Overcoming Shame With Experiential Therapy

In my prior article I began a discussion about shame being at the root of most psychological problems.  In this article I'll give a clinical vignette and discuss how experiential therapy helps clients to overcome shame (see my article: Healing Shame in Therapy).

Overcoming Shame With Experiential Therapy

Clinical Vignette: Shame is at the Root of Most Emotional Problems
The following clinical vignette about resolving shame in therapy with experiential therapy is a composite of numerous cases:

Joe
When he first came to therapy, Joe told his therapist that he felt he wasn't where he wanted to be in his life, "I'm not satisfied with any part of my life. I'm going to be 35 years old in a few months, and I'm not where I should be in my personal life or in my career. By the time my older brother, Sam, was my age, he was already married with two kids and he was one of the top salespeople at his company.  I feel like a loser."

Joe went on to say that whenever he got together with his family for Sunday dinners, his parents talked about being proud of Sam, but they never talked about about being proud of him.  He said, "Ever since I was boy, my mother and father talked about feeling proud of Sam, and I just had to sit and listen to them gloat about him.  They never said they felt proud of me."

From Joe's description, it appeared that Sam was the "golden child" in the family and Joe was the neglected child.  He said he felt he never measured up to his brother's accomplishments (see my article: Growing Up Feeling Invisible and Emotionally Invalidated and Children's Roles in Dysfunctional Families).

He felt his parents didn't love him as much as they loved Sam, and he could understand this because, compared to Sam, "I'm nothing" (see my article: Overcoming the Emotional Pain of Feeling Unlovable).

It was clear that Joe felt deeply ashamed of himself and he was stuck in the negative perception that he was "a loser."  It was also evident that he felt he had to earn his parents' love by accomplishing things rather than just being loved for himself.

Based on his description of the family dynamics, his feelings of toxic shame were rooted in his childhood emotional neglect (see my article:  What is Childhood Emotional Neglect? and What's the Difference Between Healthy Shame and Toxic Shame?)

Joe had lots of "shoulds" that he used to beat himself up with, "I should've tried harder to make something of myself" and "I should've chosen a profession that would have made my parents proud of me" and so on.

Although he loved being self employed as an illustrator, Joe felt ashamed whenever his father described his work in a dismissive tone as "just drawing pictures" when the father talked to family friends.  Joe compared this to how his father described Sam as being "a go-getter who is the top salesperson at his firm."

Joe said even though he got illustration work from large accounts, like major newspapers and sports teams, he felt he wasn't doing enough to promote his business because of his lack of self confidence.

With regard to relationships, he said his last girlfriend, Sue, left him two years ago, and he felt unmotivated to start dating again. Even though he often felt lonely, he said he lacked the confidence to go out and meet women.  So, he spent a lot of time alone or seeing male friends to go to sports events.

His therapist realized that Joe's shame was longstanding, and it created a major obstacle in his life.  Since she was an experiential therapist, during the initial stage of therapy, she helped Joe to build a stronger sense of self by asking him to remember positive memories about himself (see my article: Developing Internal Resources in Therapy).

At first, Joe couldn't think of any but, gradually, he remembered winning art awards in high school and college, the first time he got a major contract for his illustrations from a top sports team, and other similar memories.

As Joe talked about these moments when he felt good about himself, his therapist used Somatic Experiencing to help him to slow down and feel the sense of pride he experienced with each memory.

By helping him to slow down and notice where he felt these good feelings about himself in his body, his therapist helped Joe to intensify and integrate these good feelings (see my article: Experiential Therapy and the Mind-Body Connection).

His therapist reflected back to Joe the change she saw in him--the pride she saw on his face and in his confident posture as he dwelled on these positive memories.  Joe said that he was surprised to remember so many memories that he usually didn't think about when he was feeling bad about himself.

In his subsequent sessions, Joe said he realized that, even though he felt like "a loser" with most women, he remembered meeting a few women in recent weeks who seemed interested in getting to know him, but he felt too shy to ask for their phone numbers.

Over time, Joe and his therapist explored his shame, and he realized that, along with shame, he felt hurt and sad that his parents neglected him.  At that point, his therapist explained how EMDR therapy helps clients to overcome psychological trauma, and they used EMDR in the next phase of therapy (see my article: Experiential Therapy, Like EMDR, Helps to Achieve Emotional Breakthroughs).

Gradually, Joe realized that, even though he was neglected, he deserved his parents' love--not for his accomplishments but for just being himself.  Rather than feeling ashamed, Joe felt angry that he didn't get what he needed from his parents.  This was a big psychological breakthrough for Joe because, instead of blaming himself for being "a loser" and not deserving his parents love, he felt he was a person who was worthy of love.

He also realized that his parents' dynamic of praising Sam and ignoring Joe was rooted in their own psychological problems and he wasn't to blame for that.  He knew that both of his parents experienced similar family dynamics as children where they were the ones who were neglected.  At that point, along with his sadness, anger, hurt and shame, he also felt compassion for them.

As his shame was lifting, Joe felt more confident and assertive in promoting his work.

In addition, when he attended family dinners with his parents and Sam, he felt freer to talk about himself.  To his surprise, his parents noticed and commented on this positive change in him.  Although he was at a point where he no longer felt he needed his parents' approval, his parents really  saw him for the first time in a new light and they praised him.

Within several months, Joe shed his old identity of feeling like "a loser" and he was no longer feeling awkward and shy around women.  He began dating a woman he really liked.  Over time, he saw the potential for the relationship to develop into a lasting, meaningful relationship.

Conclusion
Toxic shame is rooted in early childhood neglect and trauma (see my article about Developmental Trauma).

Shame is emotionally debilitating, especially when it's as pervasive in a person's life as it was in the vignette above.  It often shows up with the person experiencing many "shoulds" about him or herself.  These "shoulds" are a clue to deep-rooted shame.

