Dr. Lisa Smalheiser, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

11/29/2023

New Website now up and running!

Welcome to Dr. Lisa Smalheiser's official website - your bridge to holistic psychotherapy. Explore transformative services, resources, and insights here.

09/22/2021

09/08/2021

09/06/2021

Great things to remember. Any of these resonate with you? Thanks for posting .advocates

10/10/2020

Just a little Saturday humor. For anyone who struggles with anxiety or depression, you'll probably relate to this.

09/12/2020

It’s time to drop the excuses and start showing up as who you want to be. Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority” and watch how things start to shift.👏🏻⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Where do you want to be in five years? In the same place, tied to the same excuses? Or do you want to be 5 years into your fitness journey, your business, your education? 🤔⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Whatever your goals and dreams are, shift your priorities. It’s up to YOU. Once you get past the excuses and establish good self discipline, the game is forever changed 🙌🏻

Posted •

09/12/2020

When we experience physical symptoms from anxiety, we naturally think we are in real trouble. ⁣
⁣
But here’s the thing.⁣
⁣
Your brain thinks you are in danger and is simply trying to protect you against what it believes is a real threat.⁣
⁣
You can just 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 anxious and that can be enough to get your brain fired up.⁣
⁣
In a situation where you really are in danger, these symptoms may actually save your life as they help you to become faster or stronger.⁣
⁣
You aren’t going to be focused on your symptoms; you are going to be focused on staying alive. ⁣
⁣
You’re going to let your body do it’s thing. ⁣
⁣
But when the stress response is activated and you are standing still or maybe waiting in line, you are going to be hyper-aware of every single sensation. ⁣
⁣
These symptoms are designed to make us move, to act!⁣
⁣
This makes sense now when I think of all those times I sprinted my way out of Costco when panic took over. ⁣
⁣
You’re reacting on instinct. ⁣
⁣
But now it’s up to you to take control and make your brain aware that you are safe, otherwise the cycle will continue. ⁣
⁣
Nothing will happen to you if you don’t act, but you may feel horribly uncomfortable and like you are about to die, which obviously is terrifying. ⁣
⁣
I found that simply becoming aware of how my body works, why symptoms happen and knowing that they weren’t going to hurt me was the first step in learning to manage my constant panic. ⁣
⁣
I started forcing myself to stay where I was, I would walk around, shake out my limbs, and just breathe. ⁣
⁣
I knew now that I wasn’t going to die, but I was going to feel awful for a few minutes. ⁣
⁣
I knew though, that it would subside, and this would happen a lot faster if I didn’t resist. ⁣
⁣
Try this next time panic washes over you. ⁣
⁣
Let it happen.⁣
⁣
This takes time, so give yourself that time.⁣
⁣
Sending so much strength to you!♥️⁣
⁣
Posted •
Content by

07/24/2020

Original post by .holistic.psychologist.

Addiction is greatly misunderstood.

We’ve been conditioned to believe people are “addicts.” Having an addiction makes you diseased, disordered, + the word itself carries so much shame. There’s also acceptable or even positive addictions: like chronic overworking/business/achieving + unacceptable ones: like drug addiction. Both have the same cycles.

Addition is a valid attempt to regulate a dysregulated nervous system.

It’s a coping mechanism.

More often than not the addiction is not just necessarily to the substance or activity itself. The addiction is to certain emotional states + the nervous system activation that goes along with those states.

Addiction is the adult unconsciously engaging in a helpless pattern self harm. Internalizing the cycle of childhood where they were once a victim. We repeat what we know.

When I ran inpatient recovery units, I listened in groups as people retold the stories of their addiction. The excitement of the “chase.” The fear of being caught. The fight or flight. The usage—brings short lived relief. The shame cycle afterwards. The boredom + agitation that comes as the body pulls for the adrenaline + cortisol that makes a traumatized human feel alive or themselves.

If you’re struggling with an addiction, acknowledge your inner child. Acknowledge that this cycle was learned before you were even conscious to it. Acknowledge that you’re not broken, you’re coping. And new coping mechanisms can be learned as old ones are unlearned.

“Addict”: a human desperate to cope. If we knew the background story (hint: there’s always unresolved trauma) we would understand the behavior.

07/11/2020

Repost by . Sometimes, relationship breakdown doesn’t look like the high levels of negativity found in critical, defensive and contemptuous behaviors but rather the absence of positive affect found in emotional disengagement.

While anger and conflict are rare, there is an underlying and unspoken tension below the surface. In this stage of the relationship, externally “everything is fine” and yet there is a lack of joy, fun, humor and emotional connection. Partners stop experiencing themselves as friends and have becomes distant roommates living parallel lives.

Have you experienced or are currently experiencing emotional disengagement-especially during this global pandemic? I’ll be sharing some ways in which we can reconnect with our partners in future posts, and also when it may be time to seek the help of a professional (p.s. the sooner the better).

07/10/2020

Great read from Dr Christina Z Atti, PsyD, LLC

We are all questioning the uncertainty of what the future holds during these unprecedented time, Dr. Christina Atti has some good advice for us.

07/04/2020

Nice reminders from

Here are nine strategies for calming anxiety that are completely within your control. Breathing, labeling, movement, visualization, music, relaxation, journaling, sunlight, hydration.

@ Dr. Lisa Smalheiser, Licensed Clinical Psychologist