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In a perfect world, all families are happy and problem-free. But, in reality, that is rarely the case. Often families suffer from issues and unresolved emotional situations that, if kept unchecked, can only grow.

If you are looking for family therapy in Dublin then that is already a sign you might benefit from counselling. However, it can still be hard to decide you need family therapy and then even harder to find the counsellor suitable for your needs.

Family Therapy Dublin, Three Signs You Might Need it

As soon as you start looking for family therapy in Dublin, then you know that something is not right and fixing it would be the best scenario. On the other hand, some families have a harder time looking for answers or even accepting that things are not as good as they could be. So, here are the three biggest reasons to look for family therapy.

Fighting Addiction

There is no doubt fighting addiction is the hardest for the person suffering. But, the family is carrying a large weight also. More importantly, a family with deeper and open communication can help the patient overcome addiction and prevent relapse.

Overcoming a Traumatic Experience

Death of a family member, divorce, separation, or discovered affairs are all experiences that often fall heavy on the whole family, especially on the younger members who might have a hard time understanding why and what is happening.

This is where family therapy comes into play. Unravelling emotional experiences connected to your family can help you overcome emotional blockage, helping you improve your connection and communication with your family and also with your friends and work colleagues.

A Serious Breakdown in Communication

Finally, a sign that you could benefit from family therapy in Dublin is when you or a family member is showing signs of retreating from any kind of communication or interaction.

Keep in mind this is often different from your teenager not showing up for dinner or refusing to spend time with their family. While the two could be connected, a communication breakdown is often more serious where a member is retreating into a metaphorical “cave” running away from any kind of interaction.

Where to Look for Family Therapy in Dublin

As a more general rule, if you feel like you could benefit from family therapy in Dublin, then you should visit a therapist. Sometimes even after a few good sessions, you can find the answers you seek and after a few months, you could resolve some emotional experiences leading to better communication with your family.

Person-centred therapy, also called Rogerian therapy, was developed by an American psychologist Carl Rogers. He took a then different approach to therapy from a classic authoritative model to a more emphatic and encouraging therapeutic process.

It meant recognising that every individual is different and a master of their own views and worlds. Therefore, it is you who can best understand and manage your world. In person-centred therapy, a therapist is there to guide you to solutions and answers to questions that block your emotional recovery.

What to Expect From Person-Centred Therapy?

Person-centred therapy views in everyone a desire to change and grow. It is a talk therapy where you will do most of the talking and the therapist will guide you, sometimes repeating back to you what you said.

When you hear your words from a therapist, you might restate them, looking to express exactly how you are feeling. This process is important because it is you who reaches how you really feel deep inside, and why. It will also be you who reaches a solution or an answer to your question.

Through this process, the therapist provides unconditional empathy and understanding. Your thoughts and feelings are not judged but understood and accepted. The point is to create a safe environment where you can express your true feelings and grow through understanding yourself better after each session.

Is Person-Centred Therapy for You?

Generally, anyone looking to improve their self-confidence and a stronger sense of identity can benefit from person-centred therapy. However, this approach where you are allowed to reach questions and answers by yourself is also effective if you are suffering from depression, anxiety, grief, stress, abuse and other mental health conditions.

If you are looking to grow and change in a way to become able to tackle daily problems in life and live free of other people’s expectations or judgments, then person-centred therapy is for you. It will help you find the strength to take life into your own hands and realize you are not only perfectly capable of living your own life but the only person whose opinion even matters.

Is Every Therapist Good for Person-Centred Therapy?

If you think person-centred therapy is something for you, you should look for a therapist with experience in the Rogerian approach. But besides the obvious need for education and experience, you need a therapist with whom you will feel comfortable sharing every one of your thoughts.

It is always a good idea to read some of the testimonials other patients leave about the therapist, simply to get a feel of whether this person would be the right one for you. However, in the end, it is you who has to decide if you feel comfortable or not.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, commonly referred to as CBT therapy, is a kind of talk therapy. It lays emphasis on the present and focuses on how your thought process affects your feelings and, ultimately, your behaviour.

With CBT, you are able to cope with problems that would otherwise seem overwhelming. You should note that advances in CBT have been possible thanks to incorporating both research and clinical practice.

CBT therapy is helpful with issues ranging from anxiety, low self-esteem, depression to anger management. Whether performing CBT on yourself or with the help of a therapist, it is ultimately useful in increasing self-awareness and understanding.

CBT Therapy for Anger Management

Making the decision to see a therapist stems from the point of wanting to solve a mental or emotional issue. This includes anger management. We all get angry for one reason or the other. For example, you may stub your tiny toe on an object, or you may have an overbearing boss. How you handle these situations, however, says a lot.