During the initial stage of experiential therapy, it's important that the therapist ensure that the client has the necessary internal resources to cope with whatever comes up in experiential therapy, like EMDR.

There are many different ways to develop internal resources depending on the needs of the client.  With strong internal resources, the client is better able to cope with whatever comes up as s/he works through feelings of shame.

Anger, hurt and sadness often accompany feelings of shame below the surface. When clients begin therapy, they're often unaware of these other emotions so, when the time is right, an experiential therapist helps the client to work through those emotions as well.

As shame and other debilitating emotions lift, clients often feel lighter and more confident. Rather than being burdened by childhood trauma, they're free from their traumatic history so they can live more authentically.

Getting Help in Therapy
Many people, who have been traumatized at a young age, are unaware of the negative impact of shame in their life.  They might be aware of feeling anxious or depressed, but shame is often suppressed because it's too difficult to face alone.

If you've been struggling with emotional problems you have been unable to resolve on your own, you could benefit from working with an experiential therapist (see my article: What's the Difference Between Top Down vs Bottom Up Therapy?).

Once you're free from the emotional burden of a traumatic childhood history, you can live a more fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my articles: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy and What is a Trauma Therapist?).

I work with with individual adults and couples.

I am currently providing teletherapy, also known as telemental health, online therapy and telehealth (see my article: The Advantages of Online Therapy).

To find out  more about me, visit my website Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Shame is at the Root of Most Emotional Problems

Shame is at the root of most psychological problems (see my articles: What's the Difference Between Healthy Shame and Toxic Shame? and Healing Shame).  I will begin an exploration of how shame develops and how psychologically debilitating it is in this article, and I will discuss how psychotherapy can help in a future article.

Shame is at the Root of Most Emotional Problems

So, when we're discussing deep-rooted shame, which is also called core shame, we're talking about toxic shame, the type of shame that erodes a sense of self and makes people feel that they are not "good enough," they are unlovable and undeserving of love (see my article:  Overcoming the Emotional Pain of Feeling Unlovable).

No one is born with shame.  Shame is rooted in childhood psychological trauma, which is also known as developmental trauma (see my article: How Developmental Trauma Affects How You Feel About Yourself). 

The Connection Between Developmental Trauma and Shame

The Connection Between Childhood Trauma and Shame
Infant research has shown that toxic shame develops in childhood and it can affect infant brain development  (see the article: Early Shame Experiences and Brain Development by Allan N. Schore, Ph.D).

An example of this is when a baby reaches out to his mother and the mother's habitual response is to turn away or ignore the baby due to the mother's emotional problems, including postpartum depression, major depression or her own unresolved trauma (see my articles: What is Childhood Emotional Neglect? and Psychotherapy and Intergenerational Trauma).

When this happens often enough, the baby learns that it is shameful to have emotional needs and, after a while, he learns to suppress these needs and to stop reaching out.

This type of developmental trauma can occur at any time in childhood. When this dynamic occurs in infancy, the trauma is preverbal, so that baby can't express the shame he feels in words.  Initially, he might cry out for the mother and even scream.

But after a while, if the mother does not respond, the baby learns to stop seeking nurturance.  If there are no mitigating factors like a nurturing father or grandparent, that baby grows up to be an adult who suppresses his emotional needs out of deep-rooted shame.

This is adaptive in childhood because the emotional pain of seeking love and nurturance when it's not forthcoming is too emotionally devastating for a child.  So, this need is suppressed in order to avoid feeling devastated.  But while this suppression is adaptive to keep the child from being overwhelmed, it's not adaptive in adulthood.

As an adult, this individual often continues to feel that he is unlovable and that even wanting love is emotionally dangerous because he believes he cannot have it, and it is too shameful to even want it. So, unconsciously, this individual not only hides his emotional needs from others.  He also hides his emotional needs from himself.

He might tell himself that he is "strong" or emotionally "independent" and he doesn't need anyone (see my article: Emotional Strategies That No Longer Work: "I Don't Need Anybody" and Seeing Yourself as "Independent" vs Allowing Yourself to Feel Your Shame).

But this is a pseudo-independence.  It's a defense mechanism to hide the emotional pain of feeling unlovable as well as to hide the shame and ambivalence that is attached to wanting to be loved at the same time that he believes he doesn't deserve it (see my articles: Reacting to the Present Based on Your Traumatic Past and An Emotional Dilemma: Wanting and Dreading Love).

This often results in an avoidant attachment style or he gets into relationships that are retraumatizing with people who hurt him.

Recreating the early trauma is an unconscious process, so it is out of the individual's awareness.  Each time this occurs it will reinforce the existing trauma that he is unlovable and undeserving of love, which intensifies the shame.

Most skilled psychotherapists know that shame is at the root of many emotional problems.  The problem might be labeled as depression, anxiety or any one of a number of other diagnoses, but at the core lies shame.

It's understandable that many clients will resist the painful process of looking at their shame in therapy because by the time they come to therapy, they have spent many years suppressing it.  But if the shame is not worked through in therapy, it will remain an unresolved emotional block (see my article: Working on Emotional Blocks in Therapy).

So, in order to help a client to uncover the shame at the root of trauma, the therapist must first develop a trusting relationship with a client.  The client must have confidence in the therapist and know that the therapist has the client's interests at heart before the therapist asks the client to begin the painful process of working through the underlying shame (see my article: The Creation of the "Holding Environment" in Therapy).

In future articles, I will continue this discussion about shame.  I will also discuss how shame is worked through in experiential therapy (see my article: What's the Difference Between "Top Down" vs "Bottom Up" Therapy?).

To read the next part of this discussion, see my article: Overcoming Shame With Experiential Therapy.

