01/30/2023
How to Use Social Media Without Losing Your Mind
How to Use Social Media Without Losing Your Mind Six tips to prevent online interactions from making you miserable.
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DBT SKILLS GROUP
TOPIC: Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance
Starting: MAY 23, 2022
6PM TO 730PM
COST: $25 PER SESSION
CLASSES MEET WEEKLY – WITH SOME SCHEDULED BREAKS WILL RUN TILL THE END OF
AUGUST 2022
LEARN SKILLS OF MINDFULNESS, AND SKILLS TO GET THROUGH THE MOMENT WITHOUT MAKING IT WORSE.
THIS IS A HYBRID GROUP – PEOPLE ON ZOOM AND IN THE GROUP ROOM!!
TOPIC: Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance
Starting: MAY 23, 2022
6PM TO 730PM
COST: $25 PER SESSION
CLASSES MEET WEEKLY – WITH SOME SCHEDULED BREAKS WILL RUN TILL THE END OF
AUGUST 2022
LEARN SKILLS OF MINDFULNESS, AND SKILLS TO GET THROUGH THE MOMENT WITHOUT MAKING IT WORSE.
THIS IS A HYBRID GROUP – PEOPLE ON ZOOM AND IN THE GROUP ROOM!!
Finding Perspective on the First-Person Perspective
The “I” point of view seems to be an essential part of conscious experience.
KEY POINTS
A person’s conscious first-person narrative is an experience of the world as experienced by them alone.
The first-person perspective evades proper treatment in consciousness research.
Having a first-person perspective may rely on the self-contained biological processes of the complete organism.
Central to the definition of phenomenal consciousness is the notion of the “first-person perspective.” This is associated with the sensations, feelings, and thoughts that a person has, which can be communicated to others. The experience of these qualities, however, is something that is private and inaccessible by others. Your conscious first-person narrative is an experience of the world as experienced by you and only you. This is what makes it so special, and so incredibly difficult to explicate scientifically.
Research on consciousness attempts to unravel the philosophical question of what it means to have a first-person perspective with rich phenomenal qualities. As we’ve been describing in this series of posts, the scientific research on consciousness has advanced significantly in the last decades, as measurement tools that examine brain activities (e.g., fMRI, EEG) have become more accessible. Among other insights, this research has emphasized the importance of information processing networks in the brain (e.g., attention) and information storage networks (e.g., different forms of memory).
While we are far from a consensus on the questions of “what is consciousness?” and “what is its purpose?”, we do have a better understanding of the processes involved. We believe that focusing on how information processing supports consciousness is key for advancing this knowledge. Several scientific theories have highlighted possible ways that neural and biological information can contribute to consciousness (for a criticism, see Montemayor & Haladjian, 2019). This includes proposals that argue phenomenal consciousness relies on information being accessible across different brain regions (e.g., Global Neuronal Workspace Theory) or that it relies on information that is integrated beyond a certain threshold (e.g., Information Integration Theory).
Nevertheless, the first-person perspective, while perfectly natural for us to understand as the core of conscious experience, evades proper treatment in such consciousness research. When we communicate to others about our experiences, we’re conveying information about our own private world. Even when we’re deep in thought, we have a first-person perspective rich with information. As I sit in my living room typing on my laptop, I think about which words I should write to clearly present my ideas. I also feel the chair holding my body. I vaguely hear the music from my stereo and the sounds of children playing on the street. I see my laptop in front of me but also get a general sense of the room with the many objects it holds. I sense a slight jitter from that third cup of coffee. There is a lot of information present and a lot of “I” statements within my first-person experience.
Is it even possible to define empirically the informational richness of this first-person perspective? Despite the advancement of research on consciousness, researchers tend to accept the view that the qualitative character of conscious contents (and the first-person perspective) are irreducible to scientific methodology. Thus, many researchers don’t touch this topic. But this misses the point in truly understanding what our phenomenal experience is, doesn’t it?
A forthcoming paper by Bjorn Merker and colleagues (2021) proposes ways around this problem within the context of current informational theories on consciousness (which have avoided directly addressing the first-person perspective). The authors argue that searching for the geometry, topology, and embodied nature of a “point of view” is necessary for an adequate theory of consciousness. Theories of consciousness must include all of an organism’s physical and biological nature, not just the neural networks supporting information processing that define the “neural correlates of consciousness.”