Anger episodes can be physically and emotionally harmful. When you’re angry, and it spirals out of control, it may wreck relationships with those closest to you. Therefore, finding a way to manage your anger is necessary.

With CBT therapy, you learn anger management techniques that are based on science. As a result, you get the chance to minimize the length and intensity of the episodes. Or better yet, you’re able to keep the anger episodes from occurring completely.

Helpful Techniques You Can Learn in CBT

To effectively manage your anger episodes, you need to be aware of your triggers. Thereafter, you get to learn various techniques that can be incorporated to keep you calm and prevent situations from blowing out of proportion.

This is why CBT sessions involve speaking about how you feel and your past experiences. We also ask a series of questions related to your anger. All this is done in a non-judgmental environment.

By doing this, we identify the root cause of your anger. In turn, you get to learn how to communicate effectively without losing control.

Some of the techniques incorporated include mindfulness, having a ‘calm down’ kit, and cognitive restructuring. The benefit of this will be;

Breathing and meditation techniques that keep you calm

Observing your good and not so good feelings and keeping yourself from intense reactions

Shifting how you interpret situations that make you angry

All in all, you get to think rationally before acting on impulse. In turn, this will improve both your emotional and mental health.

How to Get Started with Anger Management CBT Therapy?

I have found that incorporating additional forms of therapy proves effective for my clients. That is why I use both CBT therapy and reality therapy with them.

One of your first great steps, if you are feeling depressed or you are feeling something that might be described as depression, is to see a depression therapist. Now, your journey won’t be easier just because you made a conscious decision to ask for help and get better.

It is likely that on your way to your first session you are going to think heavily about what you should share. And once you arrive and the session starts, your mind could be completely blank.

If that happens, don’t worry. Depression is difficult enough to live with, and sometimes, it is even worse to explain it to someone, even if that someone is trying to help you. Let this post be a little nudge, a piece of advice to give you a few guidelines you can hold on to if everything else fades when you sit on your chair in front of a depression therapist.

Tell Your Depression Therapist About Your Past and Present Issues

You might come with a premade idea that we are going to talk about your past or your connections with your family, but that is not a given. For example, if we proceed with CBT therapy, a therapy effective in treating depression and issues relevant to you at this moment, we may not have a chance to talk about your past.

And yet, if you come to one session and you don’t know what to say, you could start at a point far in time. We might dig deeper on that point and discover a connection between a difficult emotional moment from your childhood and current emotions or behaviour.

Talk About the Sources of Stress

When talking with your depression therapist, sharing problems that make you feel frustrated, angry, nervous, and sad is imperative. You can talk about these problems whether they appear at home or work, the more detailed and honest you are, the better a therapist can help you.

You can also share moments of happiness and circumstances that led to those moments. Therapy doesn’t mean always talking about your issues. Especially depression therapy is about learning the techniques to cope with your problems but also finding sources of happiness and strength.

Did You Notice any Physical Symptoms?

Depression often manifests in physical symptoms like having trouble sleeping, low energy levels, and the loss of appetite. Physical symptoms also often change your behaviour. You should talk about this with your depression therapist.

Whenever you notice a symptom or a change in behaviour that you think might be caused by depression, you can write it down and reflect on the situation during therapy. This will also help you in case you don’t know what to talk about.

Are You Looking for a Depression Therapist?

If you are feeling depressed, one of your first stops might be to see a general practitioner. They could see if your feelings are caused by something else or give you directions on where to treat your depression.

You can approach family counselling in many ways and one of those ways is family systems therapy. Through my counselling services, I apply systems thinking as a central part of family therapy.

When we apply systems theory to a collection of individuals who are emotionally and physically connected ‒ a family, we start to notice behaviour is often inseparable from one’s family of origin.

Let’s try to make this clearer and easier to understand by explaining how families function and why one might seek family counselling.

What is Family Counselling With Systems Theory

When we talk about family counselling, that doesn’t have to mean the whole family participates in therapy. Actually, I perform family systems therapy with individuals, to help them resolve their behaviour and emotional issues.

The very core of family systems theory teaches us that a family is connected, in thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. Changes in one person’s behaviour affect everyone.

Most people never realize this, but our choices and thoughts are rarely truly our own. Our family plays a huge role in our minds. So, this is what family systems theory teaches, that the best way to understand a family as a whole, or your issues with the family is to look at the family as one system or one unit.

When is Family Systems Theory Effective?

It is safe to say most people in the world have some issues with their families. This doesn’t mean every family needs counselling, but it does mean every family could benefit from a systemic approach.

