Why you should try light therapy

I don't dread winters anymore. Don't get me wrong, the cold and darkness get real old by the end of winter. But using a light box for light therapy has really changed my experience of the winter blues. I don't feel like I'm bogged down by winter anymore, or like my life gets temporarily put on hold for a few months. I don’t think any Ohioan has a good reason why not to use these things if they experience the winter blues like many of us do. And evidence is showing that it is also effective for nonseasonal depression as well as perinatal depression. Dr. Richard Schwartz, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says "for both seasonal and nonseasonal depression, the effectiveness of light therapy is approximately the same as antidepressant medications." And it comes without those nasty side effects we all love to hate from meds!

Make sure when using light therapy, you're doing the following things to ensure effectiveness:

1. Choose a good light box. You want 10,000 lux that provides full spectrum light but blocks out UV rays. Here is just one example of a good, affordable option on Amazon.

2. Use the light box DAILY, in the morning for 20-60 minutes. Make it part of a morning routine; if you drink coffee, eat breakfast, put on makeup, read, listen to music or look at your phone, these are great opportunities to add in your light box time. You do need your eyes to be open to get benefit from it.

3. Place the box about 12-24 inches away from your face, at about a 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock angle.

4. Monitor your mood and see if it's working. You should notice increased energy, better sleep and a better mood within a few days to two weeks of daily use. If 20 minutes a day isn't cutting it, try increasing the time up to 60 minutes.

With consistent, correct usage, this form of therapy can make winters, and even year-round depressive symptoms, so much more tolerable, with greater energy and improved moods. Who doesn't want that?

Written by Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed., LPC, BCN

Co-Regulation with Penny!

Did you know we have the power to control other people’s nervous systems? It’s called co-regulation! Watch as Olivia demonstrates with our favorite office-mate, Penny!

The Power of Positive Thinking

I know, I know. The title… *cringe*.. but hear me out. I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you to jump on the toxic positivity train and bypass all of the ugly stuff that life can throw your way. That’s unrealistic and also, not helpful.  I am, however, going to try to help you understand why more realistic, evidence based thinking and positive affirmations can help rewire your brain. It’s not woo-woo, it’s Science. I promise!

Still with me? Great. So first, let’s get a better understanding of the brain. Our brains are, and have pretty much always been, wired with a negativity bias. At one point, it helped the species survive. Now, it’s just really annoying. There is a whole lot of science behind this but let’s just keep it simple. If I wrote down 100 math problems and 99 of them were correct, but one was wrong, which one do you think everyone would focus on? Yup, you guessed it, the wrong one. So when you hear 99 positive things about yourself, but 1 negative… which one does your brain focus on? That big ol negative that’s telling you something like “I’m not good enough”, “I am a failure”, or “I am a bad person”, just to name a few.

Now, let’s talk about the RAS or reticular activating system. It’s a pencil sized bundle of nerve at the base of your brain that is basically the gateway between the subconscious and conscious mind. The RAS is where all of your senses enter, except smell. We intake a TON of sensory information on a daily basis, and we couldn’t possibly process it all, which is where the RAS comes in. Your RAS filters out the information that can be safely ignored. There are certain bits of information that we are hardwired to deem as important, like your name being called or a threat to safety. Otherwise, we set the agenda. Sometimes consciously, but often what gets through is based on subconscious deeper belief systems. Let’s say you want to buy a car and you decide you really want a red corvette. Suddenly, you start seeing red corvettes everywhere! They have always been there, but you woke up your RAS and told it to start letting this information through.

“How the heck can all this mumbo jumbo help me?”, you might ask. Well, I’ll tell you. Alert your RAS to what you want. Tell it what you intend for your life. Train your brain to see the positives and not immediately focus on the negatives. They both exist. It is the duality of man. It is inevitable that life will throw curve balls your way. My point is not to tell you to ignore them. My point is, don’t live there. There is still positive all around you, your RAS just won’t let you see it. This doesn’t make your trauma or negative experiences any less valid. The trauma is not and never was your fault. But you CAN heal.

