Therapy Chat

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Today's episode, the second in the Integrative Mental Health Series, includes a fascinating interview with author Dr. Leslie Korn, who is a Harvard-trained body-oriented psychotherapist who has worked for four decades to help people understand the connection between physical and emotional health. Leslie spoke with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C all the way from Mexico, where she lives and works.Leslie talks about how she got started doing body-oriented psychotherapy, what she learned in the jungle, and how nutrition can help our mental health. She discusses the connection between trauma and physical and mental health; self care; and her book "Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health". She talks about the "right diet" for everyone, explaining that fat is actually our friend! She explains that she prefers to take the ideology out of nutrition, stating that clinicians can use the science and the art of nutrition to help clients. Leslie discusses the idea of the gut as the second brain.Leslie answers the question Laura has been wondering about for years. What is the connection between childhood trauma and ACES and long term physical health problems? She clearly explains this for clinicians to understand and explain to clients. And any survivor of childhood trauma who is listening will surely feel empowered to understand this connection from listening to Leslie's very clear explanation.Finally, Leslie discusses pharmaceuticals "du jour" and diagnoses "du jour" and how the food-mood connection can be in direct conflict with traditional Western ideas about medicine and health. And she explains how the gall bladder plays a role in mental health, and how social justice fits in. In her work with indigenous groups and in the US she has observed the effects of the loss of traditional diets and culture on physical and mental health. And she points out that blood sugar can play a very significant role in mental health, and explains how clinicians can help clients look at this differently.Dr. Leslie Korn teaches therapists nationally in the US through PESI on multicultural as well as offering supervision and working with clients in Mexico. Her most recent book is Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health, published by Norton; and Rhythms of Recovery: Trauma, Nature and the Body. Her new book will be published in early 2017. Here's where you can find more of what Dr. Leslie Korn is doing:www.drlesliekorn.comThank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please visit iTunes to subscribe and leave a rating and review!  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back! In this brief episode host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C extends an end of year greeting to listeners of Therapy Chat. She pauses to reflect on the increase in audience of Therapy Chat from the beginning of 2016 to the end, talks about what is coming up in the next few months, and makes a confession about the difficulty she finds in practicing self care. Happy New Year!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Looking for some new podcasts to listen to?I'm on a bit of a holiday hiatus from new episodes of Therapy Chat podcast. In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about some other podcasts I love. Here are 6 podcasts I'm listening to and recommending frequently! I hope you will check them out and please comment with your favorite podcast!1. Women In-Depth with Dr. Lourdes Viado, MFT - I love this podcast because my friend and colleague Lourdes Viado conducts interesting and (as the name implies) in-depth interviews on topics that people don't usually talk about. Lourdes is a depth psychologist who was mentored by Jungian analyst and author Dr. James Hollis. She is so knowledgeable about her work and I love listening to her soothing voice. The podcast is fantastic and I recommend it without reservation! Some of the episodes I frequently recommend to my clients include: Episode 10: Spiritual Abuse: What It Is & Why It Matters with Tamara Powell, LMHC Episode 23: Understanding Spiritual Abuse (Part 2) with Tamara Powell, LMHC Episode 14: Women and the Midlife Crisis with Diann Wingert, LCSW Episode 21: Healing the Mother Wound with Bethany WebsterWomen In-Depth covers subjects that people may consider off-limits or taboo, such as infidelity, sexual abuse, staying in an unhappy marriage, and much more. I hope you'll check it out! Let me know what you think! I must add, Lourdes has been a guest on Therapy Chat too. I frequently tell people about her episode, which was about "The Shadow." To listen to that episode click here! I've also been a guest on her podcast.2. Mom & Mind with Dr. Kat Ritchie - Dr. Kat is a clinical psychologist who specializes in maternal mental health. She is knowledgeable, skilled and experienced at helping people who are struggling with infertility, emotional health related to pregnancy - including pregnancy loss, and post-partum stress like depression, anxiety, OCD and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Her podcast is a fabulous resource offering information to pregnant and parenting moms, fathers and people who are trying to conceive as well as healthcare providers and psychotherapists. I have learned so much from Dr. Kat and her podcast and I recommend it frequently! Start out with these episodes:  Episode 1: My Postpartum Story: Anxiety and Depression Episode 3: Resources for PPD Healing and Learning Episode 7: The Good MotherMom and Mind is a great resource. Stay tuned to my podcast to hear an upcoming interview with Dr. Kat. I can't wait to share her with my audience!  