Talking about trauma can make things worse. I’m a therapist, and I know how valuable it CAN be to talk about trauma, but when you don’t understand your “Window of Tolerance” talking about trauma can backfire. In this podcast, we’ll talk about the three states of your nervous system, the two common pitfalls of trying to talk about trauma, and the practical skills you can use to widen your window of tolerance so that you’re more resilient in the face of stressors or trauma. Looking for affordable ...
Mar 22, 2024•18 min•Ep. 144
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills If you want to manage PTSD or Anxiety, you need to learn how to interrupt the anxiety cycle and to do that you've got to interrupt the perception of danger. We do that by fostering an internal sense of safety, this is a practical skill we can develop and in the PTSD treatment world it's called Resourcing or Building an Internal Sense of Safety. Looking for affordable online counseling? My spon...
Mar 08, 2024•16 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Here’s what we do know about comparison- it contributes to mental health concerns like eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, body dissatisfaction, jealousy, narcissism, and perfectionism. It can also lead to other problems like overspending t...
Mar 04, 2024•17 min•Ep. 143
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills The good news is that there are practical things you can do to turn on and strengthen your parasympathetic response. In this video you’ll learn how to activate the parasympathetic response, and how to strengthen your vagal tone- which is your body’s overall ability to regulate your nervous system and return to a sense of calm. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, c...
Feb 22, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Panic attacks can be terrifying, but they aren't dangerous. When we engage with our panic attacks by trying to control our panic attacks, by trying to force our body's sensations to calm down, or by believing our brain's stories that "This panic attack is actually a heart attack" or "I have to calm down!" or "It will be catastrophic to have a panic attack" then that is the real thing that keeps panic attacks going. In this video I share to email I got from one of my listeners, Jon, who had been ...
Feb 16, 2024•9 min•Ep. 142
Take the Free Relationship Quiz here: https://join.heyritual.com/TIAN50 Do you take things personally? Do you get offended easily? Do you spend a lot of time trying to figure out which person is the "Jerk"? Taking things personally is a super complex relational strategy we use to protect ourselves when we feel threatened, but it leaves us feeling isolated and dramatic. In this video we're going to learn 3 steps to stop taking things personally, and how to stop taking offense. Looking for afforda...
Feb 08, 2024•21 min•Ep. 131
This is Day 21 of my online course, Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Buy the full course here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills This is seriously one of the most powerful interventions I know of for chronic anxiety. It uses a bottom-up approach, a body-first approach to regulate your nervous system to reduce stress and anxiety throughout the day. And it’s pretty simple to learn. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed pr...
Feb 01, 2024•14 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Anxiety is essentially a state of your nervous system. In this video we’ll explore anxiety, trauma and burnout in your nervous system. There’s two ways that your nervous system plays a direct role in anxiety and depression- your alerting activating system can get stuck on or stuck off. And most of the people who get stuck in these states don’t realize it, they are trapped in these cycles and j...
Jan 25, 2024•16 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills There is a simple shift you can use to transform your anxiety in two words. In this podcast you’ll learn how to do it. There is no physiological difference between anxiety and excitement. Inside your body, it’s the same physical response- cortisol, adrenaline, etc. rapid breathing, increased heart rate. You can flip a switch in your brain, when you say “bring it on!” I actually want this! Let’...
Jan 19, 2024•12 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills I’m going to teach you an important skill to be less emotionally reactive. Essentially, how to control your emotions. Emotions lie to you all the time. But they feel so real. They are very powerful motivators, but they aren’t always accurate. You’ll learn how to be less emotionally reactive by learning to combat emotional reasoning. You’ll learn 4 ways to slow yourself down in an intense momen...
Jan 11, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Download the free worksheet for resolving regrets and letting go of the past here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148136124 Check out the Online Course "How to Process your Emotions" here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/emotion-processing "Regret can be your worst enemy or your best friend; you get to decide which." Regrets are like a hammer, they can hurt you or you can use them to build the life you really care about. In this podcast, you’ll learn how to channel the emotion...
Jan 07, 2024•16 min•Ep. 127
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Catastrophizing is essentially a defense mechanism but one that isn’t the best, it backfires. It can contribute to depression and anxiety and other mental health conditions. So let’s replace it with a more helpful one. In this video you'll learn how to use the skill of mental imagery to combat anxiety and create greater chances of success. You'll learn to ask “What if it all works out?” Let’s ...
Dec 28, 2023•14 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Check out my FREE Online Grounding Skills Course here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd Check out Dr. Laura Hay's podcast here: https://lastingimpactwellness.com/ Burnout isn't just something that happens in your head, burnout isn't just psychological, burnout happens in your body. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Laura Hays from Lasting Impact Wellness about what causes burnout, how long-term stress can impact our nervous system, and the practi...
Dec 22, 2023•44 min•Ep. 126
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Your brain is not designed to make you happy, it’s made to keep you alive. And in order to do that, it’s got some built-in biases, including a negativity bias, that literally filters what you see, what you pay attention to, what you notice in your life. In this video you’ll learn how to catch yourself in the negativity bias and how to interrupt that story so that you can be healthier and happi...
Dec 14, 2023•15 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills In this enlightening interview with Nick Wignall, the focus was on the challenges of chronic worry and the power of mindfulness in addressing anxiety. He proposed a simple, non-judgmental mindfulness practice focusing on breath and attention redirection, advocating for its regular practice to effectively train the brain and alter its response to anxiety. This approach to mindfulness is not jus...