Through trauma, and just life, we all have developed negative core beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world around us that have become the lens that we view the world through. These beliefs are telling the bouncer in your brain (The RAS) who to let into the club and usually, it’s not benefitting us. I use a combination of EMDR and CBT with my clients to help clear out those beliefs and reprogram your RAS.

Thankfully, you don’t need us to utilize some simples techniques on your own. I recommend a daily practice of gratitude and affirmations to get yourself started. On your own or with the help of your therapist, identify some negative core beliefs and some positive affirmations to utilize to challenge those beliefs. Once it becomes a habit, you’ll see a difference. (Thanks RAS!).  

Example: I am not good enough —> I am enough, I am good enough, I am more than enough

Try it for yourself!

Written by: Grace Williamson, MA, LPCC, BCN

Getting to know protective parts of ourselves: An IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapy Exercise

In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, there is an assumption that all humans have different parts of themselves. Have you ever said to yourself something like, "A part of me feels like…but another part of me thinks…." You have? Congrats, you're a normal person. With different parts, or facets, of your personality.

It can be an enriching and healing process to go inside and interact with these different parts of us, to give attention to them and interact with them as if they are another character inside us with their own opinions, beliefs, and priorities.

Prominent in most people's inner worlds are characters we might call Protectors. These parts have priorities to protect you from pain. These parts have great intentions (who doesn't want to avoid pain?), but often can result in some difficult behaviors that get in the way. For example, a perfectionistic part of me likes to say, "I don't need to start this activity until I have the time to devote in order to make it perfect." This part is trying to protect me from failure and rejection if I don't do things just right. But that gets in the way! Sometimes I just need to get things done whether they end up being great, or just good enough.

The following exercise helps you get to know one of these protective parts of your system. Look inside and communicate with this part of you.

Think of a time that you reacted in a certain way to an event--a reaction that was not grounded in compassion, gentleness, wisdom or clarity. Maybe it's a time you reacted in anger-- that's an angry part of you. Maybe it's a time where you exhibited people pleasing--this might be a people pleaser part of you. Other times it might be an intellectual part. Or an anxious part. Or an inner critic.

• Think about this part of your personality. Where in your body do you notice this part showing up? (Examples: an anxious part might show up in butterflies in the stomach. Or when thinking about an angry part, you might notice your fists balling up.)

• Focus on this part. Turn your attention inside.

• Can you imagine seeing this part? What does it look like? Sound like? Do you imagine it doing something when you see it?

• How do you feel toward this part?

  • Often here another part of us, sometimes a critical part, will jump in and influence these thoughts.

  • In this exercise, we are trying to let True Self emerge so that the Real You can interact with this other part of you. True Self looks like this:

    • Calm

    • Clarity

    • Compassion

    • Creativity

    • Connectedness

    • Courage

    • Curiosity

    • Confidence

  • If your impulse towards this part of you isn't characterized by the above 8 C's, another part is jumping in to influence the process. Gently ask if this other part can step to the side right now so you can connect with the target part while embodying the above 8 C's of the True Self.

• Befriend the part by finding out more about it. You can ask questions of this part like the following:

  • How did it get this role?

  • If it didn't have to do this role, what would it rather do?

  • How old is it?

  • How old does it think you are?

  • What else does it want you to know?

• What does this part fear?

  • What does it want for you?

  • What would happen if it stopped doing its job?

In these kind of parts interactions, it is important to remember to interact with this part as you would interact with someone else you're meeting for the first time. You want to be kind, open, curious, and benevolent, because you are interested to get to know this part, and you don't want to be rude.