3. Galactic Vibrations with Keri Nola and Lloyd Burnett - if you've listened to my podcast you've heard Keri Nola there. She's been on twice, talking about intuition and the Shadow. I am a huge fan of both Keri and Lloyd, who are amazing energy healers and coaches. Their podcast is brand new (it came out less than a month ago) and it is a huge hit already. If you are into the "woo woo" stuff like I am, you'll enjoy hearing their energetic forecasts, oracle card readings, and so much more. Get started by listening to these three episodes: Episode 1: Understanding & Healing the Energy of Denial Episode 2: Using the Energy of Fear to Unlock the Mystery of Ascension Episode 3: The Shadow of Force, the Truth of New Years Resolutions, and People PleasingI've done coaching for business and personal growth with both Keri and Lloyd. They're great at what they do! And as I mentioned, Keri has been on my podcast. She talked about using intuition in therapy in Episode 11, back when my podcast was called The Baltimore Annapolis Psychotherapy Podcast. And she contributed to my series of episodes on the Shadow (after Lourdes's episode, mentioned above) in Episode 42.4. Launching Your Daughter with Nicole Burgess, LMFT - My friend and colleague Nicole Burgess, LMFT, practices in Indianapolis, Indiana with a focus on teen girls and women. Nicole is super passionate about her work and it comes through when you listen to her podcast.She has been kind enough to have me on her podcast twice! Once I talked about The Daring Way™ and the second time was about helping your daughter (or son) if they experience sexual violence. Nicole's podcast covers a wide variety of topics related to the issues of parenting girls.Here's a sampling of some of her episodes that I've enjoyed: Episode 34: How Art Therapy Can Be Effective With Teens Episode 33: How to Create Healthy Boundaries In Your Family Episode 31: Ways Parents & Teens Can Receive Support Around Suicide PreventionI hope you'll enjoy listening to Launching Your Daughter as much as I do.These last two podcasts are super amazing ones for therapists who are building private practices. Both of the podcasters are my buddies - they've both helped me in tons of different ways and if you're a therapist you probably already know of them. If not - prepare to have your mind blown!5. Selling The Couch with Dr. Melvin Varghese - Melvin is an awesome psychologist in Philadelphia who wanted to start his own private practice so like any good student, he set out to learn from people who have already done it. Melvin has interviewed dozens upon dozens of therapists and other experts in practice-building to learn how they have managed to build successful private practices and other types of businesses. Melvin has interviewed experts on marketing, multiple income streams, running groups, building websites, creating Psychology Today profiles, writing books, mindset shifts, and so much more. He's had over 100 episodes so far and his podcast is listed in the top 100 business podcasts on iTunes, which is a pretty significant accomplishment! I'm super excited for Melvin as he's now building his private practice, following all that great advice he's received, and I know he will help many people! Here are a few of his most recent episodes. There are so many - if you're a therapist trying to build your private practice I recommend you listen to every episode - but here are a few to get you started: Episode 93: How Comparison Can Steal Your Joy Episode 92: My Morning Routine & Productivity Episode 85: Saying No As a Private Practice OwnerMelvin was on my podcast talking about how therapists can use podcasting to grow their practices. He knows his stuff. He taught me pretty much everything I know about podcasting. Podcasting has enriched my life in so many ways and it's mainly Melvin who I have to thank for it. Here's Episode 49 of Therapy Chat with Melvin Varghese.6. Blissful Practice Podcast with Dr. Agnes Wainman - this is another brand new podcast. Disclaimer - I was the first guest on this podcast. But I don't love it only because I've been on it. Agnes is a psychologist in Ontario, Canada who has learned the hard way how to create a private practice that feels blissful. She spent time at the other end of that spectrum, feeling burned out, and she wants to help therapists who are building