Admittedly, Merker’s approach is not without problems and lacks important details, such as its impact on information theory in general, or distinguishing consciousness from other types of integrated information that are not conscious (i.e., what multi-modal attention does). Nevertheless, it does highlight the importance of finding a solution to the problematic assumption that the first-person perspective is irreducible to scientific explanations.
To understand the first-person perspective in informational terms, we must define information-uniqueness in more biological terms, which can be based on metabolic or homeostatic processes. However, even then two key difficulties would remain. First, the self-referential information associated with the first-person perspective is not merely geometric, topological, or embodied—it is self-referential in a qualitative way that none of these approaches capture. There’s still a missing definition of how the “I” perspective is constructed.
Second, any projective principle about topology or geometry, even if based on phenomenological observations, will be stated in terms of formulas and mathematical principles. When described this way, many of the topological and geometric constraints (as discussed by Merker) could be satisfied by the common form of attentional processing that doesn’t require phenomenal consciousness. A clear indication of attention’s role is missing from this proposal. If consciousness can simply be reduced to attention, it wouldn’t address the notion that consciousness provides us with information that is richer or different from attentional processing.
Ultimately, we aim to clarify such issues by focusing on information theory and its relation to both attention and consciousness on biological terms. Understanding the functional difference between attention and consciousness is an important part of this project (Montemayor & Haladjian, 2015). While detailing such a theory requires empirical investigation, the main point is that having a first-person perspective—experiencing who you are—relies on the self-contained biological processes of the complete organism. And while the debate about the “purpose of consciousness” continues, we believe it is strongly tied to homeostatic processes inherent to complex biological systems such as humans.
The “I” point of view seems to be an essential part of conscious experience.
KEY POINTS
A person’s conscious first-person narrative is an experience of the world as experienced by them alone.
The first-person perspective evades proper treatment in consciousness research.
Having a first-person perspective may rely on the self-contained biological processes of the complete organism.
Central to the definition of phenomenal consciousness is the notion of the “first-person perspective.” This is associated with the sensations, feelings, and thoughts that a person has, which can be communicated to others. The experience of these qualities, however, is something that is private and inaccessible by others. Your conscious first-person narrative is an experience of the world as experienced by you and only you. This is what makes it so special, and so incredibly difficult to explicate scientifically.
Research on consciousness attempts to unravel the philosophical question of what it means to have a first-person perspective with rich phenomenal qualities. As we’ve been describing in this series of posts, the scientific research on consciousness has advanced significantly in the last decades, as measurement tools that examine brain activities (e.g., fMRI, EEG) have become more accessible. Among other insights, this research has emphasized the importance of information processing networks in the brain (e.g., attention) and information storage networks (e.g., different forms of memory).
While we are far from a consensus on the questions of “what is consciousness?” and “what is its purpose?”, we do have a better understanding of the processes involved. We believe that focusing on how information processing supports consciousness is key for advancing this knowledge. Several scientific theories have highlighted possible ways that neural and biological information can contribute to consciousness (for a criticism, see Montemayor & Haladjian, 2019). This includes proposals that argue phenomenal consciousness relies on information being accessible across different brain regions (e.g., Global Neuronal Workspace Theory) or that it relies on information that is integrated beyond a certain threshold (e.g., Information Integration Theory).
Nevertheless, the first-person perspective, while perfectly natural for us to understand as the core of conscious experience, evades proper treatment in such consciousness research. When we communicate to others about our experiences, we’re conveying information about our own private world. Even when we’re deep in thought, we have a first-person perspective rich with information. As I sit in my living room typing on my laptop, I think about which words I should write to clearly present my ideas. I also feel the chair holding my body. I vaguely hear the music from my stereo and the sounds of children playing on the street. I see my laptop in front of me but also get a general sense of the room with the many objects it holds. I sense a slight jitter from that third cup of coffee. There is a lot of information present and a lot of “I” statements within my first-person experience.
