Four Unlikely Kinds Of Trauma

Here at the office of Joe Langheim, we deal with a lot of different kinds of patient problems. Trauma comes in many forms, and wears many faces. We have various modalities to help deal with trauma in a patient's life, but diagnosis is a critical step.

Here are some of the places where you might not expect trauma to come from. These situations, though, can be sources of personal trauma that go unnoticed for a long time.

Single Accidents

In the heat of the moment, people don't always work through their feelings when they are involved in an accident. That's true whether it's a car accident on the road, a boating accident in the water, or some other kind of traumatic happening.

Too often, they deal with the physical damage and then go on down the road. As the event recedes in their history and memory, they feel that everything is resolved, but they’ve never really worked through their feelings. Later they recognize that there is a great trauma there that was never attended to in the first place.

Interpersonal Relationships

Here, we’re not talking about clearly abusive relationships or harmful toxic people who wear this toxicity on their sleeve like a badge.

We’re talking about much more subtle interpersonal relationships where small traumas and aggressions manifest over time in ways that nobody really recognizes until much later.

Struggling with Regret

Sometimes the feelings that manifest or don't manifest are ones of regret, or wanting to have gone down a different road. Again, sometimes these don't surface for many years, but come up due to a variety of triggers or life changes or simply changes in brain chemistry itself.

Financial Pressure

This is a big one that we find a lot of patients struggling with, and like some of these other kinds of trauma, nobody ever really imagines that it happens to anyone else.

It's easy to see financial pressure solely as an economic and social thing, but it's a psychological factor as well. Anyone who has ever lived in poverty knows this intuitively. Others tend to forget!

What about when you have to treat chronic or abiding trauma?

Well, that's where we have various modalities including Reiki and various kinds of therapy that address the traumatic incidents and patterns that have evolved in your life. Sometimes people talk about a gradual buildup that they need some type of release from. Others are bringing very direct and evident symptoms to the table that they need to work with.

In all that, we promote a warm and welcoming ethos, and an inclusive and positive atmosphere for our patients. That's the basis and the groundwork for good therapy to work through the trauma that you've experienced as a person. Come to Joe Langheim for help. 

The Impact of Past Trauma on Current Relationships

Many people experience trauma before reaching age 18. It has been discovered that your early family environment can significantly impact your adult relationships. In fact, the trauma you experience during your childhood can form your adult attachment style. 

As a child, you look to your parents and other adults (relatives, family friends, teachers, etc.) to form your ideas about the world. Children want to know if they can trust other people, if the world is safe, and if their loved ones will be available in their time of need. The information they gather from the adults in their lives helps them create lasting impressions and ideas about trust, friendship, and love. 

Experiences in childhood can cause a person to develop specific attachment styles that often surface and intensify in adulthood. A person's attachment style reflects how warm and close they will be in a relationship. Also, a person's attachment style can impact how they communicate with others and how they handle separation, intimacy, and disagreements. 

As a person grows into adulthood, it's possible to change maladaptive attachment styles via counseling, personal insight, and support. Putting time into improving relationships will help improve other conditions, too, like depression, PTSD, and anxiety. 

Understanding Common Attachment Styles Resulting from Past Trauma 

The most common types of attachment styles adults experience due to past or childhood trauma are highlighted here. 

Dismissive-Avoidant Attachment 

Those with this type of attachment, which is also called "insecure-avoidant," may have experienced rejection or neglect during their childhood from caregivers. These people often avoid getting close to one another and are typically extremely independent – often to extreme levels. They may also be more likely to keep secrets or to fear threats related to the perceived independence they have established for themselves. 

Fearful-Avoidant Attachment

Adults with this attachment style usually experience neglect, chaos, or abuse during childhood. It also occurs if a person's caregivers are the source of pain. The attachment style often makes it challenging for these adults to be alone and fear intimacy and closeness. They may have difficulty trusting other people and alternate from the extremes of avoidance to high levels of closeness. 

Anxious-Preoccupied Attachment

Children who are in a constant state of change and have inconsistent parents or caregivers often develop this attachment style. They often alternate between the extremes of distant coldness and extreme attentiveness. In adulthood, these individuals are often hypersensitive to changes in their partners and are clingy or needy in relationships. They usually have a lot of anxiety about their relationship, regardless of how good it is. The anxiety often drives loved ones away, which creates the abandonment they feared would happen. 

Overcoming Attachment Styles That May Negatively Impact Relationships 

The attachment styles listed here are a few examples of those that can have a negative impact on a person's relationships now and in the future. Working with a professional to overcome the traits that may make it impossible to have a meaningful relationship with someone is important. This will help you be a happier and healthier person.

PTSD Can impact Ways Your Relationship

Your relationship may be negatively impacted if you have a partner or family member with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). You may feel your partner is unpredictable due to their constant feelings of being on edge due to trauma. To have a healthy relationship, you must discuss your feelings with your partner to ensure you both have open communication. However, recognizing how PTSD affects your partner's behavior can help you improve your relationship. 

PTSD can affect your partner's mental health, emotions, behavior, and physical health in ways that change throughout their journey. 

Managing the effects of PTSD reaches beyond merely the person who has been diagnosed, and how the diagnosis affects explicitly, your partner will depend on many risk factors. Today we will look at some of the most common ways PTSD can affect your relationship with your partner to help you better navigate your relationship together.