private practices find their own bliss. On her podcast, Agnes talks to therapists about their journeys to private practice. I love her perspective and I think you'll love her podcast. Check it out here:Episode 3: Why I Became A TherapistEpisode 2: Networking Guru Allison Salmon PuryearEpisode 1: Therapists Can Change the World: A Discussion with Laura Reagan, LCSW-CAgnes was one of my early guests on Therapy Chat (back when it wasn't called that). Check out our interview here!So now you have my list of 6 podcasts I'm loving right now. When you have downtime this holiday season, check them out! I am sure you'll find at least one that you really love. Of course, you're always welcome to listen to Therapy Chat, there are 64 episodes counting the podcast version of this blog post, and I would love for you to listen, subscribe and leave a rating and review! If you want to read more of what I write, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. You can also visit iTunes to subscribe to Therapy Chat. There you'll hear me talking about what I talk about and interviewing other people about what I'm interested to discuss. Or you can listen to Therapy Chat on my website, or on iHeartRadio, Stitcher or Google Play.If you're in Maryland, and you want therapy to explore the vulnerable parts of yourself that are in need of healing, check out my website. Therapists can learn about my Trauma Therapist Community by clicking here.You can also call me at 443-510-1048 or e-mail me at laura@laurareaganlcswc.com. I look forward to connecting! In the meantime, take care and I hope you enjoy the holidays! Warmly,Laura Reagan, LCSW-CAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Today, I did something hard. Have you heard Glennon Doyle Melton say "We can do hard things"? Well, we can. I can. I think. It's not always something huge - for me, today, it was trying something new and very challenging.Fulfilling a promise I made to myself and to listeners of Therapy Chat (talk about accountability!), I took my 45 year old body which has not been on the back of a horse for 32 years - and even then, at age 13, my experience was limited to two or three times I rode a horse while someone held on and walked it - and had my first horseback riding lesson. My first lesson, ever. It was clear that the people at the barn and at the shop where I bought my helmet today expected I had SOME kind of experience on a horse when they were talking to me. They kept saying "so you're coming back to riding?" I was like, "no, I'm an absolute beginner. I've never done it at all."I like knowing.I'll be honest, I hated how it felt to admit that I didn't know ANYTHING about horsemanship. I am realizing more and more - I LIKE KNOWING! Not knowing is totally uncomfortable! At this stage of my life I feel like I KNOW in most situations. Maybe it's because I'm a parent and I've become comfortable in that "bossy know it all" role. Maybe I don't push myself out of my comfort zone often enough. Yet I do challenge myself fairly often! In fact, when discussing this with my husband he noted that it seems easy for me to do new things. Not really! Recent experiences of stepping into unfamiliar territory have reminded me (i.e. I've reluctantly accepted) that it's okay to be a beginner. But I am not going to lie, I strongly dislike that feeling.It seems like a metaphor for what it must be like for my clients to come to therapy. And what it has been like for me to go to therapy. It's vulnerable!!! Vulnerable is an understatement. Vulnerability makes my skin crawl.In fact, the more I know as a therapist, the harder it is to be the one on the couch. Yet I also know that I will be my best self as a therapist when I continue exploring the parts of myself that I don't really enjoy looking into. For all of us, those parts are there and they are either in the shadows, where we don't see them as they are calling all the shots, or they are in our conscious awareness and we can manage them more effectively. [Listen to previous Therapy Chat episodes on the Shadow here, here, here and here].So today I was struggling with not knowing, being a beginner. Pretending I don't feel that way - or avoiding noticing this overwhelming sense of wanting to know - might seem easier. I certainly don't need to write about it here! I'd rather play it cool. I could just have this private experience and not say anything about it publicly. I am sharing it here because I hope it will help you sit with that discomfort when it comes up in your life. You can turn toward the discomfort - feel it - or turn away from it - avoidance.It's much more fun and interesting, from my perspective, for me to sit back and tell you how much I know about what you might want to try doing differently so you can feel better in your life. But what I really know all comes from my own experiences of struggling and figuring stuff out the hard way. Yes, I have a lot of training and experience but if I couldn't apply these lessons to my own life something would be missing. So showing