Is it even possible to define empirically the informational richness of this first-person perspective? Despite the advancement of research on consciousness, researchers tend to accept the view that the qualitative character of conscious contents (and the first-person perspective) are irreducible to scientific methodology. Thus, many researchers don’t touch this topic. But this misses the point in truly understanding what our phenomenal experience is, doesn’t it?
A forthcoming paper by Bjorn Merker and colleagues (2021) proposes ways around this problem within the context of current informational theories on consciousness (which have avoided directly addressing the first-person perspective). The authors argue that searching for the geometry, topology, and embodied nature of a “point of view” is necessary for an adequate theory of consciousness. Theories of consciousness must include all of an organism’s physical and biological nature, not just the neural networks supporting information processing that define the “neural correlates of consciousness.”
Admittedly, Merker’s approach is not without problems and lacks important details, such as its impact on information theory in general, or distinguishing consciousness from other types of integrated information that are not conscious (i.e., what multi-modal attention does). Nevertheless, it does highlight the importance of finding a solution to the problematic assumption that the first-person perspective is irreducible to scientific explanations.
To understand the first-person perspective in informational terms, we must define information-uniqueness in more biological terms, which can be based on metabolic or homeostatic processes. However, even then two key difficulties would remain. First, the self-referential information associated with the first-person perspective is not merely geometric, topological, or embodied—it is self-referential in a qualitative way that none of these approaches capture. There’s still a missing definition of how the “I” perspective is constructed.
Second, any projective principle about topology or geometry, even if based on phenomenological observations, will be stated in terms of formulas and mathematical principles. When described this way, many of the topological and geometric constraints (as discussed by Merker) could be satisfied by the common form of attentional processing that doesn’t require phenomenal consciousness. A clear indication of attention’s role is missing from this proposal. If consciousness can simply be reduced to attention, it wouldn’t address the notion that consciousness provides us with information that is richer or different from attentional processing.
Ultimately, we aim to clarify such issues by focusing on information theory and its relation to both attention and consciousness on biological terms. Understanding the functional difference between attention and consciousness is an important part of this project (Montemayor & Haladjian, 2015). While detailing such a theory requires empirical investigation, the main point is that having a first-person perspective—experiencing who you are—relies on the self-contained biological processes of the complete organism. And while the debate about the “purpose of consciousness” continues, we believe it is strongly tied to homeostatic processes inherent to complex biological systems such as humans.
How Narcissists Use Faking to Lure Partners
The real reason those fantasies of a wonderful future together never came true.
KEY POINTS
In future faking, a narcissist courts a partner with a detailed but unlikely vision of a future together.
In some cases, narcissists don't intentionally fool partners. They may just move too fast without thinking about how they might disappoint.
Narcissists may also use future faking as a substitute for real conversation.
Most normal relationships follow a fairly predictable pattern. If the couple’s religious views do not forbid it, the couple dates, has s*x, meets each other’s friends, moves in together, and gradually gets to know each other’s family. Over time, they either become more serious about the relationship and get engaged or they decide that they are not well suited and break up. There are variations on this basic pattern, but generally, most people do not make serious plans for a future together until they both feel fully committed to the relationship. This usually takes a year or two.
However, people with narcissistic personality disorder do not do a normal courtship. They are so focused on winning you over that they speed everything up and increase the intensity. It is a bit like dating on adrenaline. Everything that a normal couple does in the course of a year, they do after a few dates. Narcissists rarely stop to assess whether the two of you are really a good match. Instead, they use a variety of strategies in an attempt to get you to fall in love and commit to them before they have fully committed to you—even though they are telling you that you are the love of their life and their perfect mate. It is only after you are fully committed that they actually decide whether you are what they really want. This in itself is really bad, but it gets worse.
One of the cruelest courtship strategies that some narcissists use to reel in a new lover involves making elaborate and detailed plans with you for a future life together. Most people have heard about “narcissistic love bombing,” showering someone with over-the-top compliments and gifts, but not everyone is aware of “future faking.”
Note: I am using the terms narcissist, narcissistic, and NPD as shorthand ways to refer to someone who qualifies for a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder.
What is future faking?