Dec 07, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Follow Dr. Monica Johnson: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/monica-johnson-psyd https://twitter.com/QDTSavvyPsych In this video, we're joined by Dr. Monica Johnson, an expert in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as we explore the transformative effects of DBT on managing intense emotions and mood disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and eating disorders. This video is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand how DBT can be a powerful tool in controlling the...
Nov 30, 2023•22 min•Ep. 125
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills In this video, individuals seeking to learn how to stop worrying and start living are offered a practical guide to differentiate between unproductive worry and constructive problem-solving. The video aims to empower viewers with the skills to redirect their attention away from chronic worry and towards living a more engaged and fulfilling life, highlighting the journey of how to stop worrying ...
Nov 23, 2023•13 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Check out Smile Brilliant: https://www.smilebrilliant.com/product/night-guards/?utm_source=YouTube+Influencer&utm_medium=Night+Guards&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_id=Therapy+in+a+Nutshell Discovering how to stop overthinking begins with the realization that trying to force our thoughts to change only amplifies them. This video introduces the ACT technique of cognitive defusion, a pivotal...
Nov 16, 2023•15 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Feeling anxiety won’t harm you. Your body is wired to feel anxiety. It’s supposed to. You can handle it. But when we become afraid of our feelings, then suddenly we get stuck in a super unhelpful spiral. We start struggling against them, trying to force ourselves to calm down with “deep breathing or meditation” anything to make the anxiety go away. But this just makes things worse. We pile anx...
Nov 09, 2023•13 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills In this video you’ll learn about the automatic negative thoughts that fuel the anxiety cycle and lead to feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. You probably aren’t even aware of the types of thoughts that take you there, so we’ll explore them. And then we’ll talk about both a CBT and ACT approach to dealing with them. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to ...
Nov 02, 2023•19 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills In this video we’re going to talk about 10 physical conditions that mimic Anxiety. Sometimes anxiety is not “All in your head” there’s a dramatic interplay between your body and mind. Sometimes a physical, medical issue like a vitamin deficiency, an illness, or an undiagnosed sleep issue shows up looking exactly like the symptoms of a psychological anxiety disorder. And sometimes the best way ...
Oct 19, 2023•15 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Being highly sensitive doesn’t mean that you take things personally or that you’re fragile. It means your nervous system processes information more deeply and intensely than the average person. You are more impacted by lights, smells, sounds, body language, facial expressions, and emotions than the average person. While this sensitivity sometimes requires extra time to rest, recharge or proces...
Oct 12, 2023•11 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Why are some people much more anxious than others? And what causes anxiety disorders? What makes some people feel anxious when they’re actually safe? Well, the cause of an anxiety disorder is actually quite complicated. It’s not a disease with a single origin. There are a lot of factors that go into play. In this video, we’ll talk about how the bio-psycho-social model applies to understanding ...
Oct 05, 2023•16 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills We have this interesting problem in America where we’ve applied the medical model to mental health, and it’s created a lot of learned helplessness. In our attempts to remove the stigma from mental health, many people have come to believe that all mental illnesses are permanent, genetic traits. And it’s just not true. Because anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, and many other mental health c...
Sep 29, 2023•13 min•Season 4Ep. 8
There are 7 types of anxiety disorders listed in the DSM 5 TR. In this video you’ll learn what they are, because when you have a name for something, it can help you find skills and resources to manage it. If you experience an anxiety disorder, It’s not your fault, but there’s something you can do about it. This video is day 6 of a 30 day course on how to improve your relationship with anxiety. I’m publishing the 30 main videos to youtube but if you want to learn more there will be bonus videos, ...
Sep 21, 2023•14 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Improve your Relationship- Try HeyRitual today, to learn more click here: https://join.heyritual.com/TIAN20 HeyRitual is a sponsor of Therapy in a Nutshell Media portrays the depressed person as struggling to get out of bed, crying, drowning in despair. And while sadness is indeed a key symptom of depression, it’s not the only way it shows up. Anger or irritability is actually one of the primary ways that depression shows up in children and teens. But that anger doesn’t just turn off when you tu...
Sep 14, 2023•15 min•Ep. 116
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Willingness is the most powerful tool for managing anxiety, because when you have willingness, anxiety can’t control you any more. So in this video you’ll learn what willingness is, how to develop it, and you’ll get to practice it to see what it feels like. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own hom...
Sep 07, 2023•18 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days- Online Course- https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills What keeps us anxious? -Running from our feelings -Avoiding our problems and -Immobilization- not taking any action. Anxiety isn’t the same as a hot fear response, it’s much more of a cold, frozen dread response. On the polyvagal ladder it hovers between the FFF response and the shut down response. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed pro...
Sep 01, 2023•21 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Michael Twohig counseling and resources: https://junipermh.com/ Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.ther...
Aug 29, 2023•39 min•Ep. 115
Buy the course Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills Your brain is wired to adapt to circumstances, it can physically rewire itself based on how you think and the experiences you have. The human brain is one of the most complex, brilliant, and amazingly powerful creations in the world. So why the heck does it make so many anxious thoughts, why can it make us miserable sometimes? There are some ways we accidentally teach our brain to be more...
Aug 25, 2023•20 min•Season 4Ep. 4