You are Getting Very… Misinformed? The Truth About Clinical Hypnotherapy 27 August 2021 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Book Recommendations, Communication, Events, Grief, Individual Therapy, Inspiration, Life Coaching, Self Care, Therapy In your classic portrayal of hypnosis, you might find yourself staring intently at a swinging pendulum, and listening to a series of repetitive phrases until you are lulled into a state of suggestibility. In this state, a hypnotist could make you sing opera or cluck like a chicken. This isn’t a new idea – hypnotherapy has a long history of being falsely represented as a form of mind control. Clinical hypnotherapy, however, is quite different. Clinical hypnotherapists use hypnosis as a therapeutic tool. Hypnosis, a state of deep relaxation and heightened awareness, opens up the unconscious mind to suggestions. Unlike pop culture hypnosis portrayals, in clinical hypnotherapy, the client is always in control. The client’s brain is just more receptive to imagery, creativity, and new ideas. Clinical hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool for breaking habits, promoting relaxation, and even relieving pain. Hypnotherapy has a long history, and in the 1960s, it gained medical recognition as a legitimate form of treatment. Hypnotherapy is currently not regulated by a medical board, but most clinical hypnotherapists are well-trained and hold Master’s degrees or higher. I sat down with one of our practicing hypnotherapists, Stacey Fernandes (she/her/hers), who discussed with me the roots of clinical hypnotherapy, its applications, and misconceptions. What is Clinical Hypnotherapy? Like all legitimate therapeutic approaches, clinical hypnotherapy is grounded in scientific research. Clinical hypnotherapy has been proven to improve anxiety and depression, with or without adjunct treatment. It is thought to be most effective when combined with other talk therapy approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Hypnotherapy can be used in an individual or group setting. In both settings, hypnotherapy can be used to gain insight into one’s life, habits, and values. When hypnotherapy is done in an individual session, it is more tailored to the client, and parts can even be recorded and played back after the session is over. Often, participants in hypnotherapy groups will pursue individual hypnotherapy later. The typical trope of a client getting very sleepy before slipping into a trance is misguided and misinformed. In fact, Stacey notes that clients often feel re-energized following a session. Depending on the goals of the client, a clinical hypnotherapist can tailor the session to renew energy or restore peace. Each clinical hypnotherapist has their own style. Stacey shares that her own is very imagery- and nature-based, often involving meditations of forests, hammocks, or beaches. Some clinical hypnotherapists have more colour-based hypnotic scripts. Each hypnotic script is designed to evoke a feeling, action, or emotion. How Does One Become a Clinical Hypnotherapist? Stacey obtained her Master of Social Work degree before furthering her education as a hypnotherapist. It was through her college that she learned of a hypnotherapy training course in Costa Rica. The course was centred around “Breaking the Worry Trance” and was revelatory for Stacey. It was imagery-based, and has since informed Stacey’s own practice. To become a clinical hypnotherapist, Stacey did over one hundred hours of clinical training in Ericksonian hypnotherapy. Ericksonian hypnotherapy uses techniques such as metaphor and imagery to alter behavioural patterns. There are other types of hypnotherapy, which combine other therapeutic approaches, such as psychoanalysis or solution-focused therapy. How Does Clinical Hypnotherapy Work? Clinical hypnotherapy taps into our subconscious mind, moving us away from our analytical brain and into our receptive, creative mind. Often, our brain can meet new ideas with resistance or skepticism. Clinical hypnotherapists ask us not to ignore or avoid these feelings, rather to observe and normalize them. Stacey borrowed a metaphor from renowned hypnotherapist, Grace Smith, to describe how hypnotherapy works: “Picture a bouncer (conscious mind) at a nightclub (subconscious mind). Inside the club all the people are smoking cigarettes and a non smoker approaches the bouncer stating ‘I can help, I’ve read lots of books on wealth.’ The bouncer denies the request because they are unfamiliar, despite this person being safe and offering valuable information. Everyone in the club is very familiar with each other despite it being an unhealthy behaviour. Anything new gets blocked. The non smoker tries to tip the bouncer $100 and gets into the club. The person interacts with everyone by speaking on the microphone and engaging them to drink water instead and providing the benefits of hydration. Eventually everyone starts drinking water and feeling much healthier. Now if a person who smoked tried to get into the club the bouncer would deny them – they are unfamiliar!” This helpful metaphor illustrates how clinical hypnotherapy can be helpful for opening up and expanding our minds. Clinical hypnotherapy can be effective where other therapeutic approaches are not, and can be used to calm and alleviate anxiety. However, it is often met with resistance due