For further exercises like this one, I highly recommend the book No Bad Parts, by Richard Schwartz, PhD. https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KZ6GBOWEB7BC&keywords=no+bad+parts&qid=1656514933&sprefix=no+bad+parts%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1

Written by: Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed, LPC, BCN

What a Trauma Therapist Learns from Their Clients

Perseverance

Many of our clients come to us after years of trying talk therapy. Upon hearing that we do things a little differently here, they decide to try again with a new approach. That act alone is amazing-- that they can hold out enough hope to try a new thing. They keep sticking with it and find that there are practical ways we can assist their brain in healing itself. But they can't just come to a few sessions and experience the full benefit. They have to apply themselves, keep coming week after week, and keep hammering away at the blockages in their lives. The work required in the healing process is immense. The most successful of our clients are those that know they can't just expect to work hard for an hour a week and all will be well. They go home and apply things every single day. They commit to a new way of life. Nothing changes if nothing changes. This perseverance inspires me to keep applying the same healing principles in my own life, and not to slack off and expect my own therapist to do all the work for me, because it just doesn't work that way.

Creativity

In working with trauma, there tends to be a lot of imagination and imagery used, to bring in different resources to the client's inner experience. This has allowed me to see inside the imaginative world of clients like no other. Clients have allowed me to understand intimate moments between them and their younger selves or what it feels like for them to be at their most peaceful. I've seen monsters, healing figures, perfect imaginary worlds of fulfillment, and sacred boxes containing their most wounded selves. The innate wise self in each of my clients takes on such different forms but is uniquely creative and knows just what they need. It's a bit like reading a great novel, where the author has created a beautiful and complex world of creatures and characters. I get to visit these worlds, where my own mind is exposed to new ideas and is invited to grow.

Courage

Nothing inspires me to keep courage in my own life and healing process quite like my clients. The things we look at to reprocess in therapy are often dark and difficult, but they have seen what the other side can be like--being free from their past experiences and set free to enjoy what Is, now. So they dig deep and walk forward with me into the darkness. While there may be tears in that darkness, the darkness starts to let up, and they walk out into a clearing with lots of light. It's a terribly beautiful thing to witness, but what amazes me most is their grit to go there in the first place. It's not easy, but it is good.

Keep going. I'm here for it.

Written by: Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed, LPC, BCN

How to Sit with Your Feelings, Instead of Avoiding Them

In therapy, we typically teach resources to better cope with emotions. What I’ve noticed is that people often end up suppressing emotions rather than coping with them. This can easily be done when using coping strategies like compartmentalizing and distraction. People will distract from the issue and then never come back to deal with it. The issue with this is that suppressing emotions can lead to increased shame, mental health symptoms, and physical stress on your body.

I’ve had many clients come to me after practicing coping resources and saying that they were able to distract or compartmentalize, but they don’t know now how to go back and deal with the emotion. This is when I like to guide them through this exercise:

1.       Where does this emotion sit in your body?

E.g., Anxiety sits in my stomach

Identifying the physical location of emotions can be helpful in gaining insight into what body sensations align with specific emotions.

2.       Describe what this emotion looks like: size, shape, color, texture, movement

E.g., My anxiety looks like a pencil scribble in the shape of a ball, with no beginning or end, moving but staying in place.

Being able to describe and/or visualize emotions can help give you some power over being able to get this emotion in your control.

3.       Take this image of the emotion and “place” it somewhere in the physical space around you where you can “see” it.

E.g., I’m holding the ball of anxiety in my hands in front of me.

Being able to take this emotion and view it objectively can take some of the power this emotion has away by allowing you to see it as a part of something other than yourself.

4.       How old is this emotion? (At what age did this emotion first develop/what is the earliest memory you have of feeling this?)

E.g.,  I remember feeling this when I was taking swimming lessons when I was 5.

Identifying the age that this emotion developed could help develop some compassion for yourself in feeling this.

5.       If this emotion had a positive purpose when you were five years old, what might it be?

E.g., It was trying to warn me that jumping into a deep pool could be dangerous.

