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COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOR BDD: COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING (COGNITIVE THERAPY) – THE BASIC STEPS TO DO EXPOSURE, DON’T USE CAMOUFLAGE DURING EXPOSURE

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:15:52 +0000

The rationale for this is the same as for not doing rituals. If, for example, you cover your mouth, turn away from people, or use heavy makeup, you won’t learn to tolerate situations without doing these things. So it’s important to stop using camouflage in the exposure situations, unless it allows you to enter the avoided situation early in treatment. Stop wearing covering makeup, a hat or wig, bulky clothing, and sunglasses. Shave off your mustache or beard if it’s hiding a defect, and avoid covering the defect with your hands or hair. If it’s too hard to stop using camouflage right away, you can stop using it more gradually. For example, you could inch your hat back a little more each time you go out, gradually exposing more of your hairline. Or you could use a little less makeup each time you go to class.
It’s also important to refrain from doing other things that might minimize the anxiety yeu experience during the exposure. Don’t engage in avoidance behaviors. For example, when you’re with other people, it’s better not to hide in the dark part of the room. It’s important to experience some anxiety during the exposure, which should gradually diminish with time.
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NATURAL THERAPIES FOR INSOMNIA: AROMATHERAPY

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:28:25 +0000

Aromatherapy must be one of the most delicious ways of treating insomnia. It consists of massage using essential plant oils in a vegetable oil base, and is a wonderful way to experience deep relaxation, excellent for tension and stress-related conditions.

It is more than a pleasant experience, however. The essential oils are distilled from the flowers, leaves or roots of plants with specific curative properties. Their volatine elements are absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream, and into both the body and brain through the membranes at the back of the nose. They can affect the organs and glands within the body, and have a direct effect on mood, since they reach the parts of the brain controlling the emotions. So there are oils that can simultaneously calm you, clear your brain, and lift depression, as well as healing your physical body.

In France aromatherapy constitutes a complete system of alternative medicine; in the UK it has until recently been more associated with beauty care, since the oils are often used as an adjunct to a general massage or facial. However, practised by a qualified aromatherapist, there are medical conditions like rheumatic pains that it can certainly ease. Robert Tisserand, Britain’s leading aromatherapist, points out that the combination of massage, essential oils and relaxation can boost the immune system; his book Aromatherapy for Everyone (Penguin Books, 1988) includes a variety of case histories illustrating its various therapeutic uses.

These days aromatherapy is used in some hospitals and hospices, largely at the instigation of nurses, who recognize the value of healing touch. Within the medical context it does not replace drugs, but it does enhance their effects so that smaller doses can be prescribed.

A qualified aromatherapist will first take clients through a questionnaire to check on their medical history and specific needs, looking in the case of insomnia for its emotional and physical causes before choosing what combination of oils to use. One of the beauties of aromatherapy is that each oil has several properties, so that you can be treated on several levels at once.

The treatment itself can take up to an hour, sometimes longer, and usually the whole body will be massaged. Some people find themselves going to sleep on the massage table; some find that in this relaxed state they can talk out their problems with the therapist. And because scents can trigger the emotions and the memory, clients may find themselves experiencing an emotional release during or after a treatment. ‘You release the tensions, and also bring out things that people may have buried,’ says aromatherapist Tricia Dona-Hooker. ‘When people allow things to come up in them, they can be recognized and dealt with.’

Aromatherapists may well be able to help you come off sleeping pills or tranquillizers, using oils that can both calm you and cleanse your system of the drugs; like other natural therapists they will want you to get your doctor’s agreement first.

The choice of oils will depend on the individual’s physical and mental state. In Aromatherapy for Everyone Robert Tisserand describes how he helped an elderly widow suffering from depression and nightmares, one of whose children had died from a heroin overdose. Aromatherapy massage using a blend of frankincense, bergamot, clary sage and jasmine gradually cured her of her nightmares and depression, and enabled her to give up her nightly sleeping pill.

Your aromatherapist may also suggest nutritional changes, or supplements, Bach Flower Remedies or herbal remedies to take at home.

