to impact almost 7% percent of the adult population in their lifetime and involves symptoms that develop due to experiencing a single or series of traumatic events. If you have no experience with trauma…
How to Spot People That Use Others
Can you recall a time in your life when you were used by someone else? Unfortunately for most of us, this usually occurs sometime early in life. Some of us might have been used for our intelligence, some for our athleticism, and others for our popularity. Can you remember the moment when you realized that you were being…
Dating Someone With Anxiety: Tips and Advice
Dealing with your own anxiety can be difficult, but it can also be incredibly hard to watch anxiety affect someone you love. Anxiety is different for every person and managing it is not “one size fits all.” The first thing to do when you love someone with anxiety is to do your best to understand…
How Are Therapists Different From Psychologists?
When searching for mental health services, being knowledgeable is crucial. Although the terms therapist and psychologist both describe professionals committed to enhancing their patients’ emotional and mental health, they do not carry the same meaning. Understanding some of these distinctions can aid you in your quest for the appropriate expert. The two titles can often…
How to Gain a Strong Sense of Self
Life is extremely unpredictable. From flat tires on the way to work and unexpected bills in the mail to a call into our boss’ office, things happen every day that throw us off course. Usually, when we least expect it, we are faced with a new set of challenges and surprises that fill us with…
What Is Smiling Depression?
Smiling depression refers to people who hide their depression behind their smile and an otherwise normal, happy exterior. Those who suffer from this can appear well-adjusted, presentable, professionally successful, and content. However, in truth, they are not, and they need to be helped no less than those who outwardly display the classic signs of depression.[1]…
The Dangers of Diet Culture and Eating Disorders
Our culture is obsessed with beauty, weight, and appearances in general. This is reflected in our advertising, media, and in how we treat and talk about our bodies. While improving our health is certainly a worthy cause for society to focus on, it’s clear that health has little to do with our obsession with being…
Solvable vs. Perpetual Problems in Relationships
Being in an intimate relationship for the long haul is both challenging and demanding. As you and your spouse encounter new experiences and grow through life, the challenge of maintaining an intimate and rewarding relationship becomes very real. It’s so easy to get lost in the busyness of day-to-day life that the stresses of dealing…
Intimacy vs. Isolation: Erik Erikson’s Theory
Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist most famous for creating the eight stages of psycho-social development. Each stage of life involves a person working through an issue or crisis where a specific virtue may develop. Throughout every stage, the individual is attempting to answer an existential question that will ideally help them make sense of…
Why More Seniors Should Try Online Relationship Counseling
Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is harder. So, when we see a couple who has been together for many years, decades even, it’s easy to assume they have a rock-solid commitment and a fulfilling marriage. What’s actually going on, though, may be very different. Senior couples, like all couples, experience relationship issues….
Can Online Therapy Help With Eating Disorders?
Over the last few years, online therapy has emerged as a new convenient way to provide therapeutic services. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sudden surge in demand but also an intensifying controversy over the efficacy and ethics of whether all mental health concerns could and should be treated in this way. However, the…
How to Prepare for Your Online Therapy Session
When you go into a therapy session, it’s best to prepare so you can get the most out of your experience. With in-person therapy, that means knowing the location of your therapist’s office and giving yourself enough time to get there. You might also want to let your family and co-workers know not to call…
Play Therapy: An Overview
Play therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that is used to help children explore life and their surroundings freely. Play therapy uses play to help deal with psychological issues that a child might be experiencing. This form of psychotherapy is mainly geared towards children ages 2-13, to help them communicate, explore suppressed emotions, address unresolved trauma, and…
Polyamory and Polygamy: Understanding the Difference
Various kinds of relationships exist, with monogamy being the most commonly known practice of being married to a single person at a time. Apart from monogamy, there are other types of relationships that people sometimes mistake for one another. Polyamory and polygamy, for instance, can be easily confused. Although these two relationship types share some…
What is Animal-Assisted Therapy?
Animal-assisted therapy, also known as animal therapy or pet therapy, has become popular in mainstream psychotherapy practice, and for good reason. It works. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has proven to be clinically useful for several populations and issues. Although it seems “new”, animals have unofficially been in the therapy room for a long time. It might…
Can Online Marriage Counseling Prevent Divorce?
People seek marriage counseling for a variety of reasons: infidelity, communication problems, and lack of intimacy, to name a few. Those who opt for online marriage counseling typically do so with the same motivations as those who prefer the in-person alternatives but prefer the added convenience and cost savings associated with online sessions. Whatever the…
An Overview of Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy is a holistic psychotherapeutic approach that is used to help treat symptoms of PTSD as well as other mental health conditions by engaging the mind, body, spirit, and emotions. It incorporates mind-body exercises, in addition to talk therapy, into the healing process.[1] The Principles of Somatic Therapy Somatic psychotherapy focuses on the connection between…
What Is Reunification Therapy?
Parents and children can become separated for a variety of reasons. A parent may struggle with addiction, or experience mental illness. In some cases, parents have incidents of abusing or neglecting their child, which leads to a temporary placement of the child with another caretaker. Or, parents may be separated or divorced, and financial or…
What Is Anhedonia? An Overview
Anhedonia is characterized by reduced motivation to engage in pleasurable activities and a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable. It is the diminished capacity to feel pleasure and is always indicative of another underlying condition or disorder. Anhedonia comes from the Greek suffix “an,” meaning without and “hedone,” meaning pleasure. The concept…
An Overview of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a highly debilitating eating disorder. Even though it may be the most recognized eating disorder, most people cannot tell you about the specific causes, symptoms, and treatments of anorexia nervosa. Many people believe that it is easy to tell if a person has anorexia because they will look emaciated, but the truth…
What is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?
