therapy
Focused on the relationship between doctor and patient. Therapy is the process of self-discovery.
The Art of Healing
Part One You’re 18 years old and you’re holding onto a big secret. But it’s not just you holding onto this secret—it’s your body, too. You’ve been carrying the weight of it practically all of your life, only you just recently remembered that you’ve been clutching this secret in your shaky hands for years. Your body, however, never forgot. I mean, how could it forget? Your body has been experiencing the gravity of this secret since the very day it was given to you to keep. And ever since that day you have been slowly collapsing in on yourself. So, you’re 18 years old and you’re holding onto a big secret...
By becca bean7 years ago in Psyche
What You Need to Consider Before Starting Therapy
Something very few of us consider is that our mental health, our personal mental health, is an ongoing work in progress. Life is not static, and there are many experiences or issues that can lead us to feelings of anxiety and depression, or the sudden need for better coping skills. Whether this is due to work stress, family members, or intimate relationships, the simple fact is that you may find yourself considering starting therapy. Before starting therapy, though, you have to find someone to provide it, and the options amongst potential therapists are vast.
By Claudia Jerro7 years ago in Psyche
Depression in the Elderly
To begin with, having a pet is a big responsibility—they need to cared for. In the elderly population that is suffering from some type of depression, it's beneficial for them to own a pet for various reasons. One of the main reasons is to not to feel lonely and gives them the joy of a furry companion. Moreover, owning a pet may improve mental health and physical state in the elderly, preventing depression by having a pet for companionship, security, and a reason to pursue physical activity.
By Olivia Mazzotta7 years ago in Psyche
What It's Really Like in a Mental Hospital
The media like to portray psychiatric as dark places where only the truly insane dwell. Watch a movie where a character is in a psych hospital and you will most likely see them being given electric shock treatment, restrained, and drugged up to the eyeballs. I spent a week in one of these hospitals when I was struggling with depression and tried to commit suicide. I would like to set the record straight about what really happens when you are admitted to the psych ward.
By Jessica Purvis7 years ago in Psyche
Hypnotherapy
Growing up was never going to be easy. You see the films, books, and magazine articles on childhood and teenage struggles. Never do you imagine it’s going to be that bad on you. I thought my parents' relationship with one another was normal and my family dynamic was legit. Trouble was always imminent in my family, but I never thought anything of it, I just considered it the norm. These got worse and worse. Constant fights, abuse, alcohol rages, and suicide threats. I began doing the same at 12 turning to cigarettes, alcohol, and sex. I considered it the way forward and to deal with life in general. I had to be a grown-up to control my situation in my family. Suicide attempts became a regular thing for me as did self-harm and alcohol and drug abuse. As I grew up it got worse. Physiological damage was taking its toll and I was at my lowest ever. Then, at the grand age of 15, I started dating am 18-year-old which turned into a five-year abusive relationship. Alcohol and drugs were now my demons and were my only escape. I regularly turned to alcohol as an escape. Leading to arrests, interventions, and hospital emergencies. Then I met a guy who turned it all upside down, I was struck down wholeheartedly with love. He made me better, my anxiety was still out of control and I was a mess but he somehow put a band-aid on my whole life in a messed up way. I was happy, the happiest I'd been since way beyond my teens. I felt loved, wanted, and needed. But nothing could stop my demons and paranoia from creeping up on me. I fucked it up. One year and five months later, I fucked up big time and he couldn’t deal with my damage. My insecurity, my anxiety, my paranoia, and constant no trust. So this was the biggest wake up of all. I turned to hypnotherapy and it was everything and more. I delved deep into my self, I nurtured my unconscious soul. I listened, I resolved, I dug into memories so painful and hurtful, I put them to bed. I talked to little 12-year-old me with a fucked up family. I realized my issues. I have strong trust issues, a 22-year-old would after her father's affairs, hidden secrets, and constant verbal and physical abuse. I’m not where I want to be in life but I’m getting there. I finally have a doctor who listens and has helped. I’ve had a psychiatric assessment, I’ve been put on the right medication and I have the right support professionally. It may take a long time but you will get there. You just have to hold on and hope.
