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COUNSELLING
ACT THERAPY MINDFULNESS CBT
HYPNOTHERAPY ACT & SOMATIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
Benefits
of Consulting a Counselling Psychologist, Hypnotherapist,
ACT Therapist & Somatic Psychotherapist
About
Melbourne Counsellor & Psychologist Dr Linda Edwards
Counselling,
Benefits & Counselling Versus Counselling Psychology
Hypnotherapy,
Somatic Hypnotherapy (CBT Interoceptive Exposure)
Body-oriented
Psychotherapy & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)
CBT,
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness CBT
Consultations
None
of the information on this page or elsewhere on this web-site
is meant as a substitute for appropriate individual psychological
consultations.
Benefits
of Consulting a Counselling Psychologist, Hypnotherapist,
ACT Therapist & Somatic Psychotherapist
Which benefits
you can achieve will depend on a number of factors including:
your motivation and openness to change, how hard you are willing
to work, the current circumstances in your life, and Linda's
attitudes, knowledge, skills and personality and how well
that fits with what you need to move forward. That is why
the first session is always exploratory. These are some of
the benefits that clients have reported from consultations
involving a combination of counselling, ACT (a very workable
form of coaching actually), CBT and hypnotherapy from psychological
counselling with Linda.
- Increased sense
of happiness, enjoyment and life satisfaction
- reached more of
their full potential
- built confidence,
assertiveness, self-esteem or creativity
- improved social/family/work
relationships
- felt better, gained
decisiveness, focus and clarity about life direction
- learned empowering
skills to help achieve goals
- released stress
and experienced peace and contentment
TOP
About
Melbourne Counsellor & Psychologist Dr Linda Edwards
Linda resolved
her own difficulties with the aid of 'exceptional' international
helpers and this has inspired many who come to her with the
confidence and courage to do the same. She provides gentle
and safe support through an attitude of genuineness, empathy
and unconditional acceptance. Her approach is holistic, flexible
and open, and if you choose, can involve self-hypnosis, music,
CBT imagery work (visualization), CBT skills training, Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy (ACT), muscle relaxation, breathwork,
body therapies and mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural
therapy (MBCBT) methods such as meditation in addition to
more conventional motivational interviewing or counselling
such as questioning your beliefs and talking things through.
The first sessions is exploratory and if she is not the right
person for you, she is willing to help you find someone who
is.
Linda has
considerable experience in assisting people to effectively
deal with a wide range of issues.
These include
personal issues such as: anxiety, phobias such as agoraphobia
and social phobia, panic, grief, depression, addictions such
as smoking, shopping, over-eating, and love, shyness, lack
of confidence, lack of self-esteem, social skills training,
assertiveness training, self development, personal development,
developing self-awareness, religious issues, spiritual guidance,
life transition and adjustment issues.
They also
include family, intimate and social relationship issues such
as: communication difficulties and conflicts with family,
intimate partners and friends, grief, indecision or ambivalence
about intimate relationships, parenting and step family issues,
pre-marital and pre-relationship education, coaching or counselling
as well as all the personal issues that can play out in relationships.
See Couples & Relationships
They also
include career, business, work and study related issues such
as: relationship conflicts at work, communication problems
at work, workplace bullying, workplace abuse, social skills
training, assertiveness training, study skills training, time
management, work stress, work addiction, retrenchment, transition
to retirement, lack of motivation, lack of confidence, indecision,
fear of public speaking, fear of flying, fear of confinded
spaces such as lifts, and fear of heights such as offices
in tall buildings. See ACT
Coaching - Life, Career, Executive & Business
TOP
Counselling
- Benefits - Counselling Psychology
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a confidential
two-way process in which a trained and experienced counsellor
spends time listening to what you say, getting to know you,
developing an understanding of your particular circumstances
and offering you support, insight and encouragement to:
- Discover a way
to look at things that makes life easier for you
- Behave or respond
to situations or people in a way that works better for you
- Create new strategies
and solutions for your situation
- Increase your
self-awareness, self-empowerment, skills and independence.
Counselling assists you
to explore, clarify and understand your difficulties in a
non-judgmental environment. Good counselling can empower you
to trust yourself and make your own decisions as to how to
move forward in your life and deal more effectively with the
people around you. Counselling doesn't necessarily lead to
a change in your life situation, although it can. What it
can do is empower you to handle life's challenges in a more
successful way or change your attitude so that your life circumstances
no longer bother you. In other words, it helps you to do what
the Serenity Prayer recommends:
"Change what you can, accept
what you cannot, and have the wisdom to know the difference."
Who Can Benefit from
Counselling?
