Did you see that programme on daytime TV where a reallly overweight person is matched with a really skinny person and then they swap diets? The sight of those two extremes facing each other was quite confronting.  It was interesting to find out how the attractive thin person with a ” to die for figure” was actually causing harm to her joints and other organs because she avoided the carbs in an effort to stay model thin.

Most females are treated for extreme disturbances in their eating behaviours, but males can also experience the same. Eating binges involve large consumption of calorie rich foods during which one feels a loss of personal control and self- disgust.

When that happens there may be an attempt to compensate and avoid weight gain by self-induced vomiting and/or misuse of laxatives. Beware, as this does not reduce fat content but eliminates vital trace elements and dehydrates the body.  Perhaps there is also a compulsive exercise regime in place, so much so that the focus on controlling one’s weight dominates one’s whole life.

This is a bulimic condition and people usually experience lethargy, depression and clouded thinking. Severe bulimia is likely to cause erosion of dental enamel from vomiting, swollen salivary glands, chronic sore throat and intestinal and stomach problems.

The psychological effects include deceptive behaviours related to food, loneliness and fear of the disapproval of others if the illness becomes known. Also mood swings are a common effect, with changes in personality, emotional outbursts and depression.

It really important to respond to these early warning signs and getting professional treatment is essential. Recovery may take many months but the majority of people do recover. A diagnosis by a medical practitioner is the first step then treatment may include dietary education, psychological intervention  to help change their thoughts, an antidepressant medication  to reduce the feelings of depression  and some interpersonal therapies to  help people to understand the effect of their relationships on their emotions and eating behaviour.

Counseling can help to make those fearful first steps to recovery easier. For  people suffering from Bulimia in the Northern Beaches psychologists are readily available.

It is possible to access outpatient treatment in many cases. The family and friends of people with eating disorders can often feel confused and distressed. Support and education are most helpful.

Counselling and psychology services are provided on Sydney’s North Shore and Northern Beaches in Neutral Bay, Manly and Mona Vale.

Live to eat or eat to live? is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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Psychologists are asked to solve it all ! They are the new  high priest-confessor, shaman , detective, doctor, scientist, judge and jury rolled into one.  Dysfunctional behavior is the new  “norm”.

Psychologists can be relationship counsellors, trauma therapists , life coaches  or horse whisperers .
Like the proverbial Greek hydra, the multi headed monster, modern psychology  has evolved from being the “science of the mind” or , to get the “Skinner”-y on it -the science of  behavior , to having as many faces as “Eve/Yves” .

There are many new specialised fields in psychology created to deal with rapid societal changes. Along with politically correct terminology,”retarded” is OUT, “disabled” is IN ,there are  enough acronyms to  confuse an ESL major- OCD, CBT, CSI, PTSD,  ADHD !

Accepted , traditional  fields include Clinical Psychology – made  famous in such movies as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest .” This deals with the diagnosis and treating of  mental disorders. The textbook areas of study include  intelligence, cognition, learning, perception, motivation, emotion and personality .

The “Nature vs. Nurture” conundrum  has given way to studying out the  interconnection between genetics and environment   in individual differences .

The many fields of psychology include educational psychology, child psychology,social, comparative and sports psychology .  Scientific method used  covers observation, interviews, psychological testing, laboratory experiments and analysis of statistical data.

Forensic psychologists  now are called on to help create personality profiles of criminals , advise on the principles of jury selection or study the testimony of eyewitnesses. They can testify as to whether a defendant is  or is not  mentally capable and responsible. Environmental psychologists look at the effects of building design, noise, and urban crowding  on city dwellers. They are the psychological equivalents of   “Feng Shui” inner peace .

Is mental health related to personal wealth ? Can anyone afford not to be sick ?
Psychologists are here to stay  !

Psychology is here to stay! is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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I had a real wake up call this morning with the news of the Malaysian earthquake! Luckily the tsunami wasn’t coming , though I had my evacuation plan all ready , we were half way up the mountain already camped up next to the pool.

I had finally ditched my usual crack-the- bones  chiropractic treatment after no improvement after one year and ran into a chiropractic friend who uses spinal network analysis.  I was ready and open to something new. I continued my search for the meaning of healing.

Psychiatrist Laurence T Bendit says: ” healing is basically the result of putting right our wrong relation to our body, to other people and  to our own complicated minds, with their emotions and instincts at war with one another and not properly understood and accepted by what we call “I ” or ” me”. The process is one of reorganisation , reintegration of things which have come apart”.

So what was all that about , a process of rebuilding ones life new from chaos and disorder. Well  as my leg had a mind of its own now , with strange numbness and effects of walking after an earthquake , I was ready to try this new technique of letting my own body connect to my brain neurons and find the correct adjustment.