to preconceived notions as well as unconscious biases. Yet, with an open mind and commitment to heal, clinical hypnotherapy can be incredibly effective. What Should I Know Before Seeking Clinical Hypnotherapy Treatment? I asked Stacey the question, “What would you tell someone who is thinking about starting clinical hypnotherapy?” and she had some great ideas. First of all, do your research. Since clinical hypnotherapy is not regulated the same way social work and psychotherapy services are, literally anyone can claim to be a hypnotherapist. You want to seek out someone who has other credentials, such as a Master’s Degree in Social Work, or Registered Psychotherapist status. Ask questions about your potential clinical hypnotherapist’s background, training, and experience. Many training courses have a required number of hours of practicing the craft; ask if your therapist has completed these, how many, and where. Inquire about their specialties, style, and interests. Book a consultation with the clinical hypnotherapist to see if you two are a good fit. Like any therapeutic relationship, you want to ensure you have similar styles, goals, and interests. If something feels off, or you don’t feel comfortable opening up to this person, consider looking elsewhere. Remember that clinical hypnotherapy is scientifically-backed, and evidence-based. Your clinical hypnotherapist should be adequately trained and qualified. Treat this like you are finding a new healthcare provider; you want to be confident that the provider has the skills and expertise you are looking for. If you are a beginner to clinical hypnotherapy, consider looking for a practitioner trained in Ericksonian hypnotherapy; this is listed as one of the therapeutic modalities in Ontario, along with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). This means that it is recognized as effective by the regulatory board of Ontario for psychotherapy. Most importantly, approach clinical hypnotherapy with curiosity, open-mindedness, and willingness to learn. Embrace and question your skepticism, and move towards healing with patience and wonder. Interested in partaking in clinical hypnotherapy as part of your healing journey? Bliss is offering a virtual hypnotherapy group workshop this Fall, with the aim to Re-Charge and Re-Energize after a year and a half of pandemic life. Run by Bliss therapists, Stacey and Lindsay, it is an excellent opportunity to engage in clinical hypnotherapy. Are you interested in joining the workshop? Sign up today! . Contact community@blisscounselling.ca or call us at 226-647-6000. __________ Written by: Catiyana Adam and Stacey Fernandes Catiyana is Bliss Counselling’s Office Strategist, a music enthusiast, and avid writer. She has a keen interest in mental health, illness, and treatment, and is aspiring to be a therapist. Catiyana graduated from McMaster University in 2021 with a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She focused on courses in health and illness, as well as families and feminist studies. She hopes to pursue a Master of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University next year. Stacey is a Registered Social Worker, traveller, and adventurer at heart. She is dedicated to learning and advancing her knowledge through workshops, courses, and travel. Stacey uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) as well as Hypnotherapy and other therapeutic methods in her sessions. She believes in communication, reflection, and slowing down.
How Cognitive and Dialectical Behavior Therapy Works in Recovery 30 July 2021 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Communication, Grief, Guest Post, Individual Therapy, Inspiration, Self Care, Students, Therapy, Uncategorised CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) are similar forms of talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy. Both forms of therapy will help you to more effectively communicate, and both forms of therapy can help you discover more about the condition you’re using psychotherapy to address. Both cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are evidence-based, meaning a battery of hard data proves the effectiveness of both forms of talk therapy. These psychotherapies are proven effective for treating: Alcohol use disorder GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) Insomnia Major depressive disorder Panic disorders Phobias PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Substance use disorder NAMI shows that roughly 10% of adults in the US will develop a substance use disorder in any given year, with around 20% of American adults also experiencing some kind of mental health condition during that same year. Both substance use disorders and mental health disorders are commonplace, then, and they also frequently co-occur in a dual diagnosis. With both of these conditions so prevalent, drug and alcohol rehab centers use therapies like CBT and DBT in combination with medication-assisted treatment to deliver holistic treatment that’s proven effective for treating a range of conditions. CBT 101 Cognitive behavioral therapy is a highly adaptable form of therapy applicable to many conditions from depression and anxiety to substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder. Once you master the basics, you’ll feel capable of more effectively controlling your emotions