Having problems is part
of being human. Sometimes we get too many challenges to deal
with all at once and end up overwhelmed and not coping with
anything. This can happen to anyone.
These days, with the incredibly
busy lives most people live, it is not always possible to
share our concerns, confusion or overwhelm with someone close.
Even if that opportunity exists, friends and relatives can
sometimes be upset by what we tell them, get annoyed that
we don't take their advice, or we might feel guilty for burdening
them with our troubles. Also some people prefer to confide
in someone who is removed from the situation who can provide
confidentiality and objectivity.
Thus, chatting to a counsellor
is not just for those who can't cope. It is not the role of
a counsellor to give advice, provide solutions or in any other
way, tell you how to cope or run your life. However, counselling
can be a helpful and reassuring option for anyone, a first
difficult step on the road to resolving problems.
Good counsellors listen,
support and empower you to discover your own solutions. Counselling
can be very helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed or depressed,
need someone to help you gain some clarity so you can set
priorities and make decisions you are happy about. Counselling
can be very helpful in dealing with: relationship and family
issues, sexual difficulties, major life changes, separation
and divorce, conflict, eating problems, anxiety, stress, phobias,
cultural differences, loneliness, building self confidence,
grief and loss, anger, parenting and step-parenting, career
concerns and many other issues affecting emotional and mental
well-being.
Before you go to your first
counselling session, it would be beneficial for you to ask
yourself what you hope to achieve and how you will know if
counselling has been successful.
How Do I Find the Right
Counsellor for Me?
There's no easy answer
to this question. Counsellors have a wide variety of backgrounds,
training, experience, attitudes, values and styles of counselling.
A counsellor who proves to be good for your friend or relative
may not be the right counsellor for you. You will need to
consider::
- Whether you would
feel more comfortable with a male or female counsellor
- Whether you prefer
a young or more mature counsellor
- Whether you need
a counsellor who is available out of business hours
- Whether you need
counselling in another language
- Whether your privacy
is protected
- Whether the counsellor
has experience with your issue, culture or sexual preference
- What techniques
or style the counsellor uses
- The counsellor's
training and experience
- Whether the counsellor
is a member of a professional association which sets standards
of competence, training and ethical behaviour
- Cost (Try not
to let financial considerations interfere with finding the
counsellor who is right for you because outcomes have been
proven to be highly dependent on a good counsellor-client
relationship)
- Manageable methods
of payment (e.g. credit card) and whether you can claim
a rebate from private health insurance
Most of the above matters
can be dealt with by thinking about your preferences and examining
counsellors' websites and/or calling counsellors' rooms. However
there are other important considerations which you may not
be able to assess until your first visit. A good counsellor
will:
- Be warm, responsive,
genuine and exhibit personal integrity
- Treat you with
respect, care, consideration and dignity
- Understand you
and believe in you
- Encourage you
to make your own choices and respect your decisions
- Have faith in
your ability to work through your issues
- Be trustworthy,
sensitive and non-judgmental
- Have values and
attitudes that you are comfortable with
- Respectfully challenge
your viewpoint when it is helpful to you
- Work with you
in a way where you can see progress toward your goals
If, after the first visit,
you are unsure whether the counsellor is the right one for
you, trust your instinct and find another counsellor. If after
further counselling sessions, you become unhappy about any
aspect of our counselling, the best thing is to raise your
concerns directly with your counsellor. If the matter is still
unresolved, feel free to change your counsellor. You have
the right to begin and end counselling at any time. Don't
worry about wasting sessions telling your story all over again.
If you have confidence in your new counsellor, you will get
more out of your time together. Good counsellors can be helpful
without knowing everything about you and it is usual for good
counsellors to be helpful in the first session.
Counselling Psychology
There is much
confusion in the community over the difference between a psychiatrist,
a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a counsellor, a counselling
psychologist and a clinical psychologist.
Psychiatrists
are medical practitioners who are trained to diagnose mental
illness and prescribe medication (drug therapy).
Psychologists
are non-medical personnel who are trained in counselling and
non-drug therapies (psychotherapy). Clinical psychologists
are trained to diagnose mental illness and deliver non-drug
therapies and counselling to the mentally ill (people with
a history of schizophrenia, bipolar/manic depression or a
personality disorder and/or have been prescribed drugs to
manage psychosis). Counselling psychologists are trained to
use counselling and non-drug therapies with people who are
facing any normal life problem including phobias, anxiety
and any type of depression which does not involve psychosis.
In Australia,
all psychiatrists and psychologists are registered under state
law and must have undergone extensive training and supervision.
In general,
psychotherapists are people who use non-drug therapies. Many
psychologists and some psychiatrists call themselves psychotherapists.