For days, I had been quizzing the locals about how far up the last tsunami had reached, 2,000 tourists and locals at Phi Phi alone had been totally wiped out. As I stood on phi phi beach , I searched out the evacuation route, its straight up the mountain through bushland and reaised how basic the situation was. …every man for himself, no time for anything, I think there was only a 3min warning.

Sometimes it takes a real earthquake to shake you up to review your life, and do some reorganisation and rebuilding. Don’t wait until the tsunami hits!!!

7.8 Earthquake sparks emotional healing is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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I’ve been really excited about Robert Simmon’s information. Here’s some excerps from his latest book. “The human body is a sophisticated , multifaceted antenna system comprised of a crystalline matrix that is constantly transmitting and receiving (transceiving) all manner of informed energies”….

James I Oschman, who authoured Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis echoes this sentiment by stating , ” crystalline arrangements are the rule, not the exception , in living systems”

“The way to tune this antenna is through the repetition of such practices as yoga, martial arts or even playing an instrument. These disciplines also involve entrainment , which is mindfulness of breathing and heartbeat rythyms that bring the body and brainwave activity into a synchronous harmonious state.

Energy and body workers who use quartz, shells and stones, which are also crystalline materials , create resonant interactions with the liquid crystal structures found in tissue. ….Crystalline components of the living matrix act as a coherent molecular antenna , radiating and receiving signals”

So what does all this mean? It seems science has finally discovered that all that meditation and peaceful activities imported from the east has a real effect on our bodies. Evidence is shown in photographs of our crystal light bodies.

So that’s what they mean by its all about love and light!

communication -the way to healing is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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Its really handy to know how to assert oneself at any moment. These opportunities can pop up at any time unbewares. People mistakenly believe that you have to be aggressive to be assertive.  Actually this is a myth , and there is a way to state your needs without stepping on someone else’s toes.  I’m noticing the honeymooners here in romantic bliss all cosy in the pool, but I also see some icy stares at the breakfast tables.  Respect for one another may be a hard task in the heat of the moment, and its steaming hot here in Thailand.

However there is a way, to do it gracefully, but as I said its not easy, you have to practice a bit.  The trick is to have a little think first and plan your response to restore peace and harmony.

First, state the situation that sparked the fire, and be sure to let the other party know how you are currently feeling, ie the emotions that are running hot through you.  Then, it’s time to say what you want done, else there will be consequences  and you also state those. This is no time to be a wimp. Of course honeymooners are also very touchy, so it does require a little delicacy and diplomacy too. It may go something like this : “Darling when you send me out to get cold drinks up the 100 steps so many times, I get so hot and bothered, if you can’t stop ordering me around like a waiter boy then we will just have to spend the extra Baht and get room service.” with kisses inbetween each phrase. …

By the time you have said all of this, in order mind you , it has given the other party time to digest all the factors at hand and time to calm down too.

Assertiveness when relationships are shipwrecked is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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What’s the difference between psychology and an  medicine man? It’s quite hip these days, to go on a sharmanic journey, adventure into the depths of the amazon into the jungle to seek out a guide, taste  exotic hallucinagenic concoctions, but its all herbal they say, all natural mind you and totally organic!

What do they have in common? they appear to exist on the extreme thresholds of thought. Psychologists have shown us that wounds to the psyche and soul (the original meaning of psychology was the study of the soul) can manifest in physical ailments, dis-ease of the body as well as in the mind.

Psychologists “treat” by clearing up old issues by bringing them to the surface, thereby forming new conscious belief patterns to substitute the old, unconscious and unhealthy ones. So one may have been dragging along many heavy issues from old relationships and perhaps for  many past lifetimes. It can take a long time to see the labyrinth of inner entanglements, entrentched in our psyches, as they may only surface a little bit at a time depending on how ready we are to deal with them.

What does the doctor of the soul do ? the Sharman of indigenous cultures also has the respect of his community, he is the wise one of his tribe and few feathery tricks in his bag, I imagine. Their intervention is an interesting one, to the western man, quite scary too.     Sharmans help their people journey into the other world, the soul realm where they can see in full psychelic color, and even experience their destructive patterns that have spread from that realm to the existing one.  Their reason for seeking this help is the deterioration of their physical body as medical patients do too.

Soul and body are intimately joined in the sharmans eyes, healing the soul will eventuate in healing the body. In working to overcome the soul sickness, the sharman may call for assistance from the spirits of animals and have herbal remedies as well.  He is comfortable working in different realms. Who is to say what is real? very interesting I must say. … quite a mental stretch for many.

But here’s another stretch for you, deeper than both approaches , here’s the latest… spiritual healing  of old patterns by invoking our potential of our own wholeness. I’ll go into that more later.

