We've gathered Psychotherapy Networkers most popular posts and arranged them here by topic.
The Power of Paying Attention
What Jon Kabat Zinn Has Against Spirituality
Jon Kabat-Zinn is acknowledged as one of the pioneers in mind-body medicine--a field that integrates ancient spiritual traditions like yoga and meditation with mainstream medical practice. Kabat-Zinn was a very bright, hard-driving, 22-year-old kid from New York City, the son of a distinguished research immunologist, who was just starting out on his own promising scientific career. He had no idea what Zen was or who Kapleau was, but, in a sea of notices posted on one of the huge bulletin boards lining the corridor, this flyer somehow called out to him.
The Art of Therapeutic Conversation
The growing emphasis on treatment manuals and empirically validated methods is a step in the wrong direction. Yes, the public needs to be protected from quacks, and managed care organizations certainly want some assurance that their money is being spent wisely. In the final analysis, however, the effectiveness of a client-therapist pairing is a function of their collaborative dialogue--a process that resists standardization. Undoubtedly, one can specify general principles and guidelines, and therapy can be anchored in a contract that defines roles and sets boundaries. However, therapy also requires a certain creative ambiguity that can't be reduced to stock exercises or "bottled" like an antidepressant.
The Precarious Present
Why is it So Hard to Stay in the Moment?
When a client reports repetitive intrusions, we may wonder about a tendency toward obsessiveness or the possibility of depression and/or anxiety. While all of these interpretations may have some validity, I believe that much more is at stake. I propose that in many of these moments of body-mind intrusion, our brain is trying to protect us from mortal danger arising from memories of old, unresolved threats. In short, we're in survival mode.
VIDEO: Helping Kids Discover Their Inner Wisdom
How to Tap Into Young Clients’ Imaginations
Bobby throws temper tantrums at home and at school. His parents bring him to you for therapy, but Bobby refuses to answer questions and sits in your office during sessions with his arms folded until the hour is up. So what’s to be done?
Helping Kids Take Charge of Their Brains
How to Make Brain Science Your Ally with Young Clients
Perhaps you’re seeing a kid in therapy who’s overcome with anxiety or depression. You may have tried to engage him with games and casual conversation about the latest X-men movie. But what about talking to him about the latest neuroscience and the way his brain works? Would that do any good? According to interpersonal neurobiologist Dan Siegel, author of Brainstorm: The Power and the Purpose of the Teenage Brain, kids can actually find this information pretty cool when it’s articulated the right way.
Suggesting Mindfulness
Awakening the Hypnotist Within
As a clinical intervention, mindfulness is best understood by stripping away its aura of mystical spirituality and understanding the crucial role suggestion plays in the change process.
The Neurobiology of Anxiety
How to Incorporate Brain Science into Your Treatment Approach
According to Margaret Wehrenberg, when it comes to clients with panic disorders, the first thing to discern is what they’re doing to avoid panic. “The problem with avoidance,” Margaret says, “is it works."
Complexity Choir
The eight domains of self-integration
Over the last twenty years, I've come to believe that integration is the key mechanism beneath both the absence of illness and the presence of well-being. Integration---the linkage of differentiated elements of a system---illuminates a direct pathway toward health. It's the way we avoid a life of dull, boring rigidity on the one hand, or explosive chaos on the other. The key to this transformation is cultivating the capacity for mindsight.
Creating Lasting Change with Brain Science
A Mindful Approach With Couples
Over the years, I’ve come to recognize that there’s no one-shot, magic-bullet approach to retraining the human brain. Instead, I’ve developed a process that systematically combines what we know about the power of the emotional brain, the particular strengths of the rational mind, the mechanics of mindfulness meditation, and the brain’s impressive flexibility to help clients learn to calm their nervous systems and navigate their lives more effectively.
