Therapy in a Nutshell

How Grief Shows up in the Body

Grief is a painful experience, but it's not just in the mind, or spirit, Grief actually has a physical impact on our bodies. In this episode I have a conversation with Dr. Dorothy Hollinger, the author of The Anatomy of Grief, about how Grief shows up in our physical heart, in our brains, our tears. How grief impacts sleep and appetite and digestion. Grief and loss can be terribly painful, but there is also hope for healing and growth through the process. 

Check out our mini-course Understanding Grief, Loss and Mourning https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grief

 

Dr. Hollinger's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Grief-Dorothy-Holinger-Ph-D/dp/0300226233

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/store Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/ Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

How To Find Free or Affordable Therapy

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/store

Therapy can be really expensive, I’ve actually never been able to afford therapy until the last couple of years, and I know many people are in the same boat. So let’s talk about how to find a good therapist that you can afford. Now first, I know this video may not apply as well to other countries. In the UK or Canada, they have universal healthcare- getting mental health services doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. But there may be long waitlists or difficulty finding a therapist that fits your needs. In other countries, there may not even be mental health providers in your area or financially they are just completely out of reach. In the US, some insurance covers some types of therapy, but even with insurance I know that most people end up paying a lot out of pocket, often in the realm of $100-150 a session which adds up to $5,000-8000 a year. My previous insurance when I was working for a mental health company had a $5,000 out of pocket deductible and my current coverage being self-employed doesn’t cover mental health at all. And then there’s the people with no insurance. So it’s easy to see how mental health services seem out of reach for many. And that’s one of the reasons why I make these videos, to help people access mental health education for free or much cheaper than therapy, but there is no replacement for real, in-person, individualized therapy. So let’s talk about a few more ways you can find a therapist that are less expensive or more accessible. - EAP's - Employer assistance programs - School or University Counseling services - Community Mental Health Services - Private Practice Therapists - Support Groups - Online Therapy -Open Path collective Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/store

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC ----

Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons

Ketamine Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression

If you have severe depression, PTSD, or anxiety that just won’t go away despite therapy and medication you should know about Ketamine. 30-40% of people with depression have treatment-resistant depression (that means that you’ve tried at least 2 types of medication and it isn't helping). And scientists and doctors are really excited about the potential for ketamine as a new and effective treatment for mood disorders, PTSD, and chronic pain.

Ketamine has been approved by the FDA for anesthetic for operations for decades. And in the 80's and 90's it became a party drug known as special K. But scientists in the late 90’s started to realize that glutamate, a neurotransmitter in the brain, may play a huge role in depression so they started to look for a medication that impacted glutamate- and voila- ketamine was the drug.

Ketamine is known to modulate the glutamate receptors in your brain, glutamate is an amino acid that the neurons in your brain use to communicate. Where SSRIs slow the reuptake of serotonin, ketamine targets a completely different system in the brain- glutamate and connectivity. SSRI’s usually take 3-8 weeks to see results. But ketamine reduces the symptoms of depression, usually quite rapidly (within 24 hours) and the effects of one treatment can last weeks to months. So ketamine reduces the symptoms, but we don’t know if it treats the underlying causes of depression.

Obviously when depression is a normal response to challenging experiences, no drug is going to solve those problems, but it may give the brain enough of a leg up so that you can get functioning again to face those problems. We still don’t have enough studies to know the effectiveness on a large scale, but initial outcomes appear to show effectiveness with 60-85% of people with severe depression. This is huge for a group of people who felt no meaningful improvement on antidepressants.

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=03252022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Mastering the Paradox of Acceptance and Change With Anxiety

Are you on the side of accepting and embracing who you are now or do you crave more change? Do you think that change is always a good thing? Join me for a discussion on acceptance and change to see which side you land on. I hope to give you a new perspective to help you live your best life!

I’ve made a lot of content about acceptance and about how being willing to feel your emotions can be really helpful. But if you’ve watched a lot of my videos you also know that I make a ton of videos about growth and hope and change and lowering anxiety.

So it’s fair that I often get asked how do I reconcile this idea of acceptance with change, for example this question from a student: “I'm a bit confused about how doing exercises to regulate the nervous system fits in with the previous section where we were encouraged to be willing to 'feel' emotions. These exercises sort of feel like an attempt to get rid of negative emotions.”