you that I struggle too is a way I hope to help.How did I get here?How did I end up on the back of a very large horse today? I've been talking about wanting to learn horsemanship. I've been talking about it for more than 10 years. I talked about it in a previous blog and Therapy Chat episode. I've told myself that all I need to do is sign up and get started. True. So this year I signed up. I got started today. And this is what happened:Spoiler: it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.I was scared. I was nervous. I struggled with not knowing. I found myself using self-deprecation while purchasing a helmet at the Saddlery and while learning how to groom and tack at the Equestrian Center. I probably won't remember how to groom and tack and will have to re-learn next time. I judged myself - fairly harshly. I told myself my body isn't able to do this - even while knowing that my body is strong. I kept telling myself I am too big for this - too tall, not slim enough. Maybe the people who ride are slim because it's great exercise. Maybe I will become slimmer too. Maybe I won't. Maybe they aren't all slim. Maybe it doesn't matter.A horse weighs over 1,000 pounds. The horse did not seem troubled or disturbed to have me sitting on his back. He wasn't groaning at holding me up. I watched myself in the mirror, thinking, "ugh, do I look like that?" even while knowing my body is strong. Knowing I've never done this. I don't have muscle memory for this. I will learn this. I am strong! But I was judging myself. Judging my appearance. Judging myself for judging myself. Yes, I'm serious.Getting up on that horse was HARD. It was SCARY. It was really high up! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to mount the horse. I literally felt like I felt when I went skiing at age 13 and I fell, and I didn't think I would be able to get up. It is not easy to follow verbal directions in that kind of situation when the animal you are trying to climb onto is moving and you can't really see where to place yourself. By the way, getting down was even harder and I almost fell. But I didn't. And even if I did. so what? Even if I got hurt?! I will be okay.There is an element of trust to this. I'm working on it. Do I need to trust the horse or trust myself? Maybe - probably - both. As my daughter said to me today when I was telling her how hard it was, "Not everything is a therapeutic experience, Mom." Well, true. But I am convinced that this can be. And I am struggling - so apparently it already is.When my hourlong lesson was over today, I wanted to be like "this was so amazing!" But I didn't feel like it was amazing. I had about 5 seconds during the whole experience when I was like "Wow, I'm doing this!" I also thought "Does this horse like me? I'm grateful he hasn't tried to throw me off of his back. Am I doing this correctly?" That last thought occurred at least 20 times. I said it maybe 5 times to the instructor. I wanted to say it like 100 times, at least. I judged myself for feeling scared and unsure. I wondered how the horse and the instructor were judging me.Judging, judging, judgingWhen I got in my car, I felt like maybe I wanted to quit. Maybe I can't do it. And I was judging myself for feeling that way. Are you confused yet? Me too! I hated feeling like this vulnerable kid who doesn't know how to do things and doesn't believe in herself. But I allowed myself to feel that way instead of pretending it was different. I was telling anyone who would listen - my friend Anne, who I talked to after the lesson; my husband; my daughter; the saleswoman at the Saddlery; the riding instructor - how hard it was, and how discouraged I feel. As I was telling them my feelings I was judging myself for feeling that way. At home I felt exhausted. Bone tired. Emotionally worn out and physically worn out. An Epsom salt bath is in my future.Has this ever happened to you in any situation? How often do you push yourself outside of your comfort zone? Do you like it? Hint: NO.So why don't I just quit this silly horsemanship idea? Well, I actually believe that I will get better at this. I believe that I will have the experience of learning how to do something new, overcoming my doubts, and it will result in not only a sense of mastery - eventually - but also it will remind me that I can do hard things. I am strong. I'm stronger than I think I am. Emotionally and physically. Cognitively, in my logical brain, I know this. The part of me that is a scared little girl is just one of my parts. There are also other parts of me that are confident. Somewhere in there a part of me knows that this will be FUN! One day! If I keep at it. I am giggling to myself as I write that. Somewhere inside I know that's true.No Mud No Lotus Thich Nhat HahnAgain, it's like therapy. You go through the hard parts because you know something better is on the other side. Or you believe it is. You hope it is. And it is. Something good will come from it. I realize therapy isn't all fun and games. But it's better than staying