Tag: therapy

Music a Therapy

Music a word which we all love to listen and we always love to listen music as well. Music relaxes our mind. Music listening to music makes us happy. Today everybody whenever they get little bit of their time they listen to music.

It has become an integral part of our life, we can’t even think of a life without music. We have music for every situation. It is scientifically proven that music has many good effects on our health. It helps us to relax from a busy life, it helps to change your mind when we are not feeling good, it booster moral to do something I.e., motivates us, it helps us to work out by giving us inspiration to do it, it helps to forget our tension etc.

Music has actually become a therapy today. Everyone have airpods, earphones, headphones which they use while working out to listen to music to have an inspiration to do it more fast or properly. We hear music in functions which makes us feel very happy with actually enhance is the party or function.

When we hear energetic music automatically feel like dancing which helps is to feel happy. And in Indian weddings we can’t even think of weddings without music and Nagin Dance too.

Whatever be your mode music is always there to motivate you to do better I just to make you happy and enjoy. It actually and has a thinking ability. So there are so many positive effects of listening music so, you do listen to music but, do take care of your ears too, don’t listen it in very high volume. And listen to positive music.

How Do I Choose Between Medication and Therapy?

In the last couple of weeks, there have been some big announcements from the medical and mental health communities about the wisdom of using drugs over behavioral methods for various disorders. The meds vs. therapy debate has been an active one for a number of years.But these days, some experts and organizations are questioning, more and more, whether popping pills should really be our go-to treatment, based on the literature. And it seems that for some that have historically used meds as the first line of treatment, the evidence for behavioral methods has mounted to the point where recommendations have shifted in their favor. At least for some things.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Whether you’re leaning toward therapy, medication, or a combination, knowing that a reliable pharmacy partner is part of the care network can bring added reassurance. Many people now use online tools to locate a specialty pharmacy near me, ensuring they can quickly connect with professionals who understand their unique health needs. Therapy or medication? In both children and adults, evidence-based psychosocial therapies have been shown to work for a broad range of mental health disorders, as well as for many life problems. The same can be said for the effectiveness of some medications. The information below is intended to help parents/caregivers choose between treatment options for their child or adolescent, and to decide whether therapy and medication should be combined for the most effective treatment.Medications, psychotherapy and their combination have been shown to help people with emotional or behavioral problems. Different kinds of problems, however, will respond differently to various treatments; therefore, choosing the right treatment can be complicated. Your choice of treatment should be based on the best available scientific evidence, as well as your own willingness to try these treatments and to stick with them. Whatever the choice, these discussions should be reviewed with your physician, psychologist or mental health professional. Here are some things to consider:

Best Evidence

  • For depression, two kinds of psychotherapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy, as well as antidepressant medications, have been shown to be helpful. There is some evidence that combining psychotherapy and medications may be more effective than either treatment alone. People who are suicidal may need to be treated in a hospital.
  • For anxiety disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications and anti-anxiety medications have all been shown to be helpful. Research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medications, and that adding medications does not significantly improve outcomes from psychotherapy alone.
  • For alcohol and drug use disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy and environment-based therapies, as well as 12-step support programs, have been shown to be helpful. People with severe substance use problems may also benefit from the addition of certain medications that reduce cravings or intoxication effects.
  • For eating disorders, medical management may be necessary to maintain physical safety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy and antidepressant medications have all been shown to be helpful, and some evidence suggests that combining psychotherapy and medications may be more effective than either treatment alone.
  • For schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, most people will require treatment with antipsychotic or mood-stabilizing medications. Research suggests that adding cognitive-behavioral or family psychotherapy to the treatment can improve functional outcomes.
  • For problems with parenting, marriage or adjustment, psychotherapy is usually the first recommendation. This treatment can help you build skills and respond more appropriately to stressors.

Personalizing Your Treatment

  • Different people respond to treatments differently. Therefore, if one treatment does not help, try adding the other. Research shows that psychotherapy can be helpful even for people who do not respond well to medications.
  • Psychotherapy and medications both require that you stick with the treatment. Results usually do not happen overnight. Therefore, only start a treatment if you are willing to continue it long enough for it to help you.
  • You will be most likely to stick with a treatment if it makes sense to you. Therefore, it’s important that you discuss the treatment thoroughly with your doctor, and that the treatment is explained in a way that you can understand.
  • When in doubt, ask your doctor. He/she can inform you of the best evidence and make a specific recommendation for your condition.

PHOBIA

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically, result in a rapid onset of fear and are present for more than six months. Those affected will go to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the object or situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant distress. Other symptoms can include fainting, which may occur in blood or injury phobia, and panic attacks, which are often found in agoraphobia. Around 75% of those with phobias have multiple phobias.

Phobias can be divided into specific phobias, social phobia, and agoraphobia. Specific phobias include those to certain animals, natural environment situations, blood or injury, and specific situations. The most common are fear of spiders, fear of snakes, and fear of heights. Specific phobias may be caused by a negative experience with the object or situation in early childhood. Social phobia is when a person fears a situation due to worries about others judging them. Agoraphobia is a fear of a situation due to a difficulty or inability to escape. It is recommended that specific phobias be treated with exposure therapy, in which the person is introduced to the situation or object in question until the fear resolves. Medications are not useful for specific phobias. Social phobia and agoraphobia are often treated with some combination of counselling and medication. Medications used include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or beta-blockers. Specific phobias affect about 6–8% of people in the Western world and 2–4% of people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America in a given year. Social phobia affects about 7% of people in the United States and 0.5–2.5% of people in the rest of the world. Agoraphobia affects about 1.7% of people. Women are affected by phobias about twice as often as men. Typically, the onset of a phobia is around the ages of 10–17, and rates are lower with increasing age. Those with phobias are at a higher risk of suicide. There are various methods used to treat phobias. These methods include systematic desensitization, progressive relaxation, virtual reality, modeling, medication and hypnotherapy. The good news is that over the past several decades, psychologists and other researchers have developed some effective behavioral and pharmacological treatments for phobia, as well as technological interventions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be beneficial by allowing the person to challenge dysfunctional thoughts or beliefs by being mindful of their own feelings, with the aim that the person will realize that his or her fear is irrational. CBT may be conducted in a group setting. Gradual desensitization treatment and CBT are often successful, provided the person is willing to endure some discomfort. In one clinical trial, 90% of people were observed to no longer have a phobic reaction after successful CBT treatment. There is evidence that supports that eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is effective in treating some phobias. Its effectiveness in treating complex or trauma-related phobias has not been empirically established yet. Mainly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, EMDR has been demonstrated as effective in easing phobia symptoms following a specific trauma, such as a fear of dogs following a dog bite

Therapy For Anxiety Disorder

[Bhoomika Saini]

In some cases, medications have a role in treating anxiety disorders. But for many, therapy—alone or in combination with medication—is the most effective treatment option. The reason being that therapy, unlike medication, gives you the tools to manage the anxiety yourself, now and in the future.

Different therapeutic techniques have been developed to treat anxiety and have evolved over time from psychoanalytic approaches to the newest cognitive behavioral therapies.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders

About 19% of U.S. adults and 31% of adolescents age 13 to 18 experience anxiety each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

There are several major types of anxiety disorders that can be treated using therapeutic approaches.

  • Panic disorder
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Phobias
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
  • Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Regardless of the specific disorder, the underlying processes that drive them often follow a similar pattern. People with anxiety tend to react to unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and situations in a more extreme way and may try to manage those reactions by avoiding triggers. Unfortunately, this type of avoidance only serves to reinforce fears and worries. Most modern types of therapy address negative thinking and avoidance to help you manage your anxiety.

Types of Therapy for Anxiety

The goal of all therapeutic approaches is to help you understand why you feel the way you feel, what your triggers are, and how you might change your reaction to them. Some types of therapy even teach practical techniques to help reframe your negative thinking and change your behaviors.

Anxiety disorders differ considerably, so therapy is tailored to your specific symptoms and diagnosis. It can be conducted in an individual, family, couple, or group setting. How often you meet with your therapist and for how long will depend on your specific symptoms and diagnosis.

Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals use several types of anxiety therapy. The choice of therapy also depends on your diagnosis and the severity of your symptoms.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely-used therapy for anxiety disorders. Research has found it to be effective in treating SAD, GAD, phobias, and panic disorders, among other conditions.

The premise of CBT is that your thoughts—not your current situation—affect how you feel and subsequently behave. So, the goal of CBT is to identify and understand your negative thinking and ineffective behavior patterns and replace them with more realistic thoughts and effective actions and coping mechanisms.

During this process, your therapist acts like a coach teaching you helpful strategies. For example, you might do a lot of “black-and-white” thinking, where you assume that things are all bad or all good. Instead, you would replace those thoughts with the more realistic perception that there are many shades of grey in between.

It takes practice to use these strategies. Once you start to recognize your anxiety and your triggers, you can learn to apply the coping skills that you learn in CBT to manage fear, panic, and worry.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is one of the most common CBT methods used to treat a variety of anxiety disorders, including specific phobias, SAD, and PTSD. The basic premise behind exposure therapy is that if you’re afraid of something, the best way to conquer it is head-on.

During exposure therapy, your therapist will slowly introduce you to anxiety-producing objects or situations. This is often done using a technique known as “systematic desensitization,” which involves three steps:

  1. Relax: Your therapist will teach you relaxation training to help combat your anxiety. Examples of relaxation training include progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, and guided imagery.
  2. List: Create a list of your anxiety-provoking triggers, ranking them in terms of intensity.
  3. Expose: In this final step, you’ll gradually work your way through your listed anxiety-provoking objects or situations, using the relaxation techniques when necessary.

There are several ways your psychologist may choose to expose you to your anxiety-provoking stimuli. Here are the most common:

  • Imaginal exposure: In this type of exposure, you’ll be instructed to vividly imagine your anxiety-provoking object or situation.
  • In vivo exposure: In this method, you’ll face your anxiety-provoking object or situation in real life. So with this type of exposure, a person with social anxiety might be instructed to give a speech in front of an audience.
  • Virtual reality exposure: In some cases, virtual reality can be used when in vivo exposure isn’t possible. Virtual reality therapy uses technology to combine elements of in vivo and imaginal exposure. This method has proven especially helpful for soldiers and others who live with PTSD.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a highly effective type of CBT. Originally used to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT is now used to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety.

DBT focuses on helping you develop what seems like a “dialectical” (opposite) outlook, acceptance, and change. During DBT treatment, you’ll learn to both accept your anxiety all the while actively working to change it. It’s similar to the notion of loving yourself the way you are, while still trying to change yourself for the better.

DBT treatment teaches four powerful skills:

  • Mindfulness: Connecting with the present moment and notice passing thoughts (like anxiety) without being ruled by them
  • Distress tolerance: Managing your anxiety when faced with a stressful situation
  • Interpersonal effectiveness: Learning how to say no, or ask for what you need
  • Emotion regulation: Managing anxiety before they get out of control

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is another form of therapy that has been shown effective for a variety of anxiety disorders. ACT involves identifying your values in life and then acting in ways that match your values.

Art Therapy

Art therapy is a non-verbal, experience-oriented therapy. It involves either using visual art (such as painting, drawing, sculpting) to express and process emotion or using art to practice mindfulness and relaxation. Although it can be provided as a standalone therapy, it’s commonly used in combination with other treatment methods such as CBT.

Being a newer form of therapy, more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in reducing anxiety symptoms.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

According to this Freudian model, anxiety symptoms reflect unconscious conflicts. The purpose of psychoanalytic therapy is to resolve them. In psychoanalysis, you and your therapist examine your thoughts, fears, and desires to better understand how you view yourself and to reduce your anxiety. This is one of the most intensive forms of treatment; it can take years to identify patterns in your way of thinking.

The terms “psychoanalysis” and “psychodynamic therapy” are often used interchangeably, but psychoanalysis is actually a subset of psychodynamic therapy.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) focuses on social roles and relationships. In IPT, you’ll work with your therapist to identify any interpersonal issues you may have, such as unresolved grief, conflicts with family or friends, changes in work or social roles, and problems relating to others. You’ll then learn healthy ways to express emotions and ways to improve your communication with others.

Although originally developed to treat major depression, IPT may be used if your anxiety relates primarily to your relationships with other people, as is the case with SAD.

What to Expect From Therapy

A common misunderstanding about therapy is that you’ll immediately start to feel better. Sometimes this is the case. But much of the time, you feel worse before you start feeling better. Surprisingly, feeling worse is often a sign of progress. And if you think about it, that makes sense.

When you make the decision to enter into therapy, it’s often because you haven’t been able to work through your anxiety on your own. Therapy involves exploring your anxiety and the reasons behind it in a deeper, more meaningful way. This can cause a temporary spike in your anxiety.

Therapy should never be thought of as a quick fix. It’s a process that’s unique to each individual. The type of therapy you need, the skills, that you learn, and how long you’re in therapy depends entirely on the type of anxiety you have and the severity of your symptoms.

It’s important to understand that though the process won’t always feel good, it will be completely worthwhile in the end.

How to Make the Most of Therapy

Trying to make a change can be a challenge. Being in therapy for anxiety is no exception. However, if you are persistent, you should see improvement.

Here are a few ways to make the most of your therapy—and actually see some results:

  • Don’t pretend to be OK
  • Ask questions
  • Tell your therapist anything and everything
  • Do the work outside your sessions
  • Focus on your goals
  • Practice healthy lifestyle choices
  • Make sure you have a social support system
  • Reduce stress in your life that makes your anxiety worse

In this way, you can see that putting in an effort and being present throughout the therapy process will have the biggest impact on how well it works for you.

The Impact of Music: Can It Help Your Health?

It’s difficult to discover anyone who doesn’t have a special bond to music. Even though you can’t hold a tune or play a musical instrument, you can certainly draw up a list of songs that bring back nice memories and lift your mood. Doctors have traditionally played their favourite tunes in the surgery room to reduce tension, and bringing music to patients has been related to better clinical outcome.

Music has the ability to evoke any feeling imaginable. It can lift us to unfathomable heights, soothe us in our sadness or loneliness, helps us in expressing our anger or irritation in a non-harmful way, gets our bodies going, and provides peace and serenity to our souls. Music has the ability to boost our health and well-being, which adds to its greatness.Music therapy has been more important in many aspects of recovery over the last few decades.

What precisely is music therapy?

Music therapy is a psychological approach that employs music’s inherently mood-lifting characteristics to assist people in improving their mental health and general health. It is a goal-oriented treatment which may include music creation, songwriting, singing, dancing, hearing music and analyzing music. Music therapy affects the body, mind, and soul. It  may divert the mind, slows down the rhythms of the body, and affect our mood, both of which can impact our actions.

This method of therapy may be beneficial for those suffering from anxiety and depression, as well as improving the quality of life for those suffering from physical ailments. Anybody can participate in music therapy; you wouldn’t need knowledge of music to benefit from it. 

Music therapy treatments are planned with the patient’s general wellbeing, communications skills, cognitive capabilities, psychological well-being, and hobbies in mind.

Types of Music Therapy

Music therapy is an evolving process in which patients participate in the creation of music, or a passive one in which patients hear to or respond to music. Certain therapists may employ a hybrid strategy that includes both active as well as passive musical engagement.

There are many recognized techniques in music therapy, such as:

Analytical music therapy: Analytical music therapy enables you to communicate your unconscious ideas through an improvised musical “conversation” such as singing or playing an instrument, which you may then ponder upon and analyse with your therapist.

Benenzon music therapy: This method integrates some psychoanalytic principles with the process of producing music. The quest for your “musical sound identification,” which defines the exterior sound that most closely fits your interior psychological condition, is part of Benenzon music therapy.

Cognitive behavioural music therapy (CBMT): It blends cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with music. Music is utilised in CBMT to encourage certain behaviours and alter others. This method is planned rather than improvised, and it may involve having to listen to music performing, singing, or playing a musical instrument.

Community music therapy: This style focuses on utilising music to support transformation on a group level. It is carried out in a group environment and necessitates a great degree of participation from each participant.

Vocal psychotherapy: In this approach, you engage with your thoughts and desires by using numerous vocal exercises, natural sounds, and breathing techniques. This exercise is intended to help you get in touch with yourself more deeply.

The Advantages of Music Therapy

Because music therapy can be extensively customised, it is appropriate for people of all ages—even very young toddlers can gain from it. It is also adaptable and beneficial to persons with varying degrees of musical expertise as well as varied mental or physical health issues.

Music therapy can stimulate brain areas that regulate memories, feelings, mobility, sensory relay, some autonomic activities, decision-making, and rewards. It can help children and young people with developmental and/or learning impairments enhance their motor skills and improve their communication.

Overall, music therapy has been shown to promote good emotions such as relaxation, happiness, emotional closeness, optimism, and confidence.

Mental Health- still a taboo?

Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you, doesn’t mean you can, should or need to do it alone.

Lisa Olivero

Have you ever felt the stark desire to inevitably scream in a room full of people, hoping they just care enough to notice the signs you have been leaving regarding your deteriorating mental state and how desperately you need help? But instead, you just accept your solitude in an empty chair and try to repress your bottled-up emotions deep within the realms of your consciousness.

A lot of us might have gone through the same situation at a certain point in our lives. The primary reason behind this subconscious aversion to the expression of thoughts is the mere fact that humans have been conditioned to do so throughout their lives. Men are typically the most vulnerable victims of this detrimental mindset. From an early age, they are frequently instructed to not cry like a girl. According to a survey, a significant percentage of men in the nation are currently depressed, and they themselves admitted that they lack a support system.

Mental health is still a deeply rooted stigma that people aren’t ready to accept. In order to understand the concept one needs to broaden the perspective of understanding humans and follow certain ways like-

  1. Instead of asking,”How are you?” ask,” How are you, really?”
  2. Look for obvious signs in a person- whether they feeling low from abnormal no. of days.
  3. Asking your closed ones to describe their day in detail and be a good listener.
  4. Do not mistreat someone who is already going through some sort of trauma.
  5. Treat people with kindness, you never know what someone is going through.

Additionally, in India, therapists continue to be overlooked as a useful resource for treating a person’s mental health. A person is called a “lunatic” if they see a therapist. In light of the increased public awareness during the pandemic’s lockdown time, these issues are being explored on social media, and many people now see psychology as a crucial component of the educational system. People have now started considering mental health as being equally essential as physical health as because of an alarming spike in suicide incidents during this period.
Still, awareness needs to be assured at ground level and there is still a long way to go to see the day when all of us are not reluctant to lend a helping hand to our fellow humans.

A fundamental aspect of any society should be understanding, accepting, and embracing each and every emotion one feels which makes them human.