Change, Disappointment, & Loss

Partners of trauma survivors often experience disappointment, primarily if the trauma occurs during their relationship. You may feel your partner has changed due to the trauma and grieve the loss of the person you think they were before the event. You may even experience resentment towards your partner due to prolonged unresolved disappointment, which leads to a negative spiral in your relationship. 

Communication Difficulties

Trauma affects the brain's Broca area, which is responsible for putting feelings into words. When the trauma occurred, the brain did a lot all at once to protect itself at the moment. After the traumatic event, your partner may be unable to communicate their feelings with you or, at times, become triggered and feel unsafe. You may see this symptom as a form of distrust or a sign that your partner is uninterested in your relationship. 

Withdrawal & Detachment

A trauma survivor may detach and withdraw from the people they love. The brain can often feel disconnected from the body due to processing trauma. People with PTSD may feel embarrassed that they cannot cope with their trauma, resulting in feelings of shame leading to withdrawal. 

Sex & Intimacy

Intense emotions, whether fear or intimacy, affect the same regions of your brain. Your brain cannot differentiate between the experience of intensity and positive or negative emotion. For a trauma survivor, the intensity of sexual arousal can be so closely paired with the traumatic event that the brain shuts down, abruptly disrupting the moment. 

Trust

A trauma survivor's sense of self will often be shattered due to the experience of the traumatic event. While your partner may crave trust and safety in your relationship, fear of abandonment may make trust difficult. Relationships are built on trust and emotional vulnerability, which people with PTSD may struggle to regain. 

There Is Hope

If your partner or loved one has PTSD, a trauma therapist can help you gain the tools necessary to navigate your relationship successfully.

Signs That You Are Dealing With Unresolved Trauma

An overwhelming number of people have a hard time controlling negative thoughts. These thoughts can make it difficult for a person to enjoy their life and the people in it. Getting to the root cause of your propensity to think negatively is the only way to overcome this problem. The longer you allow this problem to persist, the harder it will be to maintain good mental health.

Over 21 percent of adults in the United States currently struggle with mental health issues. The only way to overcome mental health problems is by confronting past trauma. When confronted with traumatic situations, some people will bury their feelings and act like everything is fine.

Eventually, these repressed feelings will start to surface in a number of ways. Below are some signs you will notice if you have unresolved trauma.

Unresolved Trauma Can Cause Concentration Issues

Most people fail to realize that unresolved trauma can do significant damage to their psyche. The inability to concentrate is a common psychological effect of unresolved trauma. An overwhelming number of people that have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also have issues involving memory and concentration. Some medical professionals view unresolved trauma as faulty wiring in the brain.

If you are unable to focus on things for more than a few minutes at a time, this could be your mind calling out for help. With the help of Joe Langheim Counseling, you can work through past trauma and get your life back on track.

You Have Low Self-Esteem

Individuals who have experienced past emotional trauma have a few defining characteristics. Low self-esteem is perhaps the most common sign of unresolved trauma. Feelings of abandonment, early mental abuse and neglect generally lead to a person feeling unworthy of love, happiness or friendship. If you find it hard to value yourself and look on the bright side in certain situations, it is imperative that you figure out why.

Talking about past trauma is the first step in getting it resolved and putting it behind you. During your counseling sessions, you will receive advice on how to deal with your self-esteem issues. By taking it one day at a time, you can start to see real changes in how you view life and your worth as a person.

The Desire To Plan Everything

A need to maintain control over every situation is also an indicator that there is some unresolved past trauma. If a person goes through a traumatic experience that makes them feel vulnerable and helpless, they do all they can to never feel like that again. This will usually lead to the development of micromanaging tendencies.

The desire to plan everything not only puts undue stress on you, it can also alienate the people around you. If you are tired of being mentally exhausted because of your need to plan everything out in detail, it is time to seek out the help of a mental health professional.

Do you feel like unresolved trauma is wrecking your life? If so, Joe Langheim Counseling is here to help.

How Untreated Trauma Can Negatively Impact Your Life

According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is a person’s emotional response to a very negative event. These events include things like experiencing a natural disaster, being involved in a horrible accident or being sexually assaulted. Once a person has gone through a traumatic event, they will need to figure out how to deal with the fallout from this experience.

One of the worst things you can do after experiencing a traumatic event is bury your feelings. Attempting to move on like nothing has happened is a bad decision that can come back to haunt you. Read below to find out how untreated trauma can negatively impact your life.

The Physical Problems Caused By Untreated Trauma

Did you realize that multiple studies have shown a correlation between untreated trauma and chronic health conditions? The biggest misconception that most people have is that trauma can only affect their mental health. In reality, untreated trauma can affect nearly every part of your mind and body.

Some of the most common physical symptoms that can be attributed to untreated trauma are:

·       Severe headaches

·       Rapid heartbeat and chest pains

·       Frequent infections and colds

·       Difficult swallowing

·       Dry mouth

·       Grinding teeth

·       Low energy levels

·       Stomach problems

If you are currently dealing with these problems and have untreated trauma in your past, it is time to do something about it. With the help of Joe Langheim Counseling, you can learn how to deal with past trauma in a healthy way.

Untreated Trauma Causes Emotional Instability

People with untreated trauma typically develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. Using the wrong methods to deal with trauma can result in severe emotional problems. These emotional issues might push the people you love away and can make living a happy and productive life very difficult.