where you are and what comes from the hard work is so beautiful, indescribably so. And you're permanently changed - you can never go back to who you were. As Thich Nhat Hahn says, "No mud, no lotus." That is true of large and small experiences of discomfort over our lifetimes. And what's the alternative?Embracing what is (?)So I'm going to treasure this experience of being so new at horsemanship. I'm going to try to enjoy this feeling of being a beginner. I'll remember that once I didn't know how to do this at all. One day I'll be on the back of a horse, galloping through a field, maybe even jumping. Who knows? The sky's the limit. I have a long life ahead of me and I am going to do hard things, even when I'm scared. I mean, I don't actually know how long my life will be. Of course, no one does. But in this moment, I did this hard thing. And I am embracing that feeling, in all of its glory. The good and the bad.I hope this will inspire you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, too. That is where the magic happens. That is where we grow. And that is really what life is all about - a journey toward self-actualization, whatever that means for each of us. It's going to be okay.My next lesson is on Thursday of this week. Wish me luck.If you want to read more of what I write, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. You can also visit iTunes to subscribe to Therapy Chat. There you'll hear me talking about what I talk about and interviewing other people about what I'm interested to discuss. Or you can listen to Therapy Chat on my website, or on iHeartRadio, Stitcher or Google Play.If you're in Maryland, and you want therapy to explore the vulnerable parts of yourself that are in need of healing, check out my website. You can also call me at 443-510-1048 or e-mail me at laura@laurareaganlcswc.com. I look forward to connecting! In the meantime, take care!Warmly, Laura Reagan, LCSW-C Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to episode 62 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This is the third episode in the trauma and attachment series featuring Stuart Fensterheim, LCSW. Stuart is a clinical social worker in Scottsdale, Arizona, practicing with couples using Sue Johnson’s Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which is an attachment-based couples therapy method. In the episode, Stuart talks about how he works on making connections with couples and how our childhood attachment affects the way we show up in relationships as adults. He also touches upon John Bowlby's Attachment Theory, which focuses on your relationship with your primary caretaker and how it influences everything through your life. To make sense of this theory, he talks further about the relationship young babies have with their caretaker, avoiding failure to thrive and how the needs of a young baby to experience touch and closeness, continue with us throughout our adult life. Resourceshttp://www.thecouplesexpertscottsdale.comhttp://www.thecouplesexpertscottsdale.com/podcastshttp://www.iceeft.comhttp://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html 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! Also, if you’d like to share a tip that helps you get through the holidays, record a message and your comment may be included in the December holiday episode! Here’s the link to find out about clinical supervision and consultation with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C and the Trauma Therapist Community: http://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/for-professionals/ Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.           Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back! In Episode 61 Therapy Chat host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C asked 11 therapists to contribute their best tips for using self care to manage holiday stress. With Thanksgiving Day tomorrow in the US, hopefully you will find something useful here. Thanks for listening to Therapy Chat. Please get in touch and let host Laura Reagan know what you thought of this episode! Thanks to the eleven therapists who participated! See below for their names and links to their websites!  Elizabeth Cush, MA, LGPCProgressioncounseling.comRobert Cox, MA, PLPC, NCChttp://www.liferecoveryconsulting.comCharlotte Hiler Easley LCSW ESMHLwww.charlotteeasley.comDaniela Paolone LMFTwestlakevillage-counseling.comElizabeth Burke, LCSWwww.empoweredtherapy.orgGina Della Penna, LMHCwww.ginadellapenna.comJackie Flynn EdS | LMHC | RPTwww.counselinginbrevard.comMelvin Varghese, PhDmelvinvarghese.comEllis Edmunds, Licensed Psychologistwww.drellisedmunds.comRebecca Wong, LCSWwww.connectfulness.comMichelle Lewis, LCSWwww.slweightcounseling.com  Resources mentioned in this episode: Here’s the link to find out about clinical supervision and consultation with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C and the Trauma Therapist Community: http://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/for-professionals/ 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! Also, if you’d like to share a tip that helps you get through the holidays, record a message and your comment may be included in the December holiday episode! Thank you for listening!