Family systems theory can help a family in crisis. A crisis can mean financial difficulties, relocation, death or sickness of one family member, and other emotional or practical issues that can affect every member of the unit.

Additionally, it can help an individual with other issues that, on the first look, might not be connected. Conditions like schizophrenia, alcohol and substance disorder, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders can all be traced to unresolved emotional issues connected with the family.

As for the effectiveness of treatment, family systems theory is fairly young. It was introduced by Murray Bowen in 1960, and even though it grew in popularity immensely, there is still a need for more empirical evidence to attest to its effectiveness.

What I can tell you from experience with my clients is that family counselling can help and does help resolve emotional issues and set a higher level of freedom.

Are You Looking for Family Counselling?

If, after reading this article, you feel like family counselling is something for you. Something that can help you visualize the effect your family connections have on your personal and professional life. Something that can help your reach a higher level of emotional freedom.

The psychodynamic theory started as psychoanalysis when Sigmund Freud was looking for a way to not only create treatments for mentally ill people but also understand human behaviour. Since then, there have been many theories, ideas, and approaches to treatments, and the psychodynamic approach became an umbrella term for many theories.

Most of those theories share similarities and approaches that make them fall under the psychodynamic umbrella. In this blog post, we will cover the most important terms so you can understand psychodynamic theory a little better.

Developmental Perspective

The psychodynamic theory focuses greatly on your early childhood experiences. Most psychodynamic therapists think you learn how life and relationships work in your early childhood and you carry this knowledge and apply it unconsciously through the rest of your life.

However, it is wrong to assume every psychodynamic therapist will have you talking about your parents for the whole duration of the therapy. Plus there are therapists like Erik Erikson who place more emphasis on the whole duration of your life and the development of your personality than just your childhood.

Transference in Psychodynamic Theory

Transference implies that your past relationships and experiences influence your current relationships and perceptions. It is important because, with the help of a therapist, you can learn a new way to approach relationships.

Psychodynamic Theory Emphasizes Unconsciousness

Actually, the main focus of psychodynamic therapy is to shed light on the unconscious part of your mind. It is there where the memories and feelings too painful to process are held. These painful experiences were pushed to your unconsciousness by your defence mechanisms to protect you.

However, as you grow, the defence mechanisms and the unprocessed experiences can do you more harm than good. Psychodynamic theory has many creative techniques to draw the unconsciousness out and help you process your emotions.

Person-Oriented Perspective

The psychodynamic theory emphasises the need to focus on the person as a whole and change their whole personality rather than just one presenting problem. This means the approach is much deeper and digs into suppressed feelings and emotions.

However, this also means, therapy sessions can be long and there isn’t a straight line leading to you feeling better. After some sessions, you might progress and feel better, and after others, you might feel like there is no point in anything. But if you persevere, your psyche will help you heal your old wounds. You just have to allow it.

Are You Looking for Psychodynamic Therapy?

With this blog post, you have learned four main points that make different theories and approaches fall under the psychodynamic theory umbrella. Psychodynamic therapy can help you tap into your unconsciousness, reveal the emotional issues your mind locked away, and heal the old wounds.

When you visit a therapist it is often because you need help with an emotional or mental issue. Maybe you are feeling depressed, anxious, angry, etc. And while I am here to help you, my job isn’t to heal you, nor could I do that even if I tried.

This is sometimes misunderstood in therapy. Therapists help you realize the frustrations or emotional barriers and help you find a way to understand and accept them. Everything else is done by you. You are the one who will learn the techniques to deal with upcoming negativity and you are the one who has to deal with it.

I am here to listen to you in a safe environment without judgment and to teach you the skills you need. So, with that being said, could you do all of that on your own? Without a therapist?

When Do You Need CBT Therapy

CBT therapy can help with many issues and it revolves around the fact that our thoughts, emotions, and behaviour are all connected. It isn’t about digging up the past and resolving hidden issues, although that could be done if you wanted to. No, CBT is about learning the skills to address real-life problems, to get through the day filled with as much positivity as possible.

Naturally, if you don’t think you can hold yourself accountable, you should definitely contact a therapist. However, if you can be self-disciplined and you love to be self-thaught, then you could perform CBT therapy on yourself.

How to Perform CBT on Yourself

The thing with CBT therapy, or any therapy for that matter, is that I tailor it specifically for each patient. Therefore, it is almost impossible for me to give you an honest guide that you could follow and after a few months heal yourself from your troubles.

CBT is a long process, and if you plan to perform it yourself, it will be even longer. Because my advice is that you educate yourself deeply on what CBT is and how to perform it. Once you understand the therapy and techniques, with a little will and self-discipline, you can perform it on yourself.