The emotional problems caused by untreated trauma include:

·       Easily frustrated and agitated

·       A desire to avoid social interaction

·       Difficulty quieting your mind or finding calm

·       Constantly feeling overwhelmed

The only way to put these emotional problems behind you is by working with a mental health professional.

Untreated Trauma Can Lead To Behavioral Changes

Another bi-product of untreated trauma is behavioral issues. Most of the behavioral problems trauma victims have developed because of their desire to manage the intensity of a traumatic event. These behavioral problems can make it difficult for a person to maintain healthy relationships. This is why confronting the trauma causing these behavioral problems is so important.

People with untreated trauma have common behavioral problems like:

·       Nervous behaviors (i.e., pacing, nail-biting and fidgeting)

·       Bad eating habits

·       Increased use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs

·       A desire to procrastinate

Allowing these bad habits to go unchecked can create lots of problems. Many drug addicts and alcoholics have untreated trauma. Rather than waiting until you hit rock bottom to do something about your untreated trauma, it is time to seek out the help of mental health professionals.

If you are dealing with one or more of the problems mentioned in this article, Joe Langheim Counseling is here to help.

How to Stop Negative Thoughts and Manage Emotional Trauma

Trauma is a shock or disturbing experience that has the potential to affect your body, mind, and soul. A stressful event in your life can make you traumatized and feel as if your life is out of control. Some common events that can cause emotional trauma may include job loss, death of a loved one, miscarriage, financial issues, or even the death of your pet. 

 Emotional trauma causes you to have difficulty trusting friends and family members. You could also feel disconnected, numb, and have all types of negative feelings. If left untreated, emotional trauma can lead to destructive behaviors such as uncontrollable thoughts, drug and alcohol overuse, binge eating, self-injury, and suicide attempts. Emotional trauma may also cause you to engage in compulsive activities such as shopping, gambling, and other problems. 

 Try these tips to improve your trauma:

 Accept the pain you're feeling and be willing to heal from your trauma.

 Accept support from loved ones.

 Avoid situations that may trigger you and slow down your healing process.

 Engage in daily yoga and other forms of physical activities that release endorphins from your body. Endorphins are a group of hormones or chemical compounds that are naturally secreted in the brain and nervous system and responsible for several physiological reactions. Endorphins (feel-good chemicals) help to increase feelings of pleasure and may also reduce pain and discomfort. 

 Apply these tips if you're having trouble with negative thinking: 

Don't try to fight your negative thoughts. Be willing to accept your negative thoughts or feelings. In most cases, your negative thoughts are a natural and temporary response to a situation that you were involved in.

 Always maintain a social circle. Socializing with good people fills you with positivity and has a good effect on your behavior. 

 Keep a gratitude journal. Always write about things that you're grateful for every day to stay optimistic.

 How often do you dwell on your weakness? Focus on your strengths while paying less attention to mistakes you've made in the past. 

 Get Professional Therapy to Help Control Your Emotional Trauma

 Millions of people are suffering from some type of emotional trauma and need to follow the right steps to overcome their issues.

 Bear in mind that there are no magical techniques to help you instantly heal from trauma. Recovery from trauma requires you to have time and patience. By applying these techniques daily, it will be easier for you to move closer to healing and on with your life.

 You also have the advantage to get therapy sessions from an experienced professional that is dedicated to your wellbeing. If you want to overcome a traumatic event, you can learn about the best treatment options from a licensed professional counselor that you can trust.

Some Thoughts On Mind And Body Work

When you're in the business of caring for people like we are, it's helpful to think about some of the ways that the mind and the body connect.

These are absolutely useful in a professional context, and also eliminate some of the intuitive ways that we think about how we live.

Mind Over Matter

It's over simplistic to say that you can mentally control your body, but there are certain types of guidance that can help you to reorder your responses and deal with past trauma or bad memories.

In fact, some of that is covered in the modern science that exists around different types of therapy modalities. People are finding that we have ways to heal the mind, some of which are connected to actual neuroscience.

The Body Response

We see, as well, that a lot of the results of PTSD or chronic stress are manifested in the body.

The body gets used to responding a certain way, and may respond that way frequently, in ways that are unhelpful to a person's progress! Sometimes those habitual responses are a flood of adrenal energy where it’s not needed and may manifest as panic or some other disorder. 

Then we use certain kinds of guiding treatment to change or correct that sort of process.

Real Care

One of the big misconceptions about some of these modalities is that they are just forms of meditation, or principles that are mostly academic.

In fact, a lot of these things, like Reiki for example, are made to work on the mind and the body in very specific and deliberate ways.

You can talk about replacing old habits with new ones, or how to re-contour your mental network. What you're often talking about is a process of channeling your energies correctly, and approaching new experiences and challenges with new types of responses that don't involve the “inflammation,” if you will, of traditional response.

What do we mean by this? When you have a situation where you respond to something in a negative way, your body may be trained to do that. So you look at how to start to slowly course correct and build new responses into your mental network as a whole.

Read more on the website about Joe Langheim’s office and how we help. By having a system of evaluation and diagnosis, and expertise in treatment, we can help you to build a plan, to change your life for the better. After all, that’s what it’s all about. 

4 Powerful Ways to Help Children Deal With Trauma

One of the toughest jobs that you may have to deal with as a parent is helping your child deal with trauma. If the trauma is left unaddressed, your child may develop intense feelings of guilt, shame, insecurities, difficulties at school, alcohol addiction, and other types of destructive behavioral issues down the road. 