Do you feel like you’re a particularly picky eater, or are you close to someone who is? While picky eating alone doesn’t suggest a disorder, some people struggle with this problem to the extreme. Such symptoms are sometimes diagnosed as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID. ARFID is an eating disorder that is generally characterized…
Eating Disorder Recovery Apps: Can They Help?
As the telehealth industry continues to grow, we are seeing the emergence of more and more mobile apps and online platforms that help users cope with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and stress. Although researchers are still investigating the efficacy of mobile apps for eating disorders, the first results seem promising….
Living and Coping With Bipolar Hypersexuality
Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder characterized by episodes of depression and mania. Manic episodes consist of symptoms that include (but are not limited to) increased self-esteem, increase in risky activities, excitability, and grandiosity. The symptoms that occur during a manic episode make it easier for individuals to experience hypersexuality. Individuals experiencing hypersexuality may deal…
How Online Therapy Can Work for Adolescents and Teens
Online therapy has become a mainstream option in the mental health landscape. Over time, it has proven to be a convenient and cost-effective alternative to traditional in-office therapy. While it’s utilized by users from diverse demographic groups, online therapy seems to be exceptionally appealing to adolescents. Adolescent Mental Health by The Numbers While teenage angst…
Separation Anxiety in Children: Causes and Treatment
Separation anxiety is a common issue for many kids. The fear of leaving a parent or caregiver can cause kids to experience anxiety and display anxiety-related behaviors such as crying, avoiding, and physical responses. Separation anxiety commonly happens for toddlers and young children but can persist and worsen throughout a child’s development. What Is Separation…
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy can be defined as an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of clients through active art-making, creative processes, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. While art therapy may be viewed as a non-traditional therapy, it does not necessarily need to be an alternative if…
Autophobia: Fear of Being Alone
Autophobia refers to the fear of being alone. It is categorized as a specific phobia, a type of anxiety disorder in which people experience irrational fear in response to specific objects or situations. Most people desire to be around others. Even the shyest and most introverted people have moments when they want and need to…
How to Reduce Back-To-School Anxiety
For most kids, returning to school after a long break such as summer vacation can include a broad mix of emotions. Excitement and trepidation about what lies ahead are very common. However, for children who struggle with academics or social situations, going back to school can be a time they dread, filled with stress and…
An Overview of Emetophobia (Fear of Vomiting)
Emetophobia is a specific phobia characterized by an intense fear of vomiting or being in situations that could lead to vomiting. As with other specific phobias, being diagnosed with emetophobia requires the fear experienced by individuals to be irrational and in response to situations that pose little or no real danger. Emetophobia can be triggered…
Why Am I So Paranoid? Learning to Cope
Paranoia is a thought process that involves an irrational distrust trust in others without justification or cause. It is fueled by intense thoughts that will not go away and is perpetuated by powerful anxiety and fear. Paranoia is often accompanied by illogical thoughts that one is being threatened or targeted by an outside entity, even…
When Your Therapist Goes Digital: A Review of Quenza
In recent years, psychotherapists have embraced change and integrated online resources and services into their practices, allowing them to treat patients remotely. Not surprisingly, new technologies and innovations have developed around making online therapy treatment more convenient and effective. One such tool, designed to simplify the therapy process and greatly improve treatment outcomes is Quenza,…
What is Chronophobia?
Chronophobia is an anxiety disorder in which one experiences an irrational fear of the passing of time. It is a disruptive and persistent stress that is related to thoughts of mortality, having limited time, or having limited means to monitor it. Chronophobia is a specific phobia, a category of anxiety disorders in which people experience irrational fear…
How to Find an Affordable Therapist
Finding an affordable therapist can be a daunting task, especially when you’re already dealing with mental health issues like anxiety or depression. The mere thought of it can plunge you deeper into panic and despair. Not only do you have to navigate the decision to seek therapy, but you also have to figure out how…
Does Marriage Counseling Really Work?
Marriage counselors are often asked if therapy can be effective in fixing troubled relationships, or if it simply postpones the inevitable. You might think that the answer is a straightforward “yes” or “no,” but the truth is, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Several factors contribute to the success of marriage counseling. Some are…
The Link Between ADHD and Procrastination
Every day, countless Americans suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with some remaining undiagnosed. While the impact of ADHD on an individual’s life and the strategies for managing it can differ, one common trait among those with ADHD is a tendency towards procrastination. Although each case is unique, this tendency towards procrastination is a…
How to Break up With Your Therapist
Working with a therapist can be beneficial in many ways; when you have a trusted relationship with a mental health professional, it can help you to feel as if you have a safe space that’s free from judgment to work through your feelings, thoughts, and negative emotions and behaviors. The process of choosing a therapist…
Free Online Counseling: What You Should Know
The concept of free psychological services is not new. We only need to look at services such as Alcoholics Anonymous, court-ordered psychiatrist visits, and crisis intervention programs to find examples of free or mostly free psychological services. Technology has propelled the rise of online therapy chat providers, not only in America but across the world….