individualized-solutions

Assuming Positive Intent

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:00:02 GMT

At times it's hard to look at things from a positive perspective instead of thinking the worse is a situation. This article has some great tips on assuming positive intentions in your life. I hope that you get something from it and reach out if you would like to shape your thinking to see and assume positive intentions.

What is Catastrophic Thinking?

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:05:53 GMT

Getting past- expecting the worst-case scenario.

Do you worry about what will happen next and usually go straight to being anxious about the worse-case scenario? If so, I think that you will find this article helpful. Feel free to call me if this is something that you deal with and I can assist you in finding a new way to think about upcoming situations. (573-418-1677)

Here is the article- What Is Catastrophic Thinking, and How to Stop It; www.healthcentral.com/article/catastrophizing

#catastrophicthinking #catastrophicthinking101 #catastrophicthinkingtrap #catastrophizing #catastrophizingthoughts #catastrophizingthinking #catastrophizingthinkingtrap #catastrophizing #catastrophizinganxiety #catastrophizingawareness #catastrophizingrecovery #worstcase #worstcaseontario #worstcasescenario #worstcasesenario #worstcasescenerio #worstcasescenarios #worry #anxiety #anxietyrelief #anxietysupport #anxietytherapy #anxietyrecovery #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthsupport #mentalhealthawareness

Codependent Relationships

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:05:33 GMT

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Denial is a Coping Mechanism

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Trauma in the Healthcare Workplace

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 20:11:14 GMT

While I was working as a hospital nurse. I experienced and witnessed the effect of trauma for myself and others serving on the front lines of medical care. These doctors, firefighters, nurses and first responders face life altering experiences one after another and move quickly from one to the next without processing or debriefing. The exposure of each experience can pile up and become more than a person can handle. Many medical professionals find themselves in a state of burnout.

Check out this article- Addressing Health Care Workers' Trauma Can Help Fight Burnout

As a therapist who has walked in your shoes, I'm here to listen and help you equip yourself with the tools you need to deal with trauma or discuss your next step as a healthcare professional or First Responder. You may reach me at 573-473-1677.

Living with Aging Parents

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:47:27 GMT

Living with Elderly Parents: Benefits, Challenges, and How to Cope

I am sharing a great article that I recently read by A Place for Mom. The article, Living With Elderly Parents: Benefits, Challenges, and How to Cope provides some great information and jumping off points for needed conversations. When you are ready to have those conversations- I am here to help you navigate what this will look like for your family.

Great Article on Childhood Trama

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:54:27 GMT

How Childhood Trauma May Impact Adults

• University of Rochester Publications

• URMC Home

•

• How Childhood Trauma May Impact Adults

• May. 1, 2024

•

Childhood trauma can lead to physical and mental struggles later in life

Some people assume we forget or outgrow trauma. But the truth is, if someone experiences trauma as a child, it can lead to physical and mental struggles that affect their entire life.

Thomas O’Connor, director of the Wynne Center for Family Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Kristen Holderle, UR Medicine’s Clinic Director of the HEAL Collaborative, share the ways in which trauma affects the brain and body, how PTSD and trauma are related, and suggestions for healing.

What is the difference between trauma and PTSD?

With trauma, a person fears for their own safety or the safety of a loved one. It can be anything from a loss of a parent, to experiencing or witnessing an assault, to being in a car accident.

Trauma can lead to PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), a condition that requires professional treatment. The key sign of PTSD is that the person has difficulty doing the day-to-day things that they had done prior to a traumatic event.

Symptoms of PTSD can include:

• Flashbacks

• Distressing intrusive thoughts

• Avoiding things that remind you of the trauma

• Feeling jumpy

• Difficulty concentrating

• Shutting down emotionally

• Lack of interest in things you enjoyed before

Not everyone will experience a traumatic event the same (even those exposed to the same traumatic event may respond differently), and a traumatic event does not necessarily lead to PTSD.

“It’s normal to react deeply to a stressful event,” says Holderle. “If you’re having a hard time, that doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It’s important to normalize big feelings and big reactions.”

Several factors can determine if experiencing a trauma will become a bigger problem and require help.

How can childhood trauma impact adulthood?

The impact of childhood trauma on life as an adult can depend on the environment in which the person was raised, how they coped with the trauma and supports that were available, and when in life the trauma occurred.

To determine risks of developing mental illness, addiction, and other conditions, it is now common to ask about past traumatic events using measures like the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience). The higher a person’s ACE score, the more likely it is that they will have negative physical or mental health outcomes.

“The studies suggest that this happens because early trauma affects stress response,” Holderle says. “Your flight or fight response, your neurodevelopment, gets off track. It suggests that if you can intervene early, when someone has a childhood traumatic event, it could have a huge lasting impact on their life.”

The earlier the intervention, the greater chance that treatment can help, especially for trauma early in childhood.

When a person develops behaviors to deal with an early childhood trauma, changing those habits later in life can be more difficult.

Can trauma impact physical health?

Yes. In addition to affecting mental health and coping mechanisms, trauma has been proven to affect physical health as well.

“Research has shown that the experience of trauma not only influences our thinking and behavioral patterns, but also our biology,” says O’Connor. “Trauma influences our stress response system and may be associated with compromised immunity and poor cardiovascular health.”

Did you know?

URMC is one of 21 sites collecting data for the ABCD study, which follows 11,750 children through early adulthood looking at how biological development, behaviors, and experiences impact brain maturation.

The data from this 10-year study that began in 2017 has already resulted in a better understanding of the impact even repeated exposure to traumatic events through media can have on children.