Conclusion
Toxic shame develops at an early age and it's usually at the root of most psychological problems.  Most people, who have experienced early shame, have learned to protect themselves from feeling the emotional pain of shame using defense mechanisms, like denial, for instance.

Although an individual can protect himself from becoming aware of deep-rooted shame, the effect of that shame can be pervasive in all his relationships, especially in romantic relationships where an individual can feel the most emotionally vulnerable.

Whether the individual is aware of his or her shame or not, shame doesn't usually resolve itself.  So, in order to work through shame, s/he needs the help of an experienced psychotherapist who can assist the in uncovering and working through shame.

Getting Help in Therapy
If you have been unable to resolve your problems on your own, you could benefit from working with an experienced psychotherapist.

Once you have established a trusting relationship, a skilled therapist can help you to identify and work through shame which keeps you from living fully.

Rather than suffering on your own, seek help from a licensed mental health professional who has experience helping clients to overcome shame.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT, Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy and What is a Trauma Therapist?).

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Understanding Serial Monogamists - Part 2

In Part 1 of this topic, Understanding Serial Monogamists , I provided basic information describing the characteristics of most serial monogamists.  Of course, each person is an individual, whether they're a serial monogamist or not, so although that article discussed the most common characteristics, there will always be individual differences.

Understanding Serial Monogamists

In this article, I'm providing two typical vignettes.  Clinical Vignette 1 is about the relationship dynamics of a person who is a serial monogamist and the other who is not. Clinical Vignette 2 is about what it's often like when two serial monogamists get together.

Needless to say, as previously mentioned, no example can encapsulate all the nuances of individual relationships, so think of these vignettes as examples of typical characteristics of these relationships.

Clinical Vignette 1: A Serial Monogamist With Someone Who Wants to Take Time to Get to Know the Other Person

June and Ed
After meeting on a dating app, texting and talking on the phone a few times, June and Ed decided to meet for a drink for their first date.  They were both in their early 40s.  June was widowed three months before, and Ed was out of his prior relationship and dating other people for almost a year.

During their first date, they both felt physical chemistry.  At the same time, although Ed enjoyed his date with June, he noticed that June spent a lot of time talking about her deceased spouse.  While he was sympathetic to June's loss, he wanted to know more about June as an individual rather than hearing about June's deceased husband, John.

He attempted to steer the conversation to other topics several times, but June kept relating these topics to her prior relationship with John.  He noticed that whenever she mentioned John's name, she would light up.  Not only did she spend a lot of time talking about her former marriage, but she had high praise for John.  She said that her spiritual belief was that he was still hovering above her, watching over and protecting her.

On the one hand, Ed thought to himself that June might not have given herself enough time to mourn the loss of John and she might not be ready to date.  But, on the other hand, he really liked her and he wanted to get to know her better.

When Ed asked June what she was looking for in a relationship, she told him that she didn't want to spend a lot of time dating.  In fact, she said, she wanted to get into a new relationship as soon as possible.  She said she liked the comfort and security of being in a monogamous relationship and she hoped to be in new relationship very soon.

When June asked Ed what he wanted, he told her that he liked being in a relationship, but he also wanted to give himself some time to be one his own, date casually and get to know someone well before getting into a new relationship.  He said that, after his last relationship, which lasted three years, he got into therapy because he noticed that he was repeating certain patterns in that relationship, and he wanted to get to know himself better before he got into another relationship and repeated the same patterns.

In response, June said that she "didn't believe in therapy." She told him that her 10 year marriage to John was "perfect," and she already knew she wanted a similar relationship with someone else.  She said that the thought of spending time dating different people was very unappealing to her because she wanted the comfort and security of being in a relationship.  She said she needed someone who was going to be as loyal and true as John, and she wouldn't settle for anything less.

Although both of them saw "red flags" from the beginning in terms of wanting different things, they decided to continue to see each other to see where things would go.

June told Ed from the beginning that she couldn't tolerate the thought that he might be dating other women, so she asked him to date her exclusively.  Initially, Ed was reluctant to make this agreement, but he felt so attracted to June and liked her that he agreed.

Within the next few months, June and Ed were struggling with their differences. Whenever Ed wanted to spend time with his friends or engage in hobbies that didn't interest June, she complained, and he felt stifled by what he perceived as her "neediness."

She told him that she expected him to spend most, if not all, his free time with her and when he spent time with friends or doing things that she wasn't interested in, she felt her needs weren't being met and he was neglecting her.

Over time, Ed also got tired of hearing how "wonderful" John was and how "great" June's marriage to John had been.  Although June never said it directly, Ed felt that she was hinting that, compared to John, he didn't measure up in her eyes.

Although he knew that June was probably idealizing her marriage to John in an unrealistic way because no relationship is "perfect," he couldn't help feeling annoyed and frustrated.  He felt that, in effect, John's "ghost" was always hanging over them in a way that made him feel that he was in a love triangle with June and John where she thought he was inadequate compared to John.

After a while, Ed felt that June was constantly nagging him to spend time with her, and he wished that she had more friends and other interests to occupy her time so that he didn't have to be everything to her.  And June felt that if Ed really cared about her, he would want to spend all his free time with her and try to please her in every way he could.  She had already told him that she hated being alone, so she couldn't understand why he didn't listen to her.

Within four months, Ed felt like he had enough. He was bored with June, he felt frustrated by her clinginess and tired of hearing about her deceased husband. So, he told June he thought things weren't working out between them and they should end their relationship.  June said she was very disappointed because she had hoped Ed would eventually be as committed to being in a relationship with her as she was with him.

After the breakup, Ed continued to talk to his therapist about aftermath of his relationship with June and his patterns in relationships.  He realized that he didn't pay attention to his initial gut feeling when he first met June that they weren't compatible.

He also felt badly about hurting June's feelings, even though he knew that ending the relationship was for the best. However, he found out from mutual friends that within a week of their breakup, June was already seeing someone new and talking about wanting a committed relationship with the new person.

