Integrative Psychotherapy:
blending various methods, theories, and techniques tailored to each individual client's needs, aiming to address specific issues and effectively alleviate distress and access regulation and the felt-sense of safety.
Brief descriptions of some of the specific issues and symptoms that Regulating Resolutions can help you address:
Anxiety
Anxiety is a natural response to stress or perceived threat, characterized by feelings of worry, fear, or unease. It's a normal part of life, but when anxiety becomes excessive or persistent, it can interfere with daily functioning and cause irritability and bodily tension. Some common anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorder with anxiety.
Depression
Depression is characterized by low mood, persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, irritability, and loss of interest or pleasure in activities. It can affect how you think, feel, and handle daily activities, and may also manifest physically. Some common types of depression include major depressive disorder (MDD), persistent depressive disorder (PDD), seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and adjustment disorder with depressed mood.
Trauma; Post-Traumatic Stress and Injury
Trauma is something that happens to you too fast, too much, or too soon and overwhelms our capacity to cope. Witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event can lead to post-traumatic stress and/or injury, and symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and feeling triggered. Some common trauma diagnoses include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, complex-PTSD, adjustment disorder, and dissociative disorders.
Complex Trauma
Complex trauma refers to exposure multiple and/or prolonged traumatic events, often during childhood. These traumatic experiences can include abuse, neglect, violence, chronic invalidation, and frightening/frightened caregivers. Invalidating environments involve caregivers who consistently fail to acknowledge, validate, or respond appropriately to the child, leading to a sense of confusion, self-doubt, and emotional dysregulation, forcing a child into a state of survival.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a persistent physical discomfort that lasts beyond the normal healing time for an injury or illness, typically lasting for three months or longer. It can stem from various conditions, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, or nerve damage, and often affects daily functioning, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. Managing chronic pain involves addressing the psychological and emotional aspects.
Chronic Illness, Syndromes, Conditions
Chronic illness refers to a long-lasting health condition that persists over time, often requiring ongoing management and treatment. Conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, and chronic pain syndromes are examples of chronic illnesses. Living with a chronic illness can impact various aspects of life, including physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, and daily functioning.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Gastrointestinal problems refer to digestive issues that are influenced by psychological factors and can benefit from psychotherapeutic interventions. Stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and unresolved emotional issues can exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation. By addressing the mind-body connection, psychotherapy can support overall gastrointestinal health and well-being.
Obsessive Compulsive (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder characterized by recurring intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions). Common obsessions include fears of contamination, fears of harming, or something not feeling right. Compulsions may involve repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, checking, counting, or arranging to alleviate anxiety or prevent perceived harm.
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs)
BFRBs are a group of repetitive self-grooming behaviors that result in damage to one's physical appearance or bodily integrity. These behaviors often occur in response to feelings of tension, anxiety, boredom, or stress and can become habitual or compulsive in nature. BFRBs take up a lot of one’s time and can include hair-pulling, skin-picking, nail-biting, and lip or cheek biting. People experience shame, embarrassment, or distress related to their behaviors.
Phobia
A phobia is an intense fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. People with phobias often go to great lengths to avoid the feared stimulus, which can significantly interfere with daily life. Common symptoms include extreme anxiety, panic attacks, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and shortness of breath when confronted with the phobic stimulus. Specific Phobia: Fear of a specific object or situation, such as spiders, heights, flying, or vomiting (emetophobia).
Shame and Guilt
Shame and guilt are common emotional responses to traumatic experiences and can significantly impact an individual's recovery. Shame involves feeling fundamentally flawed or unworthy as a person, while guilt is feeling responsible or remorseful for past actions or events. Addressing shame and guilt is crucial because they can intensify feelings of helplessness, self-blame, and isolation. Connection and self-compassion are the antitheses of shame.
Body Discomfort; Uncomfortable Sensations
Body discomfort and uncomfortable sensations refer to physical sensations or feelings of unease, tension, or discomfort in the body. These sensations can manifest as muscle tension, tightness, stiffness, pain, restlessness, general discomfort, tingling, numbness, itching, and/or pain. Body discomfort and uncomfortable sensations can have various causes, including stress, anxiety, physical health conditions, trauma, or unresolved emotional issues.
