Therapy

My caregiver and I did a couples check in last night. I emailed it to my therapist. We went over the answers together today. It was a good set of journal prompts. My therapist thinks we're really good for each other. Our relationship has been growing and it's healthy. We take excellent care of each other. I told him about how she's been doing so much better and stepping up to take care of me when my pain is unbearable. And he was really happy to hear that we actually finally cuddled! We've been talking about wanting to cuddle for months. So he was very glad and proud of us. I am proud of us too!

#MentalHealth #Therapy #Caregiving #BackPain

I have 2 cans of GF cream soup. I'm gonna mix it with minced garlic and onion soup mix and smother some chicken. I'm also going to make some roasted sweet potatoes. I think it'll be a nice dinner. It's gonna be very flavorful and tender.

After dinner my caregiver and I are going to work on some journal prompts to email to my therapist for tomorrow evening. They're a mid year reflection. I posted it in my self discovery workshop. I want her to join me for therapy this coming Thursday. I was hoping we could do a group session once per month. My therapist said it's a good idea. Just gotta get my caregiver to agree. But that's easy enough.

#foodieadventures #MentalHealth #Therapy #CouplesTherapy #Caregiving

We talked about how I have ORD (olfactory reference disorder). I've never told him about it cuz it's very embarrassing. But he was very understanding and empathetic. We talked about my plans for the weekend. I'm either going to go to the cider mill or to Rust belt for shopping for a special candle and bubble tea. Rust belt is one of my favorite shops to browse. It's in the same shopping center as a really nice LGBT resource center. I think, whatever we do, we're gonna have a good time. My caregiver says she wants to spend more time with me and I want to go on adventures with her. My therapist said he hopes my weekend goes well.

I'm gonna work on some journal prompts this weekend for therapy on Monday. I have a few lists of good journal prompts.

My therapist asked me what kind of music I have been listening to and I told him I've been listening to Avicii. He said he really enjoys his music and we both said we were upset when he died. It's really powerful music.

He asked me if I have plans for the rest of the day. I told him I'm making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner tonight. He said it sounds so comforting. He asked me how I like to eat grilled cheese and I told him I prefer adding bacon and tomato and dipping it in ranch dressing. I'm weird.

He asked me how my pain level has been this week. I told him it's been pretty bad lately. But the tramadol has been helping. Luckily my PCP is ok refilling that script. He asked me if I've been having migraines and I told him I've had one every day since Monday.

I really appreciate my therapist. We've been working together for 7 years. He's seen me at my worst and my best. He's so proud of my progress. I'm very proud of myself too. We've been doing 2 sessions per week for almost 2 years now. It's been really good.

#MentalHealth #Therapy #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #PTSD #CheckInWithMe

...And it shouldn't be.

In a world where some people would be happy to see everything operated by a computer, it is a reality that not everything can, or even should be.

I've seen a number of stories in the past couple of years about the attempts to create AI therapists. There was even a story discussing an unethical situation that involved a company pairing people with AI therapists, without their knowledge, in order to test their model. The result of this was that, within a few months, everyone paired with an AI therapist ended up leaving their "therapy", purely sensing that something was off about the interactions they were having with, as it turns out, a computer program and not a person.

While there are a whole host of problems with the idea of AI providing therapy, one that will not be able to be overcome is the issue of empathy.

Why is empathy such a deal-breaker?

Empathy arguably plays one of the most important (if not, the most important) role in how people connect. And when I say empathy, I'm not simply referring to empathic comments, such as, "It sounds like you've had a stressful day." One can make empathic comments without them actually coming from a place of empathy. And one can also relay empathy without having to make empathic-sounding comments.

Actual empathy comes from a deeper, often unconscious place within ourselves that can only be experienced between two people, whether or not words are even spoken. This is an important piece -- words are not needed to relay empathy.

Empty Words

Words, without the underlying empathic sentiment, are generally experienced by the other as empty, or void of emotion, and usually will not be able to be taken in or land appropriately, if at all. Imagine a moment in your life where someone has made an empathic sounding comment, but that you felt within yourself was not actually connected to the real emotion, or felt misaligned. In these moments, it can feel uncomfortable, dissonant, or even like you're being manipulated. The feeling is off, it's not a good feeling, it makes people squirm and want to turn away.

While words are, of course, important to some degree, it is the underlying empathy that lays the foundation for the words to land. Empathic communication is often unconscious and unspoken, not only in therapy but also between people in life. Underlying (unspoken) empathy is instrumental in how we hear, how we take in, how we sit with, and how we form a genuine connection with another person.