Self-help

A full aromatherapy treatment must be given by a professional, but your therapist may make up a mixture of oils for use at home, perhaps to rub into painful joints or as a relaxant in the bath. Oils can also be inhaled, either by putting a drop or two on a handkerchief, or as an inhalation in boiling water. You can buy essential oils in health food shops and pharmacies, and from herbalists; make sure they are reputable brands. Good quality oils include those made by Body Treats, Fleur, Neal’s Yard Apothecary, Shirley Price and Robert Tisserand. Some shops make up their own cheaper brands which may be of inferior quality or heavily diluted; they smell nice but don’t do much for you. Unfortunately, good oils can be expensive; prices vary according to the rarity of the plant. Blue Camomile, for instance, which is excellent for insomnia, costs around ?40 for a small bottle.

More moderately priced oils which are helpful for insomnia are firstly lavender, which is extremely versatile; it’s good for burns, insect bites, period problems and strengthening the immune system, among other properties. Neroli, marjoram, lemongrass, and linden (lime) blossom are all soothing; geranium helps to create balance and harmony; melissa oil is uplifting, and ylang-ylang will help lift depression. (Ylang-ylang also has a reputation as an aphrodisiac, so using it for a bedtime massage might not lead immediately to sleep.) Any of these oils can be used in the bath. To aid sleep, you can also put two or three drops on your pillow or on a handkerchief to sniff if you wake in the night.

If you have a partner or friend who will give your neck, shoulders and spine a gentle massage, you can make up your own massage oil. Use three or four drops of a single aromatherapy oil or two drops each of two oils in an egg-cup full of a base oil such as sweet almond or grape-seed.

If you make up larger amounts remember that once mixed, they will not retain their properties for very long. Keep the mixture in a dark, air-tight bottle and use it within three months. Don’t use the same oil or oil mixture consecutively for too long, as it may lose its initial impact.

Caution: Essential oils are extremely potent, and should not be used neat on your skin; you could have an allergic reaction or, like the man who unwittingly used neat rosemary oil on his head for baldness, you could suffer from even more severe insomnia and ‘mental chatter’.

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Anti-Depressants/Sleeping Aid

NATURAL THERAPIES FOR INSOMNIA: THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:27:43 +0000

The Alexander Technique can help you sleep better by creating greater physical and mental harmony, enabling you to go through life with less strain. It is a way of learning how to use your body as it was meant to be used — easily, effortlessly, and without tension.

The Technique was developed over eighty years ago by an Australian actor, Frederick Matthias Alexander. Specializing in one-man shows, he was plagued by recurring hoarseness and breathing problems which prevented him from performing. When medical specialists could find nothing wrong with his throat, Alexander decided that there must be something wrong with the way he was using it. He studied himself with the help of mirrors and realized that his voice was being affected by the way he held his head and neck, which in turn related to the tensions in his body.

Over the years he taught himself new habits, not only solving his voice problem but discovering a new mental power and energy. He began teaching his technique to private individuals, including actors; today it is taught at five training schools in Britain, and is very popular among performers of all kinds, who are probably more aware of their bodies than the rest of us.

Small children know instinctively how to hold themselves correctly, but are soon thrown out of balance from schooldays onwards by things like badly designed school desks and too much sedentary work, as well as the stresses of modern living. Emotions are also reflected in the body; rounded shoulders can develop as a fear response to an over-critical or bullying parent, while over-anxiety can produce a head that thrusts forward instead of balancing easily on top of the spine. These muscular postures tend to become fixed, perpetuating the attitudes of mind they reflect.

Lessons usually last 30 to 45 minutes, during which the teacher helps you gradually to adjust the way you stand, sit and walk, using his or her hands to show the body how it should be, and gently guiding your muscles into new habits. It takes time for habits to be changed, and initially you may need to see a teacher two or three times a week; this is gradually tailed off, so that in time you will only need a lesson every month or two. During this re-education process, tensions are released, the stance becomes more natural, the ribs open up so that you breathe more naturally and deeply, and very often back and neck problems are relieved. As the client becomes more self-aware, he or she is able to go through daily life with less stress.

Despite the gentleness of the technique it can bring about profound changes not only in the body but in the mind, partly through the letting-go of old tensions, and partly through its focus on the present moment. This can result in a new, freer way of responding to stress, anxiety, decision-making and so on. For insomniacs, learning to adopt a different, more flowing attitude to daily activities can be extremely beneficial.

