Transforming Performance Anxiety Treatment

Transforming Performance Anxiety Treatment: Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy and EMDR offers a much needed and different approach to this issue, using two psychodynamic therapies which work to bring about rapid and long-lasting change. Using nine reflexive case studies, the author examines two little used interventions, cognitive hypnotherapy (CH) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). The basic theories of cognitive anxiety and the emotions that underpin this condition are explored. The principles and protocols of CH and EMDR are explained, and how these psychodynamic therapies are adapted to effect permanent change. The first book to examine these treatments for this condition, Transforming Performance Anxiety Treatment will be of interest for practitioners and therapists in training, as well as educators, professionals, and therapists working within competitive sports.

Although hypnosis has been used for centuries to improve mental health and well-being, not until recently has it been applied in modern medicine. Some efforts to integrate hypnosis into Western medical practice in the late nineteenth century were met with stiff resistance by the majority of medical doctors due to lack of scientific foundation, thus hampering its widespread use. The biopsychosocial approach brought about by recent progress in brain research, however, has revived the interest in hypnotherapy. In this book, we shed light on the scientific basis of hypnosis and elaborate its use in modern medical practice.

Traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine are terms used to try to define practices in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of physical and mental conditions. These practices are based on the knowledge, skill, theories, beliefs, and experiences acquired by different cultures in the world throughout the years. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the qualities and applications of complementary therapies. It includes thirteen chapters in four sections: “Complementary Therapies and Knowledge of Some Cultural Practices,” “Complementary Therapies and Mental Disorders,” “Complementary Therapies and Clinical Rehabilitation,” and “Complementary Therapies, Technologic and Science Perspectives.”

The Working Alliance in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy explores the principles and practice of REBT from the perspective of working alliance theory. Windy Dryden seeks to debunk the myth that REBT neglects the therapeutic relationship by breaking down working alliance theory into specific domains in order to highlight its potential in this form of therapy. He introduces the reader to the ABCs of REBT and its basic practice, followed by the working alliance concept that forms the basis of this book. He then shows how the practice of REBT can be enhanced by the therapist attending to each of the four components of the alliance: bonds, views, goals and tasks. The book is written for trainees and established therapists within REBT.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23, 24). This prayer is a humble cry to God from one honestly seeking a transformation. If there is any offense it isn't in this prayer. It is what God yearns for. Verse one of this psalm expresses a sigh of gratitude from the seeker: "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me." God knows us. Do we know Him? Do we trust Him enough to ask Him to examine us for an offensive way in us? If we are satisfied to live according to the ways of the world, we will never ask God to search our hearts. We will never know God or the freedom that comes from His indwelling presence. Examining ourselves is commendable, but can be deceiving. Trusting God for a true revelation of our heart's condition and asking Him to lead us on our journey is showing wisdom that only He can give. Pleading with God to search our heart is the alternative to claiming to have a fellowship with God but, in reality, are walking in darkness. The apostle John labels such as liars who do not walk according to the truth (1 John 1:6). Transformation: The Servant's Heart--A life of Faith addresses three separate but related issues that challenge every Christian: the slavery of anxiety, hypocritical love, and the pride of life. Transformation is intended to generate a desire for God to search us, and prepare us to walk with Him in a journey of faith and service.

The Gifts We Receive from Animals is a book guaranteed to brighten a reader’s day. Professionals engaged in therapy work as well as those who have companion animals at home will enjoy learning about the many ways in which animals impact people’s lives. Through a series of short, true-life stories, written by professionals engaged in animal assisted interventions, The Gifts We Receive from Animals reminds readers of the core essence of the human animal bond and the reason behind the growing phenomenon of animal assisted interventions. Readers will learn, for example, about the young child who shares her inner most thoughts with a dog and, as a result, learns how to talk with people; the soldier who feels comfortable and safe with a dog, a feeling he has been lacking since active duty; and the elderly adult who works through difficult physical therapy because of his therapy dog. The Gifts We Receive from Animals takes readers on a delightful journey, offering insights into the unique impact animals have in the lives of those they help.

Psychoanalysis and Euripides' Suppliant Women applies the "tragic" reading of politics, presented by Euripides in his play, The Suppliant Women, to the contemporary world. Manolopoulos presents a psychoanalytic assessment of the key themes of the play, considering the phenomenon of hubris in public life indirectly, through its transformation in tragic poetry. Psychoanalysis and Euripides’ Suppliant Women goes on to consider how the foundations of the polis are linked to the integration of the work of mourning and the feminine core of existence, and how the aims of scholars who study the play correspond to psychoanalysis’ work towards understanding the psychic and social reality of politics. This book allows for a deeper understanding of the pathological modes of mental functioning that manifest in politics. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts in practice and in training and academics and scholars of psychoanalytic studies, politics, and classical studies.

Applying the art and science of self-compassion to day-to-day therapy work. This lucidly written guide integrates traditional Buddhist teachings and mindfulness with cutting-edge science from several distinct fields—including neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience, psychotherapy outcome research, and positive psychology—to explain how clinicians can help clients develop a more loving, kind, and forgiving attitude through self-compassion. The practice of self-compassion supports effective therapy in two vital ways: (1) It helps clients become a source of compassion for themselves; and (2) it helps therapists be happier and generate more compassion for their clients. Researchers now understand that self-compassion is a skill that can be strengthened through deliberate practice, and that it is one of the strongest predictors of mental health and wellness. The brain’s compassion center, which neuroscientists call the Care Circuit, can be targeted and fortified using specific techniques. Filled with illuminating case examples, Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy shows readers how to apply self-compassion practices in treatment. The first two chapters illuminate what self-compassion is, the science behind it, and why it is so beneficial in therapy. The rest of the book unpacks practical clinical applications, covering not only basic clinical principles but also specific, evidence-based techniques for building affect tolerance, affect regulation, and mindful thinking, working with self-criticism, self-sabotage, trauma, addiction, relationship problems, psychosis, and more, and overcoming common roadblocks. Readers do not need to have any background in mindfulness in order to benefit from this book. However, those that do will find that self-compassion practices have the capacity to add new layers of depth to mindfulness-based therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).