In fact, exactly because each therapy is tailored differently, you can tailor the therapy for yourself better than anyone. Provided you know what to look for and you are self-conscious enough.

The latter is maybe the most important. If you can’t truly and honestly assess your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, you will have a difficult time applying any therapy to yourself. Simply because there won’t be anyone to tell you if you are being dishonest.

Finally, you have to educate yourself, actually, that is the first step you need to take. The more you understand CBT therapy and your own mind, the faster and more efficient your mind will be able to heal. I would suggest a list of books approved by the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies as a good starting point for your self-learning journey.

What To Do When Self CBT Doesn’t Work?

If you try to apply CBT on yourself and you see little to no improvement even after a few months, don’t give to despair. Healing emotional issues is much harder than it may seem, even though it seems common sense when you are feeling better.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT was developed by three therapists, Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale. They were looking at upgrading cognitive therapy and combined it with a program called mindfulness-based stress reduction.

What followed was a relatively new but promisingly successful therapy on not only treating disorders like depression and anxiety but also preventing relapse. MBCT seems to be especially useful with the latter by teaching patients how to understand and manage their thoughts that would normally cause distress.

How Mindfulness Cognitive Therapy Works

If you are suffering from depression or anxiety, you are probably often experiencing timeframes with low mood, negative thoughts, unpleasant memories, etc. Mindfulness cognitive therapy can teach you cognitive techniques and mindfulness meditations that help interrupt these timeframes.

With these techniques, you are first learning to recognise the negative thoughts and feelings, especially since they often result in physical reactions like weariness or sluggishness. You will learn that you can separate your inner self from your negative experiences.

Once you can do that and you start seeing the reasons behind your negative thoughts and emotions, you can interrupt them with positivity. Essentially, MBCT teaches you how to anticipate and replace negative thoughts and low moods with positivity.

Techniques You Can Learn in MBCT

To effectively address your thoughts you have to become deeply aware of them. This is why MBCT sessions often include talking about your feelings and experiences in a non-judgmental manner.

Through meditation, breathing techniques, and even yoga, you will also learn to become more mindful in general. Techniques like body scan exercises where you lay down and become aware of each part of your body, and the three-minute breathing exercise can help you calm your mind and negativity and realize there is no reason to feel as negative as you do.

Preventing Depression Relapse With Mindfulness Cognitive Therapy

Patients with severe depression and anxiety often go through difficult and life-changing therapies to heal themselves with the help of their therapists. The reason MBCT seems so effective at preventing relapse of those illnesses is that it equips the patients with the skills they need to go through the day.

When you learn the negative patterns and the reasons behind them, you will easily foresee a downward spiral. If you can see it coming, you can react to it and prevent it from happening, or at least, prevent it from having such a devastating effect.

Are You Looking for Cognitive Therapy?

I am not using MBCT in my therapy sessions but cognitive behavioural therapy in combination with reality therapy. While there are many effective methods for treating many illnesses, I found these to suit my patients and their needs the best.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of the type of life you had, there was something to worry about. Sometimes that would be the bills or work-related problems and at other times those closest to you.

As much as the pandemic changed our lives, it didn’t erase the stress, quite the opposite, it added to it. Suddenly, we started worrying about numbers, measures, face masks, and much more. Suddenly, we are googling who is treating anxiety in Ireland.

From Stress to Anxiety

Stress on its own is a natural part of life. Lately, people have started to experience too much of it daily, but for most, it was something they could bear. However, when stress becomes too much, when you are unable to cope with your daily stressors, that is when an unhealthy dosage of stress turns into anxiety.

One of the problems that we will only begin to realize as a country is the mental effect this pandemic will have on our people, and people all around the world. The constant negative news on the television, the worry about leaving the safety of your home, and the impossibility of leading normal lives have all brought us closer to anxiety, and the need for treating anxiety.

Treating Anxiety in Dublin

Maybe you have already noticed you have a hard time dealing with daily stressors. But anxiety can also manifest in other ways. You might find it hard to focus, maybe you are easily irritated or constantly fatigued.

Especially if you take into account the latest problems concerning the pandemic. We have people losing their jobs, losing their loved ones, losing their ability to socialize, and even being unable to constantly spend time with the people they live with.

The pandemic has forced us to live inside a very small world and restricted our choices. The latter is imperative for us, humans. There are many who before the lockdown spent most of their time in their home, alone. But if they wanted to socialize, they could. Now, there is no choice, we have to live in a certain way that brings constant stress and thus the need for treating anxiety.

