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![]() In my 35 years of professional experience, I have worked with a wide range of personal issues that people bring to me. In the section below, I have listed in some detail, general clinical descriptions of a variety of these concerns. I want to underscore that these are general descriptions and each person’s experience is unique. Please keep that in mind as you read through this section. People come to psychotherapy and counseling for many different reasons and with many different needs. It is my goal to provide individualized treatment services for each person I work with. Please click on the title of the disorder to read more information on each specialty.![]()
GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER This disorder is characterized by excessive worry and concern about real life situations and circumstances. Generalized anxiety disorder and worry is accompanied by three or more of the following symptoms:
ANXIETY Anxiety is an anticipatory tension or vague dread persisting in the absence of a specific threat. In contrast to fear, which is a realistic reaction to actual danger, anxiety is generally related to an unconscious threat. Physiological symptoms of anxiety include increases in pulse rate and blood pressure, accelerated breathing rates, perspiration, muscular tension, dryness of the mouth, and diarrhea. EATING DISORDERS Eating disorders are characterized by gross disturbances in eating behavior. There are several major disorders in eating patterns: anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa The essential feature of this disorder is refusal to maintain body weight normal for age and height, an intense fear of gaining weight and becoming fat even though underweight, and a body image that is very distorted. Bulimia The essential features of this disorder are: the current episodes of binge eating; the feeling of a lack of control over eating behavior during these episodes; self induced vomiting; vomiting use of laxatives or diuretics; strict dieting, fasting, or vigorous exercise in order to prevent weight gain and persistently over concerned with body shape and weight. OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER OCD is a disorder commonly characterized by intrusive repetitive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors and mental acts that a person feels driven to perform according to rigid rules. This thinking and behavior is aimed at reducing anxiety by preventing some imagined dreaded event or resolving some deeply distressing situation. Below are the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder: Obsessions can be defined by the following:
Compulsions are defined by the following:
PANIC DISORDER
Symptoms of a panic attack - the discrete period of intense fear or discomfort at least four or more of the following symptoms rapidly develop:
PHOBIAS Phobias are an exaggerated, usually inexplicable, and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. They include:
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may develop following exposure to extreme traumatic stressors in which both of the following were present:
In PTSD the traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one or more of the following ways:
TRAUMA A trauma is an extremely upsetting experience that is accompanied by severe emotional shock and pain. Trauma can involve a single experience or enduring repeated events. Psychological trauma may accompany physical trauma or exist independently. Typical causes of psychological trauma are sexual abuse or violence. Psychological trauma can occur if the threat or witnessing of sexual abuse or violence occurs particularly in childhood. Catastrophic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, war or other mass violence can also cause psychological trauma. Long-term exposure to situations such as extreme poverty or milder forms of abuse, such as verbal abuse, can be traumatic as well. After a traumatic experience, a person may re-experience the trauma mentally and physically, and try to avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma. These "reminders" are also called triggers and they can be uncomfortable and even painful. A person may turn to alcohol and/or psychoactive substances to try and escape the feelings. Re-experiencing symptoms are a sign that the body and mind are actively struggling to cope with the traumatic experience. INSOMNIA Individuals with insomnia often report a combination of difficulty falling asleep and intermittent wakefulness during sleep. Such sleep disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning. Insomnia can effectively be treated with hypnosis. ![]() As you face these issues, it is important to recognize that there is an interface between psychosocial, behavioral, and medical issues. In our work together we will bring our attention to all of these domains as they apply to your particular situation. I will support you as you face these tough circumstances, help you to strengthen your coping skills and work with you in strengthening and developing the resources you need to face the challenging times ahead. Click to read the topic, click again to close the topic. When you are finished with this category, please click the blue bar again to close.PAIN MANAGEMENT Hypnosis and Somatic Experiencing are both very effective treatment approaches for pain management. We will develop an approach that is designed to help you, based upon the nature and the origin of your pain. You can be helped to alter the pain sensation, shift awareness of pain sensation and release body tension that may be exacerbating or even causing your