Show 164 Feet to the Floor Grounding

A quick pebble in the road on using grounding techniques, this time how to ground yourself using your feet or in a chair.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Naturopathic doctor Stephanie Cotes has a short list of grounding techniques on her blog.

The Anxiety Relief Project also has tips on grounding yourself, including the 54321 sensory exercise.

The Mighty has 15 grounding techniques that might suit you better.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Soul Pancakes Video - Advice For Anyone Who's Struggling With Anxiety

Yeah, you gotta know that you are not alone, that others have been down the road. This is from the YouTube series called Soul Pancakes. I love the last comment in the video. "It is so much better to move forward than to stay stuck."

If you are new to my audio podcast, check out the archive that might answer some of the questions that you might have about treatment. Also there is a link at the top of the page for a list of resources and treatment options.

The podcast is treatment agnostic, meaning that one treatment method isn't boosted as being the only way.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 163 Bathing Anxiety or Are You Afraid of the Water?

In this episode, do you have an issue about cleaning yourself? Is it because you don't have time, energy or is it because you are depressed or do you have a water phobia?




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Essay on the New York Times website about a woman being in treatment for hording and OCD having to handle her condition and a relationship that developed during her treatment.

Colorado voters are considering decriminalizing certain types of drugs that might have an effect on people with severe depression or PTSD. The Colorado Sun has a write up about the topic.

Mental Health.gov quick definition of phobia. Also there is a short page about depression which is a definite road dog to anxiety conditions.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America page on depression because that is also a part of folks having an anxiety condition. Also at ADAA.org there is a chart that shows the overlapping relationship between depression and generalized anxiety disorder.

Verywell Mind has a detailed page of the medical conditions, ablutophobia, fear of bathing and aquaphobia. aka water phobia.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 162 - Before You Commit to the Therapist's Couch

It is still Mental Health Awareness Month 2019 and I would like to have a cuddle toy. I can't quite afford the one that is mentioned in the podcast but I'm certainly interested.  This time out, five things to be aware of before you commit to the couch.



If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Thrive Global about how one person uses breathing and meditation to deal with social anxiety.

Article on BillyPenn.com about how some substance abuse treatment centers are using gardens and farming to provide additional treatment to the patients.

The Somnox Sleep Pillow is designed to help you get to sleep. It is a robot that will coach you on breathing patterns, simulate heartbeats or provide soothing sounds to guide you into the sleep zone.

Digital Trends Contributing Editor Andy Boxall spent a night with the Somnox and you can get a sense of how it works by watching the video on the page.

Open Path Psychology Collective and Psychology Today have searchable databases of providers.

The American Depression and Anxiety Association has a Find A Therapist page

Healthguide.org has a very extensive page about Finding a Therapist Who Can Help You. They define terms, provider options and questions you should ask when considering going into therapy.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Three Grounding Techniques for A Not So Good Day

It is one of those days when you can't churn a whiff of air let alone a thought. I've tried for five hours. And then the anxiety kicks in, and then the symptoms.

So, I'll finish up the therapy episode next week but in the meantime, here are three things you can try to help with symptom control.




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

An audio meditation on How to feel Safe, Content and Connected by Rick Hanson at Mindful Exercises.

From the Fort Refuge Survivors Community are even more grounding tips.  If your anxiety is caused by trauma or assault this might be a place of interest to you.

From Jocelyn St.Cyr, LICSW, Grounding Techniques: Individualized Coping Skills That Really Work

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 161 Finding A Therapist for Your Anxiety Condition in 2019

One of the treatments for an anxiety condition is therapy. Specifically, mental health therapy. And people will yack on about getting help. What they don't tell you is how to do that. In this episode I am going to try to talk about actionable things you can do to tap into the treatment flow.

I will be truthful; it isn't always easy. Or affordable. But let's see if we can crack this nut.




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

May is Mental Health There is an ad campaign in partnership with Burger King about having a certain kind of meal, a Feel Your Way kind of meal. If you would like more background you can visit the Mental Health America page about the partnership.

Healthguide.org has a very extensive page about Finding a Therapist Who Can Help You. They define terms, provider options and questions you should ask when considering going into therapy.

The Good Man Project has a post about modern man and anxiety.

The American Depression and Anxiety Association has a Find A Therapist page on their website that allows you to enter your location and pick the type of specialty that you want your therapist to have.

They also have an infographic that helps you understand the type of questions and things to think about when selecting a therapist.

Open Path Psychology Collective is a non-profit organization to help you select a therapist. This services is specifically designed for people who do not have insurance, have janky insurance or they need to keep their condition on the down low at their company. The link is to their FAQ page.

The Psychology Today website has listings for marriage and family therapists, counselors, licensed MSW, and other mental health professionals. Your can view their profiles and get a look at their standard rate for services.

The APA Psychology Locator helps you to find a psychologist in your area, you can start with just your zip code or state and then filter for the things you want in a psychologists; like accepting your insurances.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.