This is a great question and I think it’s a really important question to carefully consider. I think it is really easy to get mixed up when it comes to figuring out how to manage emotions. Because it does seem like such a paradox: in order to resolve emotions you have to be willing to accept that they may not resolve. In order to change how you feel, you need to stop trying to change how you feel. I can see how this is confusing. I’m going to do my best to clear it up. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, aka ACT, really walks that fine line of balancing acceptance and change.

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional that you can see from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=03162022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC  

Are You Ask Culture or Guess Culture? This Communication Skill Is Life-Changing

Most people don’t even know about this communication style, but if you did, you could solve a lot of problems in your relationships.

You can learn to improve relationships by learning how to identify whether you are an asker or a guesser. This is a communication style that no one is talking about, but if you learn it, your life can change for the better.

In guess culture style of communication you try to put out feelers, because you don’t want to make someone uncomfortable by asking directly. You may hint at a request or subtly suggest something, and then only ask directly if you’re pretty sure the answer will be yes.

In guess culture you rely on shared cultural norms. For example in Greece, it is rude to leave food on your plate- it signals that you didn’t like it. In China it is rude to clear your plate because it sends the message that there wasn’t enough food offered. The subtleties of the culture allow for people to show respect and consideration for each other, but can lead to confusion for outsiders. Askers may hate this, but the reality is, a huge amount of communication is nonverbal.

This is ask culture. In some families you grow up with the message “It can’t hurt to ask.” but you might get no for an answer. That’s ok. 

My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=03102022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC 

4 Ways to Manage News Anxiety

The news can make you really anxious, but you can learn to manage that anxiety. If doom scrolling is ruining your day or if the steady stream of bad news is getting you down, depressed, or overwhelmed, take a few minutes to learn how to manage anxiety about the news.

It’s been a rough weekend for Ukraine and the world. The news coming out of there is painful and scary to watch. And I know it’s affecting a lot of people.

Over the weekend, one of my friends posted how the news was making her anxious, discouraged, overwhelmed, and I know that’s the experience for so many of you kind, sensitive people. It’s stressful to care, but even more than that, our brilliant brain believes we are in danger when we read about other people who are.

So in this video we’re going to talk about how your brain has a reptilian reaction to the news and this can mess up your life, and four ways you can actively manage your brain so that the news doesn’t make you depressed or overwhelmed with anxiety.

News anxiety doesn't haven't to control you. Learn to manage it in a healthy way.

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=03102022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Morning Anxiety? It Might Be Cortisol Awakening Response

If you go to bed worrying about your day, your body’s like, “Hey, let me help you out. I’m going to give you a dump truck load of cortisol the minute you wake up, doesn’t that sound great?” Then you may experience anxiety upon waking. This is called the cortisol awakening response. It's connected to your circadian rhythm, and depending on how you look at it, it’s a blessing or a curse.

If you wake up to anxiety first thing in the morning, you know how uncomfortable it can be. In this video we’re going to talk about how cortisol is different in the morning and what you can do about it to better decrease your morning anxiety.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that your adrenal glands pump out in response to fear or stress. It helps your body prepare for action and it makes your heart beat faster, and can make you feel jittery and anxious. Even for people without high levels of stress cortisol levels are generally highest within the first hour of waking up.

Some people wake up with a jolt of anxiety, so powerful that it makes the whole day seem overwhelming. Some people feel frozen in their beds. Some people get activated, irritable, jittery about their day or engage in frenetic activity (this one’s me). Or that jolt of cortisol makes some people wake up to panic attacks or feel like they’re about to have one. Not the way you wanted to wake up.

Why would your body do that? Cortisol’s function is to help you get alert and perform. If you’re playing soccer, cortisol helps you get pumped up and play hard. Cortisol can help you be motivated to finish a report for work or jump out of the way of a speeding car.

But if you go to bed worrying about everything you have to do tomorrow, the brain makes a secret plan: “I’m going to help my human get super activated right when he wakes up.” So it plans a little surprise party for you. Alarm goes off, Surprise! Dump-truck load of cortisol.”

Anxiety is an emotion. Emotions aren’t just bad things that happen to you, emotions serve a function, and when it’s functional anxiety helps you take appropriate action to stay safe and get things done.

But when we have too much anxiety that we don’t know what to do with, anxiety can trap you in a cycle of worrying about things without taking action, and make it hard to complete tasks.