However, in Victoria, there are no statutory regulations determining
who can call themselves a psychotherapist or a counsellor.
Anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist or a counsellor
regardless of whether they have any training or experience.
As already
mentioned, a counselling psychologist is a psychologist who
specialises in counselling people who do not have a serious
mental illness. Advantages in seeing a counselling psychologist
include high ethical standards enforced by statutory regulations
and state law, availability of a range of skills and psychotherapeutic
approaches in addition to basic counselling, and the ability
to claim psychology rebates from your ancillary health insurance.
Linda is a
counselling psychologist registered in Australia. She is also
a member of the Australian Psychological Society College of
Counselling Psychologists and has a doctorate in counselling
psychology from Monash University.
Using a mentoring
approach, Linda provides a safe, accepting, non-judgmental
and practical context in which people can gain clarity and
understanding about the things that bother them and take their
next step forward.
Helping people
build confidence and better relationships, as well as getting
rid of indecision and feelings of inadequacy, is often part
of Linda's work. She has considerable experience working with
men, women, couples, families and adolescents of diverse religious,
spiritual or cultural values and sexual preferences.
Some issues
seem to require more than discussion, in which case hypnotherapy
or an experiential approach is usually suggested.
TOP
Hypnotherapy
& Somatic Hypnotherapy (CBT Interoceptive Imagery Exposure)
What is Hypnotherapy?
Originally endorsed by
the American Medical Association in 1957 as a valid and useful
form of treatment, hypnotherapy is therapy conducted when
the client is in a state of hypnosis. Hypnosis is a totally
natural phenomenon. It is a non-ordinary state of consciousness
or state of profound relaxation called a trance state in which
the brain wave frequencies are in the slower alpha or theta
range instead of the normal beta range which we experience
when we are thinking. We regularly experience this state of
hypnosis when, for example, we pass from waking to sleeping
and vice versa. We also commonly enter a state of hypnosis
during other relaxing situations such as while soaking in
a warm bath, lying in the sun, meditating, listening to relaxing
music or having a massage. Typically, we feel detached and
dreamy, knowing that we could open our eyes at any time but
feeling just too comfortable to bother.
As you know, you are well
aware of what is going on while engaged in these activities
and can choose to stop them at will. The same is true for
hypnotherapy. Nothing can be done without your cooperation
and consent and you may change your mind whenever you want
to. You cannot be made to act out or say things that are contrary
to your personal values. In other words, you are in control
at all times. The myth that you are under the control of the
hypnotherapist has been perpetuated by the tricks of stage
hypnosis.
How Can Hypnotherapy
Help?
If Hypnosis, used alone
or in conjunction with other techniques, is a powerful tool
for accessing the subconscious and achieving personal goals
or facilitating desired change. It can do this because hypnosis
is a non-ordinary state of consciousness and the human psyche
is far more amenable to positive change, healing or beneficial
reprogramming when we are in an hypnotic state than when we
are in our usual beta state of consciousness (our thinking
mode). For more information, take a look at the work of psychiatrist
Dr Stanislav Grof. He has written numerous books and research
articles on the healing power of non-ordinary stares of consciousness.
In addition, there is documented evidence that hypnotherapy
compares very favourably with the most popular forms of therapy.
In volume 7 (1) of Psychotherapy, the psychotherapy journal
of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr Alfred A Barrios
has reported the following success rates averaged over a number
of studies:
- Hypnotherapy 93%
recovery after 6 sessions (about 1.5 months)
- Behaviour Therapy
72% recovery after 22 sessions (about 6 months)
- Psychotherapy
38% recovery after 600 sessions (about 11.5 months)
How is Hypnotherapy
Done?
There are many ways of
doing hypnotherapy. Basically, there are two aspects to the
process. First, the client must be put into an hypnotic state.
This is usually referred to as an hypnotic induction. This
can be done in numerous ways. Some of the most common ones
involve visualization (mental imagery), breathing and muscle
relaxation, arm levitation or focusing on an hypnotic spiral.
However, there are other highly effective methods which the
client may not even recognize as an induction. For example,
if I ask you to become fully aware of the details of shape
and size and location and intensity of an emotion which is
happening in your body, and you do that, you will immediately
enter an hypnotic state.
The second part of the
hypnotherapy process involves doing therapy while you are
hypnotised. There is an endless array of possible approaches
that a therapist may use. The process selected needs to be
tailored to fit the individual client's psyche, and the hypnotherapist
should be sufficiently experienced to be able to calmly and
safely lead the client through whatever experiences he or
she needs to have in order to achieve the result they are
looking for. In general, the client is aware of what is happening
at all times and will remember their experiences after the
session.