The University of Rochester Medical Center is involved in several national studies of early childhood trauma, including the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) and the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) studies.

Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center have identified ways in which the brain may be altered by a traumatic event. The salience network, which is a part of the brain used for learning and survival, was shown to be altered in people exposed to trauma—including those with and without PTSD.

URMC scientists are also investigating how the effects of trauma may be passed on, such as the ways biological changes caused by trauma affect health in pregnancy. They are also exploring epigenetics, the study of how behavior and environment can affect the way genes work.

What can help with healing?

If someone you care about has experienced trauma, it can help to offer a listening ear and encourage that person to talk about, rather than avoid, the event.

“Sometimes trauma happens, and people feel scared to talk about it because they don’t want to make it worse,” says Holderle. “It’s important to talk about. You might not be able to fix things, and that’s okay.”

Therapy can help a person make sense of the experience and move forward.

The type of therapy recommended will vary, but could include:

• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy

• Cognitive processing therapy

• Written expressive therapy

Most therapists will focus on helping individuals separate themselves from the traumatic experience.

“A lot of the work we do is trying to help people even before the story that they make of the trauma is solidified,” says Holderle. “We try to help with the narrative. We can’t change our past, but we can change our relationship to it.”

For the full article and resources, visit- https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/how-childhood-trauma-may-impact-adults#:~:text=Where%20to%20Get,Center%20for%20PTSD

8 clever phrases to put a gaslighting narcissist back in their place, according to psychology

indivsolu@gmail.com (Rita Denome) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:12:34 GMT

I recently read this article at personalbrandingblog.com , “Eight Clever Phases to Put Gaslighting Narcissist Back in Their Place.” While I have included the list of eight phrases here, each is expanded on in the post which explains why these phrases are helpful and in which situations they could be used.

If you are in a situation where you are being gaslighted and need to talk to someone to start building your confidence again and equip yourself with the tools to feel secure in your reality, let’s talk. I can be reached at 573-418-1677 or www.indivsolu.com.

Recommended Reading for Personal Growth and Healing

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 14:31:55 GMT

As a Licensed Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Registered Nurse, I often find that literature can be an invaluable tool for personal growth and healing. Over the years, I have come across several books that have profoundly impacted my understanding of mental health and have proven beneficial to my clients. I am excited to share a curated list of book recommendations that I believe can offer insight, comfort, and practical guidance. | All books are available in audio and print from your local libraries.

1. Scattered Minds by Gabor Mate, MD (includes workbook)

Dr. Gabor Mate's "Scattered Minds" is a comprehensive exploration of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). His empathetic and insightful approach helps demystify ADD, offering both a personal narrative and scientific analysis. The accompanying workbook is an excellent resource for those looking to delve deeper into understanding and managing their symptoms.

2. It Didn't Start With You by Mark Wolynn

Mark Wolynn's "It Didn't Start With You" delves into the fascinating field of inherited family trauma. This book provides valuable insights into how unresolved family traumas can affect our lives today. Wolynn offers practical tools for healing and breaking free from these patterns, making it a must-read for anyone struggling with generational issues.

3. Taming Your Outer Child by Susan Anderson

Susan Anderson's "Taming Your Outer Child" addresses the self-sabotaging behaviors that often derail our progress. Anderson’s techniques are designed to help readers gain control over their "outer child," a concept she uses to describe the impulsive part of ourselves that acts out. Her compassionate guidance is invaluable for anyone looking to foster self-discipline and emotional resilience.

4. The Body Remembers by Babette Rothschild

In "The Body Remembers," Babette Rothschild offers a deep dive into the connection between trauma and the body. This book is an essential read for understanding how traumatic experiences are stored in the body and how we can work through them. Rothschild’s clear and accessible writing makes complex concepts easy to grasp.

5. What Happened to You? by Bruce Perry, MD, Ph.D., and Oprah Winfrey

Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey collaborate in "What Happened to You?" to provide a compassionate exploration of trauma, resilience, and healing. Their combined expertise and personal stories create a powerful narrative that helps readers understand the impact of their past experiences and how to heal from them.

6. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, LCSW, Ph.D.

Brené Brown’s "Daring Greatly" is a profound exploration of vulnerability and courage. Brown’s research and storytelling inspire readers to embrace vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness. Any book by Brené Brown is worth reading, and I highly recommend exploring her podcasts and TED Talks for additional inspiration.

7. The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

"The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer is a transformative guide to inner peace and spiritual growth. Singer’s insights into the mind and consciousness help readers free themselves from limiting thoughts and emotions, fostering a deeper sense of inner freedom and happiness.

8. Mel Robbins' "Let Them" Podcast

While not a book, Mel Robbins' "Let Them" podcast offers practical advice and motivational insights. Robbins’ straightforward approach and relatable stories make her podcast a great resource for anyone looking to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.

9. The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O'Connor

Mary-Frances O'Connor’s "The Grieving Brain" combines neuroscience and personal narrative to explore the process of grief. This book provides a compassionate understanding of how our brains process loss and offers practical strategies for navigating the journey of grief.

10. The Shadow Work Journal: A Guide to Integrate and Transcend Your Shadows

"The Shadow Work Journal" is an excellent tool for those beginning their journey into shadow work. It helps readers identify and understand their hidden selves. However, it's crucial to approach this journal with care, especially for individuals with complex PTSD. Reading "The Inner Work" afterward is essential to ensure a balanced and supportive experience.

These books have been invaluable resources in my practice, and I hope they provide you with the same level of insight and support. Reading can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth and healing, and I encourage you to explore these recommendations. If you have any questions or need further guidance, please feel free to reach out.