Future faking is a courtship strategy in which narcissists talk to you in elaborate detail about all the wonderful things that the two of you will do together in the future—the cute little restaurant you will absolutely love, how the two of you will explore the most romantic cities in the world, or even how many children the two of you will have and what to name them. All the while, they sound very enthusiastic and sincere.
What makes it future faking, and not just planning a future, is that none of this is likely to ever happen. Instead of being on the road to bliss, you are now on the road to disappointment. What usually occurs is that shortly after narcissists believe that you are fully committed and in love with them, everything starts to change. Now that the chase is over, the good times diminish.
Narcissists are not very good at sustaining a normal relationship. During courtship, they created positive relationship drama. Now they start creating negative relationship drama. Instead of praising you, they start pointing out your flaws. You will feel a sudden coldness and indifference to your feelings. If you stay, you are likely to be devalued, ignored, or discarded. Future faking is cruel because it is exactly what it sounds like, a big fake. What initially brought you great happiness is likely to end up as a series of traumatic disappointments.
What does future faking look like?
Imagine you are ready for a serious relationship and you meet this very appealing person on a first date. Everything moves fast. By your second or third date, this new person seems wildly in love with you. He or she praises everything about you. Your new lover has already decided that the two of you are the perfect couple and to your surprise, starts planning a future with you.
You may be a bit hesitant. After all, you barely know this person. You are thinking: “Isn’t this too soon to make this type of commitment?" But, on the other hand, it is nice to finally be in the company of someone who seems to really like you.
This is all done so convincingly that you to start to buy into the vision and begin to imagine a possible future together—a future with no more bad dates and no more wondering whether your date really likes you as much as you like him or her. So, you decide to go with the flow and see what happens next. You do not want to risk missing out on true love by being too skeptical.
Now this person whom you hardly know starts describing the great times the two of you will have this summer. Your lover describes in vivid detail all the amazing things the two of you will do together—the romantic walks along the beach, the trips you will take, and even relatives and close friends that he or she wants you to meet. You get caught up in it and invite this person to be your plus one at a family wedding in two months’ time and your new lover immediately agrees. You breathe a sigh of relief and think: “They must be serious. Why would they agree to go to a family wedding, if they weren’t in love with me?”
Narcissists are not very good at sustaining a normal relationship. During courtship, they created positive relationship drama. Now they start creating negative relationship drama. Instead of praising you, they start pointing out your flaws. You will feel a sudden coldness and indifference to your feelings. If you stay, you are likely to be devalued, ignored, or discarded. Future faking is cruel because it is exactly what it sounds like, a big fake. What initially brought you great happiness is likely to end up as a series of traumatic disappointments.
What does future faking look like?
Imagine you are ready for a serious relationship and you meet this very appealing person on a first date. Everything moves fast. By your second or third date, this new person seems wildly in love with you. He or she praises everything about you. Your new lover has already decided that the two of you are the perfect couple and to your surprise, starts planning a future with you.
You may be a bit hesitant. After all, you barely know this person. You are thinking: “Isn’t this too soon to make this type of commitment?" But, on the other hand, it is nice to finally be in the company of someone who seems to really like you.
This is all done so convincingly that you to start to buy into the vision and begin to imagine a possible future together—a future with no more bad dates and no more wondering whether your date really likes you as much as you like him or her. So, you decide to go with the flow and see what happens next. You do not want to risk missing out on true love by being too skeptical.
Now this person whom you hardly know starts describing the great times the two of you will have this summer. Your lover describes in vivid detail all the amazing things the two of you will do together—the romantic walks along the beach, the trips you will take, and even relatives and close friends that he or she wants you to meet. You get caught up in it and invite this person to be your plus one at a family wedding in two months’ time and your new lover immediately agrees. You breathe a sigh of relief and think: “They must be serious. Why would they agree to go to a family wedding, if they weren’t in love with me?”
I meant it when I said it. It just didn’t work out between us. Why blame me?
He is not who I thought he was. He fooled me. I don’t owe him anything.
She should have realized that I was just trying to be entertaining.
It was fun while it lasted.
Sometimes narcissists use future faking intentionally as a seduction technique. This is particularly cruel because they know from the beginning that the glowing picture that they are painting is totally fake. They have no intention of actually doing any of the wonderful things that they have promised to do with you. They are simply exploiting your desire for a loving, long-term relationship and saying anything that they think will achieve their aims.
