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kind of funny sports psychology joke...

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:43:13 GMT

Give Relationships Priority Over Accomplishments

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:41:25 GMT

Are you or someone you love struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:45:30 GMT

Anxiety disorders are the leading diagnostic category for children. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects one million children in the USA (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). Neuroimaging has helped us further understand OCD. PET scans indicate higher glucose levels with those struggling with OCD. These higher glucose levels indicate increased activity in frontal lobes of the brain which are involved in executive functioning.

There is a subgroup of individuals with OCD that appear to have symptom onset triggered by streptococcal infections commonly referred to as strep throat. These Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) must also receive treatment for the infection in addition to other interventions. Sometimes the obsessive compulsive behavior will remit after the infection is treated while other times further psychological intervention is needed.

Many people spend their days obsessing on things. Our brain is great at bringing up information that we may not want to attend to. Often times when we have gone through a conflict then our brain will bring up this conflict over and over. Our brain wants us to heal from the conflict or solve the problem that created the conflict. Our central nervous system can change and improve when we allow it to and when we use this system in a healthy way. There are some people that struggle with overactive frontal lobes and may have persistent ideas, thoughts, or impulses that are not relevant to learning. These ideas are senseless and when we pay attention to them these ideas do not create positive change in the brain but only reinforce the pattern of attending to senseless ideas. For example, a child may have learned that it is important to wash his hands to get rid of germs and instead of learning this and using this method in a healthy way he may begin washing his hands repeatedly to avoid germs. A simple way of saying this is that his brain may take the information to the extreme.

Common rituals for people struggling with OCD include feeling a need to repeatedly check things, count things, or touch things (especially in a particular sequence). Many people with OCD struggle with obsessions that commonly include frequent thoughts of violence or harming loved ones which are considered as distressing. In my experience, people with OCD are often trying to protect themselves or others but when engaging in compulsions they end up hurting their relationships.

Adults struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder view their obsessions as intrusive, senseless, or time-consuming and experience increased anxiety in the presence of these obsessions. However, children often do not have this insight since their behavior may be more troubling to others than to themselves. These obsessions and impulses interfere with school performance and social relationships. Attempts to ignore these thoughts or impulses have failed, and repetitive and excessive behaviors are done to prevent discomfort. This creates a dysfunctional cycle that is difficult to change.

Strategies for Obsessive Thinking

There are many strategies that are helpful in dealing with obsessive thinking. Try these strategies if you are struggling with obsessive thinking. It is important to remember that the Central Nervous System (which of course includes your brain) does not benefit from trying to control your thoughts. When people try to control their thoughts, they may feel more anxious because it is not possible to subtract a thought from your Central Nervous System. It may be important to redirect your thinking and energy when needed. Do some activities that use large muscles (e.g. arms and legs). Take a walk! These activities help your mind refocus due to engaging your five senses. If you can notice your five senses as you walk, then this offers information for your brain to refocus on. For example, during a walk you may notice the smell of flowers, the sound of your footsteps, the feel of the breeze on your skin, the sight of fluffy white clouds, and perhaps the taste of the drink of water that you brought along for your walk. These techniques help ground you into your experience of the walk and most of all help get you out of your head.

It may help you to remember that thoughts are different from actions. Thoughts do not have to be followed by actions. It is important to value the privacy of thoughts. We all have many thoughts throughout the day. These thoughts are based on our learning experience, so people with OCD may have many unwanted thoughts due to their overactive frontal lobes. You are not to be judged by your thoughts. You are not your thoughts. It is important to attend to the actions that you would like to engage in, choosing behaviors that are healthy for you.

It is important to care for yourself. Thoughts tend to be worse when you are tired or have not eaten a balanced meal. You need to rest and eat healthy. If you have tried these strategies and cannot find relief from your obsessions and compulsions, then it may be important for you to receive treatment from a psychologist who specializes in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorders.

Treating the OCD Cycle

There are many ways that treatment can help a child or adult no longer engage in the OCD cycle. As you can see by the cycle depicted, when anxiety is experienced, persons with OCD engage in obsessions that lead to the compulsions. For example, a boy may worry that germs may kill people and obsess about the dangerousness of germs. This obsession leads to him making sure people are safe by washing his hands. After this compulsive behavior, he may experience a brief period of relief but this is soon followed by Anxiety due to reinforcing his obsessive ideas. He may think that since he washed his hands that no one got sick in his family so he then has to continue this cycle. He was not able to experience that if he did not wash his hands repeatedly that his family would not have gotten sick anyways. Usually over time this cycle gets so reinforced that the compulsions increase in frequency over time.