Positive psychologists are looking to one’s essential patterns of well being .  No longer is the focus on “problem areas” per se . Perhaps the exploration into man’s helath has gone full circle . Interventions are accessing the wisdom and knowledge of the ancients. Qi Guong , vibrations, frequencies, energy are the catch phrases of the alternative therapists in search of the age old “wholeness” in mankind.

Shrink or Shaman? is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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So the latest buzz is about developing heart consciousness, but what is it? Not that touchy feely business again from the seventies!!!

Firstly it entails feeling. I know we all feel but this is about reaching out to touch someone, its feeling not emotion, the process of going beyond itself  to come into connection – being able to connect with anything anywhere, reaching out to touch another. To attain your emotional healing, it  about being able to access those painful things from your past to clear them.

Let me give you an example of this powerful ability to work from the heart centre.  Think about motherhood, the most powerful relationship on earth is said to be the one between a mother and her baby son. The mother automatically thinks does and feels everything necessary to care for the baby, we call it that maternal instinct, its fierce, powerful , protective and switched on 24 hours a day. She may be exhausted but somehow she does it all.

Emotional Healing is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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Day two in Thailand , its a little cloudier but the sun shines so hot. Lucky I have the choice of three swimming pools set amongst tropical palms and red bouganvillia flowers. The chants of the mosque next door waft by. The big foreign cruise ship anchored out to sea has left , fed up by the pelting sudden thunderstorm late yesterday. I was caught in the rain and sheltered under the canopy of a little shopping mart,  but enjoyed watching all the people scurrying with plastic bags on their head on motor bikes.

This week I am dedicating my time to talk about emotional healing . I am reading a fascinating boook by Robert Simmons PhD called   ”Stones of the new consciousness”. I will give you a quote later  that just sparked my thinking , I lit up like a light bulb.!

Anyway , what is the connection between CBT and emotional healing? Cognitive implies the workings of the mind and psychologists have long been adept at constructing theories about the mental activities to apply to behaviour change.

New information suggests that there is a need to shift from the brain to the heart to further the process of transformation. ” Heart consciousness is the “new” consciousness, but actually we have reverted or resurrected the “ancient” consciousness. Take for example , the worship of the Divine by devotees of Vishnu. This study in India, and now internationally is called Bhakti yoga, which means love of God. In  Bhakti yoga, every thought every action has a central focus, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is how the mere street sweeper in India can find contentment in his life.

But what has this got to do with psychology?,  For intelligent people, it is time to incorporate the spiritual into your daily lives to experience real fulfillment it seems. So many big materialistic entrepreneurs have come to a point of disillusionment from their endless achievement oriented and goal seeking ways. But the good news is that you don’t have to give it all up! Don’t chuck the Ferrari away just yet! you just have to appreciate the next level of soul awakening  and then you will become expert at dovetailing all your talents, assets and behaviours to a higher more satisfying purpose.

signing off to go back to the pool, read and weep hehe

CBT and Healing, what’s the connection? is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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I woke up to  pale lilac and pink skies, the palm fronds green and alive with life force . formations of pegasus riding high as white fluffy clouds , and as I marvelled at the animal spirit in this exotic land I caught sight of a peacock cloud floating by. In ancient Chinese feng sui, this is a great auspicious sign for happiness in relationships .

a lazy swim then climbing the stairs up the mountain side, I discovered the spa, a place of heavenly pleasures , a shoulder and back massage to iron out the kinks , what a treat and it only cost $11 AUD!!!!I’m doing this every day I vowed, This is stress management strategies in practice!

Have you thought about pampering yourself at the end of a stressful day? what about a bath with sea salts and fragrant oils? You may not be so lucky as me in Thailand but do something nice for yourself .

Stress management in Thailand is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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The Dolphin is a wonderful symbolic  reminder and help to enhance your ability to communicate. If you have been feeling frustrated at not being heard lately, take heart as you will be feeling more courageous in expressing your true feelings to someone dear to you. You may find that the words flow more easily thus become more confident as you release  your hurt. You may have been criticised as a child, in relation to your hearing or learning abilities.

Hey good morning, its a beautiful day, I was so excited when I saw two dolphins in Sydney harbour just before 9 am. Did you know that the Dolphin is an air breathing marine mammal which moved from land into the sea millions of years ago? It rests on one half of its brain, while the other half remains alert enough to breathe and keep an eye on its environment. Well , the dolphin uses more than its sight to keep alert.

So this is like being in a perpetual state of lucid or wakeful dreaming. Wouldn’t that be helpful for some of us! While we receive most of our information through sight , the dolphin does it through sound photos. The Australian Aborigines believe it was once in human form. It has been called the elder, teacher, mediator or guide between humanity and the stars.  Hence the constellation Delphinus is called the “Friend of Man”. As King of the Fish , it was sacred to the Greek gods Apollo, Neptune and Venus.

This is a great day to let go of those beliefs that are holding you back.

Dolphins are communication experts is a post from: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

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