Therapy Chat

Welcome to episode 88 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I speak to Stephanie Macadaan, LMFT about how we can turn some of the most negative experiences in our lives to a source of strength, the need to not shield ourselves from negative experiences and stepping out of our comfort zones to further our personal growth.Stephanie Macadaan, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, providing individual and couples counseling in Los Angeles, California. She first became interested in studying psychology when many of her own life experiences fueled her fascination with the minds and behaviors found with each of us. Through her studies, she found she was on the path to discovering herself, which led to great personal growth and more happiness.The profound changes she underwent drove her passion to help others, and she was compelled to become a therapist. She knows from her own experience what it’s like to be open and to create powerful change that reverberates into all areas of your life.She's drawn to working with people starting anew, whether it’s getting your feet back on the ground after a break-up or together with your partner trying to decide the future of your relationship or find each other again.Resourceshttps://therapywithstephanie.comVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Some points to ponder if you are struggling to let go.What was it like for you to move out of your parents’ home and into adulthood? Did you go to college? Did you live with your parents past the age of 18? When were you ready to move out? Were your parents ready for you to go before you were ready? Or were you ready to go before your parents wanted you to leave?Individuation is a developmental task every young adult must complete in order to become an independent and self sufficient adult. Some families discourage individuation by refusing to allow children and adolescents to express their own individuality. Conformity is highly valued and dissent is not tolerated. These parent/child relationships can be described as enmeshed, when the child and the parent are not felt to be independent people, but rather the children are seen by the parents as an extension of the parents. When you make a mistake, I feel ashamed that you have embarrassed the family. Some kids rebel and express themselves through their appearance. The parents may believe that everyone should wear khaki pants and navy blue shirts and have traditional hairstyles, but the child wants to dress in all black with long purple hair and a safety pin through his lip. Parents may see this as disrespectful and a power struggle escalates to the point where the child is kicked out of the house by the time they are 18, if not earlier. Do you know how to allow your child to leave home with grace and joy, rather than a big fight? If your parents were angry at you for wanting to be an independent adult, you might react the same way towards your kid without even realizing it.Have you allowed your child opportunities to make mistakes? To experience failure? Or have you taken care of everything and made sure your child wouldn’t have the opportunity to screw up? If they did screw up (as most of us do at some point as teenagers) did you make it all better for them or did they have to experience the consequences of their actions? We can help them with how they feel about such experiences, being supportive and allowing them to express their emotions, but if we intervene to the point that they don’t feel the consequences at all, they miss out on the chance to learn from the mistake. Maybe you didn’t take care of everything so they wouldn’t have the opportunity to screw up, but rather you were careful to control every situation so the possibility of failure just didn’t come up. So what happens when they inevitably do face failure? It is painful, no doubt. We want to protect our children from experiencing pain. But can we trust that we have raised them well enough that they will be able to handle adversity and that they can live through painful experiences, even though they may hate every minute of it? Because there is literally no way we can protect our children from every painful experience. It just isn’t possible.What was it like for you when you went out on your own? Did you struggle? Did bad things happen? What kind of healing work have you done to address the pain of those struggles? If you are terrified that what happened to you will happen to your child, it might be a good time to get some therapy. It’s normal to feel this way, but if it’s interfering with YOU being okay, therapy can help. I realized when my oldest child went to college (and it is coming up again as I am about to send my daughter off to school) that it pretty much drove me crazy not to know what my kid was doing all the time. Not seeing them daily and being able to look into their eyes and sense whether they are okay or not felt like a loss of control. I didn’t realize how much I needed to feel in control in that way until I lost the ability to see my oldest daily. So I worried, and worried, and worried, and monitored social media, and worried and worried and waited and waited for something bad to happen. My child would tell me he was okay but I didn’t know if he really was. I tried to hide my anxiety from him but I was a ball of nerves, as any