Some hypnotherapists limit
their work to hypnotic scripts in which they talk to the client's
mind. However, there are ethical issues about the therapist
assuming what is good for the client and in addition, it often
back-fires. For example, some hypnotherapists give suggestions
that a client will stop smoking and the client takes on over-eating
or over-drinking instead because the suggestions have not
got to the core of the problem.
For long term change, there
is usually a need to do more than reprogram thinking because
beliefs are strongly affected by emotions. For example, a
hypnotic suggestion that a client is an okay person will encourage
thoughts of being okay. However, if the person later has a
difficult challenge and experiences a strong feeling of inadequacy,
the mind will believe the feeling and toss out the hypnotic
suggestion. This view is supported by my clinical experience
where I find that the most effective forms of hypnotherapy
reprogram the emotional centres of the brain known as the
limbic brain.
The form of hypnotherapy
that I prefer and usually use is actually a form of CBT imagery
exposure which has been recognized by psychologists to be
very effective. I find that I can increase this effectiveness
in many cases by combining it with CBT stress management techniques
and ACT acceptance procedures. Because of the somatic element
this introduces, I have called my eclectic mixture of these
approaches Somatic Hypnotherapy.
Some of the techniques
in this approach lend themselves to self-help and the first
article in our Self-Help page
provides instructions.
Would I Benefit From
Somatic Hypnotherapy (ACT & CBT Imagery Exposure &
Stress Management Exercises)?
Linda has found somatic
hypnotherapy (can be called ACT & CBT Somatic Imagery
exposure involving stress management exercises) particularly
useful in assisting people with personal problems such as:
relationship issues (personal and business relationships,
divorce, separation, conflict, impotence and women's sexual
difficulties); public speaking anxiety; stage fright; exam
nerves; eating problems; weight problems; lack of confidence,
assertiveness, motivation or achievement; low self-esteem;
shyness; grief; frustration and anger; jealousy; worry and
anxiety; conception difficulties; phobias (irrational fear
of flying, driving, heights, closed spaces, open spaces, insects,
groups of people, snakes, storms, dentists, the dark etc.);
panic attacks; reactive depression; endogenous/major depression;
post-natal depression; addictions (alcohol, smoking, food,
sex, TV, etc); self-defeating habits (e.g. hair-pulling, blushing,
nail-biting, stuttering); trauma and abuse; post traumatic
stress, dream therapy and so on. However, somatic hypnotherapy
is not helpful for people with a serious mental illness. By
serious mental illness, we mean personality disorders and
psychoses such as schizophrenia and manic/bipolar depression.
Successes achieved through
somatic hypnotherapy can be startling. It sometimes enables
people to make all the changes they want in the very first
session, although this is not the norm. Most issues
require between 2 and 6 sessions. If there are multiple issues,
4 to 10 sessions is usually adequate. And there are some who
do not respond to this method at all. Depedning on the reason,
they might be referred to someone else or another approach
such as TRE.
The likelihood of success
depends on factors such as: (1) whether you are comfortable
with the hypnotherapist; (2) whether you can be hypnotised
(about 20% of people cannot be hypnotised); (3) a willingness
to do whatever it takes to resolve your issue, including stepping
beyond your comfort zone, and (4) an openness to the possibility
that somatic hypnotherapy can help. Somatic hypnotherapy cannot
help you to do what a friend, relative or colleague wants
for you if you do not want it for yourself.
Why Somatic Hypnotherapy
Usually Works
Few people realise the
awesome power their subconscious limbic brain patterns have
over their lives. Most of our personal problems are rooted
in emotional patterns in our limbic brain rather than the
thinking in our neo-cortex. Thus we need an approach which
will reprogram our emotional patterns in our limbic brain
rather than focus on our thinking. Once the emotional patterns
are changed, we change our mind as a result of our changed
experience.
How Do I Choose a Good
Hypnotherapist?
Regardless of whether you
find out about a hypnotherapist from the Yellow Pages, the
Internet, a professional association for hypnotherapists or
psychologists, a recommendation from a friend, relative, colleague,
or a referral from your doctor or another therapist, there
is no guarantee that person is the right hypnotherapist for
you. Even though some hypnotherapists consistently get better
results than others, clients vary enormously in terms of the
personality, values and therapeutic styles which work best
for them. Thus, a miraculous outcome for your friend, doesn't
necessarily mean a miraculous outcome for you. In addition,
professional referrals are often made on the basis of personal
liking for a particular colleague or a good impression received
at a seminar without any knowledge of their success with clients.
