Mindfulness As A Panic Attack Treatment For The Modern Age

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Written by Lucy Peters

Roughly four million American adults experience panic attacks, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. While therapy, medication, a good diet and plenty of exercise are commonly prescribed for panic disorders, meditation is often overlooked. But it shouldn’t be. Filtering one’s thoughts can prevent, or stop, panic attacks just as effectively as any other technique. Although there are a few ways to meditate the panic away, mindfulness is especially effective for panic disorders that are enabled by contemporary culture.

Mindfulness Meditation

This type of meditation emphasizes the non-judgmental awareness of one’s thoughts as they arise. It also directs your awareness to the present rather than the future. Since panic attacks are generally caused by an overwhelming fear of a hypothetical future, mindfulness can be incredibly beneficial in such situations. When the feeling of panic strikes, people who have learned mindfulness techniques can investigate the panic, decide that it’s not worth being stressed about, take deep breaths to relieve the physical discomfort that accompanies a panic attack, and focus on their breathing to release negative thoughts and ground themselves in the moment. Mindfulness masters like Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn can literally visualize the negative thoughts coming and going away, thus freeing themselves of suffering. Once this practice has been repeated and mastered, they will have control over the panic disorder, rather than the panic disorder controlling them.

The Cultural Cause

While there are countless causes for panic disorders, many experts agree that social media can exacerbate the anxiety symptoms that lead to panic attacks. This means that the cultural component of panic may be larger than in previous generations. People who use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat may be susceptible to feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction and paranoia: inadequacy because they compare their lives to those of the more affluent social media users; dissatisfaction because social media highlights events that they wish they could have been a part of; and paranoia because social media is a sensationalized version of the news. Since children devote a larger portion of their lives to social media than adults (2 hours 55 minutes a day for Gen Z versus 2 hours for Gen X, according to Global Web Index), they are more at risk of these social-media inspired cognitive distortions. To curb these feelings before they conspire for an all-out attack, both children and adult social media users should engage in mindfulness. In fact, meditation sessions can be a family affair. Parents can introduce mindfulness techniques to their children: members of a generation that is, according to the APA Stress in America survey, 12 percent more likely to report poor mental health than the generation that came before.

Living A Panic-Free Life

Once meditation has been incorporated into an individual’s self-care routine, there is no limit to what he or she can accomplish. Think of mindfulness as a superpower that is activated whenever its host is feeling mentally unwell. Meditation doesn’t only work on panic attacks, but on anxiety, depression, addiction and everyday stress and sadness. This person is then able to thwart negative thoughts of any kind with rationalization, deep breathing, and moment-by-moment awareness.

Although panic disorders are most often associated with adults, they can be experience by anyone, especially if they are entrenched in social media. While social media is not the sole cause of generational anxiety, it’s definitely an enabler. Luckily, mindfulness exists as a counterbalance.

 

Also please review our Meditation Instructor Certification and see if it matches your educational and professional goals.

 

Pet Loss Grief Counseling Article and Losing a Dog

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Losing a pet is not a minor thing in life.  A cat, dog, or horse is a long term companion.  To some, the pet is even family.  Learning to live without the pet is something harder to do than other people may imagine.

Losing a dog is like losing a family member to many. Please also review our Pet Loss Grief Counseling Program

Please also review our Pet Loss Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

ADHD Consulting Certification Article on ADHD Medications and Your Child

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Good article for parents regarding ADHD medications.  Parents and doctors work with trial and error to see what type of medication, dose and times to give the child the needed amounts.  This can take time but ultimately can lead to a better result for the child.

Finding the right medication and dose is key to helping your child with ADHD treatment

 

The article, “How to Troubleshoot Your ADHD Medications”  by Thomas Brown, Ph.D, takes a closer look at this process of finding medication is best for the child.  He states,

“ADHD medication helps the vast majority of patients, but no one can predict which type, formulation, dosage, or timing for taking the medicine will best control symptoms for any individual. Trial and error is the key to finding out. Here’s the best way to approach it.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our ADHD Consulting Certification and see if it meets your professional and academic needs and goals.

Grief Counseling Program Article on Grief and Holidays

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief is difficult but it becomes more difficult with the holidays.  Holidays can remind us of times spent and re-open wounds of loss.  This is why Christmas or Thanksgiving can be so difficult to navigate for those dealing with a loss, especially a recent loss.

Grief can be more difficult during the holidays because it reminds us of the past
Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic needs

The article, “Navigating the Holidays with Grief” by Laura Wade looks at the particulars of dealing with grief during the holidays and how to better cope and deal with loss.  She states,

Holidays are typically considered happy times celebrating with family and friends. However, when someone has experienced a loss, the holidays can magnify the feelings associated with grief such as sadness, anger, guilt or regret.

