It’s not uncommon to think of treating a problem by introducing a little dose of that same problem to the system. Antibodies are the best example of such interventions. When it comes to anxiety disorders, the same principal applies. Even though the anxious person’s automatic response might be to avoid the anxiety-provoking situation, in the end, exposure to the anxiety making situation is the best treatment. In this link below, you will see a video of someone standing on the corner of the street, singing “Mary had a little lamb” to reduce social anxiety. You will read a few clips about some of the best ways to reduce social inhibitions, such asking a librarian that you are looking for a book on the art of farting!!
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
A small percentage of people experience an array of conditions and symptoms that cannot be grouped in one category to meet any known medical conditions. The illness of these people is often non-treatable with conventional or even un-conventional medicine. The following are often reported as symptoms that occur in conjunction, although not always in an organized manner.
Pain symptoms that persist such as joint pain, headaches, abdominal pain, rectum pain, pain during intercourse or urination or during menstruation. Gastrointestinal symptoms that show up unexpectedly and don’t respond to medicine or medical findings such as nausea, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, and intolerance of several foods. Sexual or reproductive symptoms that are non-responsive to medications such as sexual indifference, erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction, irregular menses, painful intercourse and difficulty achieving orgasm.
Exceptionally unusual neurological symptoms like paralysis or localized weakness, difficulty swallowing, urinary retention, double vision, dizziness and or impaired coordination, and general fatigue and sleep disturbances.
There used to be a name for the above cluster of symptoms in the diagnostic book of mental illnesses, (DSM-IV), it was called Somatization Disorder. Suffering from the above conditions can sometimes be due to psychic pain. Psychic pain is REAL; but its treatment is specific.
In modern psychology there is less mention of psychic pain primarily because such concepts cannot be easily verified by evidence-based research and methods. Most recently however, a different phrase, Hidden Emotions, which was first cited in the research of David Burns, M.D, unveils a lot. Hidden emotions are clearly “hidden” from the conscious awareness, and yet they are the driving force for many behavioral, cognitive and in this case medical symptoms. Patients with history of trauma or childhood adversarial conditions, those with history of sexual abuse and sexual trauma, and those with significant history of drug and alcohol abuse are more likely to fall victim.
In my clinical practice patients who are diagnosed with Somatization Disorder often do report a significant history of struggles with chronic traumatic events or self-destructive coping mechanisms. When left untreated and unaddressed, such struggles can morph into Somatization Disorder over the years. The hidden emotions are often in the form of some type of disappointment over the way things have turned out, or some type of severe grief that has not been healed, but has instead been forced upon the person. It is also a form of maintaining one’s opposition or anger toward someone, something, or some turn of events in the past.
One way to examine if your incurable medical symptoms are potentially due to unresolved hidden emotions is to use a Cost Benefit Analysis (David Burns, Feelinggood.com) where you would examine the advantages and disadvantages of changing your negative feelings such as anger or sadness against your medical symptoms. You might be surprised to notice the number of disadvantages in getting rid of your anger or sadness against your medical conditions. In other words, your somatization disorder is acting as a protective layer against facing those hidden emotions that are particularly painful. Careful psychotherapy can help address those unresolved hidden emotions such as grief, anger, disappointment, despair, fear and sadness. At that point, the psychic pain is no longer un-addressed, therefore it will no longer be poking itself out through un-organized and vague and incurable medical symptoms.
My name is Dr. Katie Dashtban, licensed clinical health psychologist. I have offices in Santa Cruz, Mt View and Fremont, CA, where I am the co-founder of Feeling Good Therapy & Training Center. For more information visit: www.medicalpsychologyservice.com and www.feelinggoodtherapy.com or call: 510-400-6160
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
Persons with Asperger’s syndrome or high functioning autism could list a long list of challenges in their relationships. They often would tell you about their fear and anxieties of not fitting in, of feeling estranged and even unlovable. Likewise, Neurotypicals complain of their relationships with Aspies, often reporting feelings of rejection and being uncared for.
