Here are your new hypnosis downloads to try this month. Remember that self hypnosis is not that “hocus pocus” stuff from the movies. It’s a form of self meditation that has been researched, tracked, and proven to help you see the changes and results you are looking for in your life.

1. Act on your Ideas

2. Stop compulsive hand washing

3. Dealing with narcissistic behavior

4. Stay at Home Mom

5. Stop Attention Seeking

6. Drink Less Wine

Take a look at all the hypnosis downloads here: Hypnosis Download Directory to find the one that’s right for you.

You have the attachments of your life: your job, your family, your living arrangement, your town, your lifestyle.  Then there are the more internal, personal attachments: your opinions about things, your ideas about how others perceive you, your beliefs, your values.  How much would it take for you to let them go?  Try it for a moment, just watched all these pre-conceived notions fade away as you let go of your attachments to Who You Are.

This includes your attachment to your past.  Let go of your childhood stories, your ideas about whether your family was normal or not.  Let go of your academic record, what your teachers said about you, what kind of kid you think you were.  Let go of your first job, your first date, your first road trip.  Release yourself from your attachment to all these things you have used to try to define yourself.

And of course, there’s attachment to your ideas about the present.  That things are going well, or that they’ve never been worse.  That you’re a success or a failure, or that there’s even any way to measure that.  That you drive an appropriate car for someone of your income level, but you could stand to lose a few pounds.  That you hate your job.  That you want to move to a new place.  That you should start cutting down on caffeine.  Let go of your attachment to all these ideas about how things are, about how things should be.

Now look at your attachment to your personality.  The kind of friend you are, the kind of worker you are, the kind of lover you are.  The idea that you’re funny, or serious, or eccentric.  That you’re more intelligent than most people, that you have a purpose.  That you get bored easily, that you learn new things easily.  That you give good advice, that people trust you or don’t trust you.  That you’re a dog person, that you’re an introvert, that you love to go dancing.  All your attachments to these ideas… let them go.

You’re also attached to your ideas about the world around you.  That big corporations are dangerous, that your political party is better than the other one, that your religious belief is probably the right one.  That nice guys finish last, that kids aren’t getting as good an education as they did in your day, that everything is different now, or that nothing ever changes.  You’re attached to your ideas, you can admit it… and now let that attachment go.

Then there are your attachments to the future.  The idea that your soulmate is out there, or that it matters whether or not a soulmate is even a real thing.  That if you would have given in and had sex with that certain person, they might have stuck around and you might have been married by now.  That you’ll have two kids, or six kids, or adopt kids, or not have any kids.  That God will look out for you when so many others around you are suffering.  That it doesn’t matter what you do because the world will soon end from global warming or terrorism anyway.  That everything will be fine if you can just finish your degree, or get that promotion, or relocate to your dream city.  The very idea that there is a dream city, a place where everything will be better than it is where you are now.  Just let it all go, all your attachments to these ideas.

So now that you’ve let it all go, what are you left with?  Who are you underneath all the attachments?  Great – now let that go, too!  Soon you may find that letting go is the best thing you ever did… then let go of that idea, as well.

Want to learn more about what to know BEFORE you get into a relationship? Go “In the Ring With Maryanne!” In this upcoming video webinar, Maryanne will be interviewing an eligible bachelor live, on the fly, to teach you what types of questions YOU should be asking before you agree to a date or relationship. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/cvsc90

Separation anxiety disorder (or simply separation anxiety) is a psychological condition in which an individual has excessive anxiety regarding separation from home, or from those with whom the individual has a strong attachment.

Did you know that about 70% of all women experience the baby blues after childbirth?

*Jill was so excited during her pregnancy. Both she and her husband had been preparing for the birth of their baby boy for months. The delivery was fairly smooth – no complications – and family members were there to support the happy new couple. But Jill was moody. While her husband held the baby, Jill would slip away into the bathroom and cry for 15 minutes, dry her eyes, and come back out to give her husband and the baby a kiss. Jill felt like this for about two weeks, give or take a few days, and then she began to feel like herself again. Jill had the baby blues.