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Program Article on Losing a Parent

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

The ultimate loss for a child is the loss of a parent.   Thousands of children lose their parents and are in dire need of care and counseling.  Some children lose one parent, while others lose both and face even greater alterations in their life.  Hence in addition to the initial tragic loss and shock, there are waves of other secondary losses that affect the child.  They continue to burn into the heart of the child and without care, can become emotional scars that never heal.

One must look at this type of loss from numerous angles.  While the loss itself is terrible, there are numerous subjective elements to consider.   Age is one of these things.  The age of the child and the child’s comprehension of the loss play a key role.  The younger the child is, the least traumatic the loss will be, while the older the child, the more the loss will affect them.  Memories will be more numerous and the sting of the loss will take my adjustment.   Depending on the child’s reasoning capabilities, some younger children with memories may even blame themselves with imaginary thinking that they may have caused their parent or parents’ death.  This is why it is so key to discuss the loss in relation to the child’s age and their mental capability.

Children at different ages face different challenges when losing a parent. Ultimately the loss is forever for any age but how it is experienced can differ

 

In this particular case, we will imagine a little girl, named Kelly, who lost her mother at age 9.   This will allow us to focus more on a case study and what to expect.  At the age of 9, Kelly will have definitive memories and also a traumatic break from her mother.   It is important to allow her to grieve this initial loss.  It is very important to understand her thinking regarding the loss.   At age 9, she understands the finality of death.  One does not need to speak in analogy, but it is important to be very cautious in explaining the spirituality of death.  Some children will not understand why God or heaven took their mother.  Hence, it is very important to use very concrete language that explains the loss.   One can illustrate that mother is in heaven, but to articulate that God wanted mommy in heaven, or other such language should be avoided.

It is also important to illustrate to Kelly that the loss of her mother is not her fault.  Some children will associate wishful or imaginary thinking as having true power.  For instance, if a child was angry at a parent and exclaimed or thought something horrible happening to a parent, they will then associate their thought with the actual event even though they do not tie together.  It is important to dispel such imaginary thinking to avoid future guilt complexes in the child.

In regards to Kelly, it is also crucial to ensure her wishes to participate in funeral rites are respected.  Many individuals look to shield a child from the loss of a parent.  They prevent the child from attending the funeral.  It is crucial for the child to participate to her comfort level in the funeral rites.  The finality is critical and the support received is equally critical.  Kelly will need to be able to say goodbye to her mother and also share in the social grief with family.   She needs to see that tears are important and that grieving is important.

Following this initial loss, she will grieve.  She will continue to grieve.  She will need her father and family to comfort her.  There will be things no-one can ever replace that mommy did.  As time proceeds, she should be encouraged to remember her mother and remember her life.  She can frame special pictures or create small shrines to her mother.  These are all important steps in adjusting to the loss over time.  These steps do not come quick though and require time.

The loss will never truly ever leave.  There will be reactions of anger and frustration towards others.  There will be days worst than others.  Birthdays and holidays will sting.  Life events will always haunt her as other girls have their mother for prom, wedding day or the birth of a child.  The loss can be reborn in small but yet still painful ways via events.

Ultimately, the loss will always be tragic but the key is to help Kelly adjust to the loss in a healthy way and continue her life and share the love of her mother with others through memories and stories.

The same holds true for an older child.  A teenage girl can suffer as well.  The memories are stronger and more numerous as the child ages.  There is more than just a faint memory of not having a “mother” at a life event, but the one visually sees their mother herself.  The sting will be more current because the person is older.  As a teenager, the loss of a parent can trigger also other multiple issues with drinking and other bad behaviors.  Teens have a difficult time due to the many changes already occuring in their lives.  The transition can be very difficult and a loss can totally send a life into a tail spin.

Teenagers face challenges when losing parents or a parent. Teens need special counseling when a parent dies

 

Take for instance Judy, who lost her mother at age 15.  With high school, becoming a woman, and dating boys, the need of a mother figure and losing her can be devastating for Judy.  Judy could possibly go into a deep depression if her emotional needs are not met.  In addition, she may exhibit a different type of guilt.  She may have fought with her mother or at times not appreciated all her mother did for her.  This can create a stinging type of guilt in her soul.

In addition, she may become resentful to her mother for leaving her, or resentful to her father, especially if a few years later he dates.  She could become very angry towards any attempts to have her mother replaced.   Furthermore as she experiences more life events, the fresh face of her mother will haunt her more than Kelly, who at age ten may have only distant vague memories.

So we have a multitude of scenarios.  We can experience the loss from the eyes of a 9 year old in Kelly, or even through the eyes of Judy a 15 yr old teen.  Then others may never know their parents.  Their mother or father may pass while they are babies and never have the experience to know their parents.  The loss of never knowing or meeting their parent may exhibit a type of grief of never having or possessing them in their lives.

So while numerous scenarios can exist in the loss of a parent, there remains one universal loss.  The loss of a parent is pivotal to the very existence of any child at any age.  In some way, the loss of a parent takes away a fundamental element of growing up and becoming an adult.  Even as an adult, the loss can still sting as adults mourn the lack of their parents in their own children’s lives.

