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Frequently Asked
Questions
Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy focuses more on the present, than the past.
It is relatively short-termed, focused and structured.
In therapy, you become aware of how you are thinking. You learn how
these thoughts affect your feelings and in turn how these feelings
affect your behavior. For example, if you criticize and
undervalue yourself by negative self-talk, you might feel sad and
anxious, and that might lead to your withdrawing from or avoiding
uncomfortable social situations.
Research shows that it is effective for relieving depression,
anxiety, obsessions and other fears. For further information, please
visit the website for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive
Therapies:
www.abct.org
Hypnosis is a
state of focused attention and concentration in which you learn to
use your mind to help relieve distress, such as anxiety. Hypnosis is
also used to relieve physical symptoms such as pain and nausea,
smoking, over-eating, dental procedures, post-surgical recovery,
depression, gastrointestinal disorder (for example, IBS), skin
conditions, childbirth, public speaking and performance enhancement.
There are many myths and misperceptions of hypnosis. Without
realizing it, you likely have experienced a state of hypnosis or
trance when you became so absorbed in a movie or book, that you were
unaware of anyone around you.
All hypnosis is self-hypnosis; therefore, no one can make you do
anything that you don’t want to do. Hypnosis is not something that
is done to you; rather, it is a tool that you learn how to use to
help yourself. While hypnosis is not a form of psychotherapy, it is
a technique used within the framework of other psychotherapeutic
approaches.
For additional information, please visit the website for the
American Society for Clinical Hypnosis at
www.asch.net
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a
therapeutic approach that uses eye movement or other directional
stimulation of the brain to help process disturbing events. Dr.
Francine Shapiro developed this theory in 1987 while observing that
eye movements can lessen the intensity of disturbing thoughts under
certain conditions.
When someone becomes upset, the brain sometimes cannot process the
information in its usual manner. Memories of traumatic events,
for example, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can remain with
its associated sights, sounds, smells or feelings. These memories
can be re-experienced when an event in the present reminds that
person of some aspect of the past trauma. These memories can
interfere with viewing the world and relating to people. EMDR seems
to help the brain resume normal processing of this information so
that the person no longer relives the images, sounds, smells or
feelings whenever that event is brought to mind.
For additional information, please visit the EMDR International
Association at
www.emdria.org
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