Clinical Vignette 2: Two Serial Monogamists Get Together

Agnes and Bill
After they met at a friend's party, Agnes and Bill, who were both in their late 30s, began seeing each other almost every day.  They had each gone through a breakup only a few weeks before, and they both agreed that they wanted and needed to be in a relationship.  They also agreed that they didn't want to date casually or see other people, so their relationship was intense from the beginning.

Within two months, Bill's lease ended, and he moved into Agnes' apartment.  Since Agnes was the main lessor on her lease, she gave her roommate a few weeks notice to find another apartment. She told Bill that she used to like having her roommate around because she didn't like to be alone, but now that she was in a relationship with Bill, she wanted to spend all of her free time with him.

Bill agreed that he didn't like being alone, which is why he remained at home with his parents until he moved in with Agnes.  Even though his parents kept urging Bill to move out to be on his own, he remained with his parents because of his aversion to being alone.

Bill's and Agnes' friends were surprised that their relationship became so intense so quickly.  These friends urged them to slow down to get to know each other.  But neither Bill nor Agnes were interested in slowing down.  They knew they wanted to be together every moment they could.

Within a few months of living together, Agnes and Bill began to feel bored with each other--even though neither of them said it.  Rather than addressing it directly, their boredom came out in frequent irritability and petty arguments that seemed to go nowhere.

In their own way, each of them felt disappointed in the relationship.  They both thought they knew each other from the time they first met, but they were discovering that there were things they didn't know or like.

Although it was never discussed between them, each of them began feeling nostalgic about their previous relationships.  John decided to get together for coffee with his prior girlfriend, Jane. While he was with Jane, he realized he still had romantic and sexual feelings for her.  He knew that Jane would be open to having a sexual affair with him even though he was supposed to be in a monogamous relationship with Agnes.  But he considered himself to be a loyal person, so he put that thought out of his head.

Agnes often daydreamed about her former boyfriend, Greg.  She wondered if she made a mistake when she broke up with him a few months before. She felt sad when she thought about Greg and even sadder because she felt her needs weren't being met in her current relationship with Bill.  She realized that she also felt that her needs weren't being met when she was with Greg, but she couldn't help thinking about him.

A month later, Agnes and Bill mutually decided to end their relationship because things weren't working out between them.  Within a few weeks, each of them was with someone new in another intense relationship, and they were repeating the same patterns.

Conclusion
The vignettes provided above are just two examples of these type of relationships.  In reality, there are many variations for both types.

Two people, one of whom is a serial monogamist and the other who wants to take time to get to know the other person, can work things out in the long run if they're each willing to compromise and try to negotiate their differences.

But in this dynamic, the reality is that these two people often don't get to the point where they get into a relationship because the serial monogamist is put off by the person who wants to take things slowly.  And the person who wants to take thing slower feels too pressured by the serial monogamist.

Similarly, two serial monogamists can work out their relationship and they might even be willing to stay together, despite boredom and stagnation, because they want to be in the relationship.

Most of the time, for a relationship between adults to work out, each person needs to come to the relationship as a mature individual who can handle the give-and-take involved in a long term relationship.  This means that they have developed independently, and they have taken the time to grieve the loss of a prior relationship so that they come to the new relationship without the emotional baggage.

It also means that, as individuals, they each bring something to the relationship and they're not solely dependent on the relationship to meet all their emotional needs.

Getting Help in Therapy
If you're currently having problems in your relationship that you've been unable to resolve on your own, you owe it to yourself to get help in therapy.

A therapist, who has experience helping individuals and couples to work on relationship issues, can help you to understand your dynamics in a relationship and the relationship dynamics so you can decide if you want to salvage your relationship or if it's best to end it.

Taking the first step, which is contacting a licensed psychotherapist for help, is often the hardest, but it can also be part of a transformative experience.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy).

I work with individual adults and couples.

I am currently providing teletherapy, which is also known as online therapy, telemental health and telehealth (see my article: The Advantages of Online Therapy).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Understanding Serial Monogamists - Part 1

There are many different types of relationships: traditional monogamous relationships, polyamorous relationships, relationships that are mostly monogamous but allow for occasional sexual encounters with other people, and so on.  I'm focusing on a particular type of relationship dynamic in this article, which is serial monogamy (see my article:  Dating vs Being in a Relationship).

Understanding Serial Monogamists

What is a Serial Monogamist?
Serial monogamists often have many of the following characteristics:

• They want and need the comfort of being in a committed relationship--often from the start of dating someone.
• They're usually emotionally intense about being in a relationship right from the beginning.  They're not into casual dating or dating different people at the same time.
• They need and expect a new romantic partner to bring the same level of intensity and commitment to the relationship as they do. 
• They expect a high degree of loyalty from their new romantic partner because they're usually loyal people.
• Due to their need to feel comfortable and secure in a relationship, they often want to jump ahead 6-12 months when the relationship is more established and settled.
• They usually don't like to be alone. They like having someone around all the time--whether it's a relative, a roommate or a romantic partner. They crave company. This often means they haven't matured or developed psychologically as adults because they can't tolerate being alone.
• They usually go from one relationship to the next rather than mourning the loss of the previous relationship, understanding what went wrong or looking at their patterns of being in a relationship.  This means they often bring their emotional baggage from the last relationship into the new relationship. Often, they're looking to get into a new relationship as soon as the last one ends without being on their own.
• They have a tendency to spend a lot of time talking about their ex with their new partner, often without even realizing it, because they haven't taken the time to deal with the end of the last relationship.

Knowing What You Want From a New Romantic Partner
There's nothing right or wrong about serial monogamy.

On the one hand, if two people get together and they're both serial monogamists, this might feel comfortable to both people because they know they both want to be in a committed relationship right from the beginning.