In this article the two mindset are examined. What is highlighted is the way things are Lost in Translation. Through two scenarios I describe what each mindset hears or interprets. I will refer to Asperger mindset as (Aspie) and the Neurotypical mindset as (NT).
Scenario 1: It’s the day after a heated argument between a NT and an Aspie.
Typical thoughts of the NT: “I’ll just be cold and dismissive so that s/he can see how much they’ve hurt my feelings, and will come and want to talk about it. S/he will apologize to me.”
Typical thoughts of the Aspie: “By looking at the way s/he is gazing away and pouting, it is obvious they need some alone time. I will just stay out of the way. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to engage them, so might as well wait till they talk.”
Scenario 1: Revisited:
Aspies mindset forgives easily, is free of prejudices, less likely to engage in social manipulations, takes things as they are.
NT mindset needs time to forgive and sometimes cannot forgive without the support of the other person. Is more likely persuaded by prejudices like gender roles, and ageism. More likely to think of social situations in a creative way, therefore more likely to make up scenarios that might not be true, but hurtful to them.
Scenario 2: On a long road trip together.
Typical thoughts of the NT: “We can talk about things, sing songs and choose music together, we can pull over whenever we want and spend time wherever we like.”
Typical thoughts of the Aspie: “I’ll plan the route ahead of time, make sure we make it through our destination with specific number of stops and I’ll be sure we won’t run out of gas or food or get fatigued by carefully arranging our stops and rests.”
Scenario 2 Revisited:
Aspie’s mindset is excellent in planning ahead and taking specific precautions against mishaps. Therefore safety and reliability are Aspie’s forte.
NT mindset calls for spontaneity and readiness to deal with the unexpected. What is considered safety and precision for the Aspie can be translated to overly stuffiness for the NT.
So the take home message here is that the two mindsets have advantages and disadvantages. Those who are struggling with depression and anxiety in their relationships with an Aspie or a neurotypical might benefit from learning about each other’s mindsets. This learning could alleviate many misunderstandings and therefore bring Aspie’s and NT’s closer to one another.
Dr. Dashtban, Psy.D. can be visited on www.medicalpsychologyservice.com with offices in SC, Mt View, Fremont.
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
https://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Blog23.jpg10041500Katie Dashtbanhttps://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/therapy-logo.pngKatie Dashtban2016-04-29 01:59:282021-09-22 19:22:39An Overview of Aspergerian Versus A Neurotypical Mindsets
Are Mood Disorders And Metabolic Syndrome related?
by: G. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D. Licensed Clinical Health Psychologist
Metabolic Syndrome is characterized as a cluster of several health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. According to Wikipedia, The word “syndrome” means a set of medical signs and symptoms that are correlated with each other and often with a specific disease. It derives from the Greek language, which translates to “concurrence “.
Patients often don’t know they are candidates for this syndrome, because they are likely to look at each of their conditions as a single problem. For example, most patients are told by their physicians that their blood sugar is at the cusp of being considered a diabetic, and that if they exercised more and ate less sugar promoting foods (starches, simple carbohydrates) they can reduce their blood sugar and be on the good side again. However, metabolic syndrome is not one disease, rather, it’s a combination of different kinds of diseases, including psychiatric mood disorders.
Over the last decade, several bodies of research are showing that there is a strong correlation between mood disorders and metabolic syndrome. Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder are at increased risk of becoming overweight, and patients with bipolar disorder may have increased risk of abdominal and overall obesity. Conversely obese persons seeking weight-loss treatments may have increased rates of depression and bipolar disorder.
Furthermore, it has been proposed that the central nervous system, very similarly to the pancreas, is affected by chronic abnormalities in metabolic processes. The phrase “Metabolic Syndrome Type II” has been used in the literature as a neuropsychiatric syndrome in which alterations in metabolic networks define the course of the disease.