Empathy is a human phenomenon

With this in mind, it is just not possible for a computer program to relay empathy. Empathy is a phenomenon that is created between two humans interacting in a shared space together. This happens whether in-person or virtually. As long as there are two people interacting in real time, empathy has room to exist. (However, it does not work the same with text or email, which is why people often misinterpret the tone of written communication. The other isn't there to detect the underlying emotion and they end up projecting their own experiences in these moments.).

If you are interacting with another person, some sort of underlying empathy or regard is at play, even if you don't always consciously acknowledge or tune into it. Even if there are no spoken words. If you are attempting to interact with AI and no words are spoken, there is nothing.

Even if AI were to speak to you and use empathic-sounding recordings of human voices, it still cannot create and relay empathy. Why? Because even an empathic human voice recording wouldn't be connecting with you in your subjective space. It cannot create a deeper, unspoken connection with where you are emotionally, mentally, or physiologically. The responses of a recording would be coming from a disconnected place (or it would be coming from a moment of connection with someone else when the recording was created), and that disconnect would be felt, even unconsciously. Even if it were possible to be "fooled" at first, this would erode as the inconsistencies in connectivity and lack of true emotion were to be experienced.

(I should also point out that it's utterly impossible for AI to provide therapy. A great deal of therapy is based on the experience of the shared space between the client and the therapist. AI can't truly have this experience).

Is AI "therapy" more harmful than good?

There is also a greater danger with AI "therapy" which one should consider. If you're attempting to create a connection to a computer program for an emotionally-based experience, there are potentially drastic consequences to your mental health being set up. Empathy is the cornerstone of how one develops emotionally, from infancy and childhood and even through adulthood. This involves not only how your parents (or others) talk to you, but how they feel towards you. When there is little underlying empathy or attunement from parents or caretakers growing up, this opens up a range of potential mental health issues, from anxiety or depression to even more severe issues such as antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy), and others.

If you're engaging in a pseudo-therapy with an AI computer program, the result is more likely to distort (or even mute) your own empathy and your ability to connect with others, as well as to potentially disconnect you internally from yourself. Even with a therapist who speaks less often, there is always an underlying feeling, empathy, regard for you. This silent, yet still highly empathic communication is crucial to not only the developing child in the world from their parents, but also to any human experience, which includes the therapy experience. So even a less talkative therapist can still relay a great deal of empathy.

Finding genuine support

In the end, an AI "therapy" program can make pre-determined comments. It can sound supportive on the surface. It may offer a coping skill. But these are merely algorithmic responses to words, or even possibly a tone or other "markers" that sets off a pre-programmed response. But it cannot truly know or feel you, or understand or "get" you, or be able to have the vast experience of a seasoned therapist who can discern between what someone else may need in a moment, versus what you personally may need that differs in a very similar situation. While empathy is not the only piece to consider in why AI "therapy" should never happen, without the ability to truly have empathy the entire rug is pulled out from under a therapy -- or any relationship for that matter.

#Therapy #MentalHealth #Counseling #Depression #Anxiety

We talked about this past weekend and I told him about my pain being so bad. He was concerned about me taking hydroxyzine pamoate and Norco but I explained that my doctor said it was fine. He actually wrote a script for Norco today. So my therapist feels better knowing my doctor is on the same page. I gotta make an appointment with Endo and Ortho. I'll call them when I get home from con.

#Therapy #MentalHealth

I woke up this morning after having had a very interesting dream. I've always thought that Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung's work on Dream Theory was rubbish, given that most of my dreams are silly, but this last one was profound in its realism, and makes me think that they were not just onto something, they were geniuses.

So it's only dreams related to real life (present or past) that matter - not just any random dream. (Flying on the back of a magical hippo in your underpants doesn't count, there's nothing to learn there!). It's got to relate to an incident that you have experienced or are experiencing. A recreation of the event.

A random example: You're at home, in the company of someone you know well. You get into an argument, and it gets vicious, possibly violent. For whatever reason, let's assume that person is no longer in your real life (moved on, deceased, whatever reason applies), so you can't ask them about the incident in reality, therefore pay attention to the dream. It will reveal an extension of their personality, and you may learn a few things about them that you hadn't realised before. It will likely be unpleasant, though very cathartic - because it will give you some understanding and insight on the issue.

