Maty ezraty body mind life

Pain is spiking during the pandemic. Source: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels Key Points: Health problems including headaches and back pain are on the rise. Negative emotions can exacerbate pain, so it's important to develop effective strategies to cope with stress and anxiety . As a pain expert, the question I get asked most is, “Do you treat physical pain or emotional pain?” My answer is always, “Yes!” If you’re experiencing pain during this time of stress and sheltering—headaches, migraine, low back pain—you’re not alone. Pain is commonly triggered, and amplified, by negative emotions like stress, anxiety, anger , and depression . And that’s no coincidence: It’s biology. Contrary to popular belief, emotions don’t just live in your head—they also come out in your body. Nervousness before a presentation creates "butterflies" in your stomach. Depression can make your limbs feel heavy, and make you walk and talk slowly. Fear makes your heart race, eyes widen, breath … [Read more...] about Why Your Body Hurts During the Pandemic

By Dr. Brian Amorello, Ph.D. Happy 2021 everyone! Throughout my training as a psychologist, one of the most important things we learned to teach our patients was the importance of exercise. We were taught not only how exercise makes us physically healthy, but mentally healthy as well. It was through countless graduate discussions on exercise that I was able to recognize further what the mind/body connection really was. The mind/body connection serves as one of the major foundations to the work that I do with my patients. I come from the school of thought that if our bodies are unwell, so are our minds, and vice versa. Working with many patients who suffer from a variety of physical diseases, I see firsthand each day how our physical health impacts our mental health. The idea is this. Let’s say one is given a diagnosis such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This comes with a variety of physical issues that can include trouble walking, holding objects, and other disabilities. This … [Read more...] about Practicing What I Preach

Source: Image by Tumisu, pixabay. Paths to Brain Health “Dementia” may seem like a gloomy topic but preventing it can be satisfying and, at times, even fun. In my previous blog , I summarized the extensive research behind 12 lifestyle choices that can protect your brain.  In brief, these “Terrific Twelve” are: 1. Reduce alcohol consumption. 2. Avoid head injury . 3. Breathe clean air; stay in on polluted-air days. 4. Provide access to early- childhood education . 5. Correct mid-life hearing loss. 6. Monitor and reduce high blood pressure. 7. Maintain a healthy weight.  8. Quit smoking ; avoid inhaling second-hand smoke. 9. Find help for depression and anxiety . 10. Prevent social isolation by connecting with others. 11. Exercise and stay active. 12. Manage and/or reverse diabetes. These twelve lifestyle factors account for a whopping 40% of dementias. This blog will focus on an additional 10 surprising and pleasurable actions anyone can take to reduce … [Read more...] about 10 Odd and Fun Activities That Keep Your Brain Healthy

Thomas Wolfe once said, “ Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.” That may be true. These days, however, it’s also true that some of us merely experience loneliness, while others are consumed or devoured by it. Loneliness has been playing tricks on our minds and emotions for a very long time. None of us escape the perils of loneliness, not even our closest cousins, gorillas. In 1925, a prominent psychobiologist, named Robert Mearns Yerkes, was granted permission to study the mind of the gorilla. The elusive specimen was a female mountain gorilla that the researchers named Miss Congo. Yerkes spent days and months observing and cataloging research data about this intriguing primate. Among Yerkes’s most interesting observations was the effect that loneliness had on Miss Congo. Most notable was the intense attachment that she developed toward her own reflection in the mirror, when absent anyone else to connect with. Yerkes … [Read more...] about Craving Connection

Despite the bewildering array of current systems of therapy, when you get right down to it, the most effective ones all emphasize three major interventions: exposure for anxiety, behavioral activation for depression , and assertiveness skills training for most social and interpersonal difficulties. It must be understood, however, that no matter how knowledgeable and technically skilled a therapist is, unless he or she first develops a strong therapeutic relationship with his or her client, even the most powerful methods may prove ineffective. Indeed, as the late, great Dr. Arnold Lazarus often said, “The therapeutic relationship is the soil that enables the techniques to take root.” Thus, provided a strong alliance exists between client and therapist, these methods will usually be extremely effective. While a detailed discussion of them is beyond the scope of this post, I hope this “peek through the keyhole” will provide the essential ideas and stimulate further interest. … [Read more...] about And The Three Best Therapy Methods Are…