The best thing you can do is to use the best techniques to help your child recover from the traumatic event. Let’s explore a few steps that you should consider to help your child deal with this situation.

Don’t be Forceful

Are you pressuring your child too much? Never force your child to talk about their traumatic event. This can rehash too many bad or hurtful memories, which could be unbearable for your child. You may have a strong desire to know all the details involved with the trauma. However, you need to keep in mind that your child will not be ready to discuss everything with you. Therefore, you should be more patient and wait for your child to open up to you at the right time.

Show Love and Support

Always show love and support whenever your child is upset. You can show your love by hugging, smiling, and using loving, reassuring words to make your child feel better. Showing how much you care makes it easier for your child to stay connected with you and keep trusting you. Your ongoing support is an effective way to make your child feel safer after a traumatic event.

Hang Out Together

Try to schedule quality time with your child, even if you have a busy schedule. When you’re with your child you can play games, read books, play music, take a walk, and engage in other fun activities that your child enjoys. 

It is known that spending quality time with children helps to keep them mentally and emotionally stronger. This also helps them to feel more relaxed, build their self-esteem, build positive behaviors, improve communication, and strengthen their family bond. 

Seek Professional Assistance

Getting help from a professional trauma therapist is a helpful way for your child to deal with a traumatic event. A trauma therapist has the best knowledge and training to help clients overcome their traumas. You should consider connecting with a trauma therapist who can help your child address a trauma that occurred and gain a positive outcome from regular therapy sessions.

Help Children Recover in a Healthy Way With Therapy

You can help your child take the important step to overcome a traumatic event. Getting professional help makes it so much easier for your child to cope with a situation, heal, and move forward in life.

How Trauma May Impact Your Body

Trauma is more common than many people realize. While this is true, many people aren’t aware of how trauma impacts the body. Instead, you continue operating while reacting to your emotions. 

In some situations, the physical reaction to trauma occurs without conscious awareness of what is driving your behavior. One of the most confusing aspects of trauma is trauma reactions. These are responses that occur without warning and that are commonly ignored. 

After trauma, some react to what is going on inside of them. It is done without realizing that the response isn’t about what is happening now. Instead, you relive an experience that seems to be happening now. 

Trauma Reactions Occur When They are Least Expected 

In a traumatic experience, which is defined as an event that overtakes the nervous system, your brain and body will move into survival mode. At this point, your threat response system will be activated. The reaction does not happen in your conscious awareness. Your thinking brain is not part of the reaction or decision of how to react. 

This means that there is no reasoning considered when deciding how to get out of a situation. Instead, the brain will activate one of four different threat responses to help you get away, reduce potential harm, or fight back. 

In these situations, it is virtually impossible to access the logical brain. That’s a clear sign a trauma reaction has begun. 

Reasons for Trauma Responses

Trauma response is a type of automatic reaction. The goal is to help you survive during a perceived life-threatening experience. 

Four defenses can occur automatically during traumatic experiences. These include submit, fight, freeze, or flight. While most people are aware of fight and flight, the other two – submit or freeze – aren’t as well known. 

• Fight: A threat is detected that activates your fight instinct. It can show as protesting, physical pulling or pushing, kicking, hitting, or not moving. It may also show as arguing, defiance, rage, or anger. 

• Flight: The body is mobilized to quickly run or remove you from a dangerous situation. 

• Freeze: Inside, you are filled with adrenaline and energy; however, you cannot act. You may appear paralyzed, stuck, or extremely still. 

• Submit: This is an adaptive trauma response. This occurs when you engage with the person putting you in danger to help show them they aren’t a threat or to discourage them to cause harm. 

Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Your Body

Trauma can affect the body in many ways. If you have experienced trauma and don’t fully understand these responses, then trauma therapy may be beneficial. With this, you can better understand yourself and why certain actions occur. While trauma responses are normal after trauma, they can also be problematic for some people. Learning to recognize and deal with these responses will help you deal with them in a positive manner and help you take control of your life back, which is important for any trauma survivor. 

What You Should Know About Trauma Bonding

Many people can identify with some aspects of trauma bonding, even if they are not aware of the term. We have all had a friend who stays in a toxic relationship or even experienced a co-dependency with an abusive ex-partner ourselves. These negative bonds between people can easily be misconstrued as true love worth fighting for at all costs. After all, we’ve all grown up hearing fairytales entrenched in hardship.

What Trauma Bonding Means

Such toxic and unhealthy relationships may seem normal to those in them, while the relationship appears incomprehensible to outsiders. These toxic relationships may be a type of “trauma bonding.” Trauma bonding is when a person connects with another person to fix something inside of them that is unresolved. 

These issues may be unmet expectations, unresolved hurt, a neglected childhood, or any other situation that had a profoundly negative impact. Essentially, a person operates in the current relationship while letting past experiences determine actions. 

Negative Experience Trauma Bonding

Trauma bonding can also happen due to experiencing extreme situations and feelings with another person. Just as happy and loving times bond people together, extremely negative experiences can also bond people in an unhealthy way. Trauma bonding can occur in various types of relationships, not only in romantic relationships or partnerships. 

Examples of this type of trauma bonding can be a relationship between an abuser and their victim, a child and an abusive caregiver, the leader, and cult members. 

How Trauma Bonding Can Affect A Relationship

If someone is experiencing trauma bonding due to unresolved negative experiences, their relationship will be affected in many ways. A person may project their emotions such as anger, insecurity, or fear on their partner or others. Such projections often lead to blame games and frequent shutdowns as the unhealthy bond leaves little room for reasoning and acceptance. 