Freud and Jung were not the first to come up with Dream Theory, they just made it a proper science. A key example of this was in Ancient Greece: they did their own version of Dream Theory in a place called Epidaurus. There was a temple to the god Asclepius (god of medicine), son of the god Apollo (god of healing in general.) People who required healing went there and slept upon the ground of the temple overnight. Asclepius would 'inspire' them through revelatory dreams, then the priests would help interpret them in the morning. (Oh, and harmless snakes were in the temple as well, because they were symbolic of Asclepius and believed to help promote the dreams. They freely moved around as you slept, including over you.)

Back to the dream. In it, you likely experience it from the perspective of 'first person' (as yourself, seeing through your own eyes) and/or 'third person' (from a distance, watching yourself. 'Second person' is never you.) Either way, you get to experience the incident safely. No matter what happens in the dream, it's not happening in reality, because you are asleep. Because of this, you can witness the incident without being 100% involved in it. If you get injured in the dream, no pain will be felt, for instance. You will likely feel the emotions, but nothing physical. No broken bones, no nothing. You are safe.

When you wake up, you will likely still feel emotions related to the dream: anger, sadness, fear, whatever. During this time, write down as much of the dream as you can remember, while it still lingers. Most dreams we don't remember for more than a few seconds/minutes, but ones like these tend to linger for a little while, because we had so much psychological investment in them. Make sure you write down the parts that are revelatory - that you didn't notice in reality.

Next step. When your emotions are gone and your head is clear (say, the next day or so), go back to your notes and reflect upon them.

🔸️ Some questions to reflect upon:

📍 What did the dream reveal that you didn't experience during the real incident?
📍 What did the dream tell you about how you coped with the incident?
📍 What did the dream tell you about how the other person coped with the incident?
📍 What feelings did the dream evoke while you were asleep?
📍 What feelings did the dream evoke while you were awake? (After the dream happens, there's always a secondary emotion(s) you feel while awake as your brain tries to sort out what to make of it.)
📍 If you witness that you are the one at 'fault' in the dream, can you acknowledge this to yourself? Can you try to understand why it happened, and seek to forgive yourself?
📍 It you witness that it was not you at 'fault', can forgive the other person? (It's okay if you can't, but try to see their motivation: did they react the way they did because of anger? Fear? Guilt/shame? What else?)
📍 It's possible that you are both equally at 'fault'. If that is the case, then perhaps you are looking at a core difference between you, irreconcilable or otherwise. Seeing this, can you forgive your part in it? Can you move on from the situation, with your new knowledge?
📍 Are there any changes you would make to your real life? (This is working under the assumption that you cannot reach the other person, so any changes must be about yourself, not them.)
📍 If you feel you need to change something about yourself personally in reality, do you have any supports who can help you? (Family? Friends? A therapist? A psychiatrist?)

After going through all of that, it's important to acknowledge the hard work you've put into the reflection. (It's not an easy thing to do, and may churn up possible guilt/shame, especially if you feel you are the one at 'fault'.) It is something that will require some self-care. But it is also something worth treating with respect: Celebrate it, if you can, you've earned it.

#Dream #Dreaming #PTSD #Trauma #Therapy #MentalHealth #Journaling #analysis #freud #jung #Grief #Shame #Selfcare #Recovery

I have now had four sessions with my new therapist and the last two of those have been utilising EMDR. As a guy I always like to understand how things work. For that reason I find EMDR somewhat frustrating. I have no definitive answer as to how it works but I can say unequivocally, it works and it works incredibly well.

As I recall traumatic experiences from the last four years the ones we have processed no longer bring fear, pain and a sense of dread. They are not just matter of fact memories.

Now I am aware EMDR won’t work for everyone. It needs to be administered and managed by professionals in that are.

For me I am so grateful for the breakthroughs I am experiencing.

I pray you get the breakthrough you need too.

Full Disclosure - am a MH Consumer & Advocate writing on my own accord, with no affiliation whatsoever to media, government or activist groups and am a private citizen employed as a Truck Driver who wants to empower our Mental Health #treatment community so they can continue saving lives and lifting up society.

When it comes to #mentalwellness , Forced Therapy can be Compassionate Therapy. Heard this in an Audiobook yesterday by DJ Jaffe, put another way, something along the lines of "We may much rather have forced treatment than forced criminal incarcerations" - because many people in prison, may never have been diagnosed yet. People living with Severe Mental Illness are 20-1 times more likely to end up in prison than in a hospital. In order to protect both our vulnerable Mental Health #patients and our vulnerable Public, we must adopt Mental Wellness focused legislation similar to, the H.R.3717 Helping Families in Mental Health #Crisis Act of 2013, and go yet the further, empowering our Mental Wellness Professionals individually to have legal authority, for self certifying Need Of #Therapy Orders, including and not limited to, IVC & AOT.

