Is there a memory in your life you feel affects
your current life and you can't 'get over it'? Maybe it was a childhood
event that traumatized you and it still hinders your daily life? Even
if it was out of your control and you weren't in a position of power at
the time, do you sometimes wonder if you went back in time, you could
change it somehow?
Even if your childhood memories are not
particularly bad or eventful, are you currently in a situation that you
feel completely powerless in or that you have no control over some
aspect of life? Do you keep on going over it again and again in your
mind, thinking about how bad it is but aren't sure what to do? Or are
you just feeling stuck and want to change your current situation?
While
change is inevitable and bad things happen all the time to both good
and bad people, the quality of your thoughts WILL effect your current
situations, regardless of when or where it happened.
For anyone
who is suffering from previous trauma (like during childhood), I will
talk about two different techniques used to overcome your negative
associations. Please note that these two therapies may not work in some
cases like rape or victims of physical violence.
Immersion
therapy is the best therapy for someone who has a phobia of some sort.
This is also a good treatment to overcome any kind of fears. I included
this therapy in my list because it is very common for people with
strong fears or phobias to miss out on something.
For example, a
fear or phobia of flying might hinder you from traveling to places you
may otherwise want to go to but can't because of their debilitating
reaction to flying.
In this therapy, the person is given steps to
overcome their fear or phobia. In my example, the first step might be
looking at a picture of a plane. They are then taken through a
relaxation session. The next step might be going to the airport. A new
series of relaxation techniques are used. The stages are continued
until they are able to successfully able to fly from one destination to
another.
Desensitization therapy is a good therapy for anyone
wanting to overcome something in stages through a less intense
treatment. This is also a great treatment for those that are also
suffering from phobias and other problems.
Desensitization is
described as: 'occurring when an emotional response is repeatedly
evoked in situations in which the action tendency that is associated
with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary.'*
What's great
about desensitization is that anyone can do this. They can start out
with the help of a therapist to give them the tools they need and then
developing the skills to do it on their own so that the negative
thoughts reoccur less and less.
Even being able to talk about the
problem to friends, family and loved ones about the problem helps.
Simply put, when it is talked about more and more, the less pain one
feels in the long run. It is similar to the idea of being desensitized
by watching violence on TV, as desensitization of your negative
associations will be a gradual process and, in most cases, effective.
The
next form of therapy works well with someone currently facing some
issues they feel that they can't escape from. It could be any kind of
situation- from a bad working environment to not being able to get
along well with one's family. It can also help you if you are suffering
from something like overeating, smoking, or sex addictions.
NLP
is short for Neural Linguistic Programming. It is commonly associated
with Hypnosis and is not considered a science. This therapy shows you
how your neurological (Neural) associations with speech (Linguistic)
affect your daily life (programming).
In this specific therapy,
the therapist is not building on a deficit model (like most therapies),
where they 'fix a problem', but rather build upon the foundation.
Basically, clients are not thought of as being broken, but as doing the
best they can in their situation with what they already know. The
client is often even considered an expert in their own life- as no one
knows you as well as you do.
Sounds interesting, right? While the
founders may not be recognizable to most people that aren't in the
psychology field, you may be familiar with Tony Robbins. He is one of
the people that made this kinds of therapy common and well known. This
is a good option if you want to try something a little bit different.
If
you are suffering from negative thoughts or associations either from
your past or present, getting a trained therapist can help you through
the therapies I've recommended. I can also teach you how to use some of
these techniques in the comfort of your own home. You don't have to
suffer from your past or current situation anymore- you can overcome it!
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desensitization_therapy