Interpersonal Relationship Problems
Interpersonal relationship problems refer to difficulties or challenges that arise in interactions with others. These issues may involve communication problems, conflicts, misunderstandings, boundary violations, or difficulties in expressing needs and emotions effectively. Interpersonal effectiveness skills can enhance their ability to build healthy relationships, develop health boundaries, manage conflicts constructively, and foster meaningful connections with others.
Dissociation; Numbness; Feeling Detached
Dissociation, numbness, and feeling detached are common protective responses to trauma, where individuals may mentally disconnect from their surroundings, emotions, or even their own sense of identity as a way to cope with overwhelming experiences and survive. This can manifest as feeling emotionally numb, experiencing a sense of unreality or detachment from one's body or surroundings, zoning out, or having gaps in memory or awareness.
Feeling Frozen; Feeling Stuck; Feeling Trapped
Feeling frozen, stuck, and trapped is common experience for many who have experienced trauma. These protective states can manifest as a sense of being unable to move forward, feeling emotionally numb, experiencing persistent feelings of fear or anxiety, and/or feeling tense with activation and mobilization while at the same time feeling immobilized and unable to move. In this state, one’s thinking brain is offline and making decisions can seem impossible.
Flashbacks; Body Memories; Re-experiencing
Flashbacks involve sudden and vivid re-livings of traumatic events, where individuals feel as though they are in the traumatic situation, as if it were happening in the present moment. Body memories are sensations or physical reactions that occur in the body in response to triggers, which may include pain, tension, trembling, or other sensation memories.
People-Pleasing; Fawn Response
People-pleasing and the fawn response involve prioritizing the needs and desires of others over one's own in order to survive, avoid conflict, gain approval, & maintain relationships. People-pleasers may have difficulty setting boundaries, asserting themselves, or expressing their own needs and preferences. The fawn response is a survival strategy developed in response to trauma, where individuals learn to appease others as a way to avoid danger or gain acceptance.
Feeling Empty; Poor Self Esteem
Feeling empty, experiencing poor self-esteem, and having a negative self-concept are common responses to trauma. Individuals may struggle with feelings of worthlessness, inadequacy, or a pervasive sense of emptiness that can impact various aspects of their lives. People may also have difficulties with systems of meaning: the ways in which we make sense of experiences, beliefs, values, and identity in the aftermath of trauma.
Motivational Challenges
Motivational challenges and difficulties with change often arise when individuals feel torn between wanting to make positive changes and feeling apprehensive or resistant to doing so. This ambivalence can stem from various factors, such as fear of the unknown, past experiences of failure, or conflicting values and priorities. It may manifest as procrastination, self-doubt, or a lack of confidence in one's ability to change.
Trauma-Related Eating and Food Difficulties
Intuitive eating is an anti-diet approach to eating that emphasizes honoring your body's hunger and fullness cues & rejecting the diet mentality. It involves cultivating a mindful, non-judgmental relationship with food and learning to trust your body's signals to guide your eating choices, including gentle nutrition. Trauma can disrupt our relationship with food, leading to behaviors such as emotional eating, binge eating, avoidance, and/or restrictive eating patterns.
Attention Dysregulation; Forgetfulness
Attention dysregulation refers to difficulties controlling and maintaining focus, concentration, and attention as a result of experiencing trauma. Individuals may struggle to sustain attention, find themselves easily distracted or overwhelmed by stimuli, and have difficulty shifting attention. This can be linked to hypervigilance, high alert for potential threats, or dissociative states, where attention may fluctuate or become disconnected from the present moment.
Avoidance; Distraction
Avoidance involves deliberately avoiding situations, people, places, or memories that trigger discomfort or anxiety. This may provide temporary relief but can perpetuate feelings of fear or avoidance in the long term. Distraction involves directing attention away from distressing thoughts or feelings toward more neutral or pleasant stimuli or activities. While these offer temporary relief, they do not address underlying issues and usually worsen symptoms.
Anger; Irritability
Anger, irritability, and lashing out are common emotional responses that individuals may experience when they feel threatened, frustrated, or overwhelmed. These reactions can be triggered by various stressors, including interpersonal conflicts, feelings of injustice, or unmet needs. While anger is a natural and valid emotion, excessive or uncontrolled expressions of anger can be detrimental to relationships and one's overall well-being.
Perinatal/Postnatal
Perinatal/postnatal therapy addresses the common challenges that arise during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Therapy may involve addressing issues such as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, adjustment to parenthood, grief and loss related to pregnancy complications or infant loss, relationship changes, identity shifts, and coping with stressors associated with pregnancy and parenting.