But even when both people feel the same way, as previously mentioned, they might get into a new relationship without really knowing the other person.  This often means they're not taking the time to get to know the person they're with because they don't go through a dating phase--they just jump right into being in a relationship.

They skip ahead in their mind to a time that's usually further along in a relationship because they need the comfort and security of an established relationship. This often means that they see what they need in the other person, which can be very different from the reality.  This can lead to disappointments when the reality becomes apparent (see my article: Falling In Love With the Fantasy Rather Than the Reality).

As previously mentioned, they also unknowingly bring emotional baggage from the prior relationship into the current relationship because they haven't mourned the end of that relationship or learned from it.  They have just gone on to the next person without dealing with the loss.

Since people who go directly from one relationship to the next haven't mourned the loss of the last relationship, they're often mentally preoccupied with the last person--without even realizing it.  It can be annoying and frustrating for the new person to keep hearing about an ex.

In addition, since serial monogamists often haven't grown psychologically because they're uncomfortable with being alone and they're so emotionally dependent on others, two people who are serial monogamists bring a level of immaturity into the relationship.  Not only do they not grow as individuals, but the relationship often doesn't grow, so it can feel stagnant and boring after a while.

On the other hand, if you're someone who likes to take their time to date and get to know someone, you're probably going to feel pressured by a serial monogamist who wants a commitment immediately--often during what's usually considered the dating phase.  In fact, there might not be a dating phase in the mind of a serial monogamist.

Also, since someone who tends to be a serial monogamist doesn't like to be alone, you might find this person to be emotionally and physically clingy, especially if you're someone who likes their alone or down time.  It might be possible for the two of you to negotiate this time together versus time apart, but this is usually a challenge for both people (see my article: Relationships: Time Together vs Time Apart).

If you're someone who needs to have other important relationships or time to indulge in other interests or hobbies, you might feel pressured by a serial monogamist who wants most, if not all, of your time.  Often, these relationships don't work out in the long run because one person feels s/he isn't getting enough of the partner's time and the other person feels stifled (see my article: Relationships: Your Spouse Can't Meet All Your Needs).

There is no right or wrong here.  It really depends on what you want from a relationship.

I'll continue discussing the issue of serial monogamy in my next article with an example of this type of relationship (see my article: Understanding Serial Monogamists - Part 2).

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy).

I work with individual adults and couples.

I am currently providing teletherapy, which is also known as online therapy, telemental health or telehealth (see my article: The Advantages of Online Therapy).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

How Teletherapy Can Help You Overcome Anxiety

In a prior article, I discussed the advantages of doing teletherapy, which is also called telemental health, online therapy or telehealth.  In this article, I'm focusing specifically on how teletherapy can help you to overcome anxiety (see my articles: Common Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fear and Anxiety and Coping and Staying Calm During the COVID-19 Crisis).

How Teletherapy Can Help You to Overcome Anxiety

Fortunately, in recent years, the stigma about attending psychotherapy has decreased significantly so that now many people feel more comfortable seeking help from a psychotherapist (see my articles: Mental Health Awareness: Reducing the Stigma of Getting Help in Therapy and Why Is It That It's Usually the Healthiest Family Member in a Dysfunctional Family Who Seeks Help in Therapy?).

Whether you're experiencing persistent anxiety or situational anxiety related to things going on in your life, anxiety can be a debilitating condition.

Not only can anxiety keep you up at night due to insomnia and nightmares, it can also erode your sense of self and interfere with your normal self care routines.  Lack of sleep and interference with your self care routines exacerbates your anxiety and it can precipitate a downward spiral in terms of how you feel.

Different Forms of Anxiety
There are many different types of anxiety, including:

• generalized anxiety
• separation anxiety
• anxiety with depressive symptoms
• adjustment disorder with anxiety
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• obsessive compulsive disorder
• panic disorder (see my article: Tips For Coping With Panic Attacks).
• agoraphobia
• social anxiety (see my article: Overcoming Social Anxiety).

And so on.

Pandemic-related Anxiety
It's not surprising that the COVID-19 crisis has precipitated an increase in anxiety due to many factors, including (but not limited to):

• uncertainty related to the pandemic (see my article: How to Stay Calm During a Crisis)
• fear of contagion
• fear of an unknown future
• fear of going outside
• anxiety related to being isolated
• anxiety related to being lonely (see my article: Coping With Loneliness and Isolation During the Pandemic)

Mental health experts expect a record number of people will seek help for the psychological stress related to the pandemic (see my article: The Emotional and Physical Impact of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic).

Although it's important to follow the health experts' guidelines for remaining virus free, the emotional toll of being in prolonged isolation without the usual social supports systems that people normally depend on is expected to be significant.

How Teletherapy Can Help You Overcome Anxiety

Most psychotherapists are currently doing teletherapy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As I mentioned in a prior article, teletherapy offers many advantages when you're unable to see a therapist in person, including:

• providing a safe environment for you to talk about your distress (see my article: The Holding Environment: Maintaining a Safe Environment For the Client)
• offering guidance on how you can manage your anxiety (see my article: Reducing Stress With the Body Scan Meditation)
• helping you to develop better coping strategies (see my article: Developing Coping Strategies)
• teaching you various anxiety reduction techniques, including meditation (see my articles: Self Care During the Pandemic: Mindfulness Meditation)
• offering you guidance for self care (see my article: Stress Management: Taking Time For Self Care)
• providing you with tips on overcoming insomnia (see my article: Tips For Better Sleep)
• helping you to gain insight into possible distortions in your thinking (see my article: Changing Distorted Thinking)
• helping you to make healthy changes in your lifestyle
• offering emotional support (see my articles: The Importance of Getting Emotional Support During a Crisis)
• providing you with techniques to overcome emotional triggers (see my article: Coping With Emotional Triggers)

Getting Help in Therapy

If you're feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or other forms of emotional distress, you owe it to yourself to get help from a licensed mental health professional.