For treatment to be effective it is important to reduce the time involved with obsessions and compulsions by creating behavior commitments. The behavior commitments are based on the person’s values and life goals. Other times it can be important to resolve key life or family conflicts and the emotional stress that fuels obsessive-compulsive behavior patterns. Treatment can be effective and works to develop the ability to function daily with less interference from compulsions.

The following can be symptoms of anxiety:

Dr Shawna Roberts — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:55:04 GMT

Physical Symptoms

* Headaches * Blurred vision * Sweating * Chest pains * Physical Fatigue * Pins and Needles * Frequent use of Toilet * Hands, Body, Legs shaking * Faintness * Hot Flushes * Choking sensation * Jelly like legs * Agitation * Light Headed * Flushed face * Lump in the throat * Racing, Thumping heart * Diarrhea * Hyperventilation * Breathing difficulties * Stomach churning * Neck & overall tension * Sounds amplified * Muscle spasms * Anxiety * Panic attacks * Blushing

Mental/Emotional symptoms

* Indecision * Suggestibility * Loss of Confidence * Difficulty concentrating * Disintegration, Depersonalization ( a feeling of falling apart) * Afraid of making a fool of oneself amongst others * Feelings of guilt * Sorrow * Disgrace * Short term memory loss * Feeling alone * Lost within oneself * Perfectionist * Little or no motivation * Fear of the unknown * Detached from surroundings * Obsessive thoughts * Compulsive actions * Afraid of harming someone * Weird strange thoughts * Thoughts of harming self * Overwhelmed by sadness ( eg. News on TV ) * Becoming short tempered * Fear

New Developments

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:50:30 GMT

I am looking forward to teaching at the University of Denver this winter. I think it will be a great way to update myself on some new research and enjoy learning from students!

Therapeutic Games

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:48:58 GMT

There are many ways to create change in your life. Sometimes people need to create more joy in their life to pull themselves through a difficult time.

We have created many therapeutic games that can be helpful:

Keys to Building Healthy Relationships
Object of game: To facilitate communication, respect, cooperation, understanding, and empathy between family members.

To purchase games or for further information you can call 303-202-6143 ext. 2, email shawna@drshawnaroberts.com, or click on the following link: www.tjprice.com/successfulsteps.html.

Many more games are in the process of being created and tested in order to create new products that can be helpful for the community.

Keeping Young People Safe on the Internet

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:50:15 GMT

Mindful Health Advantage is offering an information seminar on how to keep your kids safe online. It will be held the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month in November and December, 2011.

Time: 7 to 8:30pm
Cost: $5.00

Call us if you are interested in attending. It will be quite informative.

For more information go to: www.drtjprice.com or call 303-202-6143 ext. 1

A Parent's Guide to Understanding the Play Therapy Process

Dr Shawna Roberts — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:51:20 GMT

Children often come to play therapy due to symptoms or to help them make sense of life changes to prevent symptoms. Symptoms can be internalizing or acting out. Children express themselves through behavior. They may act out by getting into trouble at school or may internalize the problem as shown through crying episodes or withdrawal from previously fun activities. Play therapy allows children to express themselves in their behavior but in a healthy way. A wide variety of toys are made available in order for a child to choose how to begin dealing with the stressor in a way that works.

Depending on the childâ€™s developmental level of when a stressor or trauma occurred, children may only have the language about the stressor at that particular developmental level. For example, a baby who witnesses trauma may not have language regarding what happened even when they are of 5 years of age. The memory was not encoded with language. Therefore, we would not expect them to report the event in a way that an adult would. Play therapy allows for a safe place of healthy expression where they can be understood and accepted.

Children love to play. Children are unable to communicate about their emotions in ways that adults do and this makes adult therapy usually inappropriate for meeting childrenâ€™s needs. Play offers a vehicle for expression. Children can freely communicate to a skilled play therapist. Children can recreate their experiences that are part of their behavioral or emotional struggles. Through the use of play, children no longer have to worry about defending against expression. Most of us have had the experience of worrying about what we will say to others; play therapy encourages natural expression. For example, children going through a divorce may worry about protecting a particular family member but through play therapy they are able to have the freedom to express themselves separate from their family members.. Many children will recreate the emotional experiences they are struggling with through play.