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=03082022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC 

How Self-Diagnosis Can Harm You

The internet is really cool. You can learn all about psychology and mental health diagnoses, but you aren’t learning it in any order, which means that you aren’t getting the first lecture in every psych class - which means it’s more likely that you’ll self-diagnose depression or anxiety in a way that can be harmful for you.

In this podcast you’re going to learn all about how trendy psychology may be convincing you that you’re broken, depressed, or have an anxiety disorder and how to prevent yourself from getting sucked along with psych trends.

We humans have a tendency to read into things and twist them to fit our own reality. We see ourselves in vague descriptions, we empathize with characters in books, and when we hear a list of symptoms in a diagnosis, we think, “Uh-oh, that sounds like me. Maybe I am depressed, or maybe I did have a disturbed childhood."

It's easy to find information about depression diagnosis or anxiety diagnosis on the internet, but self-diagnosis may harm you. Right now anyone with internet access has the ability to look up a list of symptoms and decide if they fit the criteria for any disorder out there. Videos and blogs and webMD articles can all tell you what to look out for with any mental illness. But what they’re all missing is the first class in Psych 101. And this seems wrong to me.

Tons of people are essentially making money telling you that you might be broken but they aren’t taking the time to tell you first that you’re likely to jump to conclusions. And this can make you feel broken. I

n Psych 101 the teacher almost always starts the course off by telling people, “As you learn about these diagnoses, you’re going to be tempted to see yourself in every one of them.” We have a tendency to self-diagnose, to label ourselves and to take suggestions as if they’re fact. But just because you sympathize with a list of symptoms, doesn’t mean you actually have that disorder.

I’ve heard this lecture at the beginning of most of my psych classes, but even into grad school, and even with that knowledge, it was easy for me as I went through DSM to start seeing myself in every diagnosis.

We have a tendency to diagnose ourselves inaccurately because we don’t have the context to see that it’s common to over-diagnose yourself.

Looking for affordable online therapy? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=02022022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

How to Stop the Shame Spiral

When you make a mistake you have two choices. Knowing the difference between shame and guilt can change your life. Let’s say you hurt someone you really care about. Guilt says “What I did was wrong. I made a mistake.” Shame says “I am a mistake. There’s something wrong with me.”

Is shame ruining your life? Is shame ruining your relationships? Do you feel like you’re a piece of crap? Do you feel broken when you mess up? Shame leads to defensiveness, trying to cover up what you’ve done, or just giving up.

Brene Brown teaches how shame ruins relationships, but in this video I go into detail. Shame is a very subtle form of avoidance. It’s your super smart brain trying to squirm it’s way out of responsibility by saying that you had no choice because you’re just a bad person.

But shame is a lie. It’s a distortion. Shame can lead to self-punishment, withdrawal, blowing up relationships, and destructive behaviors like drug use. On the other hand, guilt - I’m not talking about exaggerated guilt due to impossible standards - but honest guilt can actually help improve relationships. For an addict in recovery, feeling guilt can be a sign that you’re going through a healthy recovery process by owning your behaviors and trying to change them.

Want to let go of shame and excessive guilt? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01292022

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=podcast

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

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How to Stop Panic Attacks 3/3

Okay, in the last two videos we talked about the difference between an anxiety attack and a panic attack, and how you can get stuck in a cycle of having panic attacks. In this video we’ll talk about how to stop panic attacks. It’s a bit paradoxical, but it works.

In the previous video we talked about the panic attack cycle. 1- a sensation or feeling, 2- you judge that feeling to be unacceptable, bad or dangerous, 3- this triggers an escalating FFF response, and 4- your brain learns that panic and anxiety are “dangerous”. So let’s take a deeper look at step 2, the thoughts that transform a physical sensation into something we see as dangerous.

Here are common ways of thinking that trigger panic attacks. The Big issue is believing that panic attacks are dangerous. Panic attacks are inconvenient, they are uncomfortable, they can be embarrassing or they can interfere with what you want to be doing- but they aren’t physically dangerous. All these uncomfortable symptoms are just the body tossing you into FFF mode, which makes it less likely that you’ll pass out, stop breathing or any of those other fears.

If someone is having a panic attack and they go to the ER, an EKG will show a regular, but rapid heartbeat. You pass out with low blood pressure, a panic attack takes your blood pressure up. Heart attacks feel worse when you walk around, move about, panic attacks feel better.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

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