of my friends can tell you, for the entire first semester he was at college. I think I finally calmed down at Thanksgiving and it felt great when he came home for winter break. How stressful it must have been for him to have his mother so anxious!!! He might have wondered if he would be okay since I seemed to be so worried about it. Or maybe he worried about taking care of my emotions. Or felt burdened by them. I had something I needed to take care of, because this was a lot harder for me than it needed to be. There were some 18 to 20 year old parts of me that needed attention. Instead of obsessing about my son, I turned my attention inward and got help to deal with my emotions. Most of us therapists go to therapy off and on throughout our adult lives, whenever something flares up that needs attention. This is how I have grown so much personally and professionally over the past 15 years or so (and I still have a long way to go!). It helped a lot. And it is helping now as I struggle with letting go of my daughter. New awarenesses are awakening for me. Just when I thought I had it all figured out!You know, it’s funny, when you have been a parent for 20 years you get really used to the reality that you can’t just go and do what you want because there are people who are depending on you to come home, make sure they get fed, be there for them physically and emotionally, help them when they need it. If you had the thought that you wanted to go out to dinner with friends after work and maybe have some drinks, you would need to make arrangements for someone to take care of the kids, or, if they are old enough to stay home alone, you’d need to make sure they have something to eat for dinner, that they are on top of their homework, and that they know when you’ll be back. It’s a real shift in identity when you are not defined by being “Mom.” I know I am a mother, wife, therapist, friend, student learning to ride horses, a dog’s best friend…but the role of parent has been so big and important for the last 20 years that I will need some time to adjust to having that role take up less of my physical, mental and emotional energy.So where I am right now is that I am experiencing being home with my husband this week, with no kids, and we can do what we want. We can go where we want, when we want, with no one to consider but each other and ourselves. This is because right now my youngest is off at the beach with friends all week and my oldest is away at college, and he isn’t coming home this summer. So I can do what I want. So what is that? Mostly we are going to work and back. I have always had hobbies and interests, but the easiest thing to do is to work. So I don’t want to overwork because while that may be my go-to, it’s not good for me. I don’t really watch that much TV…I can read, but not a work related book….what would I like to do? If I really check in with myself what I want to do, what feels right to do is wait. And worry. Until my kid comes home, hopefully all in one piece. Just wait, suspended animation. I’ll be right here so if something happens I can spring into action. Even though she is not close enough for me to do anything if she does have a problem, at least not immediately. That is what I want to do. I’ll be right over here, waiting and worrying. You may see me wringing my hands and pacing, just ignore it. However, that is really not what I should do either. So far my two choices seem to be overwork or obsessive worry. Okayyyyyyy….there’s got to be something else. Well it’s too late to go to the gym but I can do that tomorrow morning. That will help, I know this. Then tomorrow night after work, uhhhh….I had some good ideas about fun things to do when my daughter goes to college, but right now I can’t remember any of them. Just this worry.What I don’t want to do is sit with the discomfort. One of my least favorite things, sitting with uncertainty, is something I try to avoid by distracting myself. I know we all do this. It’s uncomfortable so we avoid it. I am really good at doing this by filling all of my time up so there is no time in between to feel. I could keep myself from feeling almost all the time this week if I stay busy enough but I don’t want that. I do want to feel. I don’t know if my daughter will be okay at college. I don’t know if my son will be okay either. I don’t know anything that is going to happen, if I’m being honest. We don’t know. We don’t have any control. Fear of the unknown can drive our behavior if we aren’t paying attention.So now I remember what I need to do. First, take a deep breath in, then breathe out. Then do it again. Repeat a few more times. Everything automatically feels better when I do that. I have to remind myself because when anxiety is taking over I forget. I could reach out to a supportive friend. I have many – a perk of being a therapist. Therapists for friends. There is something else that I can remind myself. I ask myself, “what can I control?” The answer is, I can control me. I can’t control situations my daughter and son will encounter or how they feel. But I can control taking care of me and how I feel. If I attend to my emotions then I can remain calm and centered (or return to that state) in stressful situations. My kids will be able to trust me, and they will be able to come to me for help when things inevitably happen. They can trust