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Anti-Depressants/Sleeping Aid

POWER OVER PANIC: DISSOCIATION AND LETTING GO

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:22:14 +0000

This technique also applies to people who dissociate first and become frightened by the altered state. ‘What’s happening to me. Here it comes again. I’m going insane’. We can stop the escalation into anxiety and panic simply by being aware. ‘I’m dissociating.’ I’ve just gone into a trance state’. When we acknowledge what is happening to us, without letting our thoughts race out of control, we can break the dissociated state very easily, simply by breaking our stare, by blinking our eyes a few times. When our thoughts race away with how terrible the dissociated state is, our fear will not only hold us in the altered state, but will create even more symptoms.

Taking back the power: letting go

The second stage involves letting go of our thoughts. It is not the avoidance of thoughts by trying to distract ourselves in some way, that only creates further anxiety. As in meditation, the secret of the letting-go process is not the avoidance or annihilation of our thoughts. It is the letting go of our thoughts. When we are aware of how our thoughts create our symptoms, we see we have a choice. If we keep on the rollercoaster we know where we are going to end up. Anxiety and panic.

Don’t fight the thoughts. Don’t try to stop the thoughts or try to avoid them. Validate the thoughts by naming them, ‘anxiety’ thought, ‘panic’ thought, ‘depressive’ thought, ‘mental abuse’ thought, ‘negative’ thought, ‘guilt’ thought and then let them go, which means we don’t concentrate on them, we stop them by letting them go. This is the hard part. As soon as we let go of one thought, another is there to take its place. We let go of that and another comes.

This is where we need to have a lot of discipline. Remember, we are learning a new skill and it is going to take time and patience. In essence, what we are doing is learning to gain control over our thoughts and in doing so take back the power from the disorder. With practice, we become caught up in the letting-go process instead of becoming caught up in our thoughts.

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CHILDREN’S SLEEP PROBLEMS: PARENTS’ READIDNESS

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:04:43 +0000

This “Readiness Factor” has more to do with the success of all of the methods than any other factor. This cannot be emphasized enough and should certainly not be scoffed at.

Too often parents will succumb to feelings of guilt or to pressure from other people. They try something—usually whatever has been “suggested” m often—and it fails. The list under “we-tried-that” only looks like proof t nothing will ever work.

All methods of addressing sleep problems are difficult even when begun with the utmost determination. To begin before you are ready is to yourself—and your child—up for failure. That sense of failure usually la longer than if you had waited until you were fully ready.

How do you know when you are “ready?” It is a balance of be exhausted, frustrated, and prepared.

Developing a plan that feels personalized to your situation will give you more confidence to begin. Deciding what does and doesn’t feel right about current situation helps you define the problem for yourself. Trouble-shooting “glitches” before you encounter them gives you more ammunition. Work with your partner ahead of time builds a stronger, united front. Find supports before you need them means they will be there when you Examining the range of emotions and thoughts you have on the whole issue v help you give yourself permission to begin. You need to reach the conclusion that it is important to make some changes.

At five months I thought she was too young to sleep better. At seven months; was learning to crawl—and was so frustrated. At a year she wouldn’t leave side. Now she’s two and teething miserably again. Before I know it she’ll be college—1 guess then it’s okay to stay up all night!

Is it too late? “She climbs out of her crib,” “He can cry for hours,” “She still nurses every two hours,” “He has a baby brother now,” the reasons to take or not to take action are many.

It is never too late—you only have more information to take into account. Maybe it would have been easier yesterday, but chances are it will be easier today than tomorrow.

Identifying problem areas and your motivation for making changes are the f steps in problem solving. You also need solid information about children sleep.

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ANXIETY IN THE BODY: CONSTIPATION

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:34:13 +0000

We have noted that the main reaction of the body to anxiety is one of preparation for action—the increased output of the heart, the diversion of blood to the muscles, and the liberation of glucose into the blood to provide extra energy. Of course any movement of the bowels would hamper this preparation for physical activity, so the normal response of the body to anxiety includes a dampening down of movement of the bowels. In this way a mild anxiety reaction extending over a long period may lead to chronic constipation.

A professional man in his early fifties started the relaxing mental exercises on account of mild general tension, without thought as to any possible effect on his bowel action.

He had been constipated all his life, and for the last thirty years had been given to relieving his constipation with suppositories and enemas. After a few months, with the reduction of the general level of his anxiety, he found that he had established a perfectly normal bowel action, without physical straining, for the first time in his life.

The reduction of general anxiety undoubtedly helped by allowing the normal mobility of the bowel. But the patient himself lay stress on his being relaxed when actually at the toilet.

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