What all of this means to the general population is two folded. First, recognizing that symptoms of diabetes, heart failure, obesity, and high cholesterol are not independent from one another, but instead each are different manifestations of the same disease. Secondly, mood disorders can and sometimes are part of the same disease and they can increase the risk of fatal heart disease and stroke.
In conclusion, seeking professional help for the treatment of depression, anxiety, unexplained irritability and similar mood issues might prove to not only improve your quality of life, it might even help save your life.
I am Dr. Katie Dashtban, Licensed Clinical Health Psychologist. I am co-founder of Feeling Good Wellness Center and the founder of Medical Psychology Services, with offices in Santa Cruz, Mt View and Fremont. Visit medicalpsychologyservice.com or like my Fb page at facebook.com/MedicalPsychologyServices/
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
https://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/art-artistic-bisexual-1209843.jpg8001200Katie Dashtbanhttps://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/therapy-logo.pngKatie Dashtban2016-03-22 01:57:452021-09-28 13:53:06Mood disorders, like diabetes and obesity, found to be risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
It is quite common for most of us to have a set of commonly held core beliefs about ourselves, about the future and about people in our lives. These core beliefs are often so deeply embedded in our, where else, “cores,” to the point that we are not consciously aware of them. In this article I am going to point out 7 common self defeating core beliefs and your job is to pause with each and wonder to yourself if you hold such core beliefs and if so, ask yourself “what is it worth to me to change that core belief?”
Achievement/Perfectionism – Believing that you must never fail or make a mistake. That people will not love and accept you if you have flaws or show vulnerability. That your worth as a human being is based on your achievements, income, looks, talent, or some other type of status.
Love – You believe that you must receive everyone’s approval in order to be worthwhile. That you will not taste happiness unless you have someone in your life who romantically loves you. And, that if you receive criticism or rejection it proves that there is something inherently wrong with you.
Submissiveness – You believe that you should do your best to please others and you are willing to sacrifice anything for it. You are afraid of conflict and think people who care for one another should never be at odds with one another and should certainly not have arguments. And you believe all the problems in your relationships are somehow your fault.
Demandingness – When in conflict, you put the blame on others. You feel entitled that others should always treat you in the way you expect. And you believe you are right and everyone else is wrong.
Depression – You believe your problems could never be solved and that you will never feel truly happy or fulfilled. And you believe that you are basically worthless, defective or inferior compared to others.
Anxiety – You believe that you should always feel happy and confident and in control. That anger is dangerous and should be avoided at all cost, and that feeling intense emotions such as depressed, angry or jealous should be avoided. You believe people are powerful, demanding and manipulative. And, you are under the spotlight; everyone is looking at how you carry yourself and is ready to criticize you. And lastly, you engage in magical thinking: “If I worry enough, everything will turn out okay.”
The above commonly held self-defeating beliefs are strongly associated with most of human suffering. Learning to recognize them can be tremendously helpful.
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
When it comes to this time of the year, we are bombarded with emotionally charged messages by song lyrics, colors, smells, and traditional rituals. Ask almost anyone what does celebrating the holidays mean to them and you’d hear a slew of things they do (gift buying, planning parties), things they prepare to eat or serve others (sweets, special recipes), and how they plan to spend time with families, friends, coworkers.
I personally happen to like several aspects of the holiday season and I am guessing many of you do too. But I know many of us feel a sense of sadness, tenderness, vulnerability, and even anxiety during these very times. Ever wondered why that is the case?
Socrates said “An unexamined life is not worth living” as he was on trial for encouraging his students to challenge the accepted beliefs of the time and think for themselves. So I encourage you to ask yourself, how come I don’t think I must spend time and money in offering gifts at other times of the year. Or why is it that I particularly crave things with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger during December, and not much in July? And, how come I don’t have this expectation that I should be with my family on any particular evening of the year except on December 24th? And though you feel tender and sad when you think of the loss of a loved one, how come you particularly allow yourself to grief your worst during this month?
I am going to take a risk of sounding insensitive and say the answer to the above questions is: because you let yourself.