For all these reasons,
you need to trust your own judgment. You must feel comfortable
with the person you choose to work with. Do you feel welcome
and accepted? Is he/she genuinely interested in you and your
problems? Does he/she have lots of life experience as well
as clinical experience? Do you feel empowered by him/her?
Would he/she be happy for you to have a friend or relative
present in the session if you want it? Does he/she teach you
techniques or other ways to become self-reliant so you don't
need to keep going back to them when future life difficulties
arise? Does he/she recommend or provide something for you
to read with explicit instructions to help you become self-reliant?
Does he/she provide a personalised service tailored to your
uniqueness or do you get the impression that every client
is treated the same way?
Do not be overly concerned
with the per session fee. The rate at which your issues are
being dealt with is equally important in the overall estimate
of the cost of treatment. For example, if you got the outcome
you wanted after three sessions costing $160/session ($480),
you would be better off than if you went to someone with whom
it took 8 sessions at $90/session ($720). Hypnotherapists
vary enormously.
No-one can know in advance
how many sessions your issue will take to resolve. There are
far too many variables such as the personalities of you and
the therapist, how much you want to resolve your problem and
what other issues exist. Be assured though, that hypnotherapy
or other therapies which use a non-ordinary state of consciousness
usually speed the process up significantly. What may take
months or years with regular psychotherapy can usually be
accomplished in weeks with hypnotherapy. It is not uncommon
for certain issues such as grief and phobias to take only
one session.
Research also indicates
that most of the improvement that is going to happen occurs
in the first 1 to 8 sessions and the greatest improvement
happens in the first 2 or 3 sessions (E.g. Bill Robinson's
article in Psychotherapy in Australia, Vol. 10, no.1).
For this reason, if you
are not getting anywhere after 2 or 3 sessions, consider whether
you should look around for someone else. In fact, if you have
a competent and ethical therapist, they should be taking the
initiative to discuss the lack of progress with you and if
a way forward cannot be found, refer you to someone whom they
expect is likely to be more effective in your particular case.
The lack of progress doesn't necessarily mean the therapist
is incompetent. It may be that the therapist is not a good
match for your personality or values or their therapeutic
style doesn't suit your psyche.
That's why Linda likes
to let people know as much as she can about herself and how
she works before they come to see her. It reduces the mismatches
and increases the likelihood that her work with any particular
person will be rewarding for both.
If you would like to learn
more about Linda and how she works, take a look at the rest
of this website.
How Can I Stop Smoking?
Many people have trouble
giving up smoking or take up another addiction such as over
eating or drinking when they do give up smoking. The reason
this happens is that most smokers are unconsciously using
smoking to prevent them from feeling the stresses, anxiety
and other bad feelings which they would be forced to feel
if they didn't keep smoking or take up a different addiction.
For this reason, Linda's approach to helping people to stop
smoking involves eliminating the underlying stresses, anxieties
and other bad feelings as well as dealing with the habit itself.
The most effective methods in her experience involves somatic
hypnotherapy (see above).
How Can I Lose Weight?
Many people start dieting,
lose a certain amount of weight and then give up the diet
and put it all back on again. They often berate themselves
for lack of willpower not realizing that their lack of success
is due to the fact that when we lose weight, our body becomes
more sensitive to the stresses, anxieties and other bad feelings
we don't like to feel and so it becomes more attractive to
put the weight back on again. Alternatively, eating may have
become the only comfort in our lives and it is hard to live
without any nurturance or comfort.
In the former case, it
is necessary to deal with the underlying stresses, anxieties
and bad feelings in order for the weight loss to be maintained.
In the latter case, there is a need to build up sources of
comfort in our lives other than food so that we don't miss
the food, and this may involve dealing with defense patterns
which have prevented us from doing this in the past.
Sometimes there are other
reasons for weight gain. For example, if a married woman is
not enjoying her sex life, she may gain weight unconsciously
to reduce her husband's desire for her. Alternatively, a divorced
woman may be so frightened of having her heart broken again
that she unconsciously puts on weight so that she will not
be attractive to possible future partners.
Thus, the task in helping
people to successfully lose weight and remain slim is to not
only deal with the habit of over eating, bingeing or eating
the wrong food, but also to uncover the unconscious reason
why their psyche has decided that they need the excess weight
and reprogram their limbic brain using somatic hypnotherapy
(see above).
TOP
Somatic
Psychotherapy & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)
Somatic psychotherapy
is therapy that involves the body as well as the mind and
th emotions. Ther eis increasing evidence that incorporating
some bottom-up somatic approaches in psychotherapy adds to
its effectiveness. Even traditional CBT has used somatic approaches
in for example, its stress management techniques. By combining
some of the existing evidence-based therapies, Linda has found
even better results than doing them individually. She combines
mindfulness CBT and ACT acceptance and values with CBT imagery
exposure and CBT stress management to create what she calls
somatic hypnotherapy or body psychotherapy. This is especially
suitable for dealing with issues which do not respond to counselling
and for people wanting an experiential approach. Mindfulness-based
cognitive behavioural therapy (MBCBT) and Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy (ACT) underly her coaching and counselling style.