and your recovery. CBT sessions are delivered individually or in a group setting as appropriate. Whether one-to-one or as part of a group, you’ll work with a therapist to explore the close and interrelated nature of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you view things more objectively, and you’ll also discover that you don’t need to allow how you think and feel to govern your behavior. CBT is a goal-oriented and skills-based form of therapy with a grounding on logic and reasoning. As you pursue a course of cognitive behavioral therapy, you’ll examine how your thoughts and feelings can influence your behaviors. This is especially valuable in the case of destructive or harmful behaviors. Beyond this, CBT will also help you to isolate the people, places, or things that trigger you to engage in self-defeating behaviors. Equipped with the ability to identify these triggers, you’ll then create healthier coping strategies for stressors. When triggered in a real-world situation outside the therapy session, you can implement these strategies rather than being guided by the automatic thoughts that can lead to poor behaviors if unchecked. This is perhaps the most powerful way in which CBT can minimize the chance of relapse in recovery. DBT 101 Marsha Linehan created DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) to treat patients with BPD (borderline personality disorder) when working as a psychologist at University of Washington. DBT has been used since the 1980s to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including: Bipolar disorder Depression Dual diagnosis Self-harm Substance use disorder Suicidal ideation Trauma caused by sexual assault When you engage with dialectical behavior therapy, you’ll learn to acknowledge discomfort or pain while still feeling “normal”. By equipping yourself with the skills to cope with life’s stressors, even in hostile environments, you’ll minimize your chances of engaging in negative or destructive behaviors. DBT sessions are delivered in a module-based format. You’ll empower yourself and your recovery by mastering the following techniques: Distress tolerance: DBT will teach you to better tolerate stressful situations and to more comfortably deal with volatile emotional issues without relapsing or experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety Emotion regulation: Through DBT, you’ll gain a more thorough understanding of your emotions, and you’ll become more capable of resisting the impulsive and emotion-driven behavior you’re trying to eliminate Interpersonal effectiveness: Dialectical behavior therapy can help you to sharpen your communication skills, improving your interpersonal relationships at the same time Mindfulness: Instead of getting bogged down in the past or anxious about the future, DBT will help you to focus fully on the present with a mindfulness component to therapy applicable to many conditions How CBT and DBT Work for Recovery Your treatment provider will advise you whether CBT or DBT is most suitable for treating your condition. In the case of a personality disorder, for instance, DBT in combination with medication-assisted treatment is likely the most effective approach to treatment. Substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder, on the other hand, often respond best to treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy. The core focus of CBT is the interconnected nature of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT acknowledges this interconnection, but focuses on mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation. CBT is proven effective for treating: Anxiety disorder Depression Panic disorder PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Sleep disorder DBT was created for the treatment of BPD, and is still commonly used in this area. There is also robust research on the effectiveness of DBT for treating: Anxiety disorder BPD with substance use disorder Depressive disorder Eating disorders PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) CBT vs DBT for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder and Substance Use Disorder CBT and DBT can both be effectively used to treat alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder. A simple course of CBT will help you to pinpoint your triggers for substance use. You’ll also learn to implement coping strategies that don’t involve a chemical crutch. With DBT, you’ll dive deeper, examining the core issue. The mindfulness component of DBT can help many people with substance use disorder to better navigate the emotional imbalances confronting them. DBT vs CBT for Treating Co-Occurring Disorder DBT is proven effective for treating a variety of mental health conditions, from anxiety and depression to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). These mental health disorders often co-occur with alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder. When DBT is used to treat a dual diagnosis like this, you can address both issues simultaneously through this form of therapy. CBB is used even more often for the treatment of dual diagnosis, delivered in combination with medication-assisted treatment if appropriate. There is a strong empirical evidence base demonstrating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for treating substance use disorders. CBT vs DBT for Treating Anxiety Data