Play therapy continues until a child gains a sense of understanding and comfort over their experiences. Children have an opportunity to reprocess the experience in a healthy way. This process is similar for adults in therapy in that many adults will continue to process an experience until they gain a healthy resolution. Some adults have this experience when they talk with friends about an experience until they find that they no longer have a need to reprocess their emotional reactions since it feels resolved.

There are many benefits to play therapy. Benefits will be evident as childrenâ€™s symptoms resolve. Children may be able to change the way they perceive the world which will allow for enjoyment in the interaction of others. They will no longer have to express their difficulty through symptoms since they were able to reprocess their emotional struggles in play therapy.

Partner Support for Postpartum Difficulties is Critical

Dr Shawna Roberts — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:12:08 GMT

An important protective factor against Postpartum Depression and Anxiety is receiving support from the other parent. It is often difficult for partners to communicate effectively about their concerns and feelings. It can become more difficult when a new baby arrives. There are many strategies to help your partner be more supportive of postpartum depression (PPD).

Set aside time to talk. Schedule this time so that there are limited distractions. Help him understand that PPD is a real illness, and you are getting treatment for it so that your mood can improve. It is important to develop a plan to attack symptoms together rather than your partner feeling like you are a changed person.

Engage him in your recovery process. Ask him to join you at a session with your doctor in order to gain an understanding of PPD. It may be helpful for him to understand what to look for in the recovery process such as improved mood or increased energy. These observations can allow him to look for signs of recovery in order for him to maintain hope that things will get better in the family.

Communicate your needs. It is important to not think that your partner is a mind reader. We know that this is not possible yet it is amazing how we can get stuck in this pattern with our partners. It is important for you to develop a plan together regarding how to manage household duties and how to support each other emotionally. Remember to be realistic in developing your plan and develop a time-line of when you will review the plan together to make sure that it is working. It is also important to reinforce your partner when he does meet your needs. This reinforcement ensures that he knows what he is doing right, which can be a relief since PPD can often times create frustration and confusion in the relationship.

Seek out support of others. If, despite your efforts, your husband still does not understand PPD then it is important to reach out to others to seek this needed support. There are many support groups that are available to help you through this time, or therapy can be a nice way to have continued support. You may want to schedule dinner dates with friends in order to help you get a break from your baby. This time away can also be helpful in encouraging appreciation of when you are with your baby.

Nurture yourself. Many mothers stop caring for themselves when their baby arrives. Self-care is an important part of your recovery process from PPD. You may need to schedule time for yourself just to relax when it is quiet. Schedule time when you can actually enjoy a bubble bath, a book, or some other relaxing activity. This enjoyment often means having someone watch your baby for a few uninterrupted minutes. Taking care of yourself is important as your partner can not provide for all of your needs during this time. Taking care of yourself also helps your partner recognize you since it is important to find small ways to maintain your own sense of self that he can relate to.

I hope these strategies can be helpful to you. If you have questions or need more information, then please let me know.

www.DrShawnaRoberts.com

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:34:40 GMT

For those of you who may be struggling or who are looking to gain more in your life, we are now accepting new clients. Please let me know if I or one of my associates at Mindful Health Advantage, LLC can be of help. You can reach me at (303) 202-6143.

Symptoms of Inner Peace

Dr Shawna Roberts — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:25:50 GMT

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

*A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

*An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

*A loss of interest in judging other people.

*A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

*A loss of interest in conflict.

*A loss of the ability to worry.

*Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

*Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

*Frequent attacks of smiling.

*An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

*An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Creating New Ways of Thinking

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:13:56 GMT

I have to control things to be perfect otherwise I can't handle it and that is how life should be.

This statement offers so many wonderful ways to intervene to create new ways of thinking since it creates so much pain in people's life. First of all, control is an illusion. We spend so much time trying to achieve control which is only an illusion. It is a real waste of time when we could be spending time loving one another.

We all know the saying that no one is perfect. We can work on knowing this and no longer falling into this trap. If it is not attainable, then we need to take this out of our goals.

You can choose to feel your emotions. The more you get in touch with your emotions, the more you improve your emotional tolerance. You have to sit with fear in order to learn how to deal with it.

Should is not a helpful word. Please take it out of your language and understanding of the world. I have not found a time when this is a helpful word. You can choose to live the life you want but you do not have to live it a certain way.