Another reason for future-faking is that many people with NPD are poor conversationalists. They tend to develop a set of stories or strategies that they believe show them in a good light and use the same ones with almost everyone. Elaborate future faking can be a substitute for real conversation and a way to avoid actually showing real interest in the other person.
Summary
Future faking is a courtship strategy that involves painting a glowing detailed picture of the wonderful future that the two of you will have together that is actually unlikely to happen. Narcissists use future faking to enjoy themselves, entertain someone they are interested in for the moment, and as a way to get s*x and validation. Even when they start out believing their own hype, the other person is likely to end up hurt and disappointed.
The real reason those fantasies of a wonderful future together never came true.
KEY POINTS
In future faking, a narcissist courts a partner with a detailed but unlikely vision of a future together.
In some cases, narcissists don't intentionally fool partners. They may just move too fast without thinking about how they might disappoint.
Narcissists may also use future faking as a substitute for real conversation.
Most normal relationships follow a fairly predictable pattern. If the couple’s religious views do not forbid it, the couple dates, has s*x, meets each other’s friends, moves in together, and gradually gets to know each other’s family. Over time, they either become more serious about the relationship and get engaged or they decide that they are not well suited and break up. There are variations on this basic pattern, but generally, most people do not make serious plans for a future together until they both feel fully committed to the relationship. This usually takes a year or two.
However, people with narcissistic personality disorder do not do a normal courtship. They are so focused on winning you over that they speed everything up and increase the intensity. It is a bit like dating on adrenaline. Everything that a normal couple does in the course of a year, they do after a few dates. Narcissists rarely stop to assess whether the two of you are really a good match. Instead, they use a variety of strategies in an attempt to get you to fall in love and commit to them before they have fully committed to you—even though they are telling you that you are the love of their life and their perfect mate. It is only after you are fully committed that they actually decide whether you are what they really want. This in itself is really bad, but it gets worse.
One of the cruelest courtship strategies that some narcissists use to reel in a new lover involves making elaborate and detailed plans with you for a future life together. Most people have heard about “narcissistic love bombing,” showering someone with over-the-top compliments and gifts, but not everyone is aware of “future faking.”
Note: I am using the terms narcissist, narcissistic, and NPD as shorthand ways to refer to someone who qualifies for a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder.
What is future faking?
Future faking is a courtship strategy in which narcissists talk to you in elaborate detail about all the wonderful things that the two of you will do together in the future—the cute little restaurant you will absolutely love, how the two of you will explore the most romantic cities in the world, or even how many children the two of you will have and what to name them. All the while, they sound very enthusiastic and sincere.
What makes it future faking, and not just planning a future, is that none of this is likely to ever happen. Instead of being on the road to bliss, you are now on the road to disappointment. What usually occurs is that shortly after narcissists believe that you are fully committed and in love with them, everything starts to change. Now that the chase is over, the good times diminish.
Narcissists are not very good at sustaining a normal relationship. During courtship, they created positive relationship drama. Now they start creating negative relationship drama. Instead of praising you, they start pointing out your flaws. You will feel a sudden coldness and indifference to your feelings. If you stay, you are likely to be devalued, ignored, or discarded. Future faking is cruel because it is exactly what it sounds like, a big fake. What initially brought you great happiness is likely to end up as a series of traumatic disappointments.
What does future faking look like?
Imagine you are ready for a serious relationship and you meet this very appealing person on a first date. Everything moves fast. By your second or third date, this new person seems wildly in love with you. He or she praises everything about you. Your new lover has already decided that the two of you are the perfect couple and to your surprise, starts planning a future with you.
You may be a bit hesitant. After all, you barely know this person. You are thinking: “Isn’t this too soon to make this type of commitment?" But, on the other hand, it is nice to finally be in the company of someone who seems to really like you.
This is all done so convincingly that you to start to buy into the vision and begin to imagine a possible future together—a future with no more bad dates and no more wondering whether your date really likes you as much as you like him or her. So, you decide to go with the flow and see what happens next. You do not want to risk missing out on true love by being too skeptical.
