http://www.richardt.com.au/ Richard Taylor's blog about life, business, and what you can do to stay a float. en-us Copyright 2007 Richard Taylor http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/35 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/35 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +1000 Pick a situation of difficulty or conflict with others.  Reflect on your last encounters and on the motivation from which you operated.  How did this work?  Now imagine you can bring the highest possible intentions to your next encounter.  Take a moment to reflect.  What would they be?  Notice if they contain the elements of compassion for others and for yourself.  Notice if they are wise and courageous. Picture reentering the difficult situation while staying true to these highest intentions.  Finally, go and practice.  Remember, you may lose track of these intentions.  With practice they will become steady and strong. From The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield (Bantam Books, 2008) p. 273 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/34 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/34 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +1000 To describe some of the distinctive elements of how I work I will use the Two Mountains Metaphor: 'It's like you're in the process of climbing up a big mountain that has lots of dangerous places on it.  My job is to watch out for you and shout out directions if I can see places you might slip or hurt yourself.  But I'm not able to do this because I'm standing at the top of your mountain, looking down at you.  If I'm able to help you climb your mountain, it's because I'm on my own mountain, just across a valley.  I don't have to know anything about exactly what it feels like to climb your mountain to see where you are about to step, and what might be a better path for you to take.'   quoted from Twohig, M. (2004) ACT for OCD.   http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/33 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/33 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +1000 My clients over the years generally want:   Understanding of their situation. A description of some specific results that can occur. An immediate start to getting those results. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/32 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/32 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +1000 Struggle with depression? Past trauma and life experiences? Worry, anxiety and fear? Intrusive and upsetting thoughts? Negative preoccupations about yourself? Too much stress? Problem anger? Stuck on medication with no options? Inaction, impulsivity, and avoidance? Relationship breakdown? Lack of direction? Nothing is working? http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/30 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/30 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +1100 Our perspectives on ourselves, the future, and the world and just how we think about events, and respond to our own thoughts as a constant flow of consciousness, has much to do with how we feel (our moods) and how we behave.  The message here is that thoughts and feelings determine mood.  Much of the time all of this runs on automatic such that you respond to thoughts and ways of viewing the world in a habitual manner, built up over time, and in which your moods are trapped.  As a result, mood flucuations are often cyclical or repeat themselves and/or are easily triggered off.  Intensity of moods is often determined by the stressors upon us or the responses that we are in turn making in the face of stressful events.  The approach to these issues from the 1970's and 1980's emphasised specific goals to change a behaviour or a thought pattern (cognitive and behaviour therapy).  The actual skills that you need to learn to deal with dysfunctional responses to thinking now go beyond  this initial approach.  So what skills do you need to learn?  Firstly, build awareness of your thoughts through mindfulness-based breathing exercises and also learn to take a decentered perspective on your patterns of thinking (refer to the skills of mindfulness discussed earlier).  You will always have negative thoughts and feelings but you do not have to latch on to them and have them consume your sense of self (and your well-being) in the process.  This moment is also a good time to revisit the first skill you learned, namely values.  This will help you to ask questions about your thinking such as 'What does this event or situation mean to me?' or 'What does it mean about me?'  The latter question is important in that you may have habitual negative ways of reacting to others - changing yourself first, including the way that you are thinking, can lead to big changes in the way others in turn behave.  Secondly, and in the case of thinking about the more concrete problems that you may have in the here-and-now, you may wish to generate some new perspective about the events around you.  For example, your subjective responses to events and the way you think about them may be really at odds with reality.  This is a common problem for many of my clients who make rapid assumptions about people and the world, rather than examining what is really going on.  Too often everything gets personalized and then generalized in making broad assertions about people, events, and places.  As a result an individual may poorly assess and cope badly even with everyday situations involving the behaviour of others.  If you are receiving feedback from others that this is the case, and has been for a period of time, then this is a psychological skill area that you need to develop.  In consultations with a Clinical Psychologist you will be able to determine if this problem area is a component of broader psychological health issues (as it often is). The Dalai Lama '...I think that to a large extent, whether you suffer depends on how you respond to a given situation'.  (in The Art of Happiness) http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/29 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/29 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +1100 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder.  This is something often not understood or appreciated by the sufferer.  It is often a very disabling disorder in that the sufferer finds it difficult to do routine things day-by-day.  Obsessions and compulsions take up much of the available time, for example, excessive cleaning.  Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive, unwanted, inappropriate and mostly as irrational in the cold light of day.  I say mostly because of the doubt element that many of my clients experience, for example, 'How though can I be sure that this thought is not the case?' and 'Isn't is possible that my sore arm could be caused by cancer?'  The thoughts, impulses, and images of obsessive ideation as it is called cause marked anxiety and distress and are not simply excessive worries about real - life problems.  The sufferer often attempts to ignore or to suppress the obsessions, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (here control is the problem which is something we will return to later) .  For example, in thinking something deemed unacceptable having to blink both eyes in a certain sequence in order to 'put matters right' (i.e. to relieve the felt anxiety and distress of the obsessional thoughts).  Obsessions are viewed by the sufferer as the product of his or her's own mind (they are not imposed from without as a thought insertion).  Compulsions in turn are what I call the 'putting matters right' component in response - the things the person feels compelled to perform in response to the obsessions, often according to rigid rules developed over time (for example, doing things in particular multiples).  Compulsions include repetitive behaviours (e.g. hand washing, checking) and/or mental acts (counting, repeating words or actions).  Many sufferers check things after the event by running what I call movies in their head about what exactly happened.  A sufferer can have an obsessive thought that they may have offended someone in a conversation and then feel compelled to call the person to 'check out' in a round about way that they had not been responsible.  Compulsive behaviours or mental acts are designed to reduce distress or prevent some dreaded event or situation.  In some cases compulsions can take on a mind of their own and are performed in what is called a functionally autonomous fashion (a bit like learning to take a headache pill before and in case that you do get a headache).  There is mostly no realistic relationship between the compulsive part and the obsessional part that triggered it in the first place and the compulsive behaviour is clearly excessive, e.g. hand washing.   While a sufferer may clearly see that the obsessions and compulsions are excessive and/or unreasonable, they may resist giving them up because they are viewed as offering some control over the situation, no matter how time consuming.  Having to deal with the sheer terror of living with the uncertainty of obsessive ideas can be an overwhelming prospect, particularly if the neutralizing compulsive behaviour has been around for a long time.  At work, compulsions may have to be hidden to avoid detection.  This can become another sourse of anxiety in itself.  For example, while undertaking a business assignment a young accountant was found to be repetitively re-working and checking the accounts of clients but could not legitimately bill for this time.  The partners of her small accounting firm were at a loss to comprehend and to understand just what was going on.  OCD was the last thing that came to their minds.  The sufferer's day-by-day attempt to control and live with the disorder may be largely invisible to the casual observer or family friend (despite the presence of much repetitive behaviour).   The sufferers of OCD often experience the following: poor self-esteem; mood flucuations which are particularly evident to close family members; guilt all the time; anger problems, and difficulties in relationships.  Also, many sufferers seek to avoid the sources of their problems through avoidance.  For example, avoiding places that trigger off obsessions about being contaminated.  Avoiding people who create problems.  Avoiding certain rooms in the house so as not to feel contaminated.  The sufferer can also feel OK if someone else can take the responsibility for checking something.   Research has demonstrated that obsessive ideas and compulsive behaviours are all commonly experienced, for example, who hasn't been convinced that they had their airline tickets but then felt compelled to check just one more time on the way to the airport (you could see this as caused by the stress of travelling).  Who has not had the thought that the gas might have been left on and then felt the need to quickily returm just to check it out for a final time.  I used to have a neighbour that after going on holidays would always send a postcard asking me to check if his front door had been left open.  Both in terms of these everyday examples, and in the case of OCD, stressful life events puts more pressure on and then your vulnerability to anxiety gets activated.  In the next postings I am going to deal with how to get help, what to ask and to look for, and I will discuss what psychological treatment will generally involve.   http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/28 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/28 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +1100 It may be that Western-trained clinical psychologists have for too long over emphasized the importance of changing or modifying unpleasant symptoms without recognizing the importance of acceptance.  One reseacher has noted that acceptance involves 'experiencing events fully and without defense, as they are'.  Escape and avoidance behaviour as a mechanism of control is often a strategy used by many people in coping with stress and anxiety.  Control agendas in these terms are mostly destructive and only serve to entrench anxiety-related problems.  The alternative is acceptance and willingness which refers to how open you are to experiencing your own experience when you experience it - without trying to manipulate it, avoid it, escape it, change it, and so on.  In the sessions that follow I am going to review the acceptance of pain, thoughts, feelings, urges, or other bodily, cognitive (thinking), and emotional phenomena, without trying to change, escape or avoid them.  David Brazier in 'Zen Therapy' sums this up quite nicely. 'While we long for clear weather, the clouds are an obstacle to our happiness.  When we learn to appreciate the whole sky, the clouds are seen simply as its adornment'.  http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/27 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/27 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +1100 Brief guide: 1.  By seeing a Clinical Psychologist you will receive the highest level of Medicare benefit for psychological treatment in new arrangements introduced from 1 November, 2006 by the Australian Government. 2.  You must have a referral to a Clinical Psychologist by a GP (under a GP Mental Health Care Plan billed under item number 2710).  The Clinical Psychologist must also have a Medicare Provider Number. 3.  You can request a referral to a specific Clinical Psychologist or your doctor may refer you to someone that he/she recommends. 4.  You can receive up to 12 individual sessions in a calender year.  Your referring doctor is required to assess your progress after the first six sessions (billed as item number 2712).  Provision exists for people to receive an additional six sessions in certain circumstances. 5.  The rebate from Medicare will cover a substantial part of the costs.  Out-of-pocket expenses (the gap) will then vary and you must check this out with the Clinical Psychologist before commencing your consultations.  In some circumstances bulk billing may be available and this is the case in my own practice. 6.  Out-of-pocket costs, up to the Schedule Fee, will count towards the Medicare Safety Net. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/26 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/26 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +1100 'I think that, generally, being honest with oneself and others about what you are or are not capable of doing can counteract that feeling of lack of self-confidence.' The Dalai Lama in 'The Art of Happiness' http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/25 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/25 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 A new book 'Listen to the Talk of Us: People with Dementia Speak Out' has just been launched in Perth.  The local author Trisha Kotai-Ewers is currently President of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA).  She began working as a writer in residence with people with dementia in 1997.  Of the book, Trish writes: 'This book is the story of how some people with dementia revealed their narratives in conversation.  It is also an account of all that they taught me about the value of listening with the heart, of giving others the gift of really being heard. ...My hope is that this book will encourage everyone in any way connected with people with dementia to accept their words as having meaning, and to see the worth in seeking this meaning even when it is cloaked in confusion'.  In this book the human dimension is central.  Dr Neville Hills in his Forewood stated '...the place of basic human reasoning, communication, understanding and empathy should remain pivotal'.  The book is an invaluable resource for anyone involved with, or touched by, dementia.  In addition, I think that this book should be required reading for all psychology students in their first year as it will extend their perspectives about psychological health issues and how to tap into human experience. The book is available from Alzheimer's Australia WA Ltd, PO Box 1509, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6904, telephone (08) 9388 2800 and costs Aust.$19-95 plus $5 for postage and handling.  Please mention this web site when ordering.  http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/24 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/24 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 In David Brazier's book 'Zen Therapy' he stated 'Dukkha (suffering, bad states of mind) is everywhere and the mass of people seek distraction or oblivion rather than any real solution.  On the other hand, the world is infinitely beautiful. Every conscious moment is a miracle'. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/23 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/23 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Mindfulness is a 'hot topic' at the present time and is a powerful therapeutic intervention for everything from work stress to depression.  On this web site go Mindfulness therapy online course and get regular updates to progress your understanding and practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness skills, both traditional techniques and many modern innovative ones enable you to fundamentally change your relationship with upsetting and painful thoughts and feelings.  You can learn these skills and then practice them everyday in order to achieve greater calmness in mind and body.  You will stop wasting your time and energy in a fruitless battle with your inner experiences and instead start taking action in accord with your own values (see Skill one: Values).  So far we have covered four skill areas for psychological health and the topic areas have been values, exercise, spot meditation, and mindfulness.  All these areas can be addressed easily and they can be incorporated into everyday living with minimal disruption to existing routines (however, you old life routines may also be changing as you develop these skills).  We have three skill areas to go - can you identify what these might be? http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/19 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/19 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 In his book ‘How to Live Without Fear and Worry’ K. Sri Dhammananda stated ‘For the sake of material gain and comfort, modern man does not listen to the voice of nature.  He wants too much out of life, and because of that he ‘cracks up’.  He is made to believe that ‘success’ means being able to do everything and be ‘the best’ in all these activities.  Of course, this is physically impossible.  His mental activities are so preoccupied with his future happiness that he neglects the needs of his physical body and ignores the importance of the present moment for what it is worth.  This inability to get our priorities right is one of the main causes of all our frustration, anxiety, fear and insecurity’.  http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/18 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/18 Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 A spot meditation is a conscious exercise that can anchor you in the present under any circumstances. You can take time out to do the mindfulness breathing exercises available elsewhere on this web site. You may simply relax rapidly by focusing on your breathing saying, for example, 'breathe in' and then saying 'relax' as you breath out. You can do this at your desk at work, in a queue, or when you have some time to spare. You can also do spot meditation when you are doing something, washing up the dishes, walking, or doing housework, and so on. The secret here is to be both relaxed and aware, and focused on what you are doing. Most people do things while they are consumed by thoughts of something else. There is much to be enjoyed in the present moment, experiences which so easily pass by unnoticed, colours, sensations, forms, etc. As a psychotherapist I often observe how little people are in tune with their environments or how rapidly their minds are distracted when they are asked to observe or appreciate something. Spot meditations undertaken during the day are a means of noticing that you are alive (using your breathing), calming yourself, and enabling you to return to the here and now. A little time devoted each day to conscious breathing while taking time out, or when you are doing something such as walking, will improve your health and calm your life. Breathe from the abdomen. Just notice the natural flow of your breathing. Spot meditation at work can enable you to pace yourself and assist you to resist the build up of, or compounding effects of, stressful situations. If you do not take time out to relax then you may become a victim of that old but useful phrase 'Work expands to fill the time available' ('Parkinson's Law' which many of you will be familar with). In taking time out at regular intervals there will be less build up of stress and you will be more productive in a more balanced and caring way (valuing yourself is part of this and is a key foundation of psychological health). If you act with a good mind happiness will follow. A peaceful mind will make you more receptive towards both yourself and others. A book I would recommend on spot meditation is 'The 5-Minute Meditator' by Eric Harrison (go to www.perthmeditationcentre.com.au). http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/17 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/17 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Mindfulness is about being a nonjudgmental observer and simply seeing clearly, or seeing things as they really are in the present moment of time.  It is a calming process without the emotions, frustrations and feeling states that can cloud your perspective of the world.  In being aware of what you are experiencing you are not anticipating something in the future, nor are you reflecting back on past experience or events (usually upsetting and negative ones).  In the exercises above you have been applying awareness to your breath, however, this can be expanded to all physical and mental processes in becoming mindful of thoughts and actions as they are occuring in the present.  The process of mindfulness is the development of your ability to pay attention to, and acknowledge, your experience in the present moment, to what is going on in your mind, your body, and your life without making judgments.  A good analogy is to imagine sitting by the bank of a stream while you observe your thoughts and images floating by on the water.  Be aware of sensations that arise from within your body (not though thinking about them in your head).  Be mindful of these sensations without having any particular purpose in doing so.  Tune into the sounds around you as sounds without interpreting them or thinking about them.  After this you might then return to paying attention to your natural breathing process.  By seeing things as they really are you will reduce distractions and begin to feel calmer. To sum up, mindfulness is a method of paying attention to the present moment that originated in Eastern meditation practice.  It has been described as 'bringing one's complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis' or as 'paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally'.  Many people are constantly engaged in a struggle with their life experiences and are swept away by their thoughts, feelings, urges and desires to move on, to consume more or whatever.  In this context mindfulness can assist both to reduce, and control, anxiety and worry.  The most important sensations you will ever have are the ones you are experiencing right now in the present moment. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/16 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/16 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Dr David McBride, a psychiatrist in the novel by Sally Vickers The Other Side of You, recorded a comment by his colleague...'the question is not how to cure or be cured but how to live'.  He then noted 'The people we were treating were not so much looking for a remedy for anxiety or depression, they were looking for a reason to be alive.  For the most part, the human race takes for granted that life if not a blessing is at least desirable enough to cling to.  But for those for whom the business of being alive is a much more vexed question, the illness is the question, or, to put it another way, the illness is how the question may be posed'.  The psychiatrist mentioned above was also a psychoanalyst and the comments are much in tune with Zen approaches to therapy stressing as it does to need to live sanely in order to erode bad mental states. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/15 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/15 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 In the treatment of psychological health problems and disorders I regularly refer clients to the exercise physiologists at the University of Western Australia's Health and Rehabilitation Program at the School of Human Movement and Exercise Science (www.hmes.uwa.edu.au). I have observed over several decades of clinical practice the positive benefit of exercise for someone experiencing psychological health problems. For example, someone who is experiencing stress and anxiety often gives low priority to, and neglects, positive diversions and leisure interests and this includes exercise. Psychological and physical health are not two separate issues. Starting an exercise program can result in someone getting some control back in their life. So I was intrigued to see in the Weekend Australian last year(24-25 June, 2006) an article in the health section headed up ‘Physical effort alleviates depression, there is no doubt about it’. I will summarise below some of the points made by its author Chris Tzar who is an exercise physiologist at the Lifestyle Clinic at the University of New South Wales. The author noted that in the health system depression received little attention. However, psychological (mental) disorders in total account for 60 per cent of all disability costs for people aged 15 to 34 years. There is a ‘cause and effect’ relationship between depression and physical activity. Those who are sedentary are more likely to experience depression, while those who suffer from depression are more likely to be sedentary. The author noted the quite astounding statistic that 59 per cent of people stop taking anti-depressants within three weeks of the drugs being prescribed. One reason for this may be that many people do not like playing the role of patient and receiving care when nothing else has changed in their lives. As such exercise may be the only option for some, and of course, it can be done with minimal if no expense. Those with depression also persevere after starting an exercise programme. The drop-out rates are no greater than for those who do not suffer from depression. So, what are the reasons behind exercise being good for depression? The author noted that exercise releases ‘feel-good’ hormones while exercise can also build self-confidence and enables people to build new relationships. Exercise is also a positive diversion and represents a change of lifestyle. My experience is that exercise is often a type of circuit breaker that can then lead to other, often long overdue, changes to lifestyle and relationships. Various types of aerobic exercise can reduce the symptoms of depression. At six in the morning the pool at the School of Human Movement and Exercise Science (referred to above) is alive with swimmers. It is an open-air heated pool. In the Winter the steam rises from the pool and just one degree of pool temperature can make a real difference to the shock on jumping in. Each swimming lane tells a different story as to why people are swimming at such an hour. In the first lane many swimmers of all ages are slowly walking through the water, some with walking frames, or doing some gentle breaststroke to aid in their physical rehabilitation. The furthest lane always appeared to be the ‘olympic’ lane with swimmers churning up and down with effortless ease. The in-between lanes accommodate the differing levels of swimmers’ abilities - again of all ages. Some time ago I had a friend’s 84 year old father visiting my home in Toodyay, Western Australia from the United States. He was tired from the flight but soon after arrival he asked ‘Where is the local swimming pool?’ His wife had died about two years previously and to cope with his grief his physician, who must have been very wise, recommended that he take up swimming. He commenced swimming every day going very slowly up and down the pool for between one to two hours. This proved to be literally a life saving activity for him plus he enjoyed all the accompanying psychological and physical benefits from this type of exercise. Swimming can involve a lot of social contact with regular swimmers. For the elderly and others swimming is a chance to relax and get exercise with low effort as the above case illustrates. Swimming is a good conditioning exercise and can be aerobic if it is continuous. Persons with joint diseases or weight-bearing injuries may find swimming the most viable exercise. Swimming can involve focussed awareness of pleasurable sensations – being aware of your surroundings, your heartbeat, your breathing, skin temperature, excitement, mood, rhythms, and smile. As such it will reinforce other psychological health skills that we are going to discuss. Accessibility to a swimming pool, tennis court, etc influences decisions to participate in these sports. As with other forms of exercise swimming is likely to make you feel refreshed in body and mind afterwards. It is a valuable exercise for all age groups, particularly those with a sedentary life who need to avoid chronic tension and even disability over time. Strength training and weights might be the exercise of choice for the elderly. This can also have other benefits such as strengthening bones, preventing falls and managing health conditions such as arthritis. The author Chris Tzar (above) provided a useful checklist for those embarking on an exercise program: · Get support from someone or a group. · Keep a diary of your achievements. · See an exercise physiologist and obtain a tailored exercise program based on an assessment of your individual circumstances. We have all heard the phrase ‘just do it’ and this is the best way to kick start an exercise program. Over time the various rewards from exercising regularly will keep you on track. Exercise is a way of caring for yourself and putting you back in control and this is a good starting point in managing stress, anxiety and depression. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/14 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/14 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 In this session I am giving a slight variation of the exercise learned in the previous session.  Find the method and approach that best suits yourself. Eric Harrison in his books (which I highly recommend) 'The Art of Awareness' and 'The 5-Minute Meditator' (www.perthmeditationcentre.com.au) recommends starting any meditation with sighing a few times to loosen up the breath.  I have long used a simple breathing control treatment for panic attacks.  It is helpful to control your in breaths.  When you breath in think 'one' to yourself, as you breath out, think the word 'relax'.  Think 'two' on your next breath in and so on...after 'ten' go back to 'one'.  This is the meditational component.  Breathe smoothly and easily, count 'one...relax' and so on.  When you first do this you may find that you are a little breathless or even dizzy and even begin to speed up your breathing.  If so stop for a period and calm down.  Take slow, smooth breaths, right down to your stomach.  If thoughts creep in, as they will all too rapidly, acknowledge the thought content as you would passing leaves on a stream and let them go while gently re-focusing on your breathing exercise.  In practicing this you are pulling back into the present from thoughts (most often negative) of the future/past.  You are becoming more aware of your own behaviour - you are becoming what can be called an Observer Self where you can more easily observe yourself engaging in the behaviours of thinking and sensing. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/13 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/13 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000 In the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Sogyal Rinpoche stated, 'Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are.  We believe in a personal, unique, and separate identity; but if we dare to examine it, we find that this identity depends entirely on an endless collection of things to prop it up: our name, our "biography", our partners, family, home, job, friends, credit cards...It is on their fragile and transient support that we rely for our security.  So when they are all taken away, will we have any idea of who we really are?' http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/12 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/12 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Starting today I am going to discuss and illustrate seven foundations for psychological health. You could regard each foundation as an area in which you have to acquire certain skills for coping with the demands of living and for coping with change. What are we trying to achieve? At a general level the objective is to expand your psychological world through building greater flexibility while creating more possibilities for yourself. To achieve this it might involve: building resistance to anxiety and depression; reducing stress; accepting your thoughts, emotions and feelings and being prepared to move on; enhancing your relationships; developing flexibility in your thinking, and working more productively and creatively. Skill One – values. Let us get right into this from the outset. Take a pen and paper and undertake the following assessment in two parts. Step One: Rate on a scale of 1-10 the importance of the following ten valued domains of living, but first take note that not everyone values all of these domains. Some areas may be more important to you than others and some domains or areas of living may be important in different ways and different times at different stages of your life. The 10 areas are: (1) family, other than parenting and intimate relations (2) marriage, partners, couples, intimate relations (3) parenting (4) friendship (5) work (6) education (7) recreation (8) spirituality (9) citizenship and community activities, and (10) physical self-care. Step two: On another page make an estimate, using the same 1-10 rating scale, of how consistently you have lived in accord with those values over the past week. This assessment hopefully puts your whole life back into perspective or helps you to see the ‘big picture’. I often refer to having a helicopter view of your life circumstances as sometimes the experience of stress, anxiety and depression is pervasive and consumes all available energy. Look at the results and ask yourself the following questions: In what areas have I lost the freedom to act?; What are the obstacles to increasing or decreasing your commitment to these domains of your life, and what changes do you wish to make? During this exercise write down any relevant thoughts, memories, emotions, and other aspects of your experience that act as barriers to moving forward in any domain. For example, you may think that your excessive work hours are for your family’s benefit but your quality of life may be compromised. Through identifying your values you are more likely to realise the goals in life that really matter to you. All of this leads to some principles of time management that we will discuss at another time on this web site. The values exercise here asks you to be reflective, to take time out in order to be reflective and not simply be lost in endless activity. David Brazier has noted in his book Zen Therapy ‘When our stock-taking shows that what is revealed by our contact with the environment is in harmony with what we inwardly believe and value, we feel confirmed. When our experience (body) and beliefs (mind) disaffirm one another we feel disturbed’. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/11 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/11 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000 The term mindfulness comes from Eastern religious traditions like Zen Buddhism.  Training in mindfulness skills can have many benefits for people suffering from anxiety and depression. Mindfulness involves bringing one's attention to the internal and external experiences occuring in the present moment, and is often approached through different meditation exercises.  We will discuss mindfulness in more detail as we go however this week you are going to learn a simple, quick and easy breathing exercise.  Practice this exercise during the course of the day taking time out betweeen the things that you are doing: 1. Get comfortable lying or sitting, or you can do this exercise while walking slowly. If you are sitting keep your back straight and relax the shoulders, letting them drop. 2. Close your eyes and focus on breathing and pay attention to the feeling of breathing in and out. 3. Feel your belly rise and expand, and fall, as you breathe in and out respectively - 'Ride the waves of your own breathing'. 4. When your mind wanders simply notice what took away your attention and then gently bring your mind back to your breathing.  Do not get discouraged if your mind wanders.  David Brazier noted in his book 'Zen Therapy', 'Mindfulness of breathing is one of the simplest and most profound forms of meditation and everybody can benefit from it'. The breathing exercise can be accompanied by a simple meditation exercise by Zen Master Nhat Hanh which was noted by David Brazier 'Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment. Breathing out, I know it is a wonderful moment'.  Take longer out-breaths and comfortably rest at the bottom before breathing in again.  Make the exercise soft and flowing and let any intruding thoughts pass 'like waves in the sea' as you return your attention to breathing.  In the next session we will discuss this exercise further. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/10 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/10 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Stress cannot be avoided.  Too many stressors operating for too long creates an overload.  One of the best pieces of advice I have for the stress-laden person is 'simplify your life'.  This can often be the best starting point in helping someone to achieve control .  If you are having trouble go to the Category Psychological skills http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/9 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/9 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Clinical Psychologists are minimally required to do six years of university training including postgraduate work, plus two years of professional supervision to be able to use the specialist title of Clinical Psychologist (minimally eight years full time).  The post-graduate university training, studied in their Masters/Masters Ph.D. programs develop specialist skills in psychological therapies, assessment and research.  During their training program Clinical Psychologists have comprehensively studied the way adults, adolescents and children feel, think, act and interact, and the impact for example, poor family relationships or trauma can have on healthy psychological functioning.  Some Clinical Psychologists also have other qualifications to enhance multidisciplinary expertise, for example, I have a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Australia.  All Clinical Psychologists are legally required to register with the Psychologists Board of Western Australian in the same way medical practitioners must be registered.  This means that they must be competent and follow a strict Code of Conduct and ethics.  The titles of “Counsellor”, “Psychotherapist” and “Hypnotherapist” are not registered titles in Western Australia, therefore the training and experience of therapists using these titles needs to be clarified by the consumer.  The title “Psychologist” indicates someone who has completed four years of university training in Psychology and two years supervision, but has not done the specialist training in Clinical Psychology.  Seeing someone who is registered as a Clinical Psychologist ensures that the person is highly trained and that you will receive high quality and ethical treatment. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/8 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/8 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Commencing Friday September 28, 2007 I will share with you many practical step-by-step ideas to improve your quality of life. I will be concerned with fostering understanding, developing skills and strategies that you can apply in your particular life context. Hopefully through observation, insight and lots of practice you can apply these skills across relationships at home and at work. Gradually your life will become more enjoyable as you experience positive gains in terms of your mood, effectiveness and productivity, psychological health and overall wellbeing. I have identified seven basic skills that are the basic building blocks of psychological health. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/7 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/7 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000 Many of my clients report the following: - Thoughts that revolve and repeat. - Endless thoughts about the past or the future that crowd out everything else. - Intrusive ideas of a disturbing or irrational nature (for example, obsessions). - Depressed mood triggered by negative thoughts. - Thoughts crowding out an ability to concentrate. - Negative thoughts preventing any appreciation of the immediate environment. -Thoughts triggering anger. Starting on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 you can do an online course on mindfulness. Mindfulness can help significantly with these and other problems.  In the first session I will briefly discuss just what mindfulness is with reference to both Eastern religious traditions and psychology.  I will give you a quick and easy mindfulness exercise that is one of the best starting points for the cultivation of the mind.  It is one of the most profound forms of meditation and everyone can benefit from it. http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/6 http://www.richardt.com.au/index.php/blog/posts/6 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +1000 Use any of the following thoughts as a source of reflection.