indicates that CBT is more effective than CBT for treating anxiety. It’s also more effective for treating depressive disorders, phobias. CBT has also been shown to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety associated with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) in this meta-analysis of studies. CBT vs DBT for Treating Bipolar Bipolar disorder typically requires integrated treatment combining psychopharmacology with adjunctive psychotherapy. Both forms of psychotherapy are effective for treating bipolar disorder. With CBT interventions, you can manage unhelpful thought processes while establishing a relapse prevention strategy for episodes of mania and depression. With DBT interventions, you’ll learn to sharpen your focus, improve communication and social functioning, decrease negative, self-defeating behaviors, and more effectively cope with emotional pain. Final Thoughts Both CBT and DBT can be effective for treating substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder and a broad spectrum of mental health conditions. CBT can help you to recognise the triggers for poor behaviors with the aim of avoiding them, while DBT will empower you with superior emotional regulation and enhanced mindfulness. ___________________________________________ This is a guest post written by Joe Gilmore, a creator on behalf of Renaissance Recovery. Renaissance Recovery is a drug and alcohol rehab in Orange County dedicated to helping clients kick their substance abuse habit and establish long-lasting sobriety. You can view their website at the following link: https://www.renaissancerecovery.com/
Ghosting 12 July 2016 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Communication, Grief, Individual Therapy, Relationships Relationships can be extremely difficult, sometimes never more so than when they are ending. But what about the relationships that do not offer a typical, messy ending? Ghosting is when someone you care about, a close friend or someone that you have a romantic connection with, disappears from your life by discontinuing contact. Not only has a relationship that you put time and effort into ended – maybe with someone that you were excited about or possibly loved – but it has ended without explanation. In an age of primarily digital, commitment-free modes of communication, ghosting is a popular phenomenon. The ghoster begins to limit communication, cancel plans, and ignore messages until it becomes apparent to the ghosted that their friend or partner is no longer interested in the relationship. Ending a relationship is difficult, and requires a significant amount of courage if it is to be done honestly and respectfully. However, the lack of face-to-face contact between people in many modern relationships weakens the sense of the other as a person who possesses a full range of emotions and the capacity to feel deeply – they are reduced to the text that appears on our screens. If someone has become desensitized to the fact that the person they are ghosting has real feelings that will be affected by the choices they make, it becomes much easier to avoid the mucky breakup part and simply move on. Feelings of guilt may come much later or not at all, but more immediately the ghoster is likely to experience a sense of relief. In such cases, those who choose to ghost their way out of a relationship either do not believe that the relationship is serious enough to warrant a discussion, or are more concerned with their own comfort than giving another what they deserve. Of course, ghosting may also happen in cases where individuals have been in a committed and serious relationship for a significant period of time. In such cases, the lack of respect on the part of the ghoster is more than desensitization or laziness, but signals a real lack of respect for the person with whom they had a relationship. In such cases it is possible that the ghosted was led to believe the relationship was much more important to the ghoster than it actually was, or perhaps the ghoster has some deep-seated issues with relationships that cause them to avoid confrontation whenever possible. Whatever the reason, being ghosted usually feels awful. There are a number of reasons why you may be experiencing emotional pain after being ghosted: Ghosting gives us no clues about how to respond to the situation. When someone breaks up with you, you may feel hurt or used or angry, but at the very least you know that you must begin to move on and live without the relationship. When someone disappears it can be difficult to figure out how to carry on – do you wait for them to resurface? Do you seek them out or do you let them fade away? Are they not messaging you by choice or has there been some sort of accident that is preventing them from contacting you? You can’t possibly know, and so the difficult work of moving on is delayed and confused – without any cues from them, it can be difficult to tell how to respond and regulate your own emotions. When we are ghosted, we are more likely to blame ourselves for the dissolution of the relationship. Rather than looking for signs in the relationship or in the behavior of the other that something was wrong, we look to ourselves. If they could just disappear like that it means we weren’t funny, attractive, smart enough to captivate them. Rejection often has a negative impact on our