Identifying the purpose of emotions can help you develop a sense of gratitude in knowing that in the early development of emotions, they would be adaptive if given the proper environment to process.

6.       With this knowledge, does this emotion look any different now?

E.g., It’s moving more slowly and it’s more of a wavy looking line rather than a jumbled ball.

Sometimes being able to develop compassion for yourself and gratitude for the original purpose of emotions can make the strength of the emotion lessen in the moment.

7.       Bring this emotion back to where it is typically stored in your body and utilize another coping resource if the emotion is still too strong.

E.g., I’m no longer visualizing the emotion in my hands, and it is now sitting back in my stomach.

Many times, you will notice that sitting with your emotions can help lessen the strength of them in the moment. It’s often difficult to allow yourself to feel emotions, as many of us are taught to “suck it up” and move on. You’ll soon realize that when you allow yourself to feel instead of suppress, emotions will hold less power over you.

Written by: Olivia Clark, LPC, BCN

How Neurofeedback Has Helped Me Personally

I’ve done neurofeedback at least twice a week for over a year in both forms that we offer here at Alternative Therapeutics. Every person is vastly different in how they will respond to neurofeedback training, but I thought it might be helpful to offer some real-life examples of how things can change. For more case examples, check out the book Neurofeedback 101 here.  

1.       Greater focus, concentration, and follow through on tasks

It’s much easier for me to follow through on tasks I know I need to do. I can sit down and finish something with greater efficiency and intention. That space in between, “I know I need to do something” and “I am doing that something” is smaller—I jump in there before procrastinating the task endlessly.

2.       Decreasing use of psychiatric medications

With strong family history of depression, I was on antidepressants as a support for many years. With neurofeedback training, I felt strong enough to wean down off of these medications. This has been a great personal triumph for me.

3.       Stabilization of emotional reactions

One of my favorite examples of this is when something frustrating happens in traffic. Instead of yelling alone in my car at the idiot who decides to slam on their brakes randomly, it rolls off of me like water off a duck’s back. I am able to recognize frustration but not get swept away into it, drowning in my own emotional reactions.

4.       Greater ability to examine past traumas

Instead of getting overwhelmed at certain memories, I can look at them with acceptance, without getting overwhelmed. Neurofeedback works in part by stabilizing the nervous system. So instead of my nervous system getting overactivated, I am better able to keep homeostasis even as I think through emotionally difficult topics.

5.       The ability to read a book

Okay, that sounds extreme. I can read books. But sitting down and just reading a book took a lot of effort for me before neurofeedback. The other night I sat down to read a nonfiction book that I had been intending to read for a while and sat there for a full hour, undistracted. That never happened before neurofeedback.

6.       More positive outlook

This was one of the first and most noticeable things I noticed from neurofeedback training. It’s like my brain takes hold of positive thoughts instead of negative ones more often than before. This has led to a less depressive outlook on life in general, which contributed to #2 above.

7.       Peak performance

I graduated with my master’s degree, studied for and passed my licensure exam, completed the licensure process, took a neuroscience course, started a new caseload, got trained in EMDR therapy, and completed my board certification for neurofeedback within a span of 2 months this year. I was also hitting neurofeedback training super hard during this time. I was efficient, focused, and goal oriented. This is not a typical standard of performance for me. I am more of the take it easy type than a super driven performer. But I was able to maintain focus on my goals and follow through with excellence. I believe I was able to perform these tasks smoothly without exhaustive effort because of neurofeedback’s incredible effects on my brain.

I always say everyone can benefit from neurofeedback. We can’t predict what it’ll do for you, the timeline it would occur in, or that it would work in the same way as it did for me. But I can say it is worth a try. You never know what might become a possibility.

Written by: Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed., LPC, BCN

How to Find the Right Therapist for You

One of the most difficult parts of therapy is reaching out to get started. I wanted to write this blog for those who are thinking about reaching out, but aren’t sure where to start! Here are a few things you should know when looking to find a therapist that is right for you.