Treating Anxiety With CBT

If you have been reading posts like these, talking about anxiety and effective methods when treating the illness, you have probably come across something called CBT. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the most effective ways when treating anxiety.

I use both CBT and Reality Therapy when treating anxiety. These methods can help you break down overwhelming problems into “bite-size” pieces you can easily digest. You will soon see how and which thoughts and feelings influence your emotional state and behaviour.

Analyzing your thoughts and the reasons behind their existence will bring you more awareness and self-understanding. In other words, you will view your life with more clarity and you will be able to make better choices.

Cannabis has long carried the notion that it is harmless. Especially among the younger generations who use it without much thought about the consequences. And contrary to what you might think, the drug’s usage hasn’t stopped during the pandemic.

If anything, it has increased as a measure people take to cope with the growing uncertainty about their financial and health security. So, how do we tackle this growing problem?

The first step is realizing there is a problem. We have to acknowledge the fact cannabis is a drug, and prolonged usage has consequences. Once we understand there is a danger to high-potency cannabis usage, we can realize there is a problem and with enough will, start using cognitive behavioural therapy for substance abuse.

The Dangers Behind Cannabis Abuse

Before we talk about symptoms we have a few serious issues concerning cannabis. The first one is that cannabis is easily accessible and the second that it is fairly inexpensive. Only 20 euros a week would be enough for you to experience the negative effects of cannabis abuse. And weekly usage is enough to make you addicted.

Furthermore, the amount of THC in cannabis has increased over the years. In 2000 the average amount of THC was 6%, most of the cannabis produced and consumed today has around 16% of THC.

However, the drug is equally accessible, even for younger people, the prices haven’t changed much, or if they have, they did with the moving economy, and the general opinion hasn’t changed at all. People in Ireland still consider cannabis harmless.

Now we come to the real danger, especially during the last “lockdown” year, when more and more people resorted to cannabis as a way to cope with the uncertain reality. Prolonged cannabis abuse results in mood changes, often anxiety, irritation, and anger. Especially during the withdrawal period.

Cannabis is especially damaging to young adolescent minds because it can affect the way their minds work, diminishing their ability to learn problem-solving and social skills.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Substance Abuse

When we talk about cognitive behavioural therapy for substance abuse we talk about discovering the thoughts and emotional reasons behind your behaviour. Sure, the seemingly never-ending lockdown and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic take a huge toll on everyone’s mental health.

However, there is usually more behind the scenes. And using CBT combined with Reality Therapy you can identify the thoughts and feelings that push you to seek protection and comfort from a substance such as cannabis.

But the same logic can be applied to any substance. CBT therapy can help you look at your life with greater clarity and learn how to make better, healthier choices that bring positive changes to your life.

In April 2020, soon after the lockdown started, articles and research were pointing to the fact mental health problems are on the rise. Independent said more than four in ten Irish adults are feeling lonely.

That was after a few weeks of lockdown. Now imagine the research after a year of living with measures. Not only feelings of loneliness and anxiety because of the inability to socialize, but people have also lost their jobs, some have lost people close to them because of the pandemic. These are all causes enough for depression

Mental health issues are definitely spreading in Ireland, and at a fast rate. So, what can you do about it? What can we all do about it? Look for depression counselling in Ireland, or another counselling you think may help.

Don’t Fight Alone, Look for Depression Counselling

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, research was showing one in four people in Ireland will experience mental health problems in their lifetime. The lockdown and other measures have only exacerbated that problem.

These problems can only be mild, not everyone needs depression counselling immediately after they feel sad. The issue is however, people often think they can endure and fix their mental health on their own.

Especially true during the pandemic, when our movement and socialization have been restricted. Without anyone to confide in, we start to plunge deeper into our own abyss, feeling worse with every locked week, but thinking we can fix it ourselves.

The key is to ask for depression counselling. Even if you are not sure you have depression. You can still call me and we can see what troubles you. Or you can call your friend or family, have a chat about the issues at hand. Don’t run away from talking about your feelings and mental issues.

CBT and Reality Therapy as Depression Counselling

Both CBT and Reality Therapy are great approaches to analyzing how your thoughts influence your feelings, and your feelings your behaviour.

The results of the long-lasting COVID-19 related measures are a great example of what can happen. Let’s say you lose a job. You will start to worry, think about what will come next, maybe you will think you are not good or young, or capable enough to find a new job or change a profession.

These thoughts will start to get under your skin and you will soon start to feel inadequate, you will start to feel depressed. Like there is no reason to even try, and to make matters worse, the outside situation was not improving as we all hoped.

So finally, these feelings result in bad, often self-damaging behaviour. This is why it is important to address the thoughts and feelings.

