Why am I so Nervous? Tips for Overcoming Social Anxiety
Does giving the toast at a wedding cause you hives, weeks before you’re slated to give it? Does your pulse race at the thought of cocktail hours, high school reunions, or even stopping in at an unfamiliar grocery store? If you’re frustrated by being labeled timid, skittish, introverted, or insecure, now is the time to make changes that will help you overcome social anxiety and connect to the world again. Nearly 15 million adults in this country manage social anxiety disorder, and most wait a decade or more before actively seeking support....
read moreSocial Media Addiction.
I was featured in this report from NJ101.5 about social media addiction. http://nj1015.com/social-media-addiction-is-real-and-scary-but-treatable/
read moreYour Addiction Treatment and Empathy — What’s the Connection?
Jake sat in the group for weeks before he shared. But he’d been listening to the stories, and noticed the heads nodding at the confessed lows, and sexually-induced highs, they all seemed to have in common. Slowly, Jake had begun to feel safe there.His group understood sex addiction and didn’t judge. He realized he cared about them. Wanted those guys to get better too. Something he thought he’d forgotten how to do. Jackie was starting to empathize. A compelling and crucial component in addiction therapy. How does empathy help an addict...
read moreTake These Steps to Overcome Your Depression
You thought the withdrawal would ease your pain. So you shut down to shield yourself. But depression doesn’t fight fair. It doesn’t protect you. Or meet your needs. And no matter how you struggle against it, it only tells you lies about yourself. You’ll always be alone. You’re too far gone. You should just give up. Still, something inside you knows better. You know you deserve to feel better. But how? Here’s the strategy: Get the help you’re hesitant to ask for. Reaching out is hard, when you’ve spent so much time inside your own head, or in...
read moreWhy is Empathy a Key Component in Addiction Treatment?
Addiction is a beast. A cruel one. It doesn’t care about you. It toys with you. It doesn’t befriend with you. It draws you in. All along, it whispers “more” and “higher” and “mine.” Addiction has no empathy for you, your situation, or the messes it makes. And the longer the two of you are involved, the harder you find it to care about the people you hurt, or the people who love you. Why is that? Why does addiction seem to steal the caring nature, and empathetic connection, a person has with others? And if he or she can work toward getting...
read moreCo-occurring Disorders: Is Your Addiction the Only Thing You’re Fighting?
When you know you’re addicted, it seems to eclipse everything. You miss so much. You miss the family and friends you used to value. The goals you used to strive for. The dreams you used to dream. The thing you crave is the only thing you want. The one need you have to meet. The wound you have to heal before you can do anything else. At least that’s how you feel. But underneath the addiction you know you’re fighting, there may be more going on. You may have a another front to face. A co-occurring disorder. Don’t despair. Knowing whether you...
read moreYou can Overcome Intimacy Anorexia — Start with These Steps
Intimacy anorexia has been described in lot of ways. None of them good. “A prison of my own design.” “Walls of withdrawal and withheld affection.” “…a marital cancer.” Emotional, spiritual and sexual intimacy are intentionally and perpetually withheld by the “intimacy anorexic,” regardless of the damage done to their partner (who generally longed for a more fulfilled connection), or to the relationship in general. The spouse who craves intimacy is at the mercy of the one who withholds it, until he or she can no longer accept such treatment,...
read moreAfter Sex Addiction Disclosure Take These Steps to Cope
Your partner bent over backwards to hide the addiction. Now it’s out. Full disclosure. Time to cope and move forward. Somehow, you need to productively deal with the realities of sex addiction in your relationship, in your home, and in your mind. But how? There is hope, and renewal is possible. Try these strategies: Grieve. No good comes from minimizing the gravity of the betrayal, emotional pain, and relational rifts that have taken place. Sexual addiction is deeply saddening, even trauma-inducing, for those affected. Give yourself the right...
read moreYour Partner is in Sex Addiction Recovery — How Can You Help?
Your partner’s disclosure was difficult to accept. But you did it. Your partner is getting help. You are starting to hope. The road to recovery has begun. As you move forward, you want to be encouraging and supportive. You really want to be there for your partner. What can you do? Try the following strategies: Set boundaries. Don’t get so wrapped up in the idea of being there that you assume responsibility for your partner’s recovery. His decisions are now, and always have been, his own. His successful or failed recovery is his own as well....
read moreThe Difference Between Genuine Sex Addiction and a “Safe” Excuse for Cheating
The Difference Between Genuine Sex Addiction and a “Safe” Excuse for Cheating By CounselingWise on July 27, 2015 in Purchased Sexual betrayal is devastating, no matter the reason. But hearing a lover say, “sexual addiction made me do it,” may make the news even harder to accept. Especially if you suspect that the addiction claim is just a way to excuse his or her deception. Is there any way to know if the cheating behavior is really a symptom of some deeper psychological issue? Is this just a “easier” way for your unfaithful partner to...
read more