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back! In Episode 60, the first in the series on Integrative Mental Health, Therapy Chat host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews James Lake, MD, an integrative psychiatrist in California who has authored four books, including 2009’s Integrative Mental Health: A Therapist’s Handbook. Dr. Lake is a leader in the field of integrative mental health, as you will hear in this interview. Dr. Lake discusses how he uses complementary and alternative medicine (“CAM”) in his clinical practice, and how Master’s-level therapists can use integrative methods in their practices, within their scope of practice. He discusses use of supplements in psychotherapy practice, collaboration with alternative and complementary practitioners as well as allopathic medicine physicians as well. He shares information on his E-book series on integrative mental health and how practitioners can use it. This is the Episode 1 of the series on integrative mental health, which will continue on alternating weeks through the next few months. On the opposite weeks you will hear the series on trauma and attachment, with one exception. The next episode will be a special holiday episode focused on self care. Thanks for listening to Therapy Chat. Please get in touch and let host Laura Reagan know what you thought of this episode! Resources mentioned in this episode: American Psychiatric Association Caucus on Complementary, Alternative and Integrative Medicine website: http://www.intpsychiatry.com/ International Network for Integrative Mental Health website: https://inimh.org/ Find Dr. Lake’s e-book series here: http://theintegrativementalhealthsolution.com Dr. Lake’s website: http://progressivepsychiatry.com Here’s the link to find out about clinical supervision and consultation with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C and the Trauma Therapist Community: http://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/for-professionals/ 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!  Welcome back! In Episode 60, the first in the series on Integrative Mental Health, Therapy Chat host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews James Lake, MD, an integrative psychiatrist in California who has authored four books, including 2009’s Integrative Mental Health: A Therapist’s Handbook. Dr. Lake is a leader in the field of integrative mental health, as you will hear in this interview. Dr. Lake discusses how he uses complementary and alternative medicine (“CAM”) in his clinical practice, and how Master’s-level therapists can use integrative methods in their practices, within their scope of practice. He discusses use of supplements in psychotherapy practice, collaboration with alternative and complementary practitioners as well as allopathic medicine physicians as well. He shares information on his E-book series on integrative mental health and how practitioners can use it. This is the Episode 1 of the series on integrative mental health, which will continue on alternating weeks through the next few months. On the opposite weeks you will hear the series on trauma and attachment, with one exception. The next episode will be a special holiday episode focused on self care. Thanks for listening to Therapy Chat. Please get in touch and let host Laura Reagan know what you thought of this episode! Resources mentioned in this episode: American Psychiatric Association Caucus on Complementary, Alternative and Integrative Medicine website: http://www.intpsychiatry.com/ International Network for Integrative Mental Health website: https://inimh.org/ Find Dr. Lake’s e-book series here: http://theintegrativementalhealthsolution.com Dr. Lake’s website: http://progressivepsychiatry.com Here’s the link to find out about clinical supervision and consultation with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C and the Trauma Therapist Community: http://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/for-professionals/ 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!  