Summer Fun

Dr Shawna Roberts — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:17:47 GMT

Thank goodness we are seeing some great weather here. When you are noticing old thought patterns that interfere in your life, it can be a great time to enjoy some nature, go for a hike, or plant some flowers. We can find ways to guide our own brains. I find it helpful to choose a small healthy goal during those days that you are struggling.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:18:42 GMT

We can all do our part! Find ways to support parents who may be struggling in your neighborhood. Call me when frustration levels are high. Use Metro Crisis Services (888) 885-1222 for free over-the-phone crisis intervention. Parenting can be the most stressful job, and we all can support one another.

Community

Dr Shawna Roberts — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:30:00 GMT

Thank you for all the comments and ideas that people have made to make this blog fit better with everyone's needs. Stay tuned for some upcoming changes towards improvement. This blog is about helping each other excel in relationships, careers, and in the community. Keep the suggestions and comments coming, and I will do my best to respond to as many as I can.

Ineffective Thought Patterns

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:40:54 GMT

Cognitive Distortions

We all tend to think in extremes...and when traumatic events happen we think that way even more. Here are some common cognitive distortions. Take a look and see if any of them are getting in your way.

All-or-nothing thinking: You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.

Overgeneralization: You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.

Mental filter: You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors the entire beaker of water.

Disqualifying the positive: You reject positive experiences by insisting they "don't count" for some reason or other. You maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experiences.

Jumping to conclusions: You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion.

Mind reading: You arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you and don't bother to check it out.

The Fortune Teller Error: You anticipate that things will turn out badly and feel convinced that your prediction is an already-established fact.

Magnification (catastrophizing) or minimization: You exaggerate the importance of things (such as your goof-up or someone else's achievement), or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities or the other fellow's imperfections). This is also called the "binocular trick."

Emotional reasoning: You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: "I feel it, therefore it must be true."

Should statements: You try to motivate yourself with shoulds and shouldn'ts, as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything. "Musts" and "oughts" are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When you direct should statements toward others, you feel anger, frustration, and resentment.

Labeling and mislabeling: This is an extreme form of overgeneralization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself: "I'm a loser." When someone else's behavior rubs you the wrong way, you attach a negative label to him, "He's a damn louse." Mislabeling involves describing an event with language that is highly colored and emotionally loaded.

Personalization: You see yourself as the cause of some negative external event for which, in fact, you were not primarily responsible.

From: Burns, David D., MD. 1989. The Feeling Good Handbook. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.

Are you or someone you love struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:32:19 GMT

Anxiety disorders are the leading diagnostic category for children. OCD affects one million children in the USA (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). Neuroimaging has helped us further understand OCD. PET scans indicate higher glucose levels with those struggling with OCD. These higher glucose levels indicate increased activity in frontal lobes of the brain which are involved in executive functioning.

Many people spend their days obsessing on things. Our brain is great at bringing up information that we may not want to attend to. Often times when we have gone through a conflict then our brain will bring up this conflict over and over. Our brain wants us to heal from the conflict or solve the problem that created the conflict. Our central nervous system which includes our brain can change and improve when we allow it to and when we use this system in a healthy way. There are some people that struggle with overactive frontal lobes that may have persistent ideas, thoughts, or impulses that are not relevant to learning. These ideas are senseless and when attended to do not create positive change in the brain but only reinforce the pattern of attending to senseless ideas. For example, a child may have learned that it is important to wash his hands to get rid of germs and instead of learning this and using this method in a healthy way he may instead begin washing his hands repeatedly to avoid germs. His brain may take the information to the extreme.

Common rituals for people struggling with OCD include feeling a need to repeatedly check things, count things, or touch things (especially in a particular sequence). Many people with OCD struggle with common obsessions that include frequent thoughts of violence and harming loved ones which are considered as distressing. People with OCD may have difficulty throwing things out and may hoard unneeded items.

Adults struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder view their obsessions as intrusive, senseless, or time-consuming and experience increased anxiety in the presence of these obsessions. However, children often do not have this insight since their behavior may be more troubling to others than to themselves. These obsessions and impulses interfere with performance and relationships. Attempts to ignore these thoughts or impulses have failed, and repetitive and excessive behaviors are done to prevent discomfort. This creates a dysfunctional cycle that is difficult to change.

