Strategic Suggestions

Some Thoughts on Intrusive Thoughts

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Created on Friday, 11 November 2011 18:44

Written by Charles Boisvert, Ph.D.

We all have many thoughts float in and out of our heads every day. Some of our thoughts are experienced as "voluntary" as we choose to think about a given topic. On a drive in a car, for instance, one person might choose to think about places she would like to go on vacation. Other thoughts are experienced as "involuntary" and seem to arise spontaneously in our minds. Some people have a large number of rather negative, worrying intrusive thoughts. These thoughts can trigger negative moods. In addition, for some people, the thoughts themselves become highly distressing. There have been quite a bit of theory, research and clinical strategies developed to help people cope with upsetting intrusive thoughts.

Read more: Some Thoughts on Intrusive Thoughts

A Key to Personal Growth: Seek New Experiences, Despite the Pull to Avoid Them

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Created on Sunday, 30 October 2011 03:50

Written by Ben Johnson, Ph.D., ABPP

I think a lot about personal growth and how to help us all move in positive directions in our lives. I have been studying psychology and psychological science for almost 25 years. Here is a way to sum up a whole lot of the field: Seek new experiences, despite the pull not to.

Many of us tend to avoid new experiences. There are a number of reasons for this. There is probably a natural biological inclination towards avoiding things that seem dangerous. When life has thrown us some hard knocks or painful experiences, we can come to feel subconciously or consciously that it is better to stick with what is familiar. Personality also probably comes in to play. Some people by their nature are less open to new experiences, perhaps because they have a more sensitive nervous system. When past experiences have been particularly painful, we can develop rigid coping styles that seem to make the world more controllable. For instance, if being in school as a child was unsafe and led to bullying, a person may develop a firm rule for themselves never to take classes. If we have experienced the sting of rejection in the past, some people end up developing a guarded interpersonal style, making sure to keep others at an emotional distance.

Read more: A Key to Personal Growth: Seek New Experiences, Despite the Pull to Avoid Them

Interpersonal Skills

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Created on Friday, 27 May 2011 16:07

Written by Ben Johnson, Ph.D., ABPP

Increasing interpersonal effectiveness is frequently a therapeutic goal.

Learning to practice a range of specific skills can help.  Such skills include:

• making an invitation
• paying someone a compliment
• sharing a personal story
• asking good "getting to know you questions"
• limit setting and saying no
• sharing how you feel and what you want
• acknowledging the other person's perspective
• apologizing

Parenting Tips

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Created on Friday, 27 May 2011 15:28

Written by Ben Johnson, Ph.D., ABPP

There are several topics about parenting that I think are extremely helpful to read more about. These include:

• attachment theory
• the central role of positive reinforcement in parenting
• specific praise
• identifying positive opposite behaviors
• limit setting
• floor time and special time

I look forward to writing more about each of these topics and how I have incorporated them into my parenting style and philosophy.

A Review of "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

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Created on Tuesday, 01 September 2009 00:00

Written by Ben Johnson, Ph.D., ABPP

The Tipping Point is a fascinating book about the nature of epidemics.  We often think about biological epidemics like the flu.  However, Gladwell describes how you can think about fashion trends, the popularity of new products, and drops in crime rates as epidemics, too.  The title of the book refers to "that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire" (from the book jacket).

Gladwell describes several fascinating examples of nonbiological epidemics.  The story of the resurgence of Hush Puppies (the shoes) opens the book.  He also reviews how reducing the amount of grafitti on New York subway cars partly drove an amazing reduction in violent crime in the 1990s.  He takes the reader through the development of the show Sesame Street and how certain elements of the show made it unbelievably "sticky" - memorable - and were able to increase the reading and learning skills of its viewers.

Read more: A Review of "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Safety-Seeking Behaviors in Anxiety Disorders

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Created on Wednesday, 18 January 2006 00:00

Written by Ben Johnson, Ph.D., ABPP

When people are frequently anxious, they often find ways of trying to make themselves less anxious in anxiety-provoking situations. However, the things individuals do to make themselves feel better when they have anxiety problems sometimes backfire. They make an individual feel better in the short-run, but worse in the long run.

Cognitive-Behavioral therapists often work with patients to identify their "safety behaviors." For example, individuals with social anxiety sometimes drink too much alcohol or they may ask other people questions in conversation to avoid sharing themselves. Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder sometimes repeat a saying in their minds to make themselves feel better. Individuals with health anxiety might ask doctors for reassurance. However, these safety behaviors keep individuals from learning that the risks of harm if they did not engage in these safety behaviors is actually quite low and tolerable. Safety behaviors also keep people from fully confronting their fears. 

If you are in therapy and working on anxiety problems, it might be helpful to do a careful review of the ways you are trying to manage your anxiety. You might be surprised to find that some of these things actually serve to maintain anxiety. It takes a ton of courage to let go of long-held safety behaviors, but it can be done and the results are worth it.