Did you know that about 10-20% of new moms suffer from post-partum depression?

*Pat was also excited about her new bundle of joy. She was expecting a baby girl and had been nesting for weeks! The nursery was fully stocked with all types of pink confections. Her mother was staying with her to serve as a “mother’s helper” for as long as she needed. Once Pat delivered baby Mary, she had plenty of support from her mother and husband but felt badly. Physically she was wiped out. She couldn’t sleep. Wasn’t eating well. And while she didn’t tell her family, she was constantly riddled with feelings of anxiety over the baby. Most of the thoughts had to do with “what if” she hurt the baby this way or in that way. So she just didn’t deal with the baby, but rather passed her to her mother for most of the day. This went on for well over six weeks. Pat suffered from post-partum depression.

It’s taken decades for physicians to finally recognize the baby blues and post-partum depression. It had always been dismissed as folklore, much like menstrual cramps, for years. But there is strong evidence to suggest that both occur due to hormonal changes after childbirth. The difference between the two lies in the duration and severity of symptoms.

Baby blues usually occurs right after delivery and for no longer than about two weeks. The symptoms generally do not cripple a new mother’s day to day activities. Post-partum depression presents itself much like regular clinical depression. The only difference is that post-partum depression seems to be brought on by the trigger of childbirth. Symptoms may not start right after delivery, but will last much longer than two weeks. The symptoms will also be much more severe and may render the mother incapable of having good quality of life as a new mother.

Symptoms include: loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping or staying asleep, absence of interest in her newborn and lack of interest in day-to-day routines.

Fortunately, support systems have been popping up all over to address the needs of a new mother and her family all dealing with the effects of post-partum depression. Remember it is possible for a woman to suffer from a full-blown psychotic break (Andrea Yates) if not treated seriously. Treatment may include antidepressants such as Prozac and talk therapy.

Related reading:
Beyond the Blues
by Shoshana S. Bennett, Pec Indman

Down Came The Rain
by Brooke Shields

<blockquote>Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you <a href=”http://girlshrink.com/better_choices.html”>subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter</a> .

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Guest Author: Gregory Scott Reid

Sometimes life throws us a curve. We think we’ve got it together, and we’re doing the right thing – only to find out that we didn’t really know what the right thing was in the first place.

Take Michael for example. As a department manager in a major corporation, Michael had 24 employees under his supervision. He was kept fairly busy supervising those employees, ensuring quotas were met, and reporting to his supervisors. Michael also spent a fair amount of time trying to impress those supervisors and the corporation’s upper management; you see, Michael was on a quest to climb the corporate ladder and was working hard for a promotion.

When the promotional opportunity arrived, Michael was confident. His department had met their goals; he had made sure of that. He had become quite good at assigning duties and delegating responsibilities and following through with employees who didn’t or couldn’t fulfill those tasks. Frankly, he thought of the interview process for the promotion as a formality – he was by far the best candidate.

The morning of the interview, Michael entered the conference room in his power suit and tie, prepared to recite his accomplishments to his supervisors. Imagine his surprise when he looked around the table and not one supervisor or administrator was present. The entire committee consisted of employees in his department – the very employees under his management! Their roles quickly reversed as one employee explained that the company decided those best able to determine if a manager should be promoted were the employees he worked for. Michael was stunned – he didn’t work for them at all – they worked for him!

That is where Michael was wrong. The company believed that a manager’s role is to make it easier for employees accomplish their jobs, to remove any obstacles in their way, and to make sure they had the all the tools and training they needed to get the job done. In essence, his job was to help them! Michael was crestfallen as he realized that he had been managing his department under an entirely different philosophy, assuming his job was to give orders, and his subordinates were to follow them. Michael’s management style had backfired; if he had helped his employees, they most certainly would have recognized and rewarded his contributions to their team.

