Attuned Connections Therapy

11/06/2024

09/03/2021

This new law takes effect in January 2022. Illinois is one of several states to enact such a law over the past couple of years.

Starting in January, students will be allowed to use their five mental health days without needing to provide a doctor's note for their absence.

05/07/2021

If you have experienced being judged harshly or shamed by others, know that it is likely a projection of their own shame or harsh self-criticism, that has likely been passed onto them by someone else...and so on. Yet the reality remains, we are all imperfect, we all make mistakes. This is a necessary and important part of the human experience, growth, and living fully. “Everyone stumbles. It’s how all children learn to walk”.

Freedom to Make Mistakes Gandhi said, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Step out. Fly. Even if you get burned, you can fall back to earth and start again. It is never too late to start over. Zen Master Dogen l...

02/11/2021

This is a great read. Here is a good example of why I prefer to do therapy the way I do - why I’m not a behaviorist - why I value the deep-dive. When it comes to family of origin traumas and attachment wounds, behaviors and reactions are not the problem, they are the clues that lead us to where healing is needed.

Let’s talk about childhood trauma for a sec. As a child who grew up in the foster care system, I endured many traumas early in life. For almost all of my adult life, I have not bought a single loaf of bread.

01/06/2021

•Seretonin•
Some great tips on how you can give your seretonin levels a natural boost to improve mood and feel calmer...amongst other benefits!

https://www.facebook.com/284489278675856/posts/1153109438480498/?d=n

12/17/2020

A great little description of co-regulation....this isn’t exclusively for trauma, all of us experience the nervous system stress response from time to time...

One definition of co-regulation— and may we all find safe connections within our lives.

11/26/2020

Sometimes we just need a little encouragement and acceptance to acknowledge what is keeping us stuck in the moment. Sometimes, it’s throwing the arbitrary rule book out the window! It’s really ok....

RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE.

"When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldn’t get out of bed some days. I had no energy or motivation and was barely getting by.

I had therapy once per week, and on this particular week I didn’t have much to ‘bring’ to the session. He asked how my week was and I really had nothing to say.

“What are you struggling with?” he asked.

I gestured around me and said “I dunno man. Life.”

Not satisfied with my answer, he said “No, what exactly are you worried about right now? What feels overwhelming? When you go home after this session, what issue will be staring at you?”

I knew the answer, but it was so ridiculous that I didn’t want to say it.

I wanted to have something more substantial.
Something more profound.
But I didn’t.

So I told him, "Honestly? The dishes. It's stupid, I know, but the more I look at them the more I CAN’T do them because I’ll have to scrub them before I put them in the dishwasher, because the dishwasher sucks, and I just can’t stand and scrub the dishes.”

I felt like an idiot even saying it.

What kind of grown-ass woman is undone by a stack of dishes? There are people out there with *actual* problems, and I’m whining to my therapist about dishes?

But, my therapist nodded in understanding and then said:

“RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE.”

I began to tell him that you’re not supposed to, but he stopped me.

“Why the hell aren’t you supposed to? If you don’t want to scrub the dishes and your dishwasher sucks, run it twice. Run it three times, who cares?! Rules do not exist, so stop giving yourself rules.”

It blew my mind in a way that I don’t think I can properly express.

That day, I went home and tossed my smelly dishes haphazardly into the dishwasher and ran it three times.

I felt like I had conquered a dragon.

The next day, I took a shower lying down.

A few days later, I folded my laundry and put it wherever the f**k they fit.

There were no longer arbitrary rules I had to follow, and it gave me the freedom to make accomplishments again.

Now that I’m in a healthier place, I rinse off my dishes and put them in the dishwasher properly. I shower standing up. I sort my laundry.

But, at a time when living was a struggle instead of a blessing, I learned an incredibly important lesson:

THERE ARE NO RULES.

RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE!!!"

10/27/2020

• 👃 NOSE BREATHING •

This is excellent information about the science and benefits of inhaling through AND exhaling from the nose to our physical AND our mental health.
The whole article is full of treasures and so worth the read, but this is the bottom line:
“Among all natural self-healing techniques, breath work is unique because breathing is the only conscious means of improving, maintaining, and repairing the other unconsciously run systems of the body. Heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, digestion, hormone secretion, and *even our mental and emotional state can be controlled, regulated, and healed* through proper breathing practices.”

If you aren’t already, go ahead and practice slow, deep nose breathing/ belly breathing throughout the day over the course of several days, weeks, months....and notice the difference it makes!

Yoga instructor Gwen Lawrence offers yoga poses and other tips for proper breathing technique.

10/12/2020

*novelty*
Novelty benefits depression....energy & motivation can be hard to come by with depression, and novelty doesn’t require lots of energy/ motivation to be accessible or helpful.

Help support depression with some simple prefrontal cortex daily exercises.
“Neural plasticity, a fundamental mechanism of neuronal adaptation, is disrupted in depression. The changes in neural plasticity induced by stress and other negative stimuli play a significant role in the onset and development of depression. “
— The Role of Neural Plasticity in Depression: From Hippocampus to Prefrontal Cortex — Wei Liu ,Tongtong Ge ,Tasha Leng , Zhenxiang
PFC Exercises:
🧠 do puzzles
🧠 learn a new hobby
🧠 exercise
🧠 use your non dominant hand more
🧠 listen to comedy
Please tell us your favorite PFC exercise.
Www.Neurosculptinginstitute.com

09/22/2020

Something to keep an eye on. I think a 3 digit number would be much more accessible for someone in the midst of feeling suicidal. Sounds like it would take a couple years for implementation if signed into law.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the National Su***de Hotline Designation Act, creating a three-digit number (988) for su***de prevention and mental health crises.

09/12/2020

☎️ 💻 Telehealth update: BCBSIL has EXTENDED cost-share waivers for commercial, fully-funded PPO, Blue Choice and HMO plans related to medically-necessary health care services/ treatments provided by in-net and out-of-net providers UNTIL 12/31/2020. AETNA cost-share waivers for fully-funded plans currently expire 9/30/2020. Self-funded cost-share waivers are per sponsor/ employer discretion. Aetna & BCBSIL have lifted Telehealth platform restrictions through 12/31/2020. If you have further questions about Telehealth benefits specific to your plan, you may contact member services at your insurance company.

08/25/2020

The pandemic has inspired quite a few Telehealth bills. Stay tuned...easier access to behavioral health/ psychotherapy services via Telehealth could be in our future for the long-term. For now, cost-share waivers are still in place (for fully-funded plans) with some insurance companies.

The Telehealth Act (HR 7992), seeks to expand telehealth by combining nine telehealth bills into one piece of telehealth legislation.