1.     One of the easiest resources to help find a therapist is psychologytoday.com. You type in your zip code, and the therapists that show in the results are located within 5 miles. From there, you can filter further by the type of insurance you have, specific types of therapy, and more.

2.    It can be helpful to know what therapist credentials mean since there are quite a few options! The CSWMFT Board can be a great resource to learn more about specific credentialing. Don’t worry, I’ve taken the information from their website (cswmft.ohio.gov) and summarized it here:

Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC, LPCC, LPCC-S) have specialized knowledge, education, and training in the fields of human behavior, counseling principles, counseling methods and problem solving.

LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor- a therapist with this license has earned a master’s degree in counseling and passed the licensure exam.

LPCC: An LPC may upgrade to a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) after completing two years of training experience under the supervision of an LPCC-S.

LPCC-S: Supervising Counselor- a therapist with this license has at least one year of post LPCC experience and additional continuing education hours in clinical supervision.

All Licensed Professional Counselors must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two-year renewal period.

Licensed Social Workers (LSW, LISW) have specialized knowledge, education and training in the fields of human development and behavior, methods of social intervention, social welfare and policy and social work theory.

LSW: Licensed Social Worker- a therapist with this credential has at least a bachelor’s degree in social work and has passed the national exam.

LISW: An LSW may upgrade to a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) after completing two-year post-master’s supervised experience and pass the national exam.

All Licensed Social Workers must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two-year renewal period.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT, IMFT) have specialized knowledge, education and training in the fields of human behavior, marriage and family studies, appraisal of individuals and families, and problem solving.

MFT: Marriage and Family Therapist- a therapist with this license has earned a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and passed the national exam.

IMFT: An MFT must complete a two-year post-graduate supervised experience period before becoming an Independent Marriage and Family Therapist (IMFT).

To keep their licenses, all MFTs must complete 30 hours of continuing education each two-year renewal period.

3.    Another piece of information that will be helpful to know is the different types of therapies offered. Here are some common therapies you may see listed in your search:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior and emotions.

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. After successful treatment with EMDR therapy, emotional distress is relieved, negative beliefs are reformulated, and physiological arousal is reduced.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified type of CBT. Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others.

• Play Therapy is a method of therapy that uses play to uncover and deal with psychological issues, primarily used with children.

•  Neurofeedback (not so common) is a cutting edge, non-invasive, research supported approach for teaching the brain to function in a more balanced and healthy way. Individuals learn to self-regulate their own brain wave patterns through a learning process which can help improve many symptoms including mood, anxiety, sleep, relationships, memory and ability to focus on accomplishing goals.

4.    Read bios of different therapists on Psychology Today, or on the company’s website. You might be able to get a feeling of which therapist might be a good fit for you. Usually, the bios will explain any specializations they may have, or populations that they work with most.

5.    Once you choose a therapist, go for a few sessions before deciding if they are a good fit or not. The first session is always the intake and is filled with a lot of questions and a lot of information. It may take a few sessions to begin to feel more comfortable and get an idea of the therapist’s personal counseling style.

6.    It’s okay to “shop around”. If you go to a few sessions, and still feel like the therapeutic relationship doesn’t quite click, it’s okay to ask for a different therapist at that company or find a new therapist elsewhere.

Written by: Olivia Clark, MA, LPC, BCN

5 Reasons You Should Try EMDR Therapy

EMDR, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a revolutionary trauma-focused therapy designed to help people gain freedom from their traumatic experiences that have come to define how they approach life. Don’t get tripped up by the word trauma—trauma can be big events that we typically think of (e.g., bad car accidents, war combat, or sexual abuse), or less dramatic events that can impact us just as much (e.g. dysfunctional family dynamics, hurtful childhood experiences, or job loss).

Trauma is anything that your nervous system experiences as too much too soon, or too little for too long—when things are overwhelming. These experiences are then stored maladaptively in your body and brain, causing trouble. Everyone experiences trauma in some form and is impacted by their past, whether they’re aware of it or not. Here’s some reasons why you might consider trying this form of therapy for yourself.

1. You want freedom from your difficult past experiences

Many of us are triggered (again, whether we’re fully aware of it or not), by our past experiences in daily life. EMDR allows your body to fully process and re-digest the traumatic experience. The memory literally moves locations in your brain: from raw emotional memory storage to long term memory storage where it belongs. When this happens, your brain understands that the past is truly in the past, instead of experiencing it as a present reality (the feeling of being triggered).

2. You are sick of the same old patterns repeating in your life

Traumatic experiences create reactions in the brain that build templates for how we will act in the future. EMDR Therapy is designed to allow you to let go of those past experiences and create templates for better functioning in the future.

3. You find it hard to talk about (or remember!) your traumatic experiences

 One of the coolest things about EMDR is that it doesn’t require you to go into detail about what has happened to you. It’s not necessary for your therapist to know all the nitty gritty details. You can keep those to yourself if you want, and the work can still be just as effective. This is also relevant for those whose memories around their trauma might be hazy. EMDR works with how the brain naturally stores traumatic memories, which involves body sensations, emotions, negative beliefs, and sensory experiences, not just autobiographical movie clip-type memory playback.

4. You want a natural approach to healing

Many clients come to us because of our focus on holistic, natural methods to healing. EMDR is as natural as you can get. EMDR therapists simply make the conditions right for your brain to be able to heal itself. This is why healing from EMDR is so deep and transformative. The body is able to work out the trauma, and the insights and new perspectives you’ll get are coming from your own mind—not the therapist’s.

5. You’ve tried talk therapy and it isn’t cutting it

EMDR is very efficient and powerful. Every 1 year of EMDR Therapy is about equivalent to 3 years of traditional talk therapy. I often get reports of how much EMDR has changed someone’s life in just a few weeks, after doing years and years of regular talk therapy elsewhere. EMDR is designed to get to the very root of your problems, instead of addressing symptoms of those problems. This ends up being more cost efficient, too, which is always a good thing.

Check out our page on EMDR for more information.

By Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed., LPC, BCN

Can Neurofeedback Help with Covid Long-Haul Symptoms?

In a March 2021 Journal of Clinical Medicine article, researchers discuss findings related to shifts in EEG patterns in the brains of patients with Covid-19. Overall, they found changes in function in the frontal lobe of the brain as well as abnormal increases in slow wave Delta and Theta activity.

Common lingering symptoms of COVID-19 include:

-          Headaches

-          Altered Consciousness

-          Slowed Thinking, Poor Concentration, Brain Fog,

-          Fatigue, Insomnia, Sleep Disturbances

-          Depression, Anxiety, PTSD

-          Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviors

Much of the research indicates that patients suffering from COVID-19 may develop encephalopathy. Encephalopathy means damage or disease that impacts the brain. These impacts can be manifested as a slowing down of thinking processes, memory impairment, personality changes, impaired concentration and sleep disorders.

If these effects and changes can be measured via EEG, it is reasonable to infer that EEG training via neurofeedback therapy may be of benefit to these patients suffering with post-COVID brain symptoms.

Nationally recognized neurologist (and neurofeedback supporter), Dr. Majid Fotuhi, MD, PhD suggests the importance of better assessment, documentation and treatment of neurological manifestations of the COVID-19 disease, and to keep in mind that patients who survive, may continue to have long-term brain deficits. Him and other experts in the field have suggested that neurofeedback therapy may be a helpful solution to getting patients back to pre-COVID functioning.

If you or someone you love are suffering from Covid Long-Haul symptoms, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Written by: Britney Cirullo, MA, LPCC-S, LICDC, BCN