that I will be able to handle my own emotions so they won’t have to put aside their own feelings to take care of mine. It’s always been important that my kids not feel like it is their responsibility to take care of my emotions.There is no question that I am happy that my daughter graduated. I am so proud of her and she has an amazing future ahead of her. She needs to do this, it is what she should do, and what we have hoped for her. So I need to take care of me so I can be present for her. You can do the same with your young person transitioning to adulthood. Here’s an easy shortcut. Start out with your feet on the floor, close your eyes or look down and take a long deep inhale. Exhale slowly. Repeat the long inhale. Then exhale slowly. One more long deep inhale. Exhale slowly. Now, turn your attention inward. In your mind, ask yourself what you are feeling. Tune in to that emotion, even if you don’t like what it is. See if you can allow that feeling instead of trying to push it away. Breathe into it. Just be with that. Next, in your mind, ask yourself “what do I need right now?” and notice what comes up. It may be a word, a feeling, a person that comes to mind. Once you get an answer for what you need, consider if there is a way to give it to yourself. It can be so comforting to simply place a hand on your heart and feel the warmth of it resting there. Or to take your right hand and place it on your left arm, just below the shoulder and rub. Doing this does not change what is, but it allows some space to have a different perspective about what’s happening. In that space there is an opportunity for self compassion.The point that I hope you are taking away from this is simple. Our feelings about our children growing up are normal, and they are not about the child. The difficulty I am having adjusting to my daughter leaving in a few months is not really about her, it’s about me. She is doing her normal developmental task. I am grieving the loss of childhood, the loss of daily in person connection, and anticipating pain that hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it won’t happen. Most likely it won’t happen in the exact way that I’m worrying it will happen. But I am really grieving my own experiences that maybe I didn’t deal with the first time around because I wasn’t ready in terms of my emotional development at the time. Now it is time to take care of that younger me.And one thing I know is that this uncomfortable place I am in is part of the process of me coming to terms with what is. I don’t like feeling this way, but part of the path from where I was to where I will be is this part. I don’t like it, I want it to go away, but you can’t skip the middle part. Later this month I will post a bonus episode on the subject of rising up out of the muck, that messy middle part of life that we don’t enjoy but which makes it richer and helps us grow. As they say, everything you want in life happens outside of your comfort zone.And if you are struggling with the change in identity as your kids grow older, consider getting some counseling! It really helps. If you’re in the Baltimore area visit my website laurareaganlcswc.com to find out about working with me or another therapist in my office.Resourceshttp://www.therapychatpodcast.com Daring Greatly by Brené Brown Rising Strong by Brené Brown Self Compassion by Kristin NeffVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 86 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I’m flying solo to talk about coping with loss during transitions, my thoughts and feelings and ways to improve how you feel through this transitional period in your life. This week is an exciting one for our family, as our oldest child graduates from high school in a few days. It's a joyful and exciting time - but there are some underlying feelings of sadness and loss which have caught me by surprise. I know that many of you are experiencing a similar transition in the life of your family, as graduation and wedding season begin. I thought I'd share my thoughts and feelings, and how I'm coping with the changes, in hopes that it will be helpful to you, too.As I've been eagerly anticipating his graduation I've been very proud and excited for my child. My thoughts are that this is a wonderful milestone in his life. I'm so happy that he has successfully completed his high school career and that he plans to go to college in the Fall. I have high hopes for what this young man will accomplish as he matures. I am looking forward to seeing what he decides to do for his career after college. I know that this is a normal developmental process, in which my child will leave the nest to become a fully realized adult. Although it does not happen overnight with this event, this milestone is an extremely important rite of passage in our culture. I want him to move through this process, because it's what is right for him developmentally. But...he's my baby!I knew something was wrong when I noticed that I didn't seem to have any feelings about the graduation. I actually felt kind of numb. I knew intellectually that I felt happy and excited and maybe a little sad because he won't be living at home with us for most of the next four years. But I didn't feel it. In fact I was telling myself that it is not time to feel sad yet, because graduation is a happy time, and going away to