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back! In Episode 59, # 2 in the series on Trauma and Attachment, Therapy Chat host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Rebecca Wong, LCSW-R, a relationship therapist in New Paltz, NY, the creator of Connectfulness, and co-host of the upcoming Practice Of Being Seen podcast. Rebecca talks about using play in her couples work, as well as how our attachment relates to our ability to trust our partners. Rebecca explains that needing attention is not a bad thing – it’s normal. She talks about the concept of being seen, in relationships and in our work with clients. She and Laura discuss getting out of our heads and into our bodies to connect with our partners, other people in our lives and as therapists, how we can connect with our clients. Rebecca explains how using animal-assisted therapy with dogs and horses helps us understand our emotions as shown in our bodies. Rebecca describes her five-step process of Connectfulness, a research based practice she developed and uses with her couples therapy clients. She talks about all the things we do to avoid uncomfortable feelings and how those things interfere with connection. She offers a free download from her website, the link is below. This is the Episode 2 of the series on trauma and attachment, which will now continue on alternating weeks through the next few months. On the opposite weeks you will hear the series on integrative mental health! Thanks for listening to Therapy Chat. Please get in touch and let host Laura Reagan know what you thought of this episode! Resources mentioned in this episode: Rebecca’s website for everything she’s doing: http://connectfulness.com Please visit this to get Rebecca’s free list of 5 magical relational steps for your relationship: http://connectfulness.com/therapychat Here’s the link to find out about clinical supervision and consultation with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C and the Trauma Therapist Community: http://www.laurareaganlcswc.com/for-professionals/ 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!   Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Episode 58 is the first in the series on Trauma and Attachment. In today’s episode host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Amy Sugeno, LCSW. Amy is a clinical social worker in private practice who specializes in working with survivors of trauma related to attachment, particularly related to adoption. Amy explains how attachment trauma can affect children who were adopted, even if the adoption went as smoothly as it possibly could. She describes how children who have been adopted may act out behaviorally to tell their parents how they feel. Amy also talks about a surprising way adoptive parents (and others parenting traumatized children) may experience trauma themselves and how to recognize the symptoms. She and Laura discuss how prior difficulty with conceiving a child can contribute to the experience for parents, how the parent’s own attachment style and trauma history is “churned up” through the process of adoption. She describes how adoption can change relationships within a family and between the family and their community. She explains some of the non-verbal ways of processing trauma that she uses with her clients. Amy describes Nature as her “co-therapist.” She tells listeners how to get on her mailing list and offers opportunities to hear her speak around the country. This is the first of the series on trauma and attachment, which will continue on alternating weeks through the next few months. And on the opposite weeks you will hear the series on integrative mental health! Thanks for listening to Therapy Chat. Please get in touch and let host Laura Reagan know what you thought of this episode! Resources mentioned in this episode: Amy Sugeno’s website: http://www.amysugenocounseling.com/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

How Children Are Like Horses (And Why You Should Care) If you have been listening to Therapy Chat podcast lately, you know that I have been talking about using equine assisted psychotherapy and education methods to get in touch with our emotional experiences. In Episode 55 I described my own experience of making a deep soul connection in a barn when I spent a Saturday morning at an equine learning workshop with four other women and two horses. That changed me and I am still feeling it, weeks later. I can’t wait to do more – and I will in a couple weeks when I trek to the Hudson Valley for a beautiful Equine Retreat for Therapists and Healers offered by my friends and colleagues Rebecca Wong and Marisa Goudy. Then in Episode 56 I interviewed Charlotte Hiler Easley, an LCSW and Equine Specialist in Lexington, Kentucky who developed a model called Equine Assisted Survivors of Trauma Therapy that is being used with survivors of sexual assault to experientially teach safety in our bodies, to see what it feels like to set and hold boundaries, and to take care of ourselves in relationship – as well as allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and risk trusting another who may hurt us. This experiential work with survivors of trauma sounds very powerful to me, as someone who has worked for years with trauma survivors; and as someone who has recently had a life-changing experience with horses. In hearing about Charlotte’s work and after my own experience I realized there are some similarities between children and horses which are very relevant to the therapy work I do with my clients. It might seem like a strange connection, but stay with me. I’m going to tell you about three ways that children are like horses and why you should care. As I explained in episode 55 and the blog post that went with it – this