Now this person whom you hardly know starts describing the great times the two of you will have this summer. Your lover describes in vivid detail all the amazing things the two of you will do together—the romantic walks along the beach, the trips you will take, and even relatives and close friends that he or she wants you to meet. You get caught up in it and invite this person to be your plus one at a family wedding in two months’ time and your new lover immediately agrees. You breathe a sigh of relief and think: “They must be serious. Why would they agree to go to a family wedding, if they weren’t in love with me?”
Narcissists are not very good at sustaining a normal relationship. During courtship, they created positive relationship drama. Now they start creating negative relationship drama. Instead of praising you, they start pointing out your flaws. You will feel a sudden coldness and indifference to your feelings. If you stay, you are likely to be devalued, ignored, or discarded. Future faking is cruel because it is exactly what it sounds like, a big fake. What initially brought you great happiness is likely to end up as a series of traumatic disappointments.
What does future faking look like?
Imagine you are ready for a serious relationship and you meet this very appealing person on a first date. Everything moves fast. By your second or third date, this new person seems wildly in love with you. He or she praises everything about you. Your new lover has already decided that the two of you are the perfect couple and to your surprise, starts planning a future with you.
You may be a bit hesitant. After all, you barely know this person. You are thinking: “Isn’t this too soon to make this type of commitment?" But, on the other hand, it is nice to finally be in the company of someone who seems to really like you.
This is all done so convincingly that you to start to buy into the vision and begin to imagine a possible future together—a future with no more bad dates and no more wondering whether your date really likes you as much as you like him or her. So, you decide to go with the flow and see what happens next. You do not want to risk missing out on true love by being too skeptical.
Now this person whom you hardly know starts describing the great times the two of you will have this summer. Your lover describes in vivid detail all the amazing things the two of you will do together—the romantic walks along the beach, the trips you will take, and even relatives and close friends that he or she wants you to meet. You get caught up in it and invite this person to be your plus one at a family wedding in two months’ time and your new lover immediately agrees. You breathe a sigh of relief and think: “They must be serious. Why would they agree to go to a family wedding, if they weren’t in love with me?”
I meant it when I said it. It just didn’t work out between us. Why blame me?
He is not who I thought he was. He fooled me. I don’t owe him anything.
She should have realized that I was just trying to be entertaining.
It was fun while it lasted.
Sometimes narcissists use future faking intentionally as a seduction technique. This is particularly cruel because they know from the beginning that the glowing picture that they are painting is totally fake. They have no intention of actually doing any of the wonderful things that they have promised to do with you. They are simply exploiting your desire for a loving, long-term relationship and saying anything that they think will achieve their aims.
Another reason for future-faking is that many people with NPD are poor conversationalists. They tend to develop a set of stories or strategies that they believe show them in a good light and use the same ones with almost everyone. Elaborate future faking can be a substitute for real conversation and a way to avoid actually showing real interest in the other person.
Summary
Future faking is a courtship strategy that involves painting a glowing detailed picture of the wonderful future that the two of you will have together that is actually unlikely to happen. Narcissists use future faking to enjoy themselves, entertain someone they are interested in for the moment, and as a way to get s*x and validation. Even when they start out believing their own hype, the other person is likely to end up hurt and disappointed.
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Operating as usual
01/30/2023
01/23/2023
Starting February 3, 2023 our very own Kim Horrell will start up her practice, Confident Hope Counseling, here at Delta Behavioral Health!!!
Kimberly Horrell MA, NYS LMHC, NC LCMHC-A
My Specialties: Christian/Biblical Counseling, Mood & Anxiety Disorders, Relationships, Family Issues, Parenting,
Toxic Relationships, Trauma, Abuse, Addiction, Codependency, Stress, Life Change, Chronic Illness, Pain, and
Grieving
Over the course of 20+ years I have had the pleasure of helping people work through a variety of situations and
witnessed people find hope, healing and lasting solutions. I utilize evidenced based counseling techniques while
providing a safe, non-judgmental, caring environment.