As I’ve treated persons feeling depressed, anxious and lonely during these months over the years, I’ve learned some typical negative beliefs that fuel the negative emotions experienced by most. Here is a list of commonly held beliefs:
Black and White Thinking: Christmas is a special time of the year. If you don’t have a special someone you are bound to have a bad time.
Falling For Tempting Thoughts: I get to have all these amazing treats because they only come along once a year, I deserve it because I’ve worked so hard.
Fortune Telling, Mind Reading, Discounting the Positive: If I don’t make it to all the holiday events at work and at home, people might think I don’t respect them; or that I am not a team player; or I might not get that promotion or close that sale.
Self Martyrdom: I miss my loved ones at this time of the year and grieve their absence because I really care about them. So being depressed right now means I am loyal to them.
So, the take-home message here is that I’d like to suggest that you examine your own beliefs and see if you still agree with them. Perhaps once you recognize the thinking errors, you’d see the more liberating thought pattern come through, and you’d be able to find relief from those negative thoughts.
I am Dr. G. Katie Dashtban, a licensed clinical health psychologist. I have offices in Santa Cruz and Fremont, CA. I can be reached at 831-621-1150 and by visiting www.feelinggoodtherapy.com
One of the most common causes of emotional suffering is perfectionistic tendencies.
We fall for, and get mesmerized by, the sound of voices in our head that point out our vulnerabilities, convincing us that we will sustain extreme humiliation or even death if we didn’t protect our egos in a defined way. This wisdom is not particularly apparent to most of us. The mesmerizing quality of these threatening voices fool our solid self. We often don’t realize that the thought is nothing but an over-generalization, or mind reading, or fortune-telling.
In the following scenario, I have developed a hypothetical situation where a person experiences anxiety, anger and depression over the observation that they have a medical problem that makes it hard for them to work. The following sentences are those that this person might say about their circumstance:
If I go to work with this migraine, I’ll make a bunch of mistakes and that’ll be super embarrassing.
People might think I’m loosing my grip.
Then I won’t be a candidate for that promotion.
And if I don’t get promoted, it’d mean I was just being mediocre all along.
And that would mean I’ve wasted all these years at school, the training and all the hard work would mean nothing.
And that would mean I’m a loser, someone that is unworthy of even being alive.
Now, imagine a friend of yours has just approached you with the problems mentioned in the above scenario. This friend is quite dear to you and has come to ask for some help, wishing to feel better. The conversation between you and your friend might go something like this:
Friend: If I go to work with this migraine, I’ll make a bunch of mistakes and that’ll be super embarrassing.
You: Oh dear, well you do sound like you are in a great deal of pain and yes people aren’t usually at their best when in pain. But is there anyone at work that might understand your situation and be a little helpful? Or perhaps you could just call-in sick today, or maybe just do some basics that would not be too tedious, making it less likely to make mistakes.
Friend: But then I won’t be a candidate for that promotion.
You: Well, I suspect they make those decisions based on your overall qualifications, not just your need to mind your health one day. I see that in general you have such a high work ethic and do the job in the most amazing way. In fact, you worry about making mistakes if you went in with this migraine, which suggests your high work ethic–isn’t that what they factor in when looking to promote someone?
Friend: But if I don’t get promoted it’d mean I was just being mediocre all along.
You: Well, to my way of thinking, someone being mediocre might not really care much for the quality of work they offer, whereas your job performance has seemingly been amazing so far.
Friend: And that would mean I’ve wasted all these years at school, the training and all the hard work would mean nothing.
You: Well, yes sometimes people wake to realize that they don’t really care for their work and feel they have wasted years of training and hard work. You on the other hand seem to love this work since you put such high value into doing it to the best of your capability.
Friend: And that would mean I’m a loser, someone that is unworthy of even being alive.
You: Oh dear, I can see that being sad and disappointed over having this migraine has taken a toll on you. But all I see in front of me is a carrying and responsible worker who puts lots of heart into the work they do. To me that is quite worthwhile.