I Am Here to Offer Depression Counselling

Maybe you are already struggling, maybe you are past the thoughts and feelings, and you are barely finding any reason to keep going. Don’t give in. There is still help. I can help.

Alcohol consumption in Ireland in 2019 showed persons aged 15+ drink around 10.78 litres of pure alcohol. The Health Research Board mentioned this is equal to around 40 litres of gin or vodka, 116 bottles of wine, or 445 pints of beer per person.

Now consider two more issues. Firstly, one in five persons in Ireland abstains from alcohol completely. So, those that do drink, drink a lot more than the per capita research shows. Secondly, consumption in Ireland has gone considerably up in the COVID-19 lockdown period.

We have yet to see the consequences of lockdown related alcohol consumption.

How Can We Use CBT for Alcoholism

The most productive way of treating alcohol use disorder is evidence-based talk therapy combined with a rehabilitation program.

The reason cognitive behavioural therapy is used for treating alcoholism is that it looks at the causes and consequences of substance abuse. During your therapy sessions, I will help you identify feelings, hidden emotions and thoughts, and occurrences leading to and even causing your alcohol abuse.

CBT is based on the idea of solving current problems. You will learn which feelings and thoughts are causing your most relevant issues, and how to deal with them. Treating true emotional reasons leading to alcoholism can be a long and arduous process, one that you have to want to engage.

However, using CBT for alcoholism, you can remove your day-to-day emotional obstacles, and start living your life more healthy and happy. Then, we can talk about the deeper issues. But only when you feel ready for that.

CBT for Alcoholism in a Post-Lockdown Ireland

The COVID-19 lockdown has brought many changes and problems to our society. From working from home solutions to the lack of socialization between people. The Irish Examiner conducted a survey, concluding a fifth of Irish people is drinking a lot more since the lockdown.

The people themselves recognised the drinking is making their mental health worse and it is starting to affect their physical health. And this was around six months after the pandemic started. More than a year has passed now.

Men and women both are drinking more to cope with undesired feelings like anxiety, loneliness, and boredom. Alcoholism can be a serious issue if it isn’t treated, but the results behind lockdown-related alcoholism still have to reveal themselves.

If you, someone in your family, or a close friend, are suffering from alcoholism, just know there is treatment. Using CBT for alcoholism, you can resolve the issues behind your substance abuse, and learn to skills to abstain from it.

The best way to fight any kind of substance abuse is to react as soon as you start thinking “this has gotten out of hand”. Maybe your relatives and friends have mentioned you are drinking too much. Or you have realised that on your own. Regardless of the reasons,

BPD has long been an undefined disorder. It was often used to describe an atypical form of another mental health disorder like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. It carried many negative stigmas and it was even considered untreatable.

But Borderline Personality Disorder is definitely a separate disorder, because of it, you will probably be afraid of abandonment and yet your actions and words will push everyone away. Today, this post is here to tell you that you are not alone, that you are suffering from a separate and defined disorder, and most importantly, that BPD is treatable using DBT psychotherapy.

Borderline Personality Disorder, Symptoms

BPD usually begins in adolescence, but the turbulence of the teenage years make it hard to predict how the disorder will progress. Because of this and its similarity with other disorders, nine major symptom categories define borderline personality disorder. To define if you have BPD you should have at least five out of these nine symptoms.

Fear of Abandonment

Fear of abandonment is something we all feel in very small dosages. No one truly wants to be all alone. But with BPD, you might be afraid someone won’t come back even if they just went grocery shopping. You might track and even block their movement.

Extreme Relationship Idealization and Devaluation

In other words, you are incapable of having a stable relationship with almost anyone. One moment you may see someone as your best friend and in the other as your worst enemy.

Unstable Identity

Similar to how you view other people, your opinion of yourself is also constantly shifting. There are moments where you feel great about who you are, but these are quickly replaced with extreme feelings of self-loathing.

Impulsive and Self-Destructive Behaviour

This may include substance abuse, reckless driving or spending. It is about behaviour that makes you feel better in a specific moment but hurts you long-term.

Suicidal Behaviour

In line with the moments of self-loathing, you can experience suicidal or self-harming behaviour.

Extreme Emotional Swings

Your emotions are unstable, often characterized as rollercoasters. These swings sometimes last for a few hours but can last for a few days.

Chronic Feelings of Emptiness

You may feel empty inside like there is an unfillable hole. At worst you will think of yourself as nobody or nothing. Destructive behaviour usually follows this feeling, because you are trying to fill up the hole with sex, drug, and food. In reality, nothing but treatment can work.