I obtained my Bachelor of Science (BS) in Community and Human Services from Empire State University in 2004
and Master of Arts (MA) in Marriage and Family Therapy through Liberty University in 2008. Over the course of my
career I have had many titles including: mobile therapist/behavior specialist, family/marriage advocate, mental
health consultant, and mental health counselor. For the majority of my professional life I operated a private
practice in New York State. Since moving to North Carolina, I have opened a private practice called Confident
Hope Counseling and developed the Confident Hope Curriculum. In the curriculum people explore their design,
biblical truth and are taught various practical skills to address life’s challenges.
My counseling style is guided by my Christian beliefs and biblical principles. I take a holistic approach that takes
into account mind/body connections and allows for exploration of the person as a whole including their physical,
mental, emotional, spiritual and relational needs. I believe that each person and situation is unique; therefore
each therapy experience is tailored to your specific needs. Depending on which skill sets and interventions have
been proven to best address your issues, you will learn from the Gottman Method, Mind/Body Techniques,
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFST), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Trauma Informed-Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (TI-CBT) and/or Narrative Therapy (NT).
I look forward to the opportunity to partner with you on your journey.
For more information please check out my website: www.confidenthopecounseling.com or email me at
[email protected]
01/23/2023
How to Fix Cracks in the Proverbial Foundation of Our Life
How to Fix Cracks in the Proverbial Foundation of Our Life Life may feel more difficult in the 30s and 40s if you've had relational trauma.
01/14/2023
Eliminating Guilt, Shame, Regret, and Worry
Eliminating Guilt, Shame, Regret, and Worry A simple method can release you from psychically damaging burdens.
01/10/2023
How to Reduce Anger Rumination and Expression
How to Reduce Anger Rumination and Expression Don't underestimate the power of intrinsic motivation.
01/02/2023
The Post-Party Blues
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-bipolar-lens/202301/the-post-party-blues
The Post-Party Blues A Personal Perspective: Emotional hangovers after good times are common.
12/28/2022
The Surprisingly Effective Formula for Year-End Stress
The Surprisingly Effective Formula for Year-End Stress A Personal Perspective: Are you struggling with stress? Try this simple formula.
12/19/2022
A Mindful Holiday: Attitudes and Platitudes
A Mindful Holiday: Attitudes and Platitudes It's that time of year to look both behind and ahead. Meditation can help.
12/12/2022
Worries Teens Have About Themselves
Worries Teens Have About Themselves Many teens’ concerns can be alleviated by recognizing that they will mature.
12/05/2022
Always the Victim
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202008/always-the-victim?collection=1150712
Always the Victim A guide to people who live in their own soap opera.
11/30/2022
Why We Struggle with Hope When We Need It the Most
Why We Struggle with Hope When We Need It the Most How to make sure your mind is helpful, not hurtful when facing challenges.
Happy Thanksgiving Holidays from Delta!
REMINDER: Front office will be closed Thursday and Friday and PHP/IOP/SAIOP will be one combined group on Friday from 9-1.
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Pain’s Circadian Clock
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How to Stop Your Mind When It Spins Out of Control
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How to Talk to Kids About Anxiety
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The Debate Over Psychiatric Diagnosis
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How to Break a Downward Emotional Spiral
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What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?
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Culture Shapes Who We Should Help
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The Low After The High
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mountain-within/202208/the-low-after-the-high
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How to Forgive Yourself With Self-Compassion
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5 Ways to Deal with People Who Stress You Out
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07/11/2022
3 Ways to Not Feel Overwhelmed Anymore
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202207/3-ways-not-feel-overwhelmed-anymore
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07/05/2022
Get the Best Psychological Boost Out of Your Vacation
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Can Visiting an Art Museum Help Reduce Stress?
What scientific studies during visits to art museums reveal about stress.
KEY POINTS
New studies examine self-reported and physiological effects when visiting museums.
Though the results are not always consistent study to study, there are crossovers which correlate.
This new research is encouraging and suggests that the benefits of visiting a museum go beyond the appreciation of beauty.
Art collectors gather pieces they consider interesting and beautiful. They use them to enhance their homes and also to exhibit to their friends and others. Some will leave these pieces as a legacy to their children or to a museum. Museum visitors experience the beauty of art, a process that stimulates their pleasure center and makes them happy. The question is: does collecting or viewing art do anything beyond these well-known benefits?