And, the kicker is, this is a Double Standard that we play against ourselves. We are so likely to speak with compassion for a friend. My question for you is: Wouldn’t you choose to offer the same level of compassion for yourself?
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is actually a type of anxiety disorder, not a type of eating disorder. The affected individual focuses on physical flaws that other people may not notice. The cause of BDD is still unknown. But most likely it results from an inborn biology plus environmental factors.
Brain studies have confirmed that brain imaging results differ between subjects diagnosed with BDD and others who have not been diagnosed with this disorder. For example, BDD individuals are more likely to report feelings of disgust or repulsed when viewing images of their own faces versus control groups. Similarly, brain-imaging studies show alterations in two areas of the brain of persons with BDD: the visual processing center in the orbitofrontal cortex, and the frontostriatal system, which affects emotional reactions and behaviors. Theses studies suggest that brains of people with BDD are processing visual information differently in their brain, and this finding might explain why their perceptions differ from those of other people.
Exposure Therapy
A good majority of persons affected by this type of anxiety disorder might mistakenly resort to restricting their caloric intake in an effort to lose weight and therefore look better (in their own eyes). Clinicians might even mistakenly look at this issue as an eating disorder. Unfortunately, no amount of weight loss, or plastic surgery, or covering the body with make up, clothes, jewelry, etc. will present relief.
Just like many other anxiety disorders, the most effective treatment is exposure therapy (read more). The idea is to desensitize the brain at the site or image or thought of the dreaded object, in this case the part(s) of the body that brings out the most disgust in the mind of the person until such time that the brain will no longer react by the same emotional intensity as it did before. It is as if we have over charged the circuitry to the point of disconnecting the relationship between emotional disgust and the site of the dreaded body part.
I am Dr. Dashtban and in my practice I treat anxiety and depressive disorders associated with medical conditions. If you have any questions regarding successful treatment of BDD, give me a call at 408-458-8222, 831-621-1150 or write to me at drdashtban@medicalpsychologyservice.com.
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
https://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/johannes-plenio-278099.jpg8001200Katie Dashtbanhttps://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/therapy-logo.pngKatie Dashtban2012-10-11 01:44:332021-09-28 13:57:23Why Are Patients With Body Dysmorphic Disorder So Self-Critical?
I have learned of a legend in the Tibetan Book of the Dead by reading about it in Dr. David Burns’s book titled “When Panic Attacks,” (p. 251). Here is a short version of it:
Facing a Monster
According to this legend, you wake up in a dark place after you die. A scary monster appears from the dark that represents your worst fears. Facing this monster, you have the choice of surrendering to it, which is going to bring you the relief of defying it for good, or you may run away which gives you the momentary relief of the fear you are facing. But if you run away, out of the darkness comes another monster that requires you to make the same choices, surrender so you can find relief forever, or run away from it for now. Naturally, the option of running away will eventually wear you out, and you will feel defeated by the monster while remaining frightened for life. However, surrendering to it gives light to the fact that it was a toothless monster, that indeed it was only an illusion and that it might even turn out to be funny that you held such a strong conviction about it even being a scary monster in the first place.
Eradicating Anxieties and Fears
Learning from the wisdom of this legend, there is a very effective technique of eradicating anxieties and fears called the “Exposure Technique.” The trouble is that most people get mesmerized by the fear, say the fear of heights, and avoid going to high places because they don’t like to feel dizzy and anxious. Or in the case of shy people, they would avoid parties or people altogether, because they don’t like to feel insecure and inadequate. This avoidance unfortunately only fuels your fears however. In order to be relieved from the anxiety, you will need to get exposed to it, over and over, until it no longer triggers those uncomfortable feelings anymore.
Confront Your Fears
Exposure therapy can be done in several ways. One way is to literally confront your fears in a real form. For example, someone who fears getting sick and dying would purposefully shake hands with someone who has cold symptoms. They will then see in real life that even if they do catch the cold virus, at most they would feel under the weather for a few days, but they won’t indeed die.
Another form of Exposure Therapy is Cognitive Exposure. In this form you face your fears in your mind’s eye. You think and visualize the dreaded time or the dreaded experience, and you stay with it in your mind’s eye and maybe repeat to yourself a verse such as “I am not afraid of you” and you do this so many times until the fear finally goes away.
Repeated Exposure
Lastly, there is the Interpersonal Exposure technique. For example, in the case of someone with Social Phobia, they might have to actually go to a crowded place such a coffee shop, and scream: “I am shy.” They might have to stand a grand feeling of shame and humiliation at first, but repeated exposure to various social situations and indeed starting a conversation with people, will give the brain a chance to see that it needs not call the “fire department,” nothing bad is happening, so the fear will subside.
In short: Exposure Therapy is the short cut to what otherwise can be a lifetime of fearfulness and anxiety.
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
https://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Blog22.jpg10001500Katie Dashtbanhttps://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/therapy-logo.pngKatie Dashtban2012-09-22 01:40:212021-09-28 13:55:50The Fears You Don’t Face Keep Frightening You For An Eternity, Want A Short Cut?
If you are someone who can tell the weather is changing not by looking out the window, but by the way your mood feels or the way your body feels, then you know about the effects of season changes.
Some people are particularly sensitive to low levels of sunlight and react to overcast days by feeling blue. This condition is called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Moreover, people with chronic pain such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, or general muscle pain are often particularly sensitive to feelings of depression. In other words, depressive feelings make their pain worse. And when you have increased pain, you are likely to feel more depressed.
It’s like we are talking about a circular motion, where one condition makes the other worse and vice versa.
It does not really have to be this way. Here are some tips to keep this circular motion from starting off in the first place:
Develop a conscious understanding about two links: A) the link between the weather and mood, B) the link between mood and pain. Be prepared; acknowledge within yourself that these links exist.
Become good friends with the weatherman! Check the weather’s patterns and begin to learn the patterns of sunny hours or sunny spots. Then go out of your way to schedule an hour of being out in the sun on a daily basis, or at least 3 times a week.
Ask yourself “what thoughts are just going through my mind.” Examples of negative thoughts that affect your mood and therefore your pain are: “I hate Fall and Winter, I just have to suffer through them.” Notice a strong element of All or Nothing Thinking in there. Instead, replace that thought with something like: “Although the overcast weather makes me feel down and my pain gets worse that way, but I will find sunny patches when I can allow the sun rays get absorbed in my body, then my body won’t have that negative reaction and I can get through the season without necessarily feeling worse.”
Remain physically active. Even though the warmth of the summer days make the idea of being physically active more enticing, but you know that you owe it to yourself to give yourself the benefit of keeping your joints and your muscles active. Hibernating, staying in bed, resting more than what your actual rest times are will backfire. Look into going for a walk, sign up for some gentle swimming, see about taking up Pilates or yoga or both. You’ll be doing your pain condition and your mood a lot of good this way.
Talk openly about your condition and ask for help. There is no shame or stigma on how you are genetically formed. So, your brain reacts to overcast conditions. That is the same as indicating the color of your eyes. Let people know how you are planning on taking charge of your needs by scheduling “sun times” and by maintaining a positive attitude about the whole thing and by scheduling physical activities.
I am Dr. Katie Dashtban. As a Health Psychologist, one of my jobs is to help people make attitudinal and behavioral changes that help them in coping ideally with their medical conditions.
Call me or write to me with any questions: 831-621-1150 or 510-400-6160.
This service is provided by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Katie defines her role as a psychologist as one who holds a guiding light, while her patients choose the turns in this maze we call life. In her practice, Katie refrains from offering advice, but instead helps her patients overcome obstacles that cause emotional suffering, and shows them tools to use when deciding on the desired changes in their lives.
https://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Blog14.jpg10001500Katie Dashtbanhttps://www.feelinggoodtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/therapy-logo.pngKatie Dashtban2012-09-12 01:38:342021-09-22 19:14:445 Tips to Keep Pain And Sadness At Bay During The Fall Season
I’m Grace Khoo and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Before starting my own private practice, I was very grateful to have many years of clinical experience serving individuals and families from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds at community mental health agencies in the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo.
I am very passionate about working with young adults (ages 18 to 35) and individuals and/or families from Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Being bi-cultural and multilingual, I can provide counseling services in English and Mandarin, in addition to collateral services in Cantonese and Hokkien. I understand the intricacy of the “unspoken rules” within many traditional Asian families at multiple levels of expression and interaction. I feel particularly rewarded when I can assist individuals or families to find the delicate balance between individual and group needs.
I joined my colleagues at the Feeling Good Therapy & Training Center in Fremont in July 2016. Currently, I am Level I certified. In my work, I feel fortunate to be often astounded and constantly humbled by how much I learn from colleagues and clients alike. Life is a journey of learning. Along with a sense of humor, I hope to empower and assist my clients to achieve their goals and joy in life.
Besides individual therapy, I also provide couples counseling and family therapy. My specialties are as following:
Relationship Issues – Intimate relationship problem, family conflicts
Mood Disorders – Depression, anxiety, and anger.
Stress Management – In daily life demands and unexpected life events
Call Today for your initial
consultation with Grace Khoo.
510-896-8958 ex5.
gracekhoo@feelinggoodtherapy.com
Valentina del Olmo, LCSW
I’m Valentina del Olmo, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a focus in adult mental health. I earned my Master’s in Social Welfare (MSW) from UCLA in 2005 and have clinical experience in hospital and residential settings, college campuses, and community mental health clinics.
I arrived in the Silicon Valley in the early days of the tech boom as an undergraduate at Stanford University and have spent much of my professional career in the Bay Area. I have extensive experience working with talented, high achieving individuals in Silicon Valley who find their professional success is not as fulfilling as expected.
“The power of owning our stories, even the difficult ones, is that we get to write the ending.” – Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW
The research by Brené Brown about shame, vulnerability, and living an authentic wholehearted life is a cornerstone of my personal and professional work. Shame is often at the root of problematic choices and destructive behaviors in our lives. By understanding shame we can diminish the power it has in our lives. Then we can live our best, most authentic life.
I joined the Feeling Good Therapy & Training Center in order to combine the powerful and effective tools of TEAM-CBT with my understanding of shame. I believe the TEAM model will make me a far more effective therapist, helping clients to find their long-term well-being without long-term treatment.
The field of social work has a commitment to social justice that is at the core of my personal values. I was raised to believe in advocacy and inclusion, and using any resources one can access to improve the lives of others. As a person of color, I understand that there continue to be both implicit and explicit structures of power and privilege throughout our culture. I want to know how that dynamic of our society has impacted the clients that I treat because I realize it can be a significant force in our life stories.
Areas of Treatment:
Perfectionism, procrastination and shame,
Relationship and communication issues
Depression
Anxiety
Grief and loss
Call Today for your initial
consultation with Valentina Del Olmo.
510-896-8958 ex4.
vdelolmo@feelinggoodtherapy.com
Tu Hoang, MFT-I
I am a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern (MFT-I) and received my masters in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University. I am being supervised by Dr. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D., one of the cofounders of Feeling Good Wellness Center. I’ve had various internships in Santa Clara and Alameda counties, working in schools, community mental health organizations, and private practice.
My area of clinical interests are working with children, teenagers, adults and families treating behavioral concerns, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, and individuals who are currently stuck and want help becoming unstuck. I provide services in English and Vietnamese.
TEAM-CBT is an active approach to facilitating change. Our work will be exploring your behavior, thoughts and feelings to recognize self-defeating patterns and move towards your desired change. Of utmost importance is to provide high quality, evidence-based psychotherapy to children, teenagers, adults and families. I enjoy working in partnership to help you in your journey. I want to help you realize a life of compassion, humility and gratitude in your relationships with yourself and others. I specialize in the following:
Stress, anxiety, and panic attacks
Depression
Trauma
Relationship problems
Shyness and social phobias
Procrastination
Habits and addictions
Behavioral issues in children
Call Today for your initial
consultation with Tu Hoang.
510-896-8958 ex3.
thoang@feelinggoodtherapy.com
Dr. Karen Yeh, Psy.D.
As a clinical psychologist, my background is slightly atypical. I spent some time in Course 16 (Aero/Astro) before settling into Course 7 (biology) at MIT. I earned an Ed.M. in Counseling & Consulting Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and then went onto the CA School of Professional Psychology. This path has led me to think about problems differently, trained me in both analytical and developmental perspectives, and uniquely shaped my approach to therapy as I practice an advanced application of cognitive behavioral therapy called TEAM-CBT.
Change can be hard for anyone, and even when it’s not, it takes effort. In therapy, I get to help people learn self-corrective skills so if someone wants to feel better, it’s my privilege to assist. Therapy is tailored to the individual, rather than to the diagnosis, and my approach is based on how thoughts affect feelings. My goals are to facilitate, teach, and equip my clients with the tools they need to deal with their problems so I’m no longer needed in the equation.
Robert Frost wrote in a poem†: “only when love and need are one and the work is play for mortal stakes is the deed every really done for Heaven and the future’s sakes.” In life, we usually do what we have to do; sometimes we get to do what we love to do. If however, we are fortunate enough that our calling is our passion and, what we do has meaningful value for others, then there is a fulfillment achieved deeper than that of any of these elements alone. This ultimate end takes time and often along the way, we experience hurt, depression, anxiety, frustration, or loss. I hope that my work might offer you relief if you are feeling such pain to help you toward reaching your goals.
These are some specific areas for which I offer services:
Anxiety & related disorders
Mood problems (Depression, Bipolar)
Parent-Child problems
Couples therapy
Relationship issues
Adolescent therapy
Child therapy
Stress (Academic, Job-related)
Behavior (Procrastination, organization)
Life Changes (Weight loss, transitions)
Christian counseling
Services provided in English and Mandarin
Call Today for your initial consultation with Dr. Yeh.
510-896-8958 ext 2
drkyeh@feelinggoodtherapy.com
Dr. G. Katie Dashtban, Psy.D.
Co-Founder of Feeling Good Wellness Center
Training: After the completion of her doctorate program at California School of Professional Psychology, Dr. Dashtban completed one year of residency at UCSF Department of Psycho-Social Medicine and then 2 years of post doctoral fellowship in Pain Management at San Francisco Kaiser Permanente, and was licensed as a Clinical Health Psychologist in California in 2008. Her area of clinical expertise is in behavioral medicine, which is an interplay between medicine and psychology.
In 2009 Dr. Dashtban was introduced to the TEAM-CBT model by Dr. David Burns, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry at Stanford University. Since then she has continued her studies in TEAM-CBT at Stanford and ultimately earned the Level 4 certification of teaching and training in TEAM-CBT in 2014.
In 2014 Dr. Dashtban joined hands with Dr. Karen Yeh, and together they co-founded the Feeling Good Wellness Center. The center has two locations: Fremont and Santa Cruz, and is accredited by the American Psychological Association and California Psychological Association as an independent provider of continuing education.
Teaching: In addition to several prior university teaching positions at the Palo Alto University, University of Tennessee, and Chabot Community College in Hayward, CA, Dr. Dashtban has been teaching TEAM-CBT in her weekly online and onsite training classes for the last 4 years. She leads weekly case consultation seminars, clinical supervision, and didactic training to junior associates at the center, as well as the community of psychologists and mental health professionals throughout the nation.
Call Today for your initial consultation with Dr. Dashtban.
510-400-6160
drdashtban@feelinggoodtherapy.com
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