Many people discover incremental improvements in their Mental Wellness Journey before being fully recovered, which is when some often suddenly begin refusing treatment, ghosting their dedicated Mental Health Team. As if the diagnosis was some misunderstanding or maybe they've been cured. This recede and withdraw phase, remains not some new phenomenon or an independent decision, rather it is part of the process, we must continue working through towards healing. The unfortunate reality is however, when we prioritize Patient Rights over Patient Health, we end up losing both; with many of these Patients falling into the same downward spiral - that recurring and worsening of their Mental #suffering ; leading them to Unaliving themselves, Drug Addictions, Public Outbursts, Unemployment & Rising Crime, which become a burden to Family Members, Themselves and to Society.

Organizations like APA, MHA, MHLG, NASW, NAMI, NABH, NCMW, NIMH, SAMHSA, TAC, THE MIGHTY and others, can help our Civilization with structured healing only when we let them. Otherwise, we continue to actively accept rising Drug Addictions, spreading Crime Rates, climbing national Unaliving Statistics and out of control Growing Poverty, into our very own neighborhoods and schools.

At some point, many Mental Health Consumers can enter an expected phase, where they become counterproductive, even asserting rights, to refuse continuing safe and effective Treatment, unless they are deemed a threat to themselves or others in a scheduled Court Hearing. Sadly, Hearings remain very time consuming when there are only minutes available, rather than weeks. When a Psychotherapist finally finds out a Patient is going through a combative withdrawal phase, planning an Attack or Unaliving themselves, it’s often already too late for scheduling Court Hearings to obtain an IVC or AOT order.

So we end up with hurt or worse, Victims, many of whom come to us for help. All it takes, to become a threat to injuring oneself or others; is that single Event, a Personal Crisis or Manic Episode, maybe some observed Social Media Post, an Intrusive Thought or even a Snap Impulse.

Short of the Federal or Municipal Government putting forward a much needed program of regularly introducing the continuous supply of SSRi and/or an Antipsychotic solution into our Water Treatment Facilities across the nation to benefit public health, our growing Crime Rates and our random Violence are becoming the new normal. While our Mental Health Professionals are handcuffed, in literal red tape, under "Patient Rights" - they still somehow carry this very heavy onus; or Crystal Ball, to be the ones who ring alarm before a grenade suddenly rolls across the busy office floor.

Reasonably, we don't allow intoxicated people to make decisions behind the wheel of a vehicle. So when does it make sense to have Mental Health Patients, who are naturally unaware of therapeutic benefits in Psychology and Psychiatry; making decisions to refuse, cancel or even ghost, their needed Mental Health Therapy?

It cannot be guaranteed that the Patient is even remotely aware what incidents may occur for themselves or others nearby, or even what is going on at the time, when doing so.
"Comprehension of important Medical Information'' and the "ability to keep a Safe Environment" - currently, stipulate whether your next possible Serial Outburst, gets treatment or not. They may lack the capacity to make responsible decisions hours after an interview, during a depressive or manic episode, where their brain chemicals do not function in the predicted way, causing them to suddenly snap. We don't have to continue inviting this.

Enabling our Mental Health Professionals to help and empower our Mental Wellness and SMI Consumers, is a two way street. We must remove bureaucratic red tape and allow our Mental Health Professionals to exercise their own Professional Judgment, having Discretionary Authority, without needing time consuming Court Orders, when providing on ground responsive Emergency Care, for Clients during their next sudden Crisis Event - as it happens - not after. This is how we streamline Mental Wellness. Only then, can we begin to curb random Public Outbursts, Terrorism, Road Rage, Domestic Disputes and more. Another positive, would be having too, Migrants, who may be silently suffering with Mental Illness, #PTSD , et cetera - finally being treated, who otherwise would go homeless, unaccounted, undocumented and untreated, left roaming neighborhoods.

And so it remains with great urgency that our Elected Representatives Draft then Pass Legislation, streamlining our Mental Wellness Professionals, with legal power to self certify IVC & AOT orders. This way, we will finally be lowering criminal activities; random violence, daily road rage and even, serial outbursts.

We owe this to both our Public and our Patients, who are actively seeking to improve their #MentalHealth .

Most Sincerely, Patient & Mental Health Treatment Advocate,

Frankie

Sources; Look Up Your State - Treatment Advocacy Center