‘Walking through Swamps’ Towards Well-Being
In any given year, approximately one third of Americans will qualify for a mental health diagnosis (if they were to be asked the right questions by the right provider). It seems more the norm than the exception to find oneself stuck at some point, whether it is from pain, deteriorating health, trauma, anxiety, depression, or relational issues. It can be like finding oneself stuck in a swamp. In treatment, we learn to courageously traverse the swamp through skill development, self-compassion, humor, and the willingness to face difficult experiences. It’s not because we like swamps- it’s just that the only way out of swamps is to walk through them- to where we really want to go.
Evidence-Based Psychotherapy
Evidence-based Psychotherapy often focuses on skill development, facing one’s fears, doing more, accepting the current moment as it is, and changing one’s habits.
Pain Management
Pain perception is intimately tied to a sense of threat and stress. Changing one’s level of threat can reduce pain by 50%- without medications.
Stress Management
Learning skills such as mindfulness, self-compassion, or assertiveness can help one prioritize one’s well-being and be more effective in one’s life.
Neuropsychological Assessment
Having comprehensive testing to determine the nature memory and cognitive issues can be very helpful for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Recent Blog Posts
Soft Belly
In this beautiful piece of writing, Stephen Levine reminds us of the importance of keeping a soft belly while doing any type of trauma or grief work. Our physiology is so intimately tied to our psychology, and if you can learn to soften one, you can soften the other....
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Depression and Neuroplasticity
In this fascinating blog, Scott Alexander goes into many of the emerging theories surrounding depression. While many of us assume depression is caused by low serotonin levels and therefore can be improved by medications such as SSRIs, medications that decrease...
read moreChronic Pain Psychology
Many people wonder why a psychologist might be involved in the treatment of chronic pain. Unfortunately, the longer one has pain, it becomes less likely that the pain is due to tissue damage, and more likely it is that the pain is due to overactive nervous system...
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