For those
who do not respond to the above version of somatic psychotherapy,
there is a promising new approach which Linda can use. Please
note that this approach is very new indeed and there is insufficient
evidence-based research for it to be considered as part of
professional psychology practise at this time. This means
that if you request this service, you will be asked to sign
an acknowledgement that you understand that Linda is not providing
this service in the capacity of a psychologist but in the
capacity of a certified TRE instructor (a USA certification).
Linda has
found, consistent with recent psychophysiology research, that
trauma underlies most psychological issues and she agrees
with clinical social worker and traumatologist, Dr David Berceli,
thattrauma happens to everyone. The following is a brief summary
of his book, the details of which are given below.
Trauma
happens to Everyone
According
to Berceli (2008) and Scaer (2001), we are all traumatized.
Even if we have been lucky enough not to be (or live with)
a victim of wars, crime, natural disasters, or childhood neglect,
abuse, abandonment or bullying, almost all of us have experienced,
or been forced to watch one or more of our loved-ones experience,
at least one of the many normal traumas of life, such as accidents,
medical procedures, life-threatening illness, intense pain,
unexpected loss or threat of loss of a loved-one, poverty,
retrenchment or employer abuse. In addition, all of us without
exception have experienced the trauma of birth itself.
Like ourselves,
all animals experience trauma. However, animals in the world
release their trauma. Have you ever seen a sparrow flee from
a cat, or two ducks fight for territorial rights. When the
sparrow escapes or the territorial difference is settled,
these birds briefly flap and tremor uncontrollably and then
go about their business totally peacefully as if the event
never happened. The flapping and tremouring has discharged
excess energy built up for the aborted fight-flight-freeze
response.
Amongst humans,
tremouring is recognized as a sign that something is wrong
because it has been observed as a symptom in anxiety disorders
such as panic attacks, social phobia and post traumatic stress
disorder. However, tremouring occurs far more widely than
in psychological illness e.g. after witnessing a car accident,
a person might say, "I shook like a leaf" Children tremor
but adults have been socialized out of it. They suppress it
so as not to feel out of control, vulnerable, embarrassed
or frighten the children.
Suppression
of Trauma Leads to Many Psychological and Physical Illnesses
Unfortunately,
according to trauma recovery expert, Dr Berceli, there is
now evidence that this suppression of shaking out any residual
tension-causing chemicals and telling the brain to turn off
its alert status, results in the flexor muscles remaining
vulnerable to minor stresses setting up a cycle of unending
anxiety and tension build-up which eventually leads to physical
and psychological illness.
These illnesses
are wide-ranging and include: unexplained chronic pain, adrenal
exhaustion and hormone imbalance, digestive problems, frequent
colds and infections due to a poor immune system, anxiety
disorder, depression, high blood pressure, cardiovascular
disease, gastrointestinal troubles, some cancers, premature
aging, migraine headaches, asthma, fluctuation of blood sugar
in diabetics, poor circulation, muscle spasms, painful intercourse,
carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical disc disease, TMJ, irritable
bowel syndrome, constipation, cramps, diarrhoea, gastro intestinal
reflux, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, lower back
pain, whiplash after minor accidents, short-term memory loss,
and lack of concentration.
Likewise,
animals in captivity, such as pets, livestock and those in
zoos or laboratories, lose their resilience because they cannot
discharge their freeze response and suffer a variety of physical
and psychological complaints.
The Value
in Tremouring
As a result
of the prevalence of the belief that tremouring indicates
something is wrong, the purpose and value of tremouring has
not received much attention. The limited assistance that exists
for the massive demand for trauma recovery on our planet due
to war, terror and the ever-increasing natural disasters of
climate change is neither practical, cost-effective or sufficient
in quantity or effectiveness given that trauma-induced behaviour
cannot be rectified by use of traditional techniques that
depend on logical-processing because trauma behaviour is an
illogical, instinctual response not under the control of the
rational brain. Even in the context of somatic psychotherapies,
such as Holotropic Breathwork developed by psychiatrist Dr
Stan Grof and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR) developed by psychologist Dr Francine Shapiro, which
employ physical techniques to release the trapped energy of
trauma and recognize uncontrollable shaking as part of that
process, the purpose and potential therapeutic value of tremouring
has not been sufficiently explored.
