By Jerry Gelbart on February 23, 2010
Ok, so we’ve made our New Years’ resolutions and it’s now the end of February. Most of us want to improve our lives—by improving ourselves, our health, physical and emotional, our relationships, and our effectiveness in life. We know what we “should” be doing, but…
Making changes in our lives– changing routines, habits, and overcoming dysfunctional patterns— all involve learning to think differently. In doing so we can become more efficient and effective, more focused and deliberate; healthier both physically and emotionally.
Why do we put off what we know is best for our body physically and emotionally? The things that we know would help us function more effectively?
Continue reading “Grow Yourself! (so you can take control of your life)”
Posted in Productivity | Tagged black and white thinking, Buddhism, compassion, GTD, judging, mindfulness, prioritize, self-esteem, social skills, values
By Sabrina Gelbart on February 22, 2010
Body States Presentation
For a better view switch to full screen mode.
Posted in Productivity, self help | Tagged emotions, health
By Jerry Gelbart on February 22, 2010
A series of articles written by Dr. Gelbart for the Northern California Psychiatric Society Newsletter. These articles are a bit more “technical” than others on this blog, but they can help anyone interested in how mindfulness, positive psychology, Wellness approach, and skills training can help with self-esteem, anxiety, depression, motivation, and other difficulties. It may help you in choosing a therapist, and/or bring up questions for discussion with your therapist or friends.
- Introduction
- Judgmental Thinking
- Mindfulness and Psychiatric Treatment
- Teaching The Patient To Swim
- Focusting On The Positive
- Changing The Shoulds To Wants
- Mindfulness Psychotherapy And The Brain
- Which Tool When
Posted in Doctors and Therapists, self help | Tagged ADD, ADHD, anger, anxiety, biopsychosocialspiritual, black and white thinking, doctors, emotions, integrity, medication, mindfulness, self-esteem, social skills, therapists, worry less
By Jerry Gelbart on December 7, 2009
We collaborate with the patient to set treatment goals and outline a roadmap to achieve them. In addition to medication management and psychotherapy that we may offer in our practice, there are many other resources available to augment and enhance our treatment plan. As Psychiatrists we’re in the best position to coordinate treatment and draw connections for the patient between their symptoms, goals, and available methods.
Continue reading “Which Tool When? (Written for Psychiatrists- but you can read it!)”
Posted in Doctors and Therapists
By Jerry Gelbart on November 2, 2009
Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, And The Brain Part I
Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness-based CBT are more familiar psychotherapies that utilize mindfulness training (MFT). MFT teaches the user to regulate the flow of energy and information in the mind. This leads to changes in the patterns of activity in the brain. With practice certain patterns and pathways can be inhibited and others amplified. Initially this requires effort and is state dependent, but with practice it becomes effortless, a trait. MFT helps the user identify separate “streams” of information flow in the mind, to shift attention, and learn the difference between the “bottom-up” experiential input (ie. “Just the facts”) versus the “top-down” chatter of our narrative– the stories and meanings we’ve made up. This helps to “objectify” the mind, and separate ourselves (“dis-identify”) from the mental activities of the mind.
Continue reading “Synergies #7: Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, And The Brain”
Posted in Uncategorized
By Jerry Gelbart on November 2, 2009
LIFESTYLE IMPROVEMENT AND SELF-ESTEEM
Everybody knows what we “should” be doing to be healthy. This goes for all of us, “patient” or not. Exercise, proper nutrition, healthy sleep habits, pacing ourselves, taking time for relaxation and de-stressing—creativity, working on relationships with family and friends, and working with our spiritual strengths and deficits. There is accumulating evidence that active lifelong upkeep in these areas reduces emotional and physical illnesses, and keeps our body and brain working better longer.
Continue reading “Synergies #6: Changing The Shoulds To Wants”
Posted in Uncategorized
By Jerry Gelbart on November 2, 2009
Originally published in NCPS, June 2009
A lot of anxiety, depression, and even psychotic symptoms relate to how patients see themselves, how they judge themselves. Usually a core problem is black or white thinking, that one is either good or bad, normal or not normal, worthy or unworthy. This belief system that comes from childhood has a deep hold.
Continue reading “Synergies #5: Focusing On the Positive”
Posted in Doctors and Therapists
By Jerry Gelbart on November 2, 2009
The goal of psychotherapy is wellness. For some, that includes “fixing a disorder.” For others, perhaps taking a medication for life. Either way wellness is the goal.
Wellness practice (WP) is prioritization of behaviors that put the individual’s basic physical and emotional needs first. This includes exercise and healthy nutritional habits, setting up boundaries that allow relaxation, creativity and play, social interaction and spirituality. These behaviors help to reduce the effects of stress over time on our mind and body, including cardiovascular, G.I., and immune systems. WP also includes learning to be present and future oriented, and nonjudgmental toward our self and others.
Continue reading “Synergies #4: Teaching The Patient To Swim”
Posted in Doctors and Therapists, Uncategorized
By Jerry Gelbart on November 2, 2009
Previous articles in this column have described the benefits of mobilizing the patient in the direction of lifestyle changes and prioritizing self care. Development of “healthy routines” in the areas of Biological, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual needs is THE crucial element of “Wellness” or “Fitness.”
Relapse prevention is an important part of our work. Teaching patients to take their medications regularly is part of routine maintenance of their biological needs. Encouraging healthy diet and exercise also fits that category (how often do patients actually change these behaviors?). We must also encourage and guide patients to understand and tend to their emotional needs, social and spiritual needs. We can explain that taking better care of their body, their social and spiritual needs will help them emotionally; and working on emotional “self-growth” will likewise help them in each of the other areas.
Continue reading “Synergies #3: Mindfulness and Psychiatric Treatment”
Posted in Doctors and Therapists
By Jerry Gelbart on November 2, 2009
Is ‘Judgmentalness’ A Symptom?
A reality of our society is that most people don’t “complete” psychodynamic psychotherapy to resolutions of their childhood conflicts. Most often this is for cost reasons, and/or as people feel better they often fade from the psychological treatment, too often falling back on longer-term medications or relapses when perhaps psychological resolution would have been realistic.
Continue reading “Synergies #2: Judgmental Thinking”
Posted in Doctors and Therapists | Tagged doctors, judging, medication, mindfulness, therapists