Teletherapy offers a convenient and effective way to get help.

Rather than struggling on your own, take the first step of contacting an experienced psychotherapist.  

An experienced psychotherapist can help you to overcome anxiety and develop a sense well-being so you can move on with your life.

About Me

I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my article:  The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy).

I work with individual adults and couples.

With over 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist, I have helped many clients to overcome anxiety-related issues.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

How to Conquer Your Nightmares

In my prior article, Common Nightmares During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, I began a discussion about common nightmares that many people are having during the current pandemic and gave examples of two dreams.  In this article, I'll discuss how you can conquer your nightmares, whether they're pandemic-related or not.  To show you how to do this, I'll be taking one of the dreams from the prior article, deconstructing it and then showing how you can work with it on your own (see my article: How to Overcome Anxiety Dreams).

How to Conquer Your Nightmares

Deconstructing and Working With a Nightmare
I'm choosing Dream 2 (see below) from the prior article as an example of how you can deconstruct and work with a nightmare on your own. So, here's Dream 2:

     Dream 2  - From My Prior Blog Article
I'm a child of 7 or 8 years old. My mother tells me that we have to escape from where we're living to move back to the US.  Only a few close relatives know because it's a secret.  My mother doesn't want her husband, my stepfather, to know that we're running away because he's abusive and we're escaping from him.  I grab whatever I can quickly because we have to get to the airport fast, and I kiss my relatives goodbye.  I don't have time to say goodbye to a male friend, who has been good to me (I'm older in this part of the dream).  So, I try to text him to tell him that I had to leave due to an emergency, but my phone won't work. I know he's going to be hurt that I left suddenly without an explanation, and I feel terrible about this. Then, my mother, brother and I run to the airport to get on a rescue flight that's been arranged for us by the US government to bring us back to the states. Somehow, I get separated from my mother and brother (I'm a young child again in this part of the dream). I don't know which way to go. I'm scared and I call out to my mother, but I don't see her anywhere. Nothing looks or feels familiar, even though I know I've been to this area many times before. I see other people who are also running and I ask them the way to the airport because I'm lost.  They point the way and I run all the way to the airport. Once I get there, I realize I don't have a plane ticket. I call out to my mother again saying that I don't have a plane ticket.  Even though she's still nowhere to be found, a reassuring male voice tells me over the airport public address system that I don't need a plane ticket because this is a special government rescue flight for my family to escape. When I get to security, I realize that I'm not wearing a face mask so I'm not going to be allowed on the flight. I see everyone else around me wearing a face mask, and I look around to see if there's somewhere I can buy as mask (I'm older again in this part of the dream). Then, I realize that I do have a mask, but I've been wearing it on my chin, so I pull it over to cover my nose and mouth.  When I arrive at the gate, I still don't see my mother or brother, but I feel a little calmer because I know I'm going to make the flight and I'll escape from this place.  Somehow, I see the long document that my mother had to fill out to get approval from the government for this rescue flight. I feel badly that I didn't know before about the abuse that my mother endured at the hands of my stepfather.  While I'm waiting for the flight at the gate, I try to text my male friend again. I desperately want to reach him so he won't feel abandoned by me, but my phone still doesn't work. I feel sad that he's going to feel sad and abandoned.

It's pretty clear what makes this dream a nightmare:

• The dreamer, as a child of 7 or 8, has been told that she and her family must escape from a place in a hurry.
• She has to leave immediately without saying goodbye to her male friend, which she feels badly about.
• She loses her mother and brother as they're running to the airport.
• She fears she won't be let on the plane because she doesn't have a plane ticket.
• She fears she won't get past security because she thinks she doesn't have a face mask.
• She reads the long document about her stepfather's abusive behavior towards her mother that her mother had to fill out to get permission to take a special flight, and she feels sad she didn't know about the abuse before.
• She worries that her male friend will feel abandoned by her because she can't tell him that she must leave in a hurry.

At the same time, it's important to notice that there are points along the way where she actually gets help (see the italicized sentences in Dream 2 above), including:

• People who give her directions when she gets lost while trying to get to the airport.
• The reassuring voice that comes over the airport public address system reassuring her that she doesn't need a plane ticket because this is a special flight that has been arranged for her and her family to get away.
• She thinks, at first, that she doesn't have a face mask and then discovers that, in fact she does have one.
• She finally gets to the gate where her flight will be taking off, so she knows, at that point, that she will get away, presumably, she will be reunited with her mother and brother, and so they will all be safe.

     Learning to Do Lucid Dreaming
In a prior article, Transforming Nightmares Through Creative Dreamwork, I discussed lucid dreaming.  Learning how to become lucid (or conscious) during a dream takes practice.  Some people are fascinated by lucid dreaming and they will take the time and make the effort to develop the skill.

Essentially, what you are doing when you have a lucid dream is you're realizing that you're having a dream while you're dreaming.  You remain in the dream and transform the dream to whatever you want it to be (this is explained in more detail in my article above, Transforming Nightmares Through Creative Dreamwork).

The obvious advantage of learning to do lucid dreaming is that you change the dream while you're in the dream as opposed to when you wake up.  The disadvantage (if you see it as a disadvantage) is that, while some people can learn to have lucid dreams with little effort, most people have to make more of an effort to train themselves to have lucid dreams.  So, if you're interested in learning to have lucid dreams, I recommend that you click on the link above for my article on transforming nightmares.  The article includes a recommendation for a book on lucid dreaming.

