Tag: psychotherapy

HOW TO REDUCE HYPERAROUSAL When you have gone into hyperarousal, which is a fight or flight response, there are a few things you can try to bring yourself into the window of tolerance or back into a state of calm. Here’s one to try. First, take a pause and go somewhere quiet if you can. Then notice the signs of activation in your body, your racing heart, and sweaty palms, then find a felt sense of groundedness in your body and focus on it. This might take a moment, be patient with yourself. Know that you are going to be okay. You are just activated, your body has gone into a trauma response, and you are being with yourself while you return to your window of tolerance.

How to Reduce Hyperarousal

September 7, 2022

Hyperarousal is when excessive energy is expressed as anxiety, panic, feeling out of control and wanting to run away. It is challenging to relax when this happens as our body has gone into fight or flight mode. It is difficult …

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Indications of Hyperarousal

Indications of Hyperarousal

August 24, 2022

As we move through life, most of the time, we are within a safe range of arousal, which means a state where we can function well as human beings. We can self-regulate, feel grounded and present, and the reasoning part …

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Explaining the Window of Tolerance

Explaining the Window of Tolerance

August 24, 2022

The window of tolerance is a phrase first used by Dr. Dan Siegel to describe the arousal state in which a person can best function and feel they can manage life. As we live our life, we experience what I …

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Breaking Self-Betrayal

Breaking Self-Betrayal Habits

August 24, 2022

Little self-betrayals become a habit. It is in the little moments where our natural reaction is to say yes, when the right answer for us is no. Self-betrayals happen when we don’t take the time and care required to check …

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Self-Betrayal: Neglecting Your Needs When you have grown up in an environment where your needs were not met or ignored, you learned to disconnect from them. As an adult, this has created one of two situations: You don’t know what you need You know what you need, but you push it down and ignore it, believing you are not as important as the people around you.

Self-Betrayal: Neglecting Your Needs

August 24, 2022

Being scared of your needs is NORMAL when you have grown up in an environment where it was not okay or safe to ask for your needs to be met. Know that you CAN shift this pattern. You CAN reconnect …

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Self-Betrayal

Self-Betrayal: Putting Others First

August 24, 2022

When we grow up with abusive or neglectful parents, we quickly learn to ignore our own needs. Maybe it is dangerous to express our needs, or when we do, they are ignored. The result is a deep disconnect from our …

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Protective Factors for Suicide Prevention

Protective Factors for Suicide Prevention

August 24, 2022

If you read through this list and see that you are weak in some of these factors, you can always strengthen others. For example, if your family has a lot of conflicts and it feels out of your control, you …

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REACHING OUT TO SOMEONE YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT It is NORMAL to feel apprehensive; know you don’t have to be a professional to be there for someone you care about. Reaching out could save someone’s life. Choose a time to talk where there is privacy, go for a walk or a drive. How are you? How are you really? I have noticed you seemed a bit quiet /upset/down etc., the last few days/weeks. Keep asking open-ended questions. Remember to be non-judgmental and calm. It is okay to ask, “Are you thinking about suicide?” Give their feelings and experiences legitimacy – ‘That sounds really painful, I can understand why you feel like this’. Offer support – ‘I’m here in any way you need me to be’. Let them know they can get help, and they will get better with help. You might help them find a counsellor or call their doctor. If you are scared and need help yourself, you can call Lifeline for support: 131114

Reaching Out To Someone You Are Worried About

August 24, 2022

This post is a great pocket guide for ‘how to have that conversation’.  Above (in the slide) are the DOs, and below are the DO NOTS: Don’t try to talk them out of suicide Don’t try to fix their problem. …

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A suicide attempt is not ‘attention-seeking behaviour’. It’s ALWAYS a cry for help. It can be confronting to sit and hold space for someone feeling suicidal. We have to manage our feelings as well as hold space for their feelings. Before I had training in suicide prevention, I thought that talking about suicide with a person contemplating suicide might encourage them to do it. I found out in training that this is incorrect. In fact, talking openly about it is helpful. It can provide an outlet for intense feelings. It’s important to listen without judgement or offering solutions, be an empathetic and validating listener, and get more support for yourself and them.

A Suicide Attempt is a Cry for Help

August 23, 2022

When people are considering suicide, they need help from a trained professional. A therapist, counsellor, or doctor as soon as possible.  Emergency assistance is available in Australia through Lifeline: 13 11 14 ____ Reference: https://medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/suicide

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Warning Signs of Suicide

Warning Signs of Suicide

August 23, 2022

Warning signs are important. Know what to look for and reach out if in doubt. We often think that most suicides are caused by a one-off event, maybe a relationship break-up, the loss of a career or public shaming. In …

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