Strategies for Obsessive Thinking

There are many strategies that are helpful in dealing with obsessive thinking. Try these strategies if you are struggling with obsessive thinking. It is important to remember that the Central Nervous System does not benefit from trying to control your thoughts. When people try to control their thoughts, they may feel more anxious because it is not possible to subtract a thought from your Central Nervous System. It may be important to redirect your thinking when needed. Do some activities that use large muscles (e.g. arms and legs). Take a walk! These activities help your mind refocus due to engaging your five senses. If you can notice your five senses as you walk, then this offers information for your brain to refocus on. For example, during a walk you may notice the smell of flowers, the sound of your footsteps, the feel of the breeze, the sight of fluffy white clouds, and perhaps the taste of the drink of water that you brought along for your walk. These techniques help ground you into your experience of the walk.

It may help you to remember that thoughts are different from actions. Thoughts do not have to be followed by actions. It is important to value the privacy of thoughts. We all have many thoughts throughout the day. These thoughts are based on our learning experience, so people with OCD may have many unwanted thoughts throughout their day due to their overactive frontal lobes. You are not to be judged by your thoughts. You are not your thoughts. It is important to attend to the actions that you would like to engage in, choosing behaviors that are healthy for you.

It is important to care for yourself. Thoughts tend to be worse when you are tired or have not eaten a balanced meal. You need to rest and eat healthy. If you have tried these strategies and cannot find relief from your obsessions and compulsions, then it may be important for you to receive treatment from a psychologist who specializes in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorders.

Treating the OCD Cycle

There are many ways that treatment can help a child or adult no longer engage in the OCD cycle. As you can see by the cycle depicted, when Anxiety is experienced, persons with OCD engage in Obsessions that lead to the Compulsions. For example, a boy may worry that germs may kill people and obsess about the dangerousness of germs. This obsession leads to him having to make sure people are safe by washing his hands. After this compulsive behavior, he may experience a brief period of Relief but this is soon followed by Anxiety due to reinforcing his obsessive ideas. He may think that since he washed his hands that no one got sick in his family so he then has to continue this cycle. Usually over time without treatment this cycle gets so reinforced that the compulsions increase in frequency over time. For some children and adults, families may change their lives and routines in response to the obsessions.

It is important for the family to work with a professional to learn to live their lives without the family memberâ€™s obsessions guiding their behavior if this is a problem. A gradual agreed upon plan can be effective to help the entire family learn to live a normal, satisfying life again. This can be effectively done in family therapy. Criticism, hostility, high expressiveness, or emotional over-involvement in the family can contribute to OCD symptoms. If this is occurring in your family, then it is important to participate in family treatment in order to change the family interaction style. It can be important to resolve key life or family conflicts and the emotional stress that fuels obsessive-compulsive behavior patterns.

For treatment to be effective it is important to reduce the time involved with obsessions and compulsions and increase the time involved in behavior commitments. The behavior commitments are based on the personâ€™s values and life goals. Treatment can be effective and works to develop the ability to function daily with minimal interference from compulsions.

Remove Worry Worksheet

Dr Shawna Roberts — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:18:11 GMT

I hope this worksheet can be a valuable resource for you. My hope is to offer tools to help your life. If you need more support then give me a call or send me an email. Let me know what type of information you would like to see on this blog.

These questions can help you remove worry from your life. Answer these questions whenever you feel worried or anxious. Especially when you're worrying about a problem you can't stop thinking about. The ones that keep circling around and around in your head all day and all night.

Here they are...

1. What is the problem?

2. What are you worried about?

3. What is the cause of the problem or worry?

4. What solutions do you suggest?

5. What is the best solution?

Once you have the answers to all these questions decide on the best possible solution and get busy making it happen. Once you decide, don't look back. Keep moving forward on the plan of action you have set. This is the key to removing worry in your life. Make a decision and stick with it.

Here is another remove worry worksheet to help you solve your worry problems.

1. Ask yourself, What is the worst that can possibly happen?

2. Prepare to accept it if you have to.

3. Then calmly proceed to improve on the worst.

Also get the facts. Here are the steps.

1. Get the facts.

2. Analyze the facts.

3. Arrive at a decision and then act on that decision.

Once again when the decision is made stayed focused on the outcome. Worry creeps back into your life when you feel indecisive and unfocused.

So here are some more questions to help you reach the best possible solutions

1. Write down precisely what you are worried about.

2. Write down what you can do about it.

3. Decide what you are going to do.

4. Start immediately to carry out the decision.

Welcome to our office.

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:26:39 GMT

Come in to a place of healing and hope.

Welcome to our office

Dr Shawna Roberts — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:25:24 GMT

What a beautiful day in our office backyard!