information comes from the EAGALA website - equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning works for these reasons: “Because horses are prey animals, they rely on non-verbal cues to stay alive. Their lives depend on accurately reading these cues.” Horses learn from their interactions with us whether or not we are safe, which lets them know if they are safe. Children do the same thing. They read our body language more than our words. “Like humans, horses are social creatures who live in herds.”We humans are wired for connection, as Brené Brown frequently says. It goes back to attachment. Children need protection and care from the adults they depend on for survival. When a baby is born that child is completely helpless and dependent upon their caregivers for protection. Safety to a newborn baby means being given food, sheltered from the elements and being held and soothed. Physical safety is being protected from harm; emotional safety is “will you be there when I need you? Do you care about what I need?” “Horses know when what we are saying and doing don't match what we are feeling and sensing, even though we might not know. They reflect back to us what we are feeling and sensing, or the incongruence between our feelings, sensations, words and actions, even (especially) when it's outside of our conscious awareness." Children also notice incongruence between our words and our non-verbal cues. Children know when a parent says they are not mad but they really are. They know when a parent is crying, but says nothing is wrong, that it isn’t true. Why do they pay attention to this? It’s part of how they make sure they are safe. If their primary caregiver isn’t okay, then they aren’t okay, because who will take care of them if something happens to the primary caregiver? Okay, so I’ve made my case for children being like horses in three ways, but why should you care? Well, you should care if you are a parent because it’s important to understand what your children need in order to thrive. (Click here to listen to Episode 21 on raising well-adjusted children). And you should care even if you aren’t a parent because you were once a child! Yeah, but that was in the past, right? Not so fast! Attachment affects us throughout the lifespan. It shows up in our peer relationships, intimate partner relationships, in our interactions with our coworkers, supervisors and supervisees and it affects how we feel about ourselves in general. The attachment that develops between a child and their primary caregiver begins immediately at birth. It continues to develop, with the most intense period of attachment development happening between birth and age 3. As I mentioned, children depend upon the attachment with their primary caregivers for survival. However, attachment repair can happen throughout the lifespan, so even if there was a disruption to secure attachment between the child and the primary caregiver, in most cases it is not too late to change this. In the worst cases of child neglect, in which children are deprived of touch and verbal interaction with their primary caregivers, brain development can be severely impacted. Studies have found a connection between severe child neglect and reduced brain size and changes to structures of the brain using brain scans for side-by-side comparison. You can learn more about this at Dr. Bruce Perry’s Child Trauma Academy, which is found at www.childtrauma.org. In Episode 46 of Therapy Chat I talked with Julie Hanks about how assertiveness is influenced by attachment. In future episodes you’re going to hear a lot more about attachment and trauma. Our next episode will kick off the series on attachment and trauma with an interview with Amy Sugeno, LCSW. Amy is in private practice in Texas, where she specializes in helping people who have experienced childhood trauma, including adoption. Later in the series you’ll hear from Stuart Fensterheim, LCSW; Rebecca Wong, LCSW-R; Brittainy Wagner, LPC; Katie K. May, NCC; David Emerson of the Trauma Center at JRI; David Shannahoff-Khalsa of the UCSD Center for Integrative Medicine; Robert Cox, PLPC and many others. I hope you’ll enjoy this series on a subject which I personally find fascinating. The more I learn, the more I realize the way we show up in our lives is all about attachment. I can’t wait to share these episodes with you over the coming months. Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat today! I hope you have heard something useful. I’d love to hear your feedback! What do you like, what do you not like? Is there a topic you would like to hear discussed on Therapy Chat? Get in touch with me! Visit http://therapychatpodcast.com and leave a message for me using the green button you’ll see there. And please visit iTunes to leave a rating and review and subscribe to receive all the latest episodes of Therapy Chat! You can find all episodes on the website, and Therapy Chat is also on iHeartRadio, Google Play, Stitcher and YouTube.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands