Blog – Page 3 – Suzanne Johnson's Therapy

Reflections on “How to Hack the Voices in Your Head”

These are my thoughts of an interview Dave Asprey did with world-wide known author and teacher Byron Katie called “Hacking the Voice in Your Head” (the interview can be found here)

Katie shares how she spiraled down into 10 years of depression, rage, self-loathing and agoraphobia. She had been unable to leave her bedroom most of the time. These emotional problems were greatly changed at age 43 in 1986 when she became aware that her suffering was caused by believing her thoughts. She realized that when she questioned these negative thoughts she stopped her suffering. Katie felt compelled to help others who were in the same dark hopeless hole she had been in.

Why I Prefer Natural Methods over Psychiatric Medications

Note: This blog is not medical advice and does not replace consultation with a qualified medical professional of your choosing.

When antidepressants started to become popular in the 1990’s, often they were not prescribed until the client had seen a therapist weekly for 3 to 6 months. If the therapy did not reduce the person’s emotional problems, medication was prescribed with the intention that it would be prescribed short term while the client continued to improve with the help of therapy. Now people are prescribed medication by their medical doctors or their psychiatrist at their first appointment. They are sometimes told they have a bio-chemical imbalance that will require them to take medication the rest of their lives. Often people take the medication and don’t seek therapy.

Benefits of using Video Therapy over the Internet To Combat Anxiety and Depression

I began seeing my clients using a HIPPA compliant video platform for one of the health insurances I take a year ago. Most of these clients had problems with depression and/or anxiety related to job stress, finances, and family problems. I thought the sessions would be of lower quality than when I saw my clients in person but I was wrong. When I am seeing someone using my HIPPA compliant video software called Doxy.me, I soon forget that we are not in the same room.

Some of my clients were hesitant to see me using this method but once they tried it, I often never saw them after that in person. They found it so convenient to not have to drive in poor weather or even to take the time to drive to see me. Some people meet with me during their lunch breaks. When they are home they like to introduce me to family members, partners and pets. Some clients live far from a city with therapists who are taking new clients. I have seen people using video who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as who are working at their jobs in Chicago or Japan.

How EMDR Flash Technique Decreases Anxiety, Depression and Overeating

The therapeutic technique of EMDR is my favorite technique to use as I have found it helps my clients reduce their emotional pain quicker than other methods. I learned recently of a new development in EMDR called The Flash Technique that often quickens the recovery process.

To use the Flash Technique the therapist asks the client to rate how disturbing the problem is using a SUDS scale of 1 to 10, where a 1 is not distressing at all and a 10 is the most distressing possible. Numbers in between 1 and 10 show increasing levels of distress. The therapist asks the client to put that problem out of her mind, then to concentrate on a memory or activity or song that makes the person feel happy. The therapist instructs the client to tap her legs or arms alternatively, while thinking of the happy memory, then asks the client to blink her eyes 3 times when the therapist says Flash. This is repeated 5 times. The therapist asks the client to briefly rate the original problem again on a scale of 1 to 10. This sequence may be repeated 2 to 5 times. By then, the original problem is most often felt to be much less disturbing.

How Fasting Can Reduce Anxiety and Depression

I am always looking for additional ways to help my clients reduce their depression and anxiety using natural methods. I have been hearing lately how beneficial fasting is to one’s health. I was impressed what I learned about water fasting in a documentary called “The Science of Fasting”. You can watch the documentary here.

(Note: I would not advise anyone to go on a water fast over a day without supervision from a health practitioner and preparation of shorter fasts with a clean diet.)

The documentary starts in the Soviet Union at the Therapeutic and Health Clinic in Sibera, Russia, where over 10,000 people have received treatment from 1972 to 2012. They are still open. This center uses water fasting, the most difficult kind of fasting there is. They admit it can be a difficult experience especially the first 3 days when people experience acidosis. After the first week, the staff said the fasting usually gets easier. (I believe they glossed over how hard it can be according to other people’s experiences I have read about.)

Exercise Decreases Anxiety and Depression

To Worry or Not to Worry-that is the choice (Reducing Anxiety)

Van Wilder once said “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere”. Actually worry does take you somewhere. It takes your imagination down the road that creates misery regarding something that has not happened yet and very possibly may never happen.

Bryon Katie, a well- known author of 8 books, said “If you want a little terror, get a future.” In other words if you don’t want to worry, come back into today by practicing mindfulness of the present. It need not be anything time consuming or complicated. It could be as simple as petting your cat or texting a friend.

The Highly Sensitive Person and Anxiety

In the mid 1990s a friend of mind told me about a book that would change my life: The Highly Sensitive Person-How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N.Aron. The author writes that 15 to 20 percent of the population has a sensitive nervous system that causes these people to be more sensitive emotionally and physically. In our culture this trait is usually not seen favorable while in other countries such as China being “shy and sensitive” is seen favorably. In our culture the highly sensitive person may be told “you are too sensitive!” or as a child, called a “cry baby”. These negative messages increase the anxiety and lower self esteem of sensitive people.

Using Nutritional Supplements to Reduce Anxiety, Depression and Bi-Polar Disorder, Pt 1

One of my most important quests in my life has been to find methods to help people relieve their mental problems without using medication. I have been thrilled to discover scientist William Walsh who has been doing much research for over 35 years on how nutrition can reduce mental problems.

Walsh is an expert in nutrient-based psychiatry and nutritional medicine. He is the author of Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain. Walsh has discovered striking blood/urine chemistry differences between people with mental problems and people who don’t have mental problems.

Fighting Insomnia Related to Anxiety

One out of 3 people worldwide suffer from mild to severe insomnia. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) believe anxiety causes chronic insomnia.