Difficulty Controlling Anger

If you have BPD, you might be unable to control your anger. Once angry, you could be completely consumed with rage, throwing things, getting into a fight, and yelling.

Feeling Suspicious or Paranoid

Being paranoid and suspicious of other people’s actions and motives is one of the possible BPD symptoms.

These symptoms are difficult to cope with, even the minimum five are enough to make your life unbearable. But don’t lose hope, there is treatment. Using DBT psychotherapy I can help you live a happier life filled with meaning.

DBT Psychotherapy for Treating BPD

DBT Informed Therapy is effective in treating both Borderline Personality disorder and Emotional Dysregulation Disorder. It provides you with skills and coping mechanics like mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance.

Addiction is not only a substance use disorder, you can be addicted to sex, porn, social media, gambling, and gaming. But when we do talk about substance addiction, the field is again broad. Are you addicted to medication, alcohol, or cannabis?

The problem with addiction is that it interferes with your reward system. Once your brain gets used to it, it becomes incredibly difficult to change it. This is why we can use CBT for addiction because you have to change your addictive behaviour.

How Addiction Changes Your Brain and Behaviour

The first problem with addiction is that people often think it won’t happen to them. This is especially true with soft drugs like cannabis and other substances such as alcohol. You might think that cannabis is safe, that you are an exception, or that you can quit any time you decide.

The reality is quite different. Quitting is hard. But as long as you feel you have it under control, you can still live in a “normal” way. The larger problem becomes when you start using bigger amounts of the substance, you become secretive about it, and you start having legal and financial problems.

You start to engage in other risky behaviour, you lose interest in other activities, and you start placing the substance in front of everybody else, even your family.

Addiction will alter your brain’s reward system. What this means is, you will replace healthy behaviour with addictive behaviour, because that is when you feel normal. Your whole view of what is good for you changes.

Why CBT for Addiction Works

We can use CBT for Addiction to uncover your negative and painful thoughts. Substance use disorder is often a result of you trying to avoid the negative and unrealized feelings of self-doubt and fear.

With Cognitive behavioural therapy, I can help you revisit those painful memories and reduce the pain they are causing you. You will also learn other, positive behaviour that replaces your drug or alcohol use.

If you really want to beat addiction and you want to prevent a relapse. You need to understand why you were addicted in the first place. When you understand how your feelings of depression, fear, or insecurity lead to substance use, it will become a lot clearer how to defeat it.

Are You Looking for CBT for Addiction?

If you are fighting addiction then you have already taken the first step. And maybe you are already under-recovery. CBT can only boost your recovery by providing you with coping skills that address the thoughts and emotions behind addictive behaviour.

If you can address these thoughts and learn how to avoid triggering situations, you will be closer to beating addiction, and closer to a happier and more fulfilling life.

Finally, once I teach you the techniques, you can continue practising them on your own. In fact, if you want your recovery to be successful, that is highly recommended.

Humanistic psychotherapy or human-centred counselling is an approach to counselling based on the idea that everyone, given the right conditions, has the ability to change. It is a way of thinking for the therapist, and also a way of life.

It is a part of my being to place the human first and technique in psychotherapy second. Because the whole purpose of any kind of psychotherapy is for you to feel better, to learn how to deal with your overwhelming problems and reach a state of mind where you can enjoy life.

Humanistic Psychotherapy, the Characteristics

The three core conditions in humanistic counselling are empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard. Following these three conditions, I will go through your experiences with you.

Because of empathy, you will feel understood and accepted, that there is nothing wrong with how you are feeling and that you can always change, that you already have the desire to change. I will only help you find that desire and equip you with the skills to keep it.

Congruence is the most important characteristic of humanistic psychotherapy. It shows that a counsellor is a real person. You will feel that, because of my authenticity, you can trust me more easily and because you will feel my honesty, you will rarely try to hide how you feel for the fear of being judged.

Lastly, unconditional positive regard refers to my deep care for all my clients. Don’t let my reactions to your experiences trick you. Through your therapy sessions, we may reach points where I don’t approve of your actions, that doesn’t mean I don’t approve of you. As a humanistic therapist, I will always accept you for who you are.

The Benefits of Humanistic Psychotherapy

Humanistic counselling places you first. Because of the belief that everybody has the ability to change and unlock their true potential. You will be able to free yourself from other people’s expectations.

In my sessions, there is no judgment, not even hidden. You are allowed and encouraged to be yourself, to become free and eager to live and improve. The goal of humanistic psychotherapy is to help you become more like yourself.

You are the expert in your life, because of that you already know what is best for you. That knowledge is sometimes hidden or obstructed by your emotions or other people’s limitations for you.