By Livvy Foxhall7 years ago in Psyche
I Went to Therapy the Other Day
I saw a therapist for the first time in over a month a few days ago. I had never seen her before and she did not know anything about me when I walked through the door of her office. I am pretty used to starting over with therapists at this point in my life so I knew that I would have to tell a story that I don't know how to tell. I knew I would have to recount which significant things in my life shaped me into the person sitting in the cushioned chair across from her own with her leg shaking 100 miles per hour with anticipation of spilling words out she hasn't yet fully come to terms with.
By Nikki Rendell8 years ago in Psyche
5 Ways That Therapy Can Help You
Many people think that only those with a mental illness can benefit from therapy. Or that only "crazy" people undergo counseling; but that just isn't true. Anyone, regardless of whether they have mental health problems, can get something out of therapy. Here's why:
By Jessica Purvis8 years ago in Psyche
The Voices in My Head
Sometimes I have some pretty interesting conversations with the voices in my head. No, not audible voices. I’m not that crazy yet. Just thought voices, the kind that everybody has. You know, the little bully in your head going, That was dumb. You shouldn’t have done that. You’re not worth anything. Or the mother always trying to comfort you, saying, “It’s not that big of a deal. At least you tried. It’ll be better next time." Or the ridiculously horny 12 year old girl who won’t shut up about the guy sitting next to you in church when you’re trying to think about Jesus, dammit. Whatever it is for you, we all have those parts of ourselves that don’t quite feel like US. A visitor from the subconscious peeping up to say hello, or maybe a volcano that’s been buried for too long and is ready to burst out and wreak havoc on the life you’ve so painstakingly been building. My therapist taught me about a technique called externalization—you give those voices a name, visualize an appearance for them, and suddenly you see that you can talk back to them, that they don’t have to control your life. I’ve been working on it but it’s been a rough ride. Some of the voices have gotten louder. I’ll be reliving a painful memory, and the bully will come out, shooting his poison darts: No one will ever love you. You’ll never be good enough. You’re broken. It’s as if the emotions roiling around in my heart have decided to package themselves up neatly into words to send to my brain, in simple language so that it can understand. In some ways it’s a relief, hearing those thoughts in actual words, instead of struggling with a vague feeling that something’s not quite right. I know what I’m feeling now, and I know what I’ve been believing. Putting the thoughts into words relieves some of the pain.
By Maria Annie Mo8 years ago in Psyche
Small Traumas (1)
"You don't like that word, trauma, do you?" My therapist looked at me with her unnervingly astute eyes. She had a beaked nose and a no-nonsense attitude that I liked, up to a point at least. I'd missed two days of work due to anxiety and my school had put me in touch with the council therapy service. I got six free sessions.
By Harriet Christabel8 years ago in Psyche
Pain Words Cannot Express
Pain Words Cannot Express “I’m not hungry,” I would say with conviction as I stared at my dinner plate and felt my stomach grumble. This had become my catchphrase when I was a young teenager, and most of the time, I could get away with it. It was easy to skip breakfast on a school day—I could slip out the front door to catch the bus before anyone else was awake and could monitor my eating. During lunch hour I would lie to my friends and say I snacked on my lunch throughout my classes and was no longer hungry. Dinner by far was the hardest to get around, with both my parents and all four sisters carefully observing my dinner plate. If I was lucky, I could serve up my own food in tiny portions. But when my mom finally suggested to me that I might have anorexia nervosa, I was in denial. I felt there was nothing that could set me free of the trial I was being devoured by, especially since I wouldn’t admit my own weaknesses. That was, at least, until I was introduced to art therapy. Finally, through this process of self-expression, I was directed down a path where I accepted my eating disorder and reached out for the help I so desperately needed. Because of this experience, I have since learned the benefits of using art in recovery, and am a strong advocate of it. Art therapy should be used in every anorexia treatment because it easily connects the patients inner-turmoil to verbal expression. I believe this is an exercise than can benefit anyone struggling with an eating disorder.
By Marissa Garner8 years ago in Psyche
Every Woman Should Go to Therapy
I had never heard of Adinkra or their symbols and meanings until I got a chance to go to the Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C. This is not anything that we learn within our institutions of education at any level, at least not at any of the schools that I have attended primary or secondary.
By SAYHERNAME Morgan Sankofa8 years ago in Psyche