Put yourself in Michael’s shoes. Imagine being told you lost your job but could reapply, all you had to do was receive the recommendations of your subordinates or coworkers. Would you want your fate resting in their hands?

Biography: Gregory Scott Reid, #1 best selling author The Millionaire Mentor, Positive Impact, and co-author Wake up…Live the life you Love http://www.motivational-speaker-gregory-scott-reid.com

Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .

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Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is an affective, or mood disorder. Most SAD sufferers experience normal mental health throughout most of the year, but experience depressive symptoms in the winter. SAD is rare, if existent at all, in the tropics, but is measurably present at latitudes of 30°N (or S) and higher.

Connections between human mood, as well as energy levels, and the seasons are well-documented, even in normal humans. Particularly in high latitudes (50°N or S) it is common for people to experience lower energy levels during the winter. Colds and flu also peak during this time, and most people get less outdoor exercise than in the summer.

Seasonal mood variations are believed to be related mostly to daylight, not temperature. For this reason, SAD is prevalent even in mid-latitude places with mild winters, such as Seattle. Prolonged periods of overcast weather can also exacerbate SAD. Normal “winter blues” can usually be dampened or extinguished by exercise and increased outdoor activity, particularly on sunny days, resulting in increased solar exposure. SAD, however, is a more serious disorder, sometimes triggering dysthymia or clinical depression. It may require hospitalization.

Various etiologies have been suggested.

One possibility is that SAD is related to a lack of serotonin and that exposure to full-spectrum artificial light may improve the condition by stimulating serotonin production although this has been disputed. Another theory is that melatonin produced in the pineal gland is the primary cause. There are direct connections between the retina and the pineal gland however some studies show that melatonin levels do not appear to differ between those with and without SAD. Light therapy appears to be effective in treating SAD, but the exact mechanism of the effect is still unknown.

Full-spectrum bulbs and “sunlight lamps” can be purchased as speciality lighting products for those suffering from SAD. The most validated of the light therapies is the use of a bright light box for 30-60 minutes daily in the mornings. These light boxes are many times more bright than regular indoor lighting.

One recent trial seemed to indicate that shining a bright light behind the sufferers’ knees would be beneficial, but when the trial was duplicated on a larger scale, the results were negative.

Medication is a more recent treatment and selective serontonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) have proven effective in treating SAD. Examples of these antidepressants are fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), or paroxetine (Paxil). Several controlled studies have shown dawn simulation to be as effective as bright lights in treating SAD, with fewer side effects and greater convenience. A specialized control device called a dawn simulator gradually brightens ordinary bedside lights during the hour before the patient awakens.

Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Seasonal Affective Disorder”. You are free to copy & use this article under the terms of the license. *Please note that a courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Schizotypal personality disorder, or simply schizotypal disorder, is a personality disorder that is characterized by a need for social isolation, odd behaviour and thinking, and often unconventional beliefs such as being convinced of having extra sensory abilities. Some people believe that schizotypal personality disorder is a mild form of schizophrenia.

The DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders (see also:DSM cautionary statement), defines schizotypal personality disorder as:

A. A pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behavior, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

ideas of reference (excluding delusions of reference)

odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms (e.g., superstitiousness, belief in clairvoyance, telepathy, or “sixth sense”; in children and adolescents, bizarre fantasies or preoccupations)

unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions

odd thinking and speech (e.g., vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, overelaborate, or stereotyped)

suspiciousness or paranoid ideation

inappropriate or constricted affect

behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar

lack of close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives

excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self

B. Does not occur exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia, a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, another Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .

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There are myths and plenty of misconceived notions about people diagnosed with schizophrenia disorder. What do you think when you hear that diagnosis? Do you just think that the person is doomed? You just probably need some information.

First.Schizophrenia is a brain disease. It is severe and often disabling. A schizophrenic is suffering from psychosis–an illness that causes severe mental disturbances that disrupt normal thoughts, speech, and behavior.

