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Specialties
Joan specializes in the treatment of a broad
range of medical and emotional difficulties. Our services
include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals
who are experiencing:
Anxiety
Disorders:
Everyone experiences life's stresses from
time to time. Meeting deadlines, raising kids, or driving
in heavy traffic are three examples of situations in which
normal anxious feelings can occur. While mild anxiety
helps us remain alert and focused in challenging situations,
anxiety disorders cause just the opposite. Severe distress
over a period of time can keep you from having a life
at all. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness
in the United States. An estimated 19 million American
adults are affected by anxiety disorders each year. This
is not about being a 'worry wart' or being 'stressed out.'
This requires professional care, and Joan can help.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Excessive
anxiety and worry about everyday life activities that
occur more days than not for at least six months. The
anxiety and worry are associated with at least three of
the following six symptoms: restlessness, easily fatigued,
difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension,
and sleep disturbances.
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Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder
Recurrent and persistent thoughts or behaviors
that seem impossible
to control. Obsessions are thoughts that are experienced
as intrusive and inappropriate and cause marked anxiety
or distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors (e.g.
hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g.
praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the
person feels driven to perform.
The good news is that anxiety disorders
are highly and effectively treatable and respond well
to behavior modification, EMDR, and clinical hypnosis.
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Panic Disorder
Repeated episodes of intense fear or discomfort
develop abruptly and peak within ten minutes. Symptoms
often include heart palpitations, trembling, sweating,
shortness of breath, dizziness, fear of dying, abdominal
distress, and chest pain. Living with panic disorder is
extremely difficult because the individual is always in
a constant state of anxiety waiting for the next episode
thus limiting their ability to lead a productive life.
As debilitating as panic disorder is, it
responds well to psychotherapy including behavior modification,
EMDR, and clinical hypnosis.
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Depression
Everyone
feels sad or "down" on occasion. Most people
grieve when major life events such as death, divorce,
illness, or loss of job occurs. These feelings tend to
lessen as time passes. Depression, however, occurs when
despair or extreme sadness are present for two weeks or
longer and interfere with everyday living such as work,
sleep, eating, or pleasure.
Clinical Depression is an illness and not a character
flaw or weakness. Unfortunately, many people have the
misconception that depressed people are weak, failures,
or simply don't try hard enough. A surprising number also
believe that the depressed person can just "snap
out of it." On the other hand, some clinically depressed
individuals blame others for their disorder, such as parents,
society, or God. This desire to blame others is similar
to the weakness mentioned above. The only difference is
that blame is projected outward rather than inward.
Three factors contribute to the development
of depression:
-
Chemical/psychological
-
Genetic
- Environmental
Research indicates that depression is associated with
an imbalance that leads to a variety of symptoms that
affect the whole body, including physical symptoms, moods,
and thoughts. The following list of symptoms can occur
in depression: down mood, lack of interest or pleasure,
weight gain or loss, too much or too little sleep, abnormal
restlessness or drop in physical activity, fatigue, difficulty
thinking, concentrating, or making decisions, negative
self-talk, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, thoughts
of harming oneself.
Depression affects over 19 million Americans each year
and less than half seek treatment. The good news is that
depression is highly treatable. A large majority of people
with depression can be successfully treated with psychotherapy,
antidepressant medication, or the combination thereof.
Antidepressant medications correct the chemical imbalance
in the brain and provide sustained relief from symptoms.
Antidepressants are NOT habit-forming and therefore are
safe to use.
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Stress Management
Stress is an important protective emotion.
When the brain recognizes a dangerous situation it sends
signals to the adrenal glands thus releasing adrenaline.
This increase in adrenaline raises blood sugar and other
physiologic responses allowing the person to react to
the danger. Once the danger is past the brain turns off
the flee signals and the body physiology returns to normal.
Stress becomes a problem when it continues
for long periods of time thus becoming a chronic situation.
Evidence shows that chronic stress weakens the immune
situation, is a contributing cause of hypertension, heart
disease, stroke, anxiety, and depression.
Like anxiety disorders, the good news is
that stress reduction techniques such as behavioral modification,
clinical hypnosis, and other therapeutic interventions
have proven to be highly effective treatments for chronic
stress.
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Self-Esteem
Issues
People who suffer from poor self-esteem
are limited in every area of life. They generally believe
they are useless, stupid, and inferior to others. Because
they see themselves as failures and unworthy of success
and happiness, they rarely experience fulfillment and
happiness in their lives.
Many people with poor self-esteem suffer
from childhood experiences that have reinforced feelings
of powerlessness and negativity. These issues are best
addressed in a therapeutic setting.
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