The loss of a parent is forever but in time one can learn to remember in healthy ways. Please also review our Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Program

 

While children and adult children will eventually adapt to life without their parent or parents, the loss still always haunts.  It will never be the same but the love can still be remembered.  Through memories, story telling and sharing, the life of a parent can still shine for others.  Legacies can be pushed forward and shared.  Values or ideals can be instilled in others.  While the loss is forever, the bond and love between parent and child is forever–and that can never die.

 

Please also review our Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

 

Mark Moran

Healthcare Management Certification Article on Better Hiring Practices for Departments

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Utilizing the proper talent for anything in life is critical to mission success.  Whether sports or business or even healthcare.  Healthcare managers need to know what healthcare professionals are best at what and then utilize those talents in the proper department for best overall outcomes.  Understanding skill sets and healthcare skills is critical for the success of any department for the overall health of the patient.  Healthcare Managers play a key role in whether success occurs or not by their evaluation of staff.

Putting together the best staff is key to any healthcare department. Please also review our Healthcare Management Certification

 

The article, “Health Care Providers Are Hiring the Wrong People” by Elena Butler and Shreya Kangovi look at the importance of a strong staff.  They state,

“In healthcare, we are overdue for a “Moneyball” revolution. The shift towards value-based payment has made it clear that our system needs to do a better job generating outcomes that matter to patients — a positive health-care experience, improved health, and good quality of life. But healthcare’s current hiring practices can inhibit efforts to achieve this goal.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Healthcare Management Certification and see if it meets your professional goals in advancement as a Healthcare Manager.

Crisis Intervention Specialist Article on Crisis Counseling Help

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Crisis situations can arise in one’s life at any moment.  They can be the sudden death of a friend or family member.  It can be a storm that devastates one’s home.  One can whirl into chaos and loss and enter into crisis mode in life easily when things go terribly wrong.  Some can cope in crisis while others need guidance and help.  Returning a person to  pre-crisis state of mind in order to deal and cope with the issue at hand is critical.  Crisis Counselors help individuals find pre-crisis state of mind and guide them.

When in crisis, who do you turn to? Please also review our Crisis Intervention Specialist Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

 

The article, “Who Do You Turn To in a Crisis?”  by John Otis  looks at whether individuals turn to peers or elders in times of crisis. The article states, 

“Who do you turn to for advice or to vent your frustrations or worries? Do you have many people you can trust or one special person? Are you the person your friends seek out when they need help?”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Crisis Intervention Specialist Program and see if it meets your professional and academic goals.

 

ADHD Consulting Program Article on ADHD and Its

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

ADHD is seen by many in a negative light.  Society sees it as an annoyance due to children not behaving or being able to sit still.  While it is still a disorder that needs to be addressed and taught to cope with, it still can leave some benefits that others may not notice.

With some of the chaos in ADHD, comes a few potential advantages that can be taken. Please also review our ADHD Consulting Program

 

In the article, “I Have ADHD—And Here’s Why It’s My Superpower” by Ken Babakhan, a different twist on ADHD is reviewed.  He states,

“Shankman says that once he knew what he was up against, he was able to figure out how to avoid repeating mistakes and making new ones. ‘Those of us with ADHD live with a much faster brain than a normal person,” he says, “and we have to find ways to use that to our benefit and work with it.’ ”

To read the entire article, please click here to review the entire article

Please also review our ADHD Consulting Program and see if it meets your academic goals

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Pregnancy and Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Many women while pregnant experience a variety of emotional swings.  Depression unfortunately is not an exception to what an expecting mother may go through during pregnancy.

Depression can occur for women during and after pregnancy. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

 

The article, “Pregnant and Depressed” by Joanna Novak looks into how depression can affect pregnant women.  In addition to depression during, issues also can arise afterwards.  She states,

“Fifteen percent of women will suffer from depression following childbirth—and some of those cases could be prevented by catching depression that starts during pregnancy. What’s more, depression, like any other medical condition, comes with risks for the fetus as well as the mother. ”

To read the entire article, please click here

In the meantime, please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals and needs.

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Grief Support at Work

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief is part of everyone’s life.  It does not magically turn on and off when we go to school or work.  Many individuals cope with grief and continue throughout their day.  Grief at work can be detrimental to production and hence it needs to be discussed.  Employees need to be treated as people and not robots.  Corporations and employers need to see the investment in the person and help that person succeed.  This includes talking about grief at work if necessary.

Employees need support after major loss when they return to work. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification

 

The article, “We need to talk about grief at work” by June Shannon reviews the necessity of discussing grief at work.  She states,

“Research from the Irish Hospice Foundation on grief in the workplace has revealed that one in four Irish adults have experienced bereavement in the last five years, yet just under a third (31 per cent) said they were supported when they returned to work.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.