Intuitively, most people would say, “yes.” Now, however, we know the answer doesn’t have to be simply instinctive. Recent research has studied the psychological and physiological benefits of visitors to museums.
Two Scientific Studies Relating to Museum Visits
What is interesting and novel in the two studies described here is that one duplicated the other thirteen years later. This replication gives an opportunity to determine if the results of the first could be reproduced by the second, one of the most recent approaches to verifying data.
In the first study, by Clow and Fredhoi (2006), subjects self-reported stress and arousal levels, and salivary cortisol was recorded before and after a museum visit. The same approach was repeated in the later study by Ter-Kazarian and Luke (2019). "Stress levels" refers to a general sense of wellbeing related to pleasantness or unpleasantness. "Arousal" implies feelings of wakefulness versus drowsiness. Saliva cortisol levels are used as a physiological indicator of stress.
Clow and Fredhoi examined 28 city workers (half male, half female) who visited a major art institution in London (the Guildhall Art Gallery) during their lunch break. Their self-reported stress dropped 45 percent after the visit, while their self-reported arousal remained unchanged. Their salivary cortisol levels decreased.
Ter-Kazarian and Luke (2019) examined 31 local professionals (21 female; 10 male) who visited the Bellevue Arts Museum in Seattle, Wash. during their lunch hour. Their self-reported stress level dropped 72 percent while their self-reported arousal dropped 28 percent. Their saliva cortisol was unchanged.
Though the results of the two studies demonstrate a drop in self-reported stress levels related to a museum visit during a lunch hour, the self-reported arousal and saliva cortisols did not correlate. There are many factors which may contribute to this disparity (for more on that, see the Ter-Kazarian paper in the references below). What is clear, beyond the drop in self-reported stress during both museum visits, is that further study is needed to clarify the disparities found in the self-reported arousal and physiological measurements of saliva cortisol.
A Third and Different Scientific Approach Relating to Museum Visits
In yet another study (Mastandrea et al., 2019), blood pressure and heart rate were assessed in young healthy women (n=77) before and after three different visits to the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. During one visit, study subjects viewed figurative art; during another, modern art; and during the third, the museum office. The latter was designated the control visit.
During the figurative art visit, the participants' systolic blood pressure (the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats) decreased. This is considered an indication of stress reduction since stress is known to increase blood pressure. There was no change in heart rate or diastolic blood pressure (the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats). It was curious that the subjects liked both types of art (figurative and modern) similarity, but it was only the figurative that decreased systolic blood pressure.
In conclusion, there appear to be benefits beyond stimulation of the pleasure center when viewing art. Though not definitively teased out, science definitely has a start in this exciting and cutting-edge area.
References
Clow, A., and Fredhoi, C. (2006). Normalisation of salivary cortisol levels and self-report stress by a brief lunchtime visit to an art gallery by London City workers. J. Holistic Healthcare 3, 29–32.
Ter-Kazarian, K. (2020). Influence of an art museum visit on individuals’ psychological and physiological indicators of stress (Order No. 28000169). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ University of Washington WCLP; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2439664112).
Stefano Mastandrea, Fridanna Maricchiolo, Giuseppe Carrus, Ilaria Giovannelli, Valentina Giuliani & Daniele Berardi (2019) Visits to figurative art museums may lower blood pressure and stress, Arts & Health.
Shirley M. Mueller M.D.
About
Shirley M. Mueller, M.D., is a neuroscientist board certified in neurology and psychiatry. She is also an avid collector. Combining these two disciplines, she wrote Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play to help explain the often mysterious and little understood behavior of collectors.
06/13/2022
The 5 Ways We Think About Stress, and Why They Matter
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06/06/2022
How to Validate Your Emotions
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/eat-think-and-be-merry/202206/how-validate-your-emotions
How to Validate Your Emotions Five steps for allowing yourself to feel what you feel.
06/01/2022
Living With Prolonged Grief Disorder
Living With Prolonged Grief Disorder A Personal Perspective: There is no clock for grief.
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Borderline Personality Disorder and Denial
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05/09/2022
Grief: Why We Have an Ongoing Relationship With the Deceased
Grief: Why We Have an Ongoing Relationship With the Deceased Thoughts and memories help us find ways to continue bonds with those we love.
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