Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “This above all. To thine own self be true.”  William Shakespeare. 6 Core Psychological Flexibility Processes Stage 4 – Contextualized Self, to become intimate with the authentic self, the “real” self, as it is consistent and constant in life. Authentic Self. True Self. Real Self. What do these phrases even […]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer Present Moment. Mindfulness. Groundedness. These are all concepts present, indeed, foundational, in ACT. I no longer notice that I am practicing Mindfulness. Or that I am working to be grounded, in the present. After […]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “When you accept things you have no control of, you give yourself the freedom to focus on things you do.” Aimmee Kodachian As we discussed in the previous Mental Health Musings, ACT is basically built on the concept of Psychological Flexibility. In short, psychological flexibility means that connect with the present […]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” Carl Jung. I’ve been working within the specialty of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since I began my career back in the late 1990s. I started my career as a social worker within the County of San Diego […]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “What we need to learn to do is to look at thought, rather than from thought.” Steven C. Hayes. Clients and other therapists who know me know that I consider myself an “eclectic” therapist, i.e., one who utilizes a variety of therapeutic modalities, rather than just one form of therapy. As […]

What is PTSD? “There is no timestamp on trauma. There isn’t a formula that you can insert yourself into to get from horror to healed. Be patient. Take up space. Let your journey be the balm.” David Serra. One of the very first recognitions of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was in World War II when it […]

Mindfulness – and how it applies to mental health “Mindful eating means simply eating or drinking while being aware of each bite or sip.” Thích Nhát Hahn. The Mindful M&M. I wrote about my use of mindfulness in all that I do, i.e., personal life and professional life. I first started using it in my mental […]

Mindfulness – and how it applies to mental health “Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” Buddha. Many of my clients know that I’ve transitioned from EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) to ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) in treating trauma and associated PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I’m going […]

COVID-19 Redux I’ve watched the US fall into the same “pit” as much of the rest of the world, with the resurgence of COVID-19, some of it in places close to me, i.e., the Mid-West. Missouri, in particular, Springfield, Missouri, is leading the sad, indeed devastating race to the apparent “end” with 41% vaccinated, daily […]

Life Lessons, Reincarnation and The Masters (part five) “Balance and harmony are neglected today, yet they are the foundations of wisdom.”” Weiss, Brian L., M.D. Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy that Changed Both Their Lives. (p. 209). Touchstone. Kindle Edition. A logical place […]