therapeutic relationship
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What matters most in therapy?

Wow. What matters most in therapy? There are so many schools of thought on that question it boggles the brain. Between the problem approach and the list of disorders published in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition), identifying what makes therapy successful has about as many answers as there are economists predicting the stock market. When I scroll through other therapists’ listings on Psychology Today to see how many different disorders they treat, I start feeling a little queasy. Should I be treating all those? Listing all those specialties? Does that matter? Or should I maybe sound more warm and fuzzy like many sites do? Should I declare that my undying passion is to help others?
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anxiety attack

What Happens to My Body During an Anxiety Attack?

Our bodies are truly amazing at protecting us. Which is one reason people ask me “What happens to my body during an anxiety attack?” Let’s talk physical.

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stress management

Stress Whining

Yes , that’s me stress whining. Lately I have been grousing and grumbling a good deal about my schedule and feeling slightly overwhelmed with my “To Do” List. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have a busy work and social life with much to accomplish, but the way I do stress management is to let off steam by doing a little whining. The question is what do you do to keep it all reigned in?

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adult coloring books

Adult Coloring Books: What They Are/Are Not

So everyone whose head is not up a deep dark place knows about the adult coloring books craze. I recently saw a cute cartoon with two zebras facing each other, one with bright rainbow colored stripes saying “It is supposed to reduce stress.” What adult coloring books are/are not is the light topic I offer you today.

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workaholism
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The Anxious Underbelly of Small Business Ownership

When you are an entrepreneur, it is easy to get consumed by what I call the anxious underbelly of small business ownership. When you find that you cannot shut off the valve of workaholism, and you cannot stop obsessing about the never ending to-do list, it is time to reassess. Read more

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shame triggers for women
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Shame Triggers: How They Bloom

When I think about shame triggers and how they bloom, I am immediately taken back to a story of myself in the sixth grade. This was when elementary school went from 1st-6th grade; formal kindergarten was not yet in existence.
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fight with lover
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What does a baby monkey have to do with the fight you had with your lover last night?

Harry Harlow was the first to do groundbreaking research using rhesus monkeys to demonstrate the profound impact mother attachment had on the normal growth and maturation of the baby monkeys in his experiments. It showed that even when the monkeys were repeatedly rejected by painful mother “dolls”, they would return seeking connection even though the source (the doll) was woefully lacking in the same.

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saturday mornings

Ahhhh… Saturday Mornings

Recently I went to Boston to visit my adult children, and had a wonderful time with them. But traveling, schlepping, and getting around in the big city takes its toll. It is not as easy to navigate as life in little, lovely Wilmington!

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destress

How do you forest bathe?

AKA Relax, Destress, Unwind, Recharge. Instructions here.

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anxiety sensitivity

What is anxiety sensitivity?

What is going on with anxiety sensitivity? What does it become?

Anxiety comes in a lot of flavors (PTSD, OCD, GAD, SAD, panic disorder, and specific phobias) so understanding which type is present is critical to delivering the best treatment. And of course you prioritize according to what is most immediately affecting an individual’s life if more than one type is causing duress.

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