Free Online Therapy

In my line of work I frequently come across people who claim they would love to take up therapy of some kind, but don't have the time or the money to pursue such action.

'What could be more important than improving psychological health?' I hear you say, but it's not that simple. Families, bills, addictions, debts, education costs - and probably a host of other things all come before taking a roll of the dice upon a therapy that may or may not work. Perhaps the mental block of 'I cannot be cured anyway' is the most telling factor; of course a self-defeating prophecy.

Theoretically then, in a society where therapy was completely free and flexible, accessible at any time; what would it change?

Would it attract droves of people into therapy? Would more severe mental health conditions be averted if they were caught and treated at an early stage? Would millions be saved in industry through less sick days being taken and hence loss of personnel?

The real life experiment is well underway in the UK, with those exact same goals in mind.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/health/england-mental-health-treatment-therapy.html

I think its a brilliant idea, although still far from the 'utopia' of perfect therapy. There are still teething problems such as waiting times, while technology can certainly be used for the better in future practice. All the same its a huge step in the right direction for mental health. Just making mental health issues an acceptable and approachable subject is a big step, as bottling things up inside is never a good recipe for long term health.

If you don't live in the UK or a country providing such service, what then? Free online therapies can be found, mainly in the form of forums/chat rooms focused on different mental health themes. Seeing a therapist in person is rare to find, as therapists will expect to be paid for their time other than in exceptional circumstances. The online community is different however and the links below are just the tip of the iceberg of what can be found.

http://www.healthfulchat.org/mental-health-chat-rooms.html
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/online-safety-and-support/finding-support/#.W3kvQuhKjIU
https://mashable.com/2014/05/01/get-help-anonymously/?europe=true#d1Ox.ouQ2mqP
https://freeonlinetherapy.org/free-online-therapy-guide/

Sharing feelings is therapeutic. Friends and family who listen can be wonderful therapists. Paying huge sums for a highly qualified therapist does not guarantee they are the best person for you. An issue with free therapies can be people working unlicensed/untrained - so always check the validity of any organisation/individual before proceeding.

The Social Problems of Social Media

The MSN 'Loneliness Campaign' in the UK recently ran an interesting article about the social media paradox; essentially that social media sets out to be 'social' but actually leads to increased loneliness due to users spending more time in the virtual word of screens and smartphones as oppose to 'real' face to face interactions with friends. The above links provide the full articles.

Personally speaking I have certainly dabbled with social media, but since becoming a father I found I could no longer justify the time I was spending mindlessly surfing through pictures of dinner plates, taken by people I barely know. Thus the Twitter and Facebook addiction went four years ago, and I have no intention of going back!

Another thing I don't like about social media, and the internet in general, that is not mentioned in the article, is the general nasty attitude you find everywhere, like looking under rocks for worms (no offence to the worm intended there). From forums, youtube comments or live chat formats almost across the board - one and all seem to fall foul of argumentative, aggressive and abusive dialect between users. Why is that? https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-psychology-of-internet-rage-2018051713852 comments on several themes.

I have heard the term 'keyboard warrior' be used to describe those whom fall into such category; the idea that sitting anonymously behind a keyboard people will say things they would never dare to in a face to face situation. Perhaps the anonymity aspect is key here, and of course that there is absolutely no consequence to actions. You can call someone any range of names then log off in full knowledge you could never be caught or traced.

Maybe its something linked to the reasons we can become animals behind the wheel, cursing streams of abuse in the safety of our vehicle that we (most of us at least) would not do in a pedestrian situation. https://www.osv.ltd.uk/road-rage/ says that there is limited ways to express our feelings to other road users in a car which then leads to frustrated gestures that can quickly escalate into rage... can the same be said of non-verbal communications in social media?

In previous years I have gotten into trivial arguments with people online which I admit got me quite annoyed. I wasted precious moments of my life thinking of clever ways to win a petty debate, one that had no end until one party gave up and 'walked away.' Such scenarios are easy to find online, as are torrents of abuse. It cant all just be bored teenagers can it?

Is such phenomena a healthy release valve of inner frustrations? Or do they foster negative personality disorders and consequently make them worse?

One study https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/posting-lots-of-photos-on-instagram-could-be-a-sign-of-depression-a3606616.html find the link between what photos are posted on social media and depression. I'm sure we all know someone who goes to great pains to illustrate their lives as overly happy, adventurous, exciting places through the photos they continue to post, only to meet them in person and think quite the opposite. Is it over simplified to think that some people use such photo posting techniques to compensate for feeling of inadequacy? I don't think it is.

Like medicines, martial arts and a plethora of other things, I suppose the internet is a wonderful tool when used correctly but when used incorrectly then it can be something negative, in worst cases dangerous. I chose to use social media sparingly and not rely on virtual relationships as I value face to face interactions as healthier and more enjoyable.

What Therapist?

There is a lot of jargon amidst the world of psychology, so this article aims to clarify some of the key terms and common misunderstandings.

What is a therapist? The word therapist is defined by dictionary.com as 'a person skilled in a particular kind of therapy'.

So a therapist is non-specific, broad term that can apply to a number of different fields. You can have massage therapists, psychotherapists, sports therapists and so on.