pain. PREPARATION FOR SURGERY When you're facing upcoming surgery or medical procedures, it can be very helpful to prepare yourself ahead of time for this. I will work with you on helping you to manage your anxiety. Many of the techniques I utilize can also be very helpful with needle phobias, control of bleeding, reduction of scarring, pain management, recovery of appetite, and to enhance general recuperation. Together we will work out a plan that is best suited for you and your situation. COPING WITH SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITIONS Many chronic medical conditions can be very challenging and frightening to cope with. There are the difficult symptoms of your illness. Then you have to deal with your fear, worry as you look towards an unsettling future. When someone close to you is suffering from a chronic medical condition you may be dealing with many of the same things. In our work together, we will find ways to strengthen your ability to cope with these difficult challenges and support your capacity to ground yourself throughout the process. I will work closely with you to support you and help you manage your anxiety and strengthen you coping skills. BEREAVEMENT Bereavement touches us in many ways. The loss of someone we love can be profoundly painful. Bereavement may start when we discover someone is ill and as we go through the terrible stress of being with someone who is dying. We experience grieving when we deal with chronic illness and chronic conditions. We feel grief with many other kinds of losses as well. You know intellectually that these problems are a common part of life. But we rarely feel prepared when we confront them. At these times, it can be so very helpful for you to sort these issues out with a skilled and empathic clinician. At times like this, it is very important to get support from someone who really understands your crisis and can help you find grounding for yourself. I have helped many people go through similar struggles, and we will work together to help you manage your anxiety, develop self soothing strategies and access to your inner strength so that you can best cope with the situation.
Family therapy and couples therapy are branches of the field of Psychotherapy, grounded on the recognition that a family is a unique social system with its own structure and patterns of communication. In this approach, change is viewed in terms of the improved patterns of interaction and support between family members. The goal is to help family members focus less on a member who has been identified as problematic, and more on improving family interactions and interpersonal support as a whole. It has long been recognized that individuals can often shift into different states of mind, with differing perspectives and opinions about an emotional experience, depending on the feeling state we are in. That is because memory and perspective are state dependent. What this means for example, is that when you are angry at someone, you are more likely to remember other moments in your life when you felt anger at this person in the same way. More positive moments tend to fade into the background. Many complications, in our interpersonal relationships, are connected to this natural phenomenon of shifting perspectives and shifting emotional responses. Often it is not just that we have different opinions about a particular behavior, but our perspective about the friend or partner may actually change, depending on the State we are in. Consider the effects of our decision-making process. In one state of mind to a friend may seem supportive and helpful, and then we move into another State and we focus on our disappointments. Although shifts are part of every-day life, these shifts in self- states are not in our conscious awareness. We may simply notice ourselves suddenly thinking differently, and in these situations logic may not be a viable tool. Remember, our logic changes as we shift States. It is important in your therapeutic work, that you develop skill in identifying and working with these shifts in Self- State. It will help you in your decision making. It will help you clarify and strengthen your personal and work relationships. These shifts are part of everyday life and Footprintings can be particularly helpful Psychotherapy is an important tool in your quest to clarify and enhance your understanding and perspective. You get a clear focus on how these shifts can change from moment to moment and empower you to focus on changes you need to make in your life. I have long been interested in working with Ego States or I prefer to say Self-State Therapy. There are clinical tools that can help you get perspective, clarity, and empower you to take in a range of information when you make decisions. ![]() In our work together, we will take a close look at the particulars of the habit you wish to overcome. Using such techniques as clinical hypnosis, you can become much more self-observant and will be able to bring to consciousness the repetitive details and the triggers of your particular habitual problem. Then we can work together to help you develop more productive and self-supportive responses to these triggers. Click to read the topic, click again to close the topic. When you are finished with this category, please click the blue bar again to close.SMOKING CESSATION The smoking habit is a unique habitual problem because it also involves an addiction to a substance. But the treatment for this habit goes beyond an addiction to nicotine. People are also addicted to the ways they use cigarettes in their daily life. Furthermore, some individuals are able to stop smoking for a period of time but relapse