Second.What are the symptoms?
1. Delusions are a common symptom. Delusions are when the person has false beliefs about something such as they are being followed everywhere they go.

2. Hallucinations are another common symptom. Hallucinations are disturbances in sensory perception. For instance, if you see a homeless person talking to themselves–they probably are talking to a person they believe is there talking to them.

3. Disorganized speech and thinking.

4. Catatonic behavior. Not a very common symptom.

5. Negative symptoms which may include things like blunted affect, reduced speech, lack of motivation, lack of pleasure, and some attention deficit.

Third.There is a successful treatment model for people suffering from schizophrenia. It is not hopeless. The goal is to reduce the number of and severity of symptoms, and preventing psychotic relapses. Like most illnesses, treatment for schizophrenia is more effective when begun early in the illness. Schizophrenia is also treated with some sort of antipsychotic medication.

Once the severe symptoms have been reduced, physicians will usually use a combination of medicine and rehabilitation interventions. People suffering from schizophrenia can manage this very serious disease. If they can manage their psychosis with medication, follow their treatment plan, and hopefully have some sort of support system behind them — they can work, have relationships, and live rewarding lives.

Related Material: A good example of living with this disease is portrayed in: A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe

Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .

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Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterised by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, and emotional coldness. SPD is reasonably rare compared with other personality disorders. Its prevalence is estimated at less than 1% of the general population.

The DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines schizoid personality disorder as:

A. A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family
almost always chooses solitary activities
has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person
takes pleasure in few, if any, activities
lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives
appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others
shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity

B. Does not occur exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia, a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, another Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition.

Treatment for Schizoid Personality Disorder
People who have SPD generally do not seek psychological treatment, except when they are compelled to enter therapy to solve another problem, such as an addiction. They may benefit from social skills training, although it can be argued that an improvement in social skills does not address the personality disorder itself.

Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Schizoid Personality Disorder”. You are free to copy & use this article under the terms of the license. *Please note that a courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Schizoaffective disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis describing a situation where both the symptoms of mood disorder and psychosis are present. The disorder usually begins in early adulthood, and is more common in women. There are two sub-types of schizoaffective disorder: the bipolar type type and the depressive type. The bipolar type has a better prognosis than the depressive type, which can have a residual defect with the passing of time. Bipolar schizoaffective disorder is more similar to bipolar disorder than schizophrenia. People with bipolar disorder may also suffer from isolated episodes of schizoaffective disorders.

Signs & Symptoms of Schizoaffective Disorder
The following are the criteria for a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV):

A. Two (or more) of the following symptoms are present for the majority of a one-month period:

delusions
hallucinations
disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
negative symptoms (i.e., affective flattening, alogia, or avolition)

Note: Only one of these symptoms is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person’s behavior or thoughts, or two or more voices conversing with each other.

AND at some time there is either a:

major depressive episode
manic episode
mixed episode

B. During the same period of illness, there have been delusions or hallucinations for at least two weeks in the absence of prominent mood symptoms.

C. Symptoms that meet criteria for a mood episode are present for a substantial portion of the total duration of the active and residual periods of the illness.

D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.

Types:
Bipolar Type – if the disturbance includes:
manic episode
mixed episode
manic and major depressive episodes
mixed and major depressive episode

Depressive Type – if the disturbance inludes major depressive episodes exclusively.

Treatment for Schizoaffective Disorder
The psychiatric treatment for schizoaffective disorder is a combination of therapy and medicine. A licensed psychiatrist will prescribe different combinations of medicine to the patient in order to find the combination that works. Each person responds differently to medicine.

Common medicines used to treat schizoaffective disorder:
Depakote ER
Lithium
Risperdal
Seroquel
Abilify

Often a sleeping pill will initially be prescribed to allow the patient rest from his or her anxiety or hallucinations.

Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .

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