Essentially a psychologist has earned a degree in psychology, enabling them to diagnose disorders in patients through focusing on thoughts, behaviours, feelings and emotions. Examples of psychologists include Animal, Child, Educational, Forensic Psychologists (there are many different types!)

My recent post outlining psychiatrists and what they do can be found here https://healnowtherapyhypnosis.blogspot.com/2018/06/what-is-psychiatry.html. Psychiatrists are medically trained which means they are doctors who can also prescribe medications.

A psychotherapist is someone who carries out psychological talking therapies. Often they can be referred to as a 'therapist' or 'counsellor' which can lead to some of the misunderstandings in terminology. Examples of psychotherapy include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Psychotherapy or Humanistic therapy (there are many different types!) with the therapist trained in their specialised field.

I hope this helps!

Neurokinex Neurological Activity Based Rehabilitation

This week I paid a visit to Neurokinex Gatwick UK. Please follow the link to their web page to find out more about the unique work they are doing. 

Chosen as the first international NeuroRecovery Community Fitness and Wellness Affiliate of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Neurokinex provide pioneering neurological activity based rehabilitation for various forms of paralysis, which includes the recent 'Neurokinex-Kids', a unique program especially for the rehabilitation of children. 

Neurokinex rehabilitation focuses upon spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, transverse myelitis, multiple sclerosis and other such conditions that result in neuromuscular impairment.

Unlike more traditional approaches the Neurokinex rehabilitation and wellbeing programmes target the entire nervous and musculoskeletal systems rather than only the functional areas of the body. The programmes consist of a variety of weight-bearing activities, balance and stand training, gait and locomotor training, electrical stimulation, upper and lower body ergometry, vibration therapy and strength training. Task-specific exercises are carefully devised incorporating activities with skilled trainers and specialised rehabilitative equipment.

Many clients had been told they would never be able to perform certain physical activities again, such as being able to roll over or even regain use of their legs. Through using state of the art equipment brought over from the USA the brilliant staff at Neurokinex have achieved results far beyond expectations.

Hypnotherapy and How it Can Affect Your Psychological Well-Being

Hypnotherapy and How it Can Affect Your Psychological Well-Being
We all want to achieve peace of mind, and we can try to achieve this through therapy. A good therapist is able to help you feel better about yourself, teach you how to cope with difficulties you’re facing or struggling through, and/or they may help you to make a plan to achieve your goals.

There are many types of therapy out there, as people cope in different mannerisms. One form of therapy may change one client’s life, while it may be less effective to another. In this post, we’ll look at hypnotherapy, one of the more unique forms of therapy out there.

What is the Difference Between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy?
When you think of hypnosis, you may imagine it as it’s all-too-often portrayed in media: a hypnotist putting their patient to sleep by waving a pocket watch in front of their eyes. Once the patient is asleep, they hypnotist is able to guide and control them in their trance-like state. For example, the hypnotist may tell the patient that when they wake up, they will be transformed into a chicken. Then, at the hypnotist’s prompting, the patient wakes up and clucks and starts flapping their arms.

This example is of course an exaggeration of how hypnosis works. Hypnosis is the main tool that is used in hypnotherapy. Hypnosis as it relates to hypnotherapy does involve a hypnotherapist guiding a patient into a relaxed and focused state. Once they are in the state, they may be more open to suggestion and less inhibited. For example, if the patient comes in to learn how to control their anger, the therapist may suggest anger management techniques and how to utilize them when they are in this state. The idea is that when they ‘wake up’ from this state, they will be more prone to listening to the suggestions made regarding their anger management, and will be more able to act upon those techniques.

With all that said, what can hypnotherapy do for you? Is it all that it’s cracked up to be? Can it really change your psychological well-being?

What Hypnotherapy Can Treat
Here is a small list of conditions that hypnotherapy may be able to treat.
* Fears – If you want to conquer a fear (or two) that you may have, a hypnotherapist may help you learn to calm yourself in that situation through visualization. For example, a hypnotherapist may teach you to visualize walking down a staircase to one of your favorite calm and tranquil places, and taking in the sights around you. Whenever you are faced with your fear, you can recall this visualization to help you get through your fear – perhaps if you are afraid of flying, when you are waiting for takeoff, you can work through this visualization.
* Pain – a hypnotherapist may tell you that you are less sensitive to your pain than you realize, and this can help reduce your feelings of pain.
* Insomnia – in addition to instituting a healthy sleep-hygiene routine, hypnotherapy can decrease insomnia and other sleep-related disorders, including nightmares, night terrors, and sleepwalking.
* Addiction – hypnotherapy makes the practitioner more receptive to behavior modification suggestions, so you may be able to relieve some of the symptoms of withdrawal without having to resort to medication.
* Emotional issues – the simple relaxation that you may feel when undergoing hypnotherapy mya help alleviate feelings of sadness, depression, anxiety, or anger.

Hypnotherapy’s effectiveness is different for everyone, but there are patients that have been able to increase their well-being and live a better life, with the help of their therapist.

Finding a Hypnotherapist Near You
If you are interested in hypnotherapy and if it could work for you, do your due diligence in researching therapists that specialize in this type of therapy. Find someone that is properly trained, and is also licensed and credentialed. Who knows – this may be the technique that works for you and changes your life!

By Marie Miguel

Biography

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with Better Help. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.