However,
deeper exploration of involuntary shaking commenced in 1997
with the work of psychologist Dr Peter Levine. The theory
behind his Somatic Experiencing technique says that the body
evokes 'neurogenic tremors' to complete the discharge of our
flight-flight-freeze response. Also, while working with trauma
recovery in war-torn countries and natural disaster zones,
clinical social worker and somatic therapist, Dr David Berceli,
discovered a self-directed body-based method of stress and
trauma reduction, which allows individuals to process their
own stress and trauma, in many cases, without needing to seek
guidance from professionals. This method consists of a set
of gentle physical exercises which fatigue certain muscle
groups and can be practised by young and old alike. David's
methods are a natural extension and simplification of the
acceptance and somatic experiencing approach ( the self-help
version of my somatic trauma release/somatic hypnotherapy
technique) which I have taught thousands of people with trauma
and stress of all kinds for the purpose of returning to a
state of peace and self-empowerment.
As Dr Berceli
says, trauma happens to all kinds of people. No-one deserves
it. We can learn to live with the unpredictability of tragedy
rather than fantasize that we are immune from it. At the same
time, we can use this very effective stress- release tool
on an everyday basis to deal with all the normal challenges
of our lives and dare to not only dream of, but actually live
a deeper more meaningful life in which we make a difference
during our brief stay on this planet.
The Trauma
Release Process
"I personally
have used and taught the Trauma Release Process to friends
and patients with consistently remarkable results. ... One
of the unique features of the exercises is that they can be
learned and practiced as a therapeutic self-help skill, as
well as an adjunct to other forms of trauma therapy." __Robert
Scaer M.D. Author of The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma,
Dissociation and Disease.
If you are
interested in learning these exercises, you can purchase Dr
David Berceli's book The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process:
Transcend Your Toughest Times. David has a Ph.D. in clinical
social work as well as certification in somatic therapies
and 15 years experience working with trauma recovery in war-torn
countries and natural disaster zones. In addition, his Trauma
Release Process is being used by the U.S. Army to resolve
the war trauma of its returned servicemen and women. His book
is available online through local sites such as www.fishpond.com.au.
If you prefer, there is also a DVD available from namastepublishing.com
who also provide a digital down-load option.
Although the
exercises can be learned from the DVD or the book, each person
needs to also learn how to self-regulate the trauma release
process so that they do not have to re-experience the intense
emotions and physical symptoms of any original traumas they
may have experienced, and that process will be easier for
some people than others depending on their history. For this
reason, it is recommended that people do not do these exercises
without having been guided through the process at least once.
In addition, those people with physical or psychological difficulties
and/or prolonged unresolved trauma, should seek assistance
from a professional who has both extensive experience in trauma
work and is familiar with Dr David Berceli's Trauma Release
Process.
It is ideal
to learn TRE in a coaching context of 4 sessions or more or
a series of classes because this environment provides an ongoing
incentive to practise and it takes 21 days to form a new human
habit. Although recent trauma can sometimes be released through
one session, the benefits for most people come with regular
practise about three times per week. This is especially true
for people with childhood trauma. Give Linda a call on 9836
5721 if you would like to learn Trauma Releasing Exercises
from a certified TRE practitioner in an ACT coaching context
with someone who is well experienced in trauma work. Just
remember, Linda will not be acting n the role of a psychologist
for these services and you will not be able to claim a rebate
from your health fund or Medicare.
TRE instruction
is only available in the Melbourne Eastern Suburbs at this
time. If you do not live in Melbourne (Australia), you may
learn more about the benefits of tremouring exercises by visiting
Dr David Berceli's USA website - see Resources
page for the link where you can also find certified TRE practitioners
in your area.
For those
of you in other parts of Australia, hopefully there will be
certified TRE practitioners outside of Melbourne in the not
so distant future. You can keep a watch on this by visiting
physiotherapist Richmond Heath's website www.trauma-releasing-exercises.com.au.
Although he is based in Melbourne (Warrandyte), he runs TRE
groups interstate and in New Zealand.
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CBT,
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness CBT
Counselling
psychology includes any therapy that a counselling psychologist
does e.g. CBT, motivational counselling, interpersonal psychotherapy,
grief counselling, abuse counselling, MBCBT, ACT, hypnotherapy,
body-oriented psychotherapy. Linda's counselling psychology
is strongly based on ACT, CBT exposure (a part of hypnotherapy),
and relationship counselling, couples therapy and sex therapy.
CBT or cognitive
behavioural therapy is the usual psychotherapy provided under
psychological counselling for Medicare ( in conjunction with
motivational interviewing, interpersonal psychotherapy and
psychoeducation). It consists of providing effective behavioural
and cognitive strategies.
