Talk therapy, also known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), does not work for everyone. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that only about 50% of people who receive CBT experience significant improvement in their symptoms and improvement is not permanent due to a lack of change in the brain. Failing to Address …
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
Talk therapy, also known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), does not work for everyone. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that only about 50% of people who receive CBT experience significant improvement in their symptoms and improvement is not permanent due to a lack of change in the brain. There are …
Response: The New York Times “My Mother’s Psychotherapy–and Mine”
The New York Times published an article from Saïd Sayrafiezadadeh’s “Couch” series on Sunday titled “My Mother’s Psychotherapy—and Mine.” Sayrafiezadadeh said of his mother, “Her relationship with her treatment nearly killed her. How would I fare?” The author recalls that when he expressed feelings of hopelessness regarding the alleviation of the unhappy memories, the therapist’s solution was to “keep coming …
After PTSD More Trauma
After PTSD More Trauma A terrific article appeared in the New York Times this week on PTSD, called “After PTSD, More Trauma.” It’s about a veteran who came home traumatized and saw a new graduate therapist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The therapist decided to apply Exposure Therapy to cure him and predictably, it made him much worse. When …
The National Epidemic of Depression
Several brilliant articles have recently brought some true light to what the national epidemic of depression really means, two of which I’d like to discuss. In Dr. Kevin Passero, N.D’s article Depression-A National Epidemic? and Overcoming Depression Without Meds by Rich Simon at Psychotherapy Networker, we learn about the over-diagnosis of depression in the U.S., and are reminded of the inefficacy of anti-depressants—despite …
How Traumatic Memories Are Processed in the Brain
Based on New York Times Article “Study Suggests Trauma Stays in the Present Tense.” Dec. 5, 2023 Why Trauma Feels So Raw: Study Suggests Traumatic Memories Live in the Present Have you ever wondered why traumatic events can feel so vivid and intrusive, even years later? A recent study published in the New York Times on December 5, 2023, sheds …
Response to NYT Article: Psychology Is Not in Crisis
As a practicing psychotherapist, I am deeply concerned about Barrett’s postulation that psychological science does not need to be replicated or empirically validated. This idea that science can exist for the sake of science, right or wrong, is dubious at best. If science does not need replication and empiric validation, anyone could theoretically say anything, call it science and apply …
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders and more. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) combines dual attention to a traumatic memory with back and forth eye movements and alternating vibrations. EMDR appears to …
Understanding The Response to Trauma
Why Trauma Feels So Raw: Study Suggests Traumatic Memories Live in the Present Have you ever wondered why traumatic events can feel so vivid and intrusive, even years later? A recent study published in the New York Times on December 5, 2023, sheds light on this phenomenon. Researchers at Yale University found that traumatic memories are processed differently in the brain compared …