self-esteem, this is nothing new, but when it seems that the other was so completely uninvested or uninterested that they could just walk away, our esteem takes an even greater hit. We feel disposable. Their silences forces silence upon us in turn. They rob us not only of an explanation but also of the option to voice our concerns, frustration, hurt, and anger. We become powerless to ask questions that will allow us to understand and move forward. It is the ultimate silent treatment. Even if you can technically still send them messages, the silence on their end will more likely leave you feeling hopeless and desperate rather than satisfied and vindicated. When you have been ghosted, try to remember that it has nothing to do with you – sometimes people will not be interested in you, and that is a matter of preference rather than a flaw of yours. The flaw rests with their inability to deal with the discomfort that accompanies ending relationships, and more than anything else it shows that they were not ready for a healthy adult relationship. It can be difficult when our hopes for a relationship prove to be unfounded, but don’t let someone else’s selfish behaviour determine your openness to new people and new relationships. Communicate your needs and desires, keep an open-mind, and recognize that not everyone is ready or mature enough for sincere commitment. If you continue to move forward and treat others with the dignity and respect that they deserve, eventually you will attract someone who will reciprocate. Ariel Benwell
Coping with Friendship Break Ups 3 February 2016 admin No comments Categories: Grief I recently read an interesting article that explored friendship break ups and the silent unrecognized pain and even grief that may occur as a result of this lack of recognition; read article here. In addition to highlighting the emotional impact, the author noted that someone experiencing the end of a friendship may be coping with societal and cultural messages that do not acknowledge, validate or even discuss the hurt and grief of a friendship ending. This lack of validation can impact a person’s belief of what they “should” feel or “should” need in terms of support which may foster a “suffer in silence” environment further alienating the grieving individual. While the article did delve into the differences and similarities of break ups in both intimate relationships and friendships, I found myself hoping the article would provide the reader with helpful ways to cope with or support oneself through this type of loss. Regardless if we know why a friendship ends or if someone virtually disappears from our life – referred to as ghosting in the aforementioned article, the pain of losing a person and friendship is palpable and can impact various aspects of our day to day life. If we are experiencing the grief and pain of the end of a friendship, here are some tips to help us adjust and cope in our life without that friend. 1. Acknowledge that this is a Real Loss. Investing time and emotion into someone comes with hopes and dreams for an unknown tomorrow. When a friendship ends so do the unnamed plans and the future that we thought that person would be a part of. Allow yourself to feel the pain of the loss through the recognition that it is the end of something that held meaning for you. 2. Be Realistic about what Energy you have and Use. When we are grieving our physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual self is doing a lot of work processing the grief while we continue in our day to day. It is not uncommon or unexpected that you may have less energy then you are accustomed to. It may be helpful to put boundaries around how much you do or what more you take on; at least until you feel that energy returning. 3. Beware of the Negative Coloured Glasses. It can be easy when we feel rejected to internalize that message and attach it to everything we see or do. Messages such as “I never keep friends” or “I am always getting hurt by people” are over-generalizations and at their core untrue. When a friendship ends it has as much to do with the other person as it has to do with us. While it is important to be accountable to yourself in what you may do differently in the next friendship it is not helpful to badger yourself with negative criticism and hurtful inner monologues. Which leads to the next point: 4. Practice Self Compassion. If the messages you tell yourself are riddled with negativity and self-criticism then your ability to cope with the loss and begin to heal will also be hindered. Think of your inner monologue, would you say these same things to someone you care about? If the answer is no, then why is it okay to say it to yourself? Give yourself hopeful, loving messages which reinforce that you will be okay and you will heal – because you will. 5. Find Your Support System. Look for the people in your life that care about you and know how to provide you with care and nurturing. Let them know what has happened and how you are feeling and be open to their love and support. Sometimes our support system is just as impacted as we are by grief or maybe that friendship was our support system, it may be helpful to consider counselling where an unbiased confidential environment can allow you to explore the grief while investing in strategies that lead to healing. Sincerely, Your Grief Specialist Melissa