college is something that will happen later this summer, so I can feel it then. Ha ha! Joke's on me! Read the full show notes here - https://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/connectwithyourtrueselfblog/2015/5/24/letting-go-part-1Resourceshttp://www.therapychatpodcast.com http://therapynotes.comVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 85 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I’m delighted to welcome back the first ever guest of the podcast; Mercedes Samudio who speaks to me about parent shaming, how culture plays into what we view is ok and not ok and the need to help parents and not label them as bad people.Mercedes Samudio is a parent coach who supports parents and children to communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private parent coaching practice, Mercedes has worked with adoptive families, foster families, teen parents, parents navigating the child protective services system, and children living with mental illness. Mercedes seeks to empower parents to believe that they are already great guides for raising healthy and happy children.Being raised by someone who was not her biological mother (but who she called mom) really shaped how she saw myself, how she saw families, and how she saw parenting. And, it also put her on the path to figuring out how to support and heal families.Whether you are a biological parent or not, being in a family system is complicated. As she healed her own relationship with her mother (a relationship she talks about in her book), and as she began to work with more and more families professionally, she realized that so many parents crumble under the pressure of being shamed, not knowing if they’re doing this parenting thing right, and struggling to connect with themselves and their children.Resourceshttps://shameproofparenting.comhttps://shameproofparenting.com/buybookVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 84 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I talk about Mother’s Day.As another Mother's Day approaches, you may be feeling a little less than enthusiastic about the big day. No need to feel guilty if it doesn't feel joyful to you. You're not alone! Most of my clients and a good number of my friends share that they have mixed feelings about Mother's Day too. This post is for all of you out there who hate the second Sunday in May for whatever reason. And there can be lots of reasons!There are so many reasons why people find negative emotions coming up near Mother's Day. Here are some that I hear frequently, along with a few suggestions for dealing with these feelings. Feel free to share any ideas I missed in the comments below.4 reasons why people say they hate Mother's Day:"I hate Mother's Day because my mom's not here. Mother's Day reminds me how much I miss her and makes me wish I could tell her one more time how much I love her."Maybe you were close with your mom and she passed away. Or maybe you weren't as close as you wanted to be, and her death left a lot of unresolved feelings about the relationship. You might feel the loss even more acutely on Mother's Day, even if her death was a long time ago. Maybe you were adopted and you want to connect with your birth mother. The marketing of Mother's Day means you see and hear commercials which tug at your heartstrings. Be gentle with yourself, knowing that you are sad about her loss. Allow yourself to feel your feelings on this tough day. Ask yourself what you can do in remembrance or to honor her. Think about what would make you feel nurtured, and do that, whether it's lying on the sofa wrapped in a cozy blanket watching Steel Magnolias, or going roller skating with your best friend, or cuddling with a puppy at the local animal shelter. Maybe your most special friends or family are not nearby. Can you call, video chat or text them? I'm sure you know what makes you feel loved and taken care of. Do that!"Mother's Day is hard for me because I have always wanted to be a mom and I'm dealing with infertility."Infertility can feel very isolating, especially if your friends and family members are getting pregnant and having babies, and you have miscarried or had trouble conceiving. Even if you have made the decision not to have children, or you have delivered a baby or adopted after experiencing infertility or pregnancy loss, Mother's Day can stir up a lot of mixed feelings. Many people say they feel no one understands what they're going through. It might be helpful to spend this day doing something that feels comforting to you. Don't worry about what other people are posting on social media today. Honor your own experience in a way that feels right to you. Are you part of a support group, in person or online? If not, would you like to find one? The National Infertility Association has a list of helplines and support groups as well as a number of other resources on its website. Through The Heart has ideas for coping on its website."I feel sad seeing everyone's Facebook posts saying they love their moms so much, and my mom was never there for me emotionally when I was a child. We still don't have a good relationship. I am mad at her for not taking better care of me."I specialize in working with people who have experienced some kind of abuse or neglect in childhood. Therefore, many of my clients find Mother's Day triggers