Linda finds
the behavioural ones most effective, especially imagery exposure
(a very effective form of hypnotherapy), and various skills
trainings such as stress management, assertiveness training,
and social skills training, mindfulness CBT skills, ACT's
values-driven behaviour and workability principles in addition
to the MBCBT skills it incorporates.
ACT is an
extremely good basis for coaching psychology be it life coaching,
career coaching, relationship coaching or business/executive
coaching. For more information on this see ACT
Coaching - Life, Career, Executive & Business.
Life coaching
is about helping people find direction, motivating them to
achieve their goals and teaching them effective skills to
enhance their lives. Linda teaches techniques which she has
found to be powerful and effective in resolving a broad range
of relationship, personal and business issues.
These include
personal issues such as: Anxiety, phobias such as agoraphobia
and social phobia, panic, grief, reactive depression, addictions
such as addictions to smoking, shopping, over-eating, and
love, shyness, lack of confidence, lack of self-esteem, social
skills training, assertiveness training, self development,
personal development, developing self-awareness, religious
issues, spiritual guidance, life transition and adjustment
issues.
They also
include family, intimate and social relationship issues such
as: communication difficulties and conflicts with family,
intimate partners and friends, grief, indecision or ambivalence
about intimate relationships, parenting and step family issues,
pre-marriage and pre-relationship education, coaching or counselling
as well as all the personal issues that can play out in relationships.
They also
include career, business, work and study related issues such
as: relationship conflicts at work, communication problems
at work, workplace bullying, workplace abuse, social skills
training, assertiveness training, study skills training, time
management, work stress, work addiction, retrenchment, transition
to retirement, lack of motivation, lack of confidence, indecision,
fear of public speaking, fear of flying, fear of confined
spaces such as lifts, and fear of heights such as offices
in tall buildings.
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Consultations
Availability of Consultations
Consultations are held
in the Camberwell, Canterbury, Surrey Hills, Burwood area
of Melbourne by appointment during business hours and after
hours (Saturdays).
We currently have a waiting
list for new clients which varies from about two to eight
weeks. Therefore, it is extremely important that you let us
know as soon as possible if you cannot keep your appointment.
If you can give us 48 hours notice of your intention to change
or cancel your appointment, there will be no cancellation
fee. If you cannot give us 48 hours notice, let us know as
soon as possible and we will waive the cancellation fee if
someone else is able to use your appointment time.
If you are in crisis during
the night or the weekend or at any other time when you cannot
see a counsellor, call Life line on 13 11 14 or Suicide Help
Line Victoria on 1300 651 251.
If you are currently involved
in an abusive or dangerous situation, call Violence Against
Women 24 Hours Helpline on 1800 200 526, Women's Domestic
Violence Crisis Service of Victoria on 1800 015 188 or Child
Abuse Prevention Services on 1800 688 009 or Centre Against
Sexual Assault on 9344 2210.
How Many Consultations
Will I Need?
The majority of people
seeking counselling or hypnotherapy for personal issues require
2 to 6 sessions. All sessions are long (60 minutes or more).
In most cases, the first session involves finding out what
you want to achieve and anything relevant to your goal that
needs to be known, discussion of ways to deal with your issues
and discovering whether the two of you are likely to be able
to work together effectively.
Through career
coaching, many executives, professionals and business people
can achieve one or more concrete business and career goals
in just a few consultations. However those who are looking
for a significant increase in emotional intelligence would
be well advised to budget for longer term coaching.
Fees
To eliminate account-keeping
costs, we require payment at the time of the consultation.
There is a $10 administration fee for late payment.
Our fees reflect the quality
of our service and are close to the Australian Psychological
Society recommended fee. The fee for a 60 minute plus session
is $195.
Payment may be made by
cash, cheque, money order, Visa or Mastercard. To cover banking
costs and time, there is a $10 convenience charge for using
a credit card.
Our services are GST free.
Rebates
Those entitled
to psychology rebates from Health Funds usually claim a refund
of between 20% and 90% on psychology consultations depending
on which ancillary or 'extras' schedule they have chosen.
Ask your Health Fund for details.
We do not
bulk bill, and Medicare rebates only apply to G.P. referred
psychological treatment under a Mental Health Plan.
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Copyright
Dr Linda Edwards 2001-2011, Counsellor, Counselling Psychologist,
ACT Therapist Hypnotherapist Melbourne. Art of Living Psychology
Consulting Rooms are in Melbourne in the Camberwell, Surrey
Hills, Burwood and Canterbury region, also serving Ashburton,
Balwyn, Box Hill, Glen Iris, Hawthorn, Kew and Malvern.
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