But when you learn how to free yourself from them, you will reap the true benefits of humanistic counselling. Together, you and I will work through your experiences, we will overcome your difficulties, and you will grow as a person. You will grow into someone with the ability to be happy and enjoy life.

Dialectical behavioural therapy or DBT was first introduced in 1978 by Marsha Linehan. Linehan created the treatment specifically for treating individuals with borderline personality disorder.

However, because of its effectiveness in treating a wide range of emotional issues, the popularity of DBT among psychologists and other mental health workers has exploded since then.

What is DBT?

Traditional DBT is an intense form of therapy involving group and individual sessions. The therapy is built around four treatment modes that specifically address your motivation to change, enhance your capabilities, expand your changes to your environment, and structure your environment to support your improvement.

The treatment modes are also the skills you will learn to cope with extreme mood swings. They are mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance.

What is DBT Informed Therapy?

DBT informed therapy is a somewhat less known version of the standard DBT. It is based on the same four modules and it will address your motivation and capabilities in the same manner. The main difference is that DBT informed therapy is done in a one-to-one setting, there are no groups.

This therapy can help you if you are suffering from emotional issues, and it is especially effective in treating borderline personality disorder or BPD and Emotional Dysregulation disorder or EDD.

You can see DBT informed therapy as a scaled-down version of the standard DBT. Scaled not in a manner of its effectiveness, but to fit the limits of one therapist and to accent your needs as a patient.

BPD is considered one of the most challenging psychiatric disorders. This makes it important that you receive therapy customized to your needs. There are many patients suffering from severe emotional issues, but all of them need a unique approach since all of them are suffering from unique issues. When the focus is only on you, the therapist can give you the best care possible.

Do You Need DBT Informed Therapy?

DBT informed therapy can treat a wide range of emotional issues. If you are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder I can help you with DBT informed therapy. But you don’t have to be, you could suffer from other mental issues that require the same approach.

If you have suicidal tendencies or other self-harming thoughts, both with the intention to manage an intense surge of emotions, DBT can help. Because of your inability to control your emotions, you could have trouble maintaining a long-term relationship, this can lead to a feeling of isolation.

But don’t despair. You can learn the skills to manage your mood swings, I can teach them to you. Through DBT informed therapy you will learn how to practice mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance.

These skills will help you gain control of your emotions, and as a result, of your behaviour. You will be able to experience your emotions instead of pushing them away, and you will be able to solve your relationship problems.

Your mind is designed to live and survive, it will protect you from anything it deems harmful, physically and psychologically. This is one of the wonders of our brains, but there are some situations where it creates more harm than good.

There Is An Unconscious Part of Your Mind

The unconscious mind holds all the answers to your behaviour. It is also where your mind hides anything that could hurt you. The emotions and traumas you cannot process, that are too painful to even remember, all reside in your unconsciousness.

And since your conscious mind cannot process this trauma, it creates defences to stop it from surfacing. Defence mechanisms like denial, repression, and rationalization are techniques used by your awake mind to stop emotions, traumas, and fears your mind cannot handle. Essentially, any behaviour that is designed to protect you from unpleasant emotion is a behaviour worth looking at.

However, simply because they are not a part of your conscious mind, doesn’t mean they don’t affect your everyday actions. Quite the contrary, they can affect almost every aspect of your life, or at least, of your behaviour.

Introducing Psychodynamic Therapy

The goal of psychodynamic therapy is to bring these unpleasant experiences to our consciousness, to become aware of our unconsciousness. Using this approach, we will, together, take a look at what kind of influence your past and childhood have on your present behaviour.

You will discover how you are unconsciously repeating the destructive patterns in your life. Most usually, these patterns are learned in our childhood or they are the result of our mind’s defence mechanism.

Using psychodynamic therapy we will unknot your past experiences and resolve them. Thus, you will become more aware, and more importantly, you will move on from traumas that are troubling you.

The great thing is that your mind wants to heal and find balance. Your unconsciousness has probably already let you know your mind needs healing. This can happen through dreams, daydreaming, and sometimes, our “sleeping” mind influences our words and actions directly.

Discovering your unconsciousness can seem difficult, even daunting. But once you start, you will notice your psyche is providing you with memories and insight into your past experiences that will help you understand your present behaviour or help you get over the trauma you have been hiding.

Psychodynamic therapy can take a long time to reach the desired results. Your psyche wants balance, but these wounds are often very deep, and they can take a long time to heal. However, already during the first six to twelve weeks, you will see progress. At the very least, you will realise your destructive patterns and you will be on your way to discover their causes.