their trauma symptoms. Our culture places such importance of the mother role! Many people who are disappointed in their relationships with their moms also feel guilty about having those feelings. It is okay to feel however you feel about your mom. You do not have to pretend your relationship with her is different from how it truly is just because of Mother's Day. Here's a podcast episode I did on being estranged from important loved ones you may find helpful.This is a good time to do what makes you feel special. If you have a partner, letting that person know this is a tough day for you and asking for extra support can be helpful. You can nurture yourself, even if you were not nurtured as a child. If you need extra support with this, therapy can be helpful. Here's a podcast episode on how childhood emotional neglect can make us feel as if we have a "fatal flaw" making us unlovable."I am a single mother and no one supports me on Mother's Day or any other time of the year."Mother's Day might feel just like any other day if you have little kids and no partner to make sure that you are celebrated on this day. I'll add it might be just like any other day, with an extra dose of resentment about feeling overworked and unappreciated. Once again, I recommend you try to do what you can to take care of you. Your kids will understand everything you do for them when they're older, but for now, they don't get it. Reaching out to a friend who is also a single mom could be helpful. Maybe it would feel nice for you and your kids to get together with a mom friend and her kids. While the kids play you can provide one another with moral support. Or maybe you can take your kids to the park, so they can play while you get a bit of respite. Do you have any family or friends who would be willing to watch the kids so you can do something that makes you feel special on Sunday?A couple more things that might help:I have two more recommendations that might make the day easier if you struggle on Mother's Day. First, it might be wise to avoid social media that day and the day after. Just like on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day is a notorious day to catch a bad case of comparison-itis when you see what your friends on social media are posting. There will be "perfect" family photos, flowers, and many photos of the fabulous brunches that someone's wonderful spouse or kids treated them to on Mother's Day. I'm not taking anything away from your friends and the wonderful Mother's Day experience they want to share on social media, but if you know this is going to be tough for you, it might help to just not look that Sunday and Monday.My second recommendation is to try this meditation if you need a little Loving-Kindness (Metta) in your life.To begin, sit comfortably on a chair or meditation cushion, with your feet on the floor or legs crossed. Sit up tall and breathe deeply for three inhales and three exhales. Bring your awareness to your heart and try to recall loving feelings from someone who made you feel nurtured. Slowly repeat these words:Click on the image to visit my website where you can listen to and download two free guided meditations.Click on the image to visit my website where you can listen to and download two free guided meditations.May I be safe.May I be happy.May I be kind to myself.May I be free of suffering.Notice what feelings arise. You may feel the loving kindness spread over your body. You may also notice that sadness or anger are felt. Do not try to push these feelings away, but just notice them. If you can allow yourself to feel them you might find that they pass. Continue taking deep breaths in and out, and just notice how you feel. There is no right or wrong way to feel. This simple practice can be done for a minute or two, or for longer if you wish. It is up to you.I hope the meditation I have described above will offer some comfort, even if you hate Mother's Day. If you'd like more guided meditations, Here is a link to two free meditations on my website.If you have a reason for hating Mother's Day that I didn't mention, please comment below! I'd also love to hear of any other ideas you may know of that are helpful in getting through Mother's Day if it's a hard day for you. And please remember that you are not alone.Find this in blog post format here: https://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/connectwithyourtrueselfblog/2015/5/5/hate-mothers-day-this-ones-for-youWith loving kindness,Laura Reagan, LCSW-CVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 83 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I speak to Dr. Kat Kaeni about the issue of Maternal Mental Health, which is all about your mental health during conception, pregnancy, miscarriage or loss, birth and postpartum.Dr. Kat is a psychologist, who helps you find ways out of suffering or confusion and into wellness. People go to her psychotherapy practice when they are struggling with things in their life and want to feel better. Her style of working with people is to be real and keep therapy down to earth. In her sessions, she uses compassion, insight, and empathy in addition to her education and training to guide your healing. Her belief is that therapy should not be a mysterious process. She believes that you have the ability to get better. Sometimes we just need a little help; sometimes