    Rewriting the Narrative of Your Nightmare and Embodying the Changes
For people who aren't interested in developing the skill to do lucid dreaming and who prefer a simpler and faster way for dealing with nightmares, I suggest rewriting the narrative of your nightmare after you have written down the original dream the way that it occurred:

• Keep a pen and pad by your bedside so you're ready to write down your dreams as soon as you wake up.
• Before you go to sleep, spend a few minutes giving yourself the suggestion that you will remember your dreams.
• When you wake up and you sense that you have had a dream, remain still for a few minutes.  This means that you don't shift around from the position that you're in when you wake up (e.g., if you're lying on your right side when you wake up, don't turn--just stay still).
• Wait a few minutes until the dream comes back to you. You might find that you remember the dream in sections in reverse order.  In other words, you might remember the last part of the dream (the part that occurred closest to waking up) first, and then you might remember the part before that and the part before that, and so on. Also, since we all have at least 4-5 dreams per night depending upon how long you sleep (whether you remember them or not), you will probably remember your dreams in reverse order too.
• Write down whatever you remember from the dream--even if it's just a snippet or an image.  You can still work with a small part of the dream.  Also, it gives your unconscious mind the suggestion that you're interested in your dreams and make it more likely for you to gradually remember more each time you wake up from your dreams.  Over time, if you keep writing down your dreams, you will remember more details.
• After you have written down your dream, rewrite the dream so that it's no longer a nightmare.

So, for example, if you were the dreamer who had Dream 2 (above), you could rewrite the dream however you want to, including:

• Making it easier for the dreamer, the mother and brother to get to the airport together by having a relative drive them there, so they don't have to run to the airport and the dreamer doesn't get separated from the mother and brother.
• A relative or friend could offer the dreamer his or her phone so that the dreamer can contact her male friend rather than the dreamer trying to rely solely on her malfunctioning phone. This will relieve the anxiety that the dreamer has about hurting her male friend's feelings and causing him to feel that he's been abandoned by her.
• Since the dreamer would be with her mother and brother (rather than losing them, as she did in the dream), the mother can reassure both children that they can get on the plane without a plane ticket so that the dreamer doesn't have to go through worrying she doesn't have a plane ticket.
• The mother can reassure the dreamer that they all have the required face masks to get on the flight.
• The dreamer, mother and brother can all be at the gate together ready to get on the plan.

There are many different ways to rewrite Dream 2.  As an alternative, the dreamer can rewrite the dream so that it's not necessary to escape at all, in the following way:

• The mother tells a relative, who is recognized to be a powerful figure in the family, about the stepfather's abusive behavior and this relative confronts the stepfather and tells him that he must stay away from the mother, dreamer and brother.  The stepfather is fearful of this relative so he never bothers the family again.
• The mother reports the abusive stepfather to the police.  They arrest him and he is no longer a threat.
• And so on.

The second part of reworking the dream is to rehearse and embody the rewritten dream (see my article about The Mind-Body Connection and New Symbolic Memories and The Body Offers a Window Into the Unconscious Mind).

In other words, after you have rewritten the original dream so that it's no longer a nightmare, you spend a little time rehearsing the rewritten dream and noticing the emotions that come up for you and where you feel these emotions in your body.

Feeling the emotions and noticing where you feel these emotions in your body will help you to have a stronger sense of the rewritten dream because you're not just writing and reading what you have written, you're also taking the time, in effect, to rewire this revision of the dream using the mind-body connection.

So, for instance, if you choose to have a relative, who is a powerful person in the family, confront the abusive stepfather, after you have written this and read it, you would take a few minutes to notice what emotions come up for you.  Maybe you have a sense of relief and you notice that you feel that in your gut. Or, maybe you feel gratitude for your relative, a sense of empowerment through this relative and you notice that you feel this in your chest.

If you have someone that you tell your dreams to, whether it's a therapist, a friend or a spouse, telling this person the original dream and the rewritten dream will also be helpful.  You will feel less alone with the dream and hearing yourself tell someone else the original dream and the rewritten dream can be a powerful experience.

By rewriting the dream, you're not denying that you had a nightmare.  Instead, you're a way to conquer the nightmare so you have a sense of relief.  It's also an important recognition that you are the author of your dreams and that you can also be the author of your rewritten dreams.

Getting Help in Therapy

Some people can work on nightmares on your own. Many other people are unable to cope with nightmares because these dreams are related to trauma.

The dreamer and the dreamer's family in Dream 2 are trying to get away from an abusive stepfather, which could indicate a history of unresolved trauma if this dream is related to actual events in the dreamer's life (see my article: How Past Trauma Lives on in the Present).

It's not unusual, whether it's during a pandemic or any other time, for people with traumatic histories to have nightmares, including recurring nightmares. 

If you are struggling with nightmares, whether they are related to a history of trauma or not, you're not alone.  You can get help from a licensed psychotherapist, who has experience helping clients to overcome nightmares.

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from an experienced mental health professional so that you can live a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT, and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy).

I work with individual adults and couples.

One of my specialties is helping clients to overcome trauma (see my article: What is a Trauma Therapist?).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Common Nightmares During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

Have you been having nightmares lately? If so, you're not alone. Pandemic nightmares have been common during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Regardless of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality, many people have been having pandemic nightmares, which is the subject of this article (see my articles: How to Overcome Anxiety Dreams).

Common Nightmares During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

These nightmares are so common that Robert Bosnak, a Jungian analyst in Santa Barbara California, has been offering a free online workshop on Friday nights at 6 PM (PST) during the pandemic called the Spooky Dreams Cafe where he uses Embodied Imagination, a method of dreamwork which he developed, to help some people on the Zoom call with these nightmares (see my article: Dream Incubation: Planting Seeds).

Many people, who lived through the crisis of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, have reported in therapy that they're having similar nightmares during this time to the ones they had in 2001 and beyond (see my article: Tips For Getting Better Sleep).

Common Themes in Pandemic Nightmares
There are certain themes that are common in these COVID-related nightmares, including (but not limited to):

• Anxiety-related events or circumstances in the dream
• Places, which were once known and familiar, suddenly looking and feeling unfamiliar in the nightmare
• A need to escape or run
• Feeling trapped, helpless and/or lost
• A regression to an earlier age (e.g., an adult dreaming that they're a child again)
• Losing someone or something
• Phones and other gadgets malfunctioning
• Other sudden and inexplicable changes 

Typical Nightmares During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic
The following dreams are typical of the type of dreams people have been having during this COVID-19 crisis (as told to me by friends and used with permission):

Dream 1:
I'm in a classroom, which is taking place in my apartment. The instructor, whom I like, is taking things out of my dresser drawer to show the class. These items include a silk scarf I haven't seen in many years.  At one point, he breaks apart the wooden dresser drawer, and I'm fascinated by this (it seems like a deconstruction of some sort). Then, I notice that there's a similar dresser in the room that remains in tact.  I leave the room to go to the rest room, and when I come back, my laptop is gone. Somehow, I know that the instructor gave it away to one of my classmates, and I'm annoyed that he did this without my permission. I look around for it, but I can't find it. I see a male friend, who is sitting in a far off corner of the room. Then, suddenly, the scene changes: I'm walking around in an area of my neighborhood, not far from my home, where I've been many times before. I know that this place is familiar to me, but it looks and feels eerily unfamiliar.  I know I need to get back to class, but I don't know which way to go because I'm lost.  Then, I see a cab and get in it.  There's a couple, who are on their way home from the airport, who are already in the cab.  I don't know where to tell the cab driver to go because I'm lost, but I'm relieved to be in the cab.  The cab stops because the couple have arrived outside their home. I get out too because I realize it's useless to be in the cab if I don't know where I'm going.  The couple tell me that I have to pay thousands of dollars to them for the short distance that I went with them, and I get angry and tell them that I won't pay.  I know that my male friend is back in the class, he has his car and he would come get me if I call him, but I don't know where I am, so I can't tell him. The scene changes: I'm sitting at an outdoor bar with this same friend and our classmates.  We're all dressed up. I suddenly realize that I forgot that he's much taller than me.  I tell my friend about what just happened (that I was lost) and he's surprised and laughs. I'm feeling much better.  The outdoor bar is up on a bridge that overlooks people's homes down below. These people have shallow outdoor pools in front of their homes.  I tell my friend that we could do that too (we could each have outdoor pools).  Then, as I'm gazing out at the water from the bridge, I tell my friend, "Let's pretend that we're on the Arno Bridge in Florence" and he agrees.

Dream 2:
I'm a child of 7 or 8 years old. My mother tells me that we have to escape from where we're living to move back to the US.  Only a few close relatives know because it's a secret.  My mother doesn't want her husband, my stepfather, to know that we're running away because he's abusive and we're escaping from him.  I grab whatever I can quickly because we have to get to the airport fast, and I kiss my relatives goodbye.  I don't have time to say goodbye to a male friend, who has been good to me (I'm older in this part of the dream).  So, I try to text him to tell him that I had to leave due to an emergency, but my phone won't work. I know he's going to be hurt that I left suddenly without an explanation, and I feel terrible about this. Then, my mother, brother and I run to the airport to get on a rescue flight that's been arranged for us by the US government to bring us back to the states. Somehow, I get separated from my mother and brother (I'm a young child again in this part of the dream). I don't know which way to go. I'm scared and I call out to my mother, but I don't see her anywhere. Nothing looks or feels familiar, even though I know I've been to this area many times before. I see other people who are also running and I ask them the way to the airport because I'm lost.  They point the way and I run all the way to the airport. Once I get there, I realize I don't have a plane ticket. I call out to my mother again saying that I don't have a plane ticket.  Even though she's still nowhere to be found, a reassuring male voice tells me over the airport public address system that I don't need a plane ticket because this is a special government rescue flight for my family to escape. When I get to security, I realize that I'm not wearing a face mask so I'm not going to be allowed on the flight. I see everyone else around me wearing a face mask, and I look around to see if there's somewhere I can buy as mask (I'm older again in this part of the dream). Then, I realize that I do have a mask, but I've been wearing it on my chin, so I pull it over to cover my nose and mouth.  When I arrive at the gate, I still don't see my mother or brother, but I feel a little calmer because I know I'm going to make the flight and I'll escape from this place.  Somehow, I see the long document that my mother had to fill out to get approval from the government for this rescue flight. I feel badly that I didn't know before about the abuse that my mother endured at the hands of my stepfather.  While I'm waiting for the flight at the gate, I try to text my male friend again. I desperately want to reach him so he won't feel abandoned by me, but my phone still doesn't work. I feel sad that he's going to feel sad and abandoned.

A Word About These Nightmares
I'm going to deconstruct these nightmares and discuss how to work with nightmares in my next article but, for now, suffice it to say that both of these dreams have many typical features of anxiety dreams and, specifically, many elements typical of current pandemic nightmares (outlined above at the beginning of this article).

Getting Help in Therapy
Nightmares during times of crisis are often a way for the unconscious mind to work through difficult emotions and reconsolidate traumatic memories.

In addition, these nightmares sometimes reveal underlying unresolved trauma (see my article: Before and After Psychological Trauma).

If you've been having nightmares during this global pandemic, you're not alone.

An experienced psychotherapist, who helps clients during times of crisis and who works with dreams, can help you to understand and heal from nightmares.

Rather than suffering on your own, take the first step by calling a licensed psychotherapist for help.  Being able to work through your fears and nightmares can provide you with relief and allow you to feel more empowered.

About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy).

I work with individual adults and couples.

One of my specialties is helping clients to overcome unresolved trauma.

During the global pandemic, like most psychotherapists, I'm providing online therapy, which is also known as teletherapy and telehealth (see my article: The Advantages of Online Therapy When You Can't See Your Therapist in Person).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.