at different moments in their lives. Utilizing hypnotherapy techniques, we will address the multilevel nature of your habit, so that you can quickly and effectively become a non-smoker. We will help you find alternative ways to deal with what were once the triggers for lighting up a cigarette. But I firmly believe it is equally as important that I help you maintain your status as a non-smoker and not relapse. Using hypnosis and imaginal rehearsals, we can create new reference points for alternative responses to challenging moments. NAIL BITING AND CUTICLE PICKING Nail biting and picking your cuticles are very common stress related habits. You may find yourself biting your nails or picking your cuticles in times of stress or excitement or even in times of boredom. We will work together to help you become mindful of the triggers that may be out of your conscious awareness. And we will find alternative ways to help you self- soothe and manage your anxiety. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Weight management can be a challenging problem for many people. Eating is part of our everyday life. Each person may have a different relationship to food, and we overeat for many different reasons. In our work together we will take a deeper look at your particular eating habits, looking both at historical and environmental cues for overeating and we will also help you to become aware of the present day sensory and emotional triggers that may be in play. Together, we will work to help change your relationship to these cues and triggers and help you to bring more mindfulness into the moment. I will help you address any negative self-talk that may be impacting on your eating, and we will work together on helping you manage any anxiety related to your eating habits. TRICHOTILLOMANIA Trichotillomania is characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows. This can often result in noticeable bald spots. We will work together to help you become mindful of the impulse to pull as it occurs in real time. And we will identify self-soothing strategies that work for you so that you can effectively manage your anxiety as you break the links to this distressing habit
Bruxism is a grinding of the teeth commonly accompanied by clinching the jaw. Although it is a common condition most health problems develop with it occurs during sleep. Though this is primarily a medical condition, we can work together to help you manage the anxiety symptoms that may further trigger this.
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Hypnotherapy can be used to help access resources, enhance self-esteem and problem solving skills, and significantly improve emotional states. With hypnosis one can broaden perspectives and enhance information about subjective reality. Hypnotherapy can also be an effective part of the treatment of a great many medical conditions. Research has shown that hypnotherapy can change the brain. Hypnosis is a process where, through the use of somatic and affectively based imagery and communication, we can help people to break lifelong patterns of behavior and distress and enable them to draw on personal resources that may have been untapped or under-utilized. It is a process, where we help people discover how much more they know, than they know they know. It is a process, where we utilize what is, and help people turn it into what they can become, into opportunity and possibility. In hypnosis, we have much more control over body function than in an ordinary waking state. Research has also shown that hypnotherapy can help to heal the body and can be utilized to treat a great many medical symptoms. It is very effective in pain management and has been utilized frequently as the primary anesthesia in surgical procedures. Hypnosis has been utilized to help people control blood pressure. It is used to treat skin disorders and gastrointestinal problems, reduce inflammation, and help with a variety of respiratory problems. In hypnosis we can work with the immune system and autoimmune diseases. Hypnosis can reduce scarring, help with insomnia, and assist people in improving and even regaining physical function when they have been injured. Hypnotherapy is a process where we help people to create the Neuroplasticity necessary for effective and lasting personal feeling and change. It is important to understand that hypnosis is not akin to sleep. It is rather a state of deep absorption and inner focus. In a professional clinical setting, hypnosis is used with great respect for the patient's safety, autonomy and potential self-healing capacities. In Clinical Hypnosis we can:
![]() For this reason, it is very important to have a mind and body approach in working with medical issues. Sometimes we can directly alter the course of particular medical conditions. And in all cases we can work together to enhance your coping skills and master your anxiety when confronting these difficult problems. Clinical Hypnosis and visualizations, for example, have been recognized for several decades, to be a valuable tool for enhancing immune function. Many hospitals treating cancer patients make these services available. Working from a mind and body perspective for many years, I have helped many people lower blood pressure, manage headaches, enhance immune function, heal dermatological conditions, reduce gastrointestinal symptoms, and address autoimmune diseases. In addition, I have also effectively helped many people with pain management. With everyone I have made sure that we focus on the important aspects of managing anxiety, self soothing, and enhancing coping skills. When we meet, we will sit down together and make a careful assessment of the ways I can be helpful. I look forward to assisting you. Click to read the topic, click again to close the topic. When you are finished with this category, please click the blue bar again to close.GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS Hypnotherapy and Somatic Experiencing approaches can be very effective adjunctive treatments for a variety of gastrointestinal disorders. It is also effective in helping patients cope with the trauma of difficult symptoms. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES Research has shown Hypnosis to be a very effective adjunctive treatment for a variety of autoimmune diseases. Somatic Experiencing and Brainspotting can also be successfully utilized as adjunctive treatments with these diseases. LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE Hypnosis is a very successful treatment for reducing blood pressure. HEADACHES Hypnosis, Brainspotting and Somatic Experiencing are very effective tools for treatment of various types of headaches. ENHANCING IMMUNE FUNCTION Clinical Hypnosis has been recognized for several decades as a valuable tool for enhancing immune function and many hospitals offer these services to patients This work can be used as a very effective adjunctive treatment with patients suffering from immune deficiency disorders such as Cancer. In my practice, I see many patients seeking this help both directly for enhancing Cancer Treatment and in preparation for Bone Marrow Transplants. HEALING DERMATOLOGICAL (SKIN) CONDITIONS Many skin disorders are very responsive to Hypnotic intervention and can also effectively be treated with a Somatic Experiencing approach.
Click to read the topic, click again to close the topic. When you are finished with this category, please click the blue bar again to close. Depression is a common disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. Appropriate treatment can effectively help most people with depression. Bipolar disorder is characterized by the occurrence of one or more Major Depressive Episodes accompanied by at least one Hypomanic Episode. Hypnotherapy can be a valuable and powerful adjunctive tool for people suffering with this disorder. PROLONGED GRIEF RESPONSE Grieving is a natural response to loss. Symptoms may appear like depression. However, if symptoms continue the same intensity after several months and the individual is finding it difficult to reintegrate back into his or her life, this becomes problematic. Hypnotherapy and Brainspotting are very valuable treatment modalities in helping people cope with these feelings and reintegrate back into their lives. ![]()
There is also an important domain of peak performance. Many people would like to optimize their performance skills. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to these kinds of problems, including negative self talk, troubling affect states and the impact of physiological states of distress. Some people may be affected by a related earlier disturbing experience for which they may not have conscious recollection. For athletes there may be physiological stress they might not even be conscious of the impact on performance. When we work together, we will begin by identifying the unique factors affecting your experience and we will design a treatment plan to help you overcome the triggers and blocks that are causing your problem. We work together on helping you to enhance your self-esteem, manage anxiety and to identify under-utilized resources. You will also learn how to be mindful in the present moment experience in a way that will give you the opportunity for enhanced self-support. Click to read the topic, click again to close the topic. When you are finished with this category, please click the blue bar again to close.PEAK PERFORMANCE AND PERFORMANCE ANXIETY Much has been written about Peak Performance and there are many terms that have been used to describe the peak performance state, such as Flow and going into the Zone. Many people consider these moments of performance as a kind of altered state. Hypnosis, Brainspotting and Somatic Experiencing are very powerful techniques that can help you achieve your optimum state of performance. Hypnosis can be extremely effective because of the ability to utilize a variety of imaginal rehearsals. In our work together, we will identify how we can help you move into this optimal state and we will then utilize imaginal rehearsals to help you to anchor this experience in a way that becomes natural and automatic. ENHANCING SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-CONFIDENCE Hypnosis is very effective in helping people improve their sense of mastery, and self -confidence. Hypnosis enhances a person's ability to appreciate and draw upon his or her strengths and resources. Hypnosis also can help people break lifelong patterns of negative self-talk. ![]() Trauma can have a devastating impact on your nervous system and on how you relate to the world. It can impact on your sense of safety and on your thinking. We will work together to help you to rebound from these experiences and from the difficult and painful symptomatology of PTSD. My goal is to build on your inner strengths and innate abilities, to help you regain a solid sense of grounding, to support you in strengthening your coping skills, and to help you develop effective strategies for self-support and self-soothing. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may develop following exposure to extreme traumatic stressors in which both of the following were present:
In PTSD the traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one or more of the following ways:
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