we need a lot of help.You may have heard of postpartum depression already. There are other things that most folks don’t know about…It’s not always rainbows and puppy dogs, like we are meant to think it’s “supposed to be”. For about 20% of women, the transition into parenthood can lead to severe mood changes. There are things that don’t go as planned such as: Pregnancy or postpartum depression, anxiety, trauma, OCD and less frequently, bipolar disorder or psychosis. These are serious, but very treatable conditions.In this episode, Dr. Kat talks about how this is a more common issue than people realize, how you can identify the symptoms of maternal mental health and ways in which to prevent these disorders.Resourceshttps://drkaeni.comhttp://momandmind.comhttp://www.postpartum.nethttp://www.postpartumprogress.comhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ppd-gone/id529141505?mt=8 (PPD Gone App)Visit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 82 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I speak to Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D. who has been a psychologist in private practice for more than 30 years. She is a psychologist, trainer, author and presenter, and the director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Farmington Hills, Michigan.Dr. Daitch is a consultant with the University of Michigan School of Medicine’s Department of Complementary and Alternative Research. She has served three terms on the Executive Council of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and as a member-at-large, Psychology. She has also been elected an officer in Division 30, of the American Psychological Association. She was the Educational co-chair of the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. Dr. Daitch is the recipient of two Presidential awards from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis for her writing, teaching, and contributions to ASCH. She is also past-president of the Michigan Society of Clinical Hypnosis, from whom she was honored with a lifetime achievement award in 2008.In 2007, Dr. Daitch published the award-winning Affect Regulation Toolbox: Practical and Effective Hypnotic Interventions for the Over-reactive Client (W.W. Norton), which has received international acclaim. She is a contributing author of Clinical Pearls of Wisdom: Leading Therapists Offer Their Key Insights (W.W. Norton, 2010). Dr. Daitch is also the author of Anxiety Disorders: The Go-To Guide for Clients and Therapists (W.W. Norton, 2011), and co-author of Anxious in Love: How to Manage Your Anxiety, Reduce Conflict and Reconnect with Your Partner (New Harbinger, 2012). Her newest project is The Road to Calm Workbook: Life-Changing Tools to Stop Runaway Emotions (W.W. Norton, In Press).In this episode, Dr. Daitch talks further about anxiety, how it can affect relationships and ways in which couples can communicate better to overcome this issue.Resourceshttp://carolyndaitchphd.com https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Love-Anxiety-Conflict-Reconnect/dp/1608822311/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1435380113&sr=1-4&keywords=carolyn+daitchcanxietydisorders@me.comVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 81 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode is a solo episode with myself expanding more on trauma, what you think it is: and what you can do if you have experienced it.If you listened to episode 79 with Dr. Gabor Maté, you’ll be interested in this episode, in that episode we defined what trauma was, but there is still confusion around what trauma is, so I hope this episode will help in explaining further what trauma is and the issues around it.When you hear the word "trauma," what do you think of? If you're like most people, you probably imagine that people experience the effects of trauma after a plane crash, surviving a fire, a major car accident, or participating in military combat. It's true that all of those things can cause someone to experience trauma symptoms, but there are many other traumatic experiences which are more common in the general population that we don't always recognize as being traumatic.I must point out, though, that I have talked to many people who have survived house fires or military combat. Most often when I describe that these experiences - which you and I can pretty much agree, can we not, are considered by most people to be experiences fitting the definition of trauma - could have been traumatic, the person sitting with me in the therapy room will say, "I don't really think of it as traumatic. I mean, so many people have been through much worse."There is a reason why that statement is so interesting, which I explain in the podcast… Enjoy!ResourcesEpisode 79: Childhood Traumatic Stress: The Mind-Body Connection http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/baltimoreannapolispsychotherapypodcast/id/5241791Episode 25: What Is Childhood Emotional Neglect? - https://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/connectwithyourtrueselfblog/2016/3/21/therapy-chat-podcastVisit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 80 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features Amy Sugeno, LCSW, PLLC.If you listened to episode 79 with Dr. Gabor Maté, you’ll be interested in this interview with Amy Sugeno, LCSW of Marble Falls, Texas, who is a clinical eco-therapist. Amy talks about what Eco Therapy is, the research on its use and effectiveness with depression and anxiety, stress relief, ADHD, grounding and self-regulation for trauma survivors.Amy explains that Eco Therapy can take many forms, including animal-assisted (for example, canine and equine) therapies, wilderness therapies, walk and talk therapy, horticulture therapy and clinical eco-therapy in an office, as well as many other possibilities. She explains that this is a depth-oriented type of psychotherapy which can be very powerful. Amy describes how she conducts an eco-therapy session what to wear and what a client can expect overall. She and Laura discuss the power dynamics of the therapy relationship and how Eco Therapy can help create a balance.For the past 10 years, Amy has worked to help people heal from trauma. Most of her work has been with adults and teens affected by interpersonal violence and sexual abuse. Over the years, she has also worked with people struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-harming behaviors, eating disorders, homelessness, chronic mental illness, and substance abuse.In this episode, you will hear Amy talk about the positive benefits of Eco Therapy, forest bathing and the shared vulnerability Eco Therapy can create between Amy and her client.ResourcesAmy’s website: http://www.amysugenocounseling.com/The Animas Institute www.animas.orgEpisode 78 with Lanie Smith on Eco Art Therapy: http://traffic.libsyn.com/baltimoreannapolispsychotherapypodcast/EP78_LanieSmith.mp3Episode 79 with Dr. Gabor Maté on the effects of traumatic stress during development:  http://traffic.libsyn.com/baltimoreannapolispsychotherapypodcast/TherapyChat_EP79_GaborMate.mp3Amy’s previous interview on Therapy Chat on Attachment: http://traffic.libsyn.com/baltimoreannapolispsychotherapypodcast/Amy_Sugeno_final.mp3Visit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

 Welcome to episode 79 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features Dr. Gabor Maté. Dr. Maté is the co-founder of Compassion for Addiction, a new non-profit that focuses on addiction. He is also an advisor of Drugs over Dinner.As an author, Dr. Maté has written several bestselling books including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction; When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress; and Scattered Minds: A New Look at the Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder, and co-authored Hold on to Your Kids. His works have been published internationally in twenty languages.For twelve years Dr. Maté worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by hard-core drug addiction, mental illness and HIV, including at Vancouver’s Supervised Injection Site. With over 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience and extensive knowledge of the latest findings of leading-edge research, Dr. Maté is a sought-after speaker and teacher, regularly addressing health professionals, educators, and lay audiences throughout North America.In the fall of 2017, Dr. Maté will be launching a brand new website offering online courses in his various areas of expertise. The first course will be a training program for health professionals working with people with addiction.Dr. Maté explains the connection between childhood traumatic stress at any point in development - even in utero - and mental and physical health and well-being. Beyond a discussion of ACES, he describes the causes of illness and how trauma fits in. Did you know that ADD/ADHD, MS, Prostate cancer, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and many other diseases, as well as addictions of all kinds are linked to trauma? Gabor's books, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Scattered, and When the Body Says No go into depth with the research to support his assertions.Resourceshttps://drgabormate.comhttps://www.compassion4addiction.orghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cYcSak6nE (Ted Talk)Article Dr. Maté referenced: "An Integrated Scientific Framework for Child Survival and Early Childhood Development" from Pediatrics, February 2012, Vol 129, Issue 2.Thank you to this episode's sponsor, TherapyNotes! You can get a free month of TherapyNotes plus 10% off for a year using the code CHAT17 ! Visit https:// therapynotes.com to sign up! Or just click here to get the 10% discount for 12 months: https://www.therapynotes.com/r/therapy%20chat%20podcast  To request to join the Trauma Therapists Unite free Facebook community, go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1774552256196397/ and read the instructions. It's a 2 step process! If you're interested in the Trauma Therapist Community online clinical consultation groups, you can go here to get all the details and register: http://laurareaganlcswc.com/joinThank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.Visit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice message letting her know what you think of Therapy Chat! Did you like this episode? Did you dislike it? Let her know!Our Sponsors:* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code CHAT for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com* Check out Washington Red Raspberries: https://redrazz.orgAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands