Sometimes you can’t get up and out of bed…with no energy and no motivation, it’s like quicksand just to take care of your basic needs. It can be overwhelming on one hand and at the same time each day just continues like the last, with no hope or way out. Others might be able to live and function and yet they feel a pit in their stomach all the while…that won’t let up or go away. Depression can be debilitating…. Whatever we label it as: sadness, low mood, depressed, down, they can all cause us difficulty functioning in life. Some of us are born into chaotic situations where depression comes swiftly as a means to survive, to push away all those bad feelings. What saved us growing up, now becomes a big hindrance to living life to the fullest. Some of us were fine growing up, but now find ourselves in relationships that aren’t healthy, or in working situations that are completely unfulfilling, or stuck in life patterns that keep pulling us back down.

Depression plagues so many of us… In our generation where life is so busy, things move so quickly, very few of us stop to think for even a moment. Years can pass by without introspection and with the blink of an eye we “wake up” and discover things aren’t as we would like them to be.

The way out of depression is not traveling back the way we arrived. Success in overcoming this will take introspection, reflection, exploration, processing, and more. Although it seems daunting, it can be liberating knowing there is a way out.

It’s unfortunate how many of us grow up experiencing situations that affect us negatively for the rest of our lives. We blink our eyes, become adults, and move on. Yet our past stays with us. Even if there were bright spots and happy times sprinkled throughout, the bad times are what’s remembered and these memories plague us.

Trauma comes in many shapes and sizes. What is traumatic for one person, might not be for the next and vice versa. When we are children, we are like sponges absorbing good and bad. Neglect, physical and emotional abuse, little to no food, no stability, no security, no support, no love…and these are just the tip of the iceberg.

Thankfully, we have learned so much about trauma in the past 20 years and it has advanced our knowledge and tools about how to process and deal with it. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, among other modalities of treatment, have been at the forefront of this learning process and are leading the way to help people heal from trauma.

We have seen such an absolute explosion of children (and adults) in the past 10-20 years with difficulties related to a diagnosis of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some of these symptoms range from trouble focusing, staying organized, paying and keeping attention, social difficulties, inability to determine and keep boundaries, sit still, and more. Does this come from a child’s home situation? Is it just their nature? Is there a small amount of inflammation in the brain? Or are there other causes involved? The answers depend on each personal situation.

There are many reasons for children (or adults) to struggle with some of the above-mentioned symptoms. Through the process of psychotherapy, we can unlock some of these causes to facilitate recovery.

Sometimes it’s the parents that have the key to unlock the potential of a child by changing how things happen at home. Other times it’s the child that needs support and insight into what’s driving these difficulties so they can overcome them. Ultimately, it is something that can and will improve with hard work and determination.

We all want to be successful and become better people. Many of us seek out therapy because we’re in pain, but it doesn’t have to remain that way. There is so much we can do to improve our character and overcome life’s obstacles. Therapy is there for anyone and can help each of us develop more insight into who we are, improve our understanding about our emotional world, or just to gain support and accountability.

Most of us can understand the need for a physical trainer to get in better physical shape…. Well, think of psychotherapy as acquiring an emotional trainer to help us get in better emotional and psychological shape! Life can blow by us fast and without taking the proper time to stop and think about things and slow down, it might be too late. Many people float through life and are content with not digging too deeply into themselves. And of course, that is the path of least resistance. But if you would like to call a timeout and make the effort to get to know yourself, NOW IS THE TIME…. It’s up to you.

Psychotherapy can offer support for the following:

• Working through life’s transitions. A few examples are attending college, breakups, new relationships, job changes, moving, marriage, parenthood, etc.
• Clarifying life direction and focus
• Tapping into your creativity
• Enjoying the moment, slowing things down
• Tapping into your potential and strengths
• Fixing difficult relationships and creating more whole relationships
• Connecting to yourself, to your inner world and psyche, and delving deeper into your thoughts and feelings
• Examining your inner emotional world to better understand yourself
• Making sense of why you do what you do

Children come into our lives and they are precious, but they don’t come with a manual. How do we behave with our children, connect, act/react, love, educate, discipline, lead by example, and so on…? Parenting is complex in so many ways. When we have children that need extra attention or support, we don’t always have the time to give it. Sometimes our children’s behavior gets worse and worse until you have no choice but to seek help.

The good news is that there is always more that you can do to help your child. Learning how to better interact with your child and be the parent you know you’re capable of being is empowering.

When you learn the tools for how to create more positivity and healthy structure into your relationship with you children, it creates success all around. When parents bring children in for therapy, Jeremy evaluates the child, but also evaluates the parents. Therapy is always more successful when the parents are involved in the therapy using a team approach. Jeremy tells the kid, “Your parents have to do the work just like you do!” And this in turn helps the child to feel less pressure overall and to allow the therapy to flow more freely.

Therapy can be helpful for kids to feel that they have a voice and are listened to. Each child and family are different, but there are universal and proven ways that can be helpful across the board. Learning these principles will help improve the child’s positive behavior while also empowering parents who have an important role. That being said, once you learn these principles, they will be tailored to each individual family and situation.