Breaking Free From Trauma Bonding

To break free from the cycle of trauma bonding, one must internalize that their past baggage doesn’t have to negatively impact their present and future relationships. Through the professional guidance of a trauma therapist and self-work, a person can decrease their emotional dependency on their past negative experiences and learn to approach relationships more healthily. 

Experiencing trauma changes people in many ways. If you feel your past trauma is negatively impacting your life, a professional trauma therapist can help you finally break free from the effects of your experiences. 

Benefits of Breathwork

Lots of therapy offices talk about breathwork, but not all of them go over the specific benefits of this type of methodology and care.

At Joe Langheim Consulting – Trauma Therapist, we specialize in helping our clients develop breathwork strategies to improve holistic health.

Stress and Anxiety

If you've read anything about breathwork, you've probably seen how it helps with stress and anxiety. People tend to trap their breath when experiencing certain levels of stress or spells of anxiety and breathwork helps to reopen those body pathways.

So people who have received a diagnosis, or those who are simply feeling overwhelmed, can use breathwork for these kinds of purposes. Our professional approach helps guide you to a more optimized result.

Vascular and Pulmonary Benefits

Another way to look at this is in a physical context. Good breathwork can introduce more oxygen, which can increase pulmonary capacity over time. It can also improve circulation and help the vascular system.

In other words, this is one part of therapy that shows very clearly how mind and body are connected and related to one another. As we point out: ”breathwork is a holistic modality meaning it works on a body, mind, and soul level.”

Feelings and Energy

For many people who haven't thought deeply about this type of therapy, there is the idea that feelings and emotions are not tethered to physical body responses or physical health.

We feel that this is not the case, and that these two things are inherently connected. In other words, feelings are their own kind of energy, as we explain to clients in going over how many professionals approach things like breathwork and reiki. 

So with that in mind, breathwork has certain benefits in redirecting the body's energy to ways that enhance holistic health. Whether you think about that in terms of biological responses to emotional triggers, or something more abstract and fundamental, the reality is that many people have benefitted from exploring this area of their cognitive life. 

Read about this and much more on the website. And think about taking advantage of our professional services to improve your well-being and outlook on life. In office consultation, we can tell you more about the amazing benefits of breath work in other types of therapy modalities. With regard for each individual person, we take time to hear your story and apply the therapies that make the most sense.

When you want a welcoming and caring environment, work with the therapists of Joe Langheim to provide solutions for the life ahead of you!

How Can You Control Your Anxiety and Panic Attacks?

People around the world suffer daily from anxiety and panic attacks. These attacks can occur at any moment. You may also have difficulty controlling your condition. A panic or anxiety attack may include racing heartbeat, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, and an overwhelming fear of losing control. You could be at the point in your life where your anxiety and panic attacks are affecting a significant part of your life. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to keep battling these terrible issues on your own. In this article, we will explore simple steps that you can utilize to take advantage of your mental health.

Focus On a Happy Place

Try to focus on a happy place whenever you’re having an anxiety or panic attack. Simply close your eyes, concentrating on wonderful experiences that you cherish. Some of these memories may include a day at the beach, spending time with your family, or traveling to a fun place. A focus on happy memories in your life can help you to feel more relaxed and peaceful.

Regular Exercise

Regular exercise may help to reduce the frequency and severity of your attacks. The incorporation of exercise in your daily life may help to decrease tension and to keep your body and mind relaxed.

Get Professional Help

Consider getting professional help if you have difficulty controlling your emotions. If you’re unable to control a panic attack at your workplace, social function, and other places, professional support could be the best option for you. You can schedule quiet therapy sessions to receive possible natural treatments for your condition.

Be Realistic

Don’t try to rush the process of improving your condition. It is common for you to feel that you’re not at the place where you want to be in your life. Keep in mind that it may take longer for you to recover from your specific condition. Take things one day at a time by being patient and realistic with your recovery.

Take Control of Your Life Today

Detrimental things that you’ve experienced in your life can cause you to develop anxiety or panic attacks. The frequency of these attacks may have a profound effect on your life.

Make a New Years’ resolution to use different options to improve your mental health and maintain a positive life. 

If you have the will to take control of your life, you can start the process by reaching out to a qualified professional. You can rely on a licensed mental health counselor, certified trauma therapist, and Reiki Master that specializes in techniques to help you alleviate your issues.

The Body’s Physical Absorption Of Trauma

By now, chances are you have experienced the phenomenon of a flight or fight response. Our brains send survival signals to our bodies in moments of fear and danger, which is a primal instinct. Interestingly, trauma-related response to perceived fear or threat is not necessarily the same primal instinct as is flight or flight.

While we hear about the fight or flight response a lot, how our bodies absorb trauma is a lesser-talked about reality.  

Our Bodies Reaction To Trauma

Most of us are aware that our brains are responsible for storing our memories, but not all of us know that our bodies also hold tight to those experiences. When it comes to experiencing a traumatic occurrence that our minds perceive as too painful or too stressful to cope with, our bodies go into defense mode as a way to seek safety. 

This happens as our brain’s ability to process the trauma shuts down, leaving our nervous system overwhelmed. Unable to encode the trauma properly due to its experience, our brains fail to process it successfully. In certain traumatic situations where this happens, sensory fragments can trip up the survivor’s fight, flight, or freeze responses throughout their lives. If our bodies have absorbed trauma in this way, even the most minor of situations can cause our nervous systems to run amock. 

Our Bodies Remember Trauma

We all experience traumatic events at some point in our lives. While we may move through some of these experiences without residue, others continue to cause reactions long after the trauma is ended. Some of us may have difficulty remembering the specific details of traumatic events, while others recall their entire experience. 

The same can be true for finding yourself reacting to particular situations or people much more rashly than you can explain, whereas the brain may have blocked bad memories as a defense mechanism. What is crucial to note is that our bodies remember. 

Processing Unprocessed Trauma

Just because trauma goes unprocessed by the brain doesn’t mean it has no place to go. Our brains may disconnect temporarily from a traumatic situation, but our mental health is negatively affected by lingering issues that threaten our mental and physical health over time. 

Trauma survivors experience a perpetual cycle of heightened fear and adrenaline, which weaken the immune system, leading to potential health issues. Finding paths to healing both the mind and the body after trauma is vital to recovery. If you have been storing trauma in your body, finding ways of releasing it will help you retrain your brain to process the trauma differently. 

Our brains and our bodies are capable of learning new ways of coping with trauma. 

Therapists who specialize in trauma recovery and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can guide you to a healthier mental and physical state of being. 

Common Ways Anxiety Can Hold a Person Back from Realizing Their Potential

Some people put so much focus on their physical well-being that they ignore the benefits of being mentally fit. In the past year, the mental health of the entire world has been put to the test due to the stress related to the global pandemic. Before the pandemic, nearly 40 million Americans dealt with anxiety disorders. Anxiety is something that can affect a person’s happiness and ability to enjoy life. 

The worst thing a person dealing with anxiety can do is ignore the need for help. Being able to talk about your anxiety triggers and making a plan for dealing with them is crucial. This is why working with Joe Langheim Counseling is so important. 

Without the help that therapy provides, you run the risk of letting anxiety hold you back. Below are some ways that anxiety can hold you back from realizing your full potential. 

Missed Opportunities Can Lead To Long-Term Regret

One of the main components of most success stories is people taking advantage of unique opportunities that were offered to them. In most cases, these opportunities will require a person to take a leap of faith. If you are struggling with anxiety, you will constantly feel afraid of the unknown. Having this attitude is not conducive to getting outside of your comfort zone and reaping the rewards this may provide. 

People with anxiety often remain in their employment safe spot and never seek out promotions or new opportunities with other companies in their industries. Rather than allowing life to pass you by, it is time to get a handle on your anxiety with the help of therapy. 

Fighting Through Uncontrollable Fear 

Severe anxiety disorders can make a person not want to leave their home. Living with the uncontrollable fear that comes with anxiety disorders can be extremely difficult. If you fail to seek out help with overcoming your anxiety, you run the risk of missing out on relationships and financial gains. 

Being afraid of getting outside of your comfort zone can leave you feeling cut-off emotionally. This can induce severe bouts of depression. If you are tired of letting your anxiety prevent you from living your life, then it is time to seek out professional help. 

Anxiety Can Affect Your Work Performance

The average worker has to deal with deadlines frequently. While these deadlines seem like no big deal to most people, they can be overwhelming for a person that deals with anxiety. If a person with an anxiety disorder starts to feel overwhelmed by an upcoming deadline, they may shut down. This shutdown affects a person’s ability to get their work done, which can lead to them getting fired. 

The only way to get your mental health back on track is by finding solutions for your anxiety. The process of finding these solutions starts by scheduling a therapy session immediately. 

If you feel like one or more of these problems applies to your current situation, take action now and let Joe Langheim Counseling help you.

The Top Benefits of Reiki Healing for Mental Health and Well-Being

Reiki is an old healing technique that’s been used for several centuries. It has been reported to provide significant results by using energy transfer, positive mindsets, and gentle touch.

If you are interested in Reiki for mental and emotional health and well-being, you will find it offers several benefits. Keep reading to learn what these are.

Promote Balance and Harmony

Reiki is a type of non-evasive treatment that provides ample benefits. It is very effective in helping achieve overall wellness. By way of energy transfer, you will achieve balance across all systems of your body, spirit, and mind. This creates a sense of harmony and helps you focus and live a more positive lifestyle.

Relaxes and Releases Stresses and Tensions from Your Body

Another factor that many people love about Reiki is that it helps you just “be.” This offers a few minutes of nothing but pure relaxation. As the receiver, you can release tension and clear your head, which is why it is so beneficial when healing from trauma. Those who have been through traumatic experiences often don’t have the opportunity to let go of the feelings it creates, even for just a few minutes.

The energy transfer that occurs during a Reiki session makes you feel relaxed, lighter, and peaceful. This also allows you to reach out to your inner self and reflect on your life.

Break Down Energy Blocks and Balance Your Spirit, Body, and Mind

With regular Reiki treatments, you can enjoy the ongoing flow of unblocked energy through your entire body. While this may sound unusual, when this happens, it helps you de-stress while enhancing your memory and learning and promoting mental clarity. It can also reduce pain and encourage physical healing of the body.

If energy passageways in your body are blocked, it means positive energy can’t move to some parts of your body. This can result in pain, anger, fear, mood swings, and so much more. With ongoing Reiki treatments, these passages remain unblocked.

Cleanse the Body of Toxins

Modern Reiki techniques, which have been built off the ancient practices, can be used to help your body go back into the “self-healing” or “repair” state of digest and rest. When this state is triggered in your body, it means you can self-cleanse and eliminate unneeded or negative energies. It also helps protect the body from immune system failure, exhaustion, and burnout.

Improve Focus and Clear the Mind

When you truly invest in a Reiki session, it will help reset your mind and help you remember to live in the present moment. The positive transfer of energy lets the mind refocus on what is going on now, let go of past mistakes, and avoid focusing in on future-related anxiety. This will help you accept where your life is now while promoting positive reactions to people and things that happen.

If you want to heal, it may be time to consider using Reiki. It offers all the benefits mentioned here and more.

Healing Your Trauma

The idea of trauma is relative because what is traumatic to me may not seem traumatic to you. It does not mean that one needs less care and attention than the other. Traumas are also not always easily identifiable as they may manifest in different ways much later in life. The one thing we can be sure of is that no trauma is trivial.

More often than not, people think that being stoic when faced with trauma or pushing it to the farthest reaches of the mind helps. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. It will rear its ugly head sometime or another when you least expect it.

Triggers That Bring Up Past Trauma

Anything can trigger the memory that brings back the old trauma to mind, such as a completely unrelated incident, harsh words from a loved one, and witnessing another's traumatic experience. 

A certain traumatic incident may also establish a pattern of behavior that follows you through life.

Seek Professional Counsel

While you may only seek counsel when something triggers certain reactions from you and you are trying to understand why, it may be better to acknowledge that your emotions are too close to the surface, and you tend to express them in ways that are not common. It is also better to understand the need for a community that is supportive and empathetic.

We can't live in isolation, even if we have learned to live under the COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Open up and talk about it without fear and you will find that everyone you know is facing some challenge or another.

Help Is Available

Professional counselors and therapists are available for in-person and online sessions. Just reaching out to them is a good start for better mental health. You only need to verify the credentials of these professionals by checking their qualifications and experience. You can also talk to your physician and make recommendations. Even a discussion with your peers can get you some names. You are not alone, and there are so many others that are dealing with similar situations.

Healing Is Possible

The path to healing may be long and hard; but, it will be worth the time and commitment needed from you because coming out at the other end of the tunnel can ensure a less stressful and more comfortable life. Isn't that we all hope to achieve? Therefore, be it a few therapeutic sessions with a dedicated therapist or other forms of healing such as Breathwork or Reiki, the objective remains the same: to be well, mentally and physically.

The Importance of Mental Wellbeing

Unlike the common cold, a reluctance to seek help for mental health issues prevails. Although an increasing number of people are able and willing to seek help, there are still many afraid to admit to a problem and live a life filled with anxiety.

Acknowledge The Need For Help

The onus of seeking help cannot be placed only on the individual. The society we live in also contributes to the stigma that exists around mental health. Concerns such as depression, anxiety, unhealthy relationships, and self-harm have not been discussed openly enough in our societies. Hushing it up or going into a self-denial mode stems from a lack of awareness or understanding of the problem. It also happens because it feels too daunting to admit that you require help.

Don't Be Afraid To Seek Help

Expressing distress in any form is difficult because these feelings of pain are just that - feelings. As such, they are not easy to articulate. Feelings are also commonly associated with being emotional, and as such, there is a fear that you would be perceived as being weak. However, research shows that the sooner you bring it to the fore and seek help, the better.

"It's all in your mind" is a common belief that hinders us from seeking help.

A piece of frequent but misguided advice from family and friends is to get over it or think positively. Sadly, such advice only trivializes the problem. Changing one's own pattern of thoughts and behavior is a process.

Who Can Help?

Fortunately, there are specialists that are qualified and experienced to support you in the way you want. Online therapy is also gaining popularity due to the COVID-19 or Wuhan virus pandemic.

Improving mental health requires time, attention, patience, and specialized skills. Just as one needs to make lifestyle changes to improve physical health, it’s fundamental to keep in mind that our bodies and minds work together. As a result, their functioning can influence each other greatly.

Mental well-being requires as much help if not more and is a process. The process can and does include different forms of therapy, giving you a greater choice of healing methods. Holistic healing includes yoga, meditation, reiki, breathwork, etc.

Empathetic professionals with experience in addressing mental health issues can help in healing your mind and lift your spirits up to enjoy a well-balanced life. Ensure that you or your loved ones find the right therapist and therapy that suits your needs. 

Ways You Can Take An Active Role In Your Stress Reduction

Everyone experiences stress in their lifetimes; however, some periods of stress are less manageable than others. Even if you have successfully navigated stress in your past, you may find that previous coping skills become less effective as you age. Stress and trauma are something millions of people have to deal with daily, and they can lead to some pretty adverse side effects.

Not only can stress and trauma have an intense negative impact on your mental health, but they can also pose some severe physical complications as well. Luckily, there are ways and methods that you can use to decrease stress and relieve yourself from past trauma. Here are a few strategies you can employ when you find yourself overwhelmed with anxiety and stress.

Stress Relieving Natural Supplements And Vitamins

The first thing you can do to relieve yourself from stress is to educate yourself on natural stress-reducing supplements. A handful of different types of vitamins and supplements work to improve mental health, so you should do your independent research to find out which types are best for you.

While supplements are not a guaranteed treatment for stress, many people have reported positive benefits and improvements to their emotional and physical wellbeing from adding them to their diets. Some of these supplements even have scientific evidence to support their claims, with many studies being done about the most prominent ones.

Meditation To Calm The Mind

The second thing that you can to try and alleviate stress and trauma is to practice meditation. Meditation is the act of collecting your mind and thoughts to try and achieve better mental and spiritual well-being. There are many different ways to practice meditation, but all methods attempt to achieve the same thing.

Meditation has been proven to promote positive mental health changes, and many people who have tried it will stand by it. Meditation poses no risks and can be done pretty much anywhere for no cost whatsoever. If you need stress relief, there is a form of meditation that may work for you.

Therapy For Stress, Trauma, And PTSD

Finally, if you have experienced trauma and suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, you should look into trauma therapy. There are different parts and types of trauma therapy, but all of them are administered by professionals whose only goal is to help you improve your quality of life.

Often, people fail to consider treatment or simply think they can avoid it; however, taking an active role in your mental health is essential to your happiness. Trauma therapy has helped many people, with thousands of testimonials claiming that the patient’s lives were changed for the better. If you feel that you have exhausted your capabilities of managing stress in your life, then look into trauma therapy.

The Healing Effects Of Reiki

Reiki has long been an effective healing technique used by practitioners to lessen stress and tension on the mind and body. To move a person toward his or her centered, balanced body, mind, and spirit, Reiki can encourage the body’s healing mechanisms to function more effectively.

How Reiki Helps Release Tension

Reiki encourages natural healing through the reduction of stress and tension in the body. Research has shown that Reiki can lower the heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones while supporting a healthy immune system. While there is evidence of these positive effects, only broad theories about what causes these pathways of healing are known.

The longstanding belief is that the rapid multileveled response that Reiki produces is a complex process. This encourages the body’s systems to simultaneously or quickly, shifting the “fight or flight” response associated with stress to a relaxation response. Reiki supports the body’s natural healing mechanisms that can take place without the burden of mitigating tension by moving the stress response.

A significant part of Reiki’s multileveled rapid response process affects the sub-physical level of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing, also referred to as the biofield.

Reiki’s Vibrational Power

For thousands of years, traditional, indigenous, and Eastern medical systems have recognized that a balanced biofield is the foundation of health and wellness. When the biofield becomes unbalanced or is disrupted, the body is susceptible to illness. Reiki is believed to offer a therapeutic vibration that brings balance to a disrupted biofield by increasing coherence and decreasing dissonance in the system.

Energy Transfer

Reiki practitioners use their hands to carry the energetic vibrations of the recipient’s wellness. This action creates an awareness in the recipient of the wellness that exists deep within him or her as the focus is directed toward healing. In this manner, Reiki connects the practitioner with an inner source of peace that transfers to the recipient, reducing tension and the fight or flight biological response to stress.

Reiki As A Therapy

Reiki is akin to meditation, which sets it apart from other energy therapies such as shiatsu. Most energy therapies use techniques to target specific corrections that need to be made, whereas Reiki practitioners do not diagnose or deliberately reorganize the biofield.

Instead, Reiki is exceptionally passive in practice, making it appropriate for any person who seeks to remediate the adverse effects of stress on the body, mind, and spirit.

Making it Through the Hard Times: Tips for Maintaining a Positive and Optimistic Mindset

Just turning on the news can have a huge impact on your mental health. It seems impossible to remain positive and optimistic. You likely have several sources of stress. For example, you may be concerned about losing a loved one, be stressed about financial issues, or worried about your child. You may also be concerned about your own health and feel a sense of helplessness or doom. Regardless of the exact feeling you are experiencing, there’s a good chance that optimism may feel more like a luxury than something you deserve. 

At the core, though, being positive and optimistic means that you overcome those negative, anxious feelings. Optimism doesn’t mean you “smile through the pain.” Instead, it means staying hopeful about the future, even if the present feels completely negative. 

Even though it can seem impossible, some tips can help you maintain a positive and optimistic mindset, even during troubling times. 

Address and Recognize the Negative Feelings You Have

Each feeling has a purpose, including the negative ones. Because of this, you should never ignore them. Your negative emotions let you know something is wrong. They also help to ensure you give the problem the attention it requires to solve it. 

Some negative emotions, such as doubt, fear, and anxiety, can be like an attention vacuum. They can narrow your mind and cause you to focus on certain details. This may be helpful in some situations, like determining fact from fiction. However, if your thoughts are overly negative, they can be unhelpful. The same is true for overly optimistic thoughts. 

You should not just ignore your negative emotions, regardless of if they are caused by changes in your life, trauma, or stress. Instead, recognize them and consider how you can address what is calling them. 

Actively Engage in Self-Compassion  

Practicing compassion toward yourself and others is essential in building resiliency. A key to this is to interrupt any recurring cycles of negative thoughts and inner dialogue. 

If you find that you are constantly cycling through all types of negative thoughts that don’t lead anywhere, you should take a step back to interrupt this cycle. This may include meditating and focusing on your breaths rather than your thoughts or changing your environment. It can also be as simple as having a chat with someone you trust to get a fresh perspective on things. 

Take Pleasure in the Small Things in Life 

What do you enjoy? Is it the three minutes you spend feeding your dogs in the evening? Or having your morning coffee on the porch? These are the things you should lean into. They will help distract you from bad news and negative thoughts. 

If you find that these negative thoughts are overtaking your mind, day after day, it is a good idea to speak to a professional. They can help provide a professional evaluation and ensure you get the treatment needed to help you overcome this often unbearable cycle.