Therapy in a Nutshell

Latest Episodes:

Does Relaxing Make You Anxious? May 25, 2023

Show notes

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Does trying to relax or meditate make you anxious? Isn’t it supposed to make you feel calm? I recently ran a poll on my channel and 61% of people said that trying to relax or meditate made them feel anxious, guilty, or panicky. So what the heck is going on here? In this video, we’ll troubleshoot what might be making you feel anxious when you try to relax.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Conflict Management for the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) with Jonathan Decker from CINEMA THERAPY May 18, 2023

Show notes

If you're a highly sensitive person, you may find that conflicts can be particularly challenging for you. As someone who processes information deeply and is easily overwhelmed by sensory input, you may feel intensely emotional during disagreements and have difficulty expressing your thoughts and feelings clearly. In this video, we'll explore some effective conflict management strategies for highly sensitive persons that can help you navigate disagreements in a healthy and productive way.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

How to Create Emotional Safety for Someone with Anxiety- Dealing with Anxiety in Children Part 2/4 May 11, 2023

Show notes

Take my free course Grounding Skills for Anxiety: Take me to the free course

Get notified when the course for parents of anxious kids is ready: Sign me up

Your job as a parent is not to protect your child from anxiety but to help them learn to be resilient so that they can be functional and healthy humans. To learn the skills to manage emotions and make good choices, not to just try to make anxiety go away. When you learn how to change your fundamental approach to anxiety, you can create a space for your kids to change their relationship to anxiety - so that they can be healthy, resilient, self-assured and functional. The really cool thing about humans is that we can face a lot of challenges, difficulties, trauma or hardship if we just have one thing: Emotional Safety. The number one thing that creates emotional safety is connection. Your relationship with them is like the protective cover of a greenhouse, it creates the environment where growth is possible. Your connection provides warmth while they face challenges and grow.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Journaling for Trauma May 04, 2023

Show notes

Learn Grounding skills for trauma and anxiety in my FREE course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd

Do you ever have an intense emotional reaction that just seems disproportionate to the situation? Does some little thing set you off? And you can’t figure out why? Do you get anxious, a flash of anger, or an unexplainable feeling of fear? Or do you experience a feeling of “shut down”, exhaustion, or withdrawal?

When we can’t figure out where these emotions are coming from, sometimes these feelings are related to childhood trauma or unresolved painful experiences from our past. In this video, you’ll learn 7 journaling prompts to help you explore how big emotions might be related to past trauma.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

How to Help a Child with Anxiety 1/4 Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Here's the link to hear when the upcoming "Help a Child with Anxiety" course will be available: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2147679837

OK, so you’ve got a kid with anxiety. They might struggle to go to school, or they’re shy, or maybe they’re dealing with stomach aches or headaches or other physical signs of anxiety. Maybe they throw a fit when it’s time to go to bed or they cry and cling to you when it’s time to leave. And it breaks your heart. You can see them suffering and you’d do anything to help them feel better. So in this video series, I’m going to teach you how to change your mindset around anxiety, then in the next 3 videos I’m going to teach you practical things you can DO to help your child with anxiety. So are you on board? Are you willing to change yourself and your framework in order to help your kid? Awesome! Let’s go.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

How to Make a Decision When you Struggle with Executive Functioning Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

Why do you procrastinate? Could it be Executive Functioning?

Has this ever happened to you? You had some big decision to make or a task to complete? But you just kept putting it off because it felt overwhelming? When people are faced with a big, complex decision that they aren’t certain how to move forward with- it’s really common to avoid that task, delay, procrastinate or keep busy with other meaningless tasks. But this can lead to big consequences later- getting written up at work, failing a class, or missing out on big opportunities because you can’t figure out how to move forward.

In this podcast, you’ll learn what executive functioning is, why it’s so essential to making decisions and processing emotions, and 5 ways you can improve your executive functioning skills.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co...

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy, I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Dissociation, Depersonalisation, and Derealization - How to come back when you dissociate. Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

FREE Grounding Skills Course here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd

Do you ever feel numb? Detached? Like you’re completely separate from your body or like you’re floating above it, watching yourself like you aren’t even real? Or does the world around you sometimes feel foggy? Dreamlike? Or like time is moving super fast or super slowly? These are all signs of dissociation, derealization, or depersonalization. These three terms all have some overlap in symptoms.

In this podcast, you’ll learn to identify the triggers and internal signs leading up to dissociation and when you have a framework to understand why dissociation happens, then you can be more gentle with yourself and learn skills to manage overwhelming situations more adaptively and flexibly and be more resilient. I have worked with many clients who’ve experienced dissociation or depersonalization.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co...

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Emotional Eating - How to Replace Emotional Eating with Emotion Processing and Intuitive Eating Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

Learn how to process emotions in my online course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/emotion-processing

Emotional eating is when you eat in an attempt to resolve emotions instead of eating to resolve hunger. But when people are asking "How to stop emotional eating? The first step is to learn to process emotions and listen to what your body is really asking for - aka intuitive eating. Most of the time, when we’re overeating, or under-eating, it’s because we’re seeking to regulate our emotions with food, instead of regulating our emotions by processing them. So the first step is to ask yourself “Why am I eating this? You don’t need to judge yourself for doing it, just get curious. If I’m eating and it's not because of hunger, what am I feeling?

Learn how to make funeral potatoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGVAJashAEs&t=1s

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=Podcast

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

How to Identify Your Emotions - How to Feel Your Feelings Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

Download the free emotions tracker here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2147588374

Check out the how to Process Emotions Course here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/emotion-processing

So how do you feel your feelings? How can you identify your emotions? What do you do when you don’t know what you’re feeling? In this video I’m going to teach you 4 ways to tune into your emotions, and these are things I use all the time in therapy to help my clients get better at feeling. 00:00 How to identify your emotions 01:19 Emotions are fundamentally physical 01:35 Emotions are fundamentally physical 03:20 Tune into your emotions and sensations 04:24 4 Principles from Mindfulness 07:04 Use Emotion Charts to Identify Emotions 07:58 Track your emotions to get practice identifying them 08:48 Draw your emotions to identify them

Want help to stop beating yourself up? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co...

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

Feel Overwhelmed? Try this 30 Second Technique Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

Feeling overwhelmed literally makes parts of your brain shut down. You might experience cognitive fatigue, sensory overload, burnout, physical exhaustion, a flood of thoughts, confusion, or the stress response, you may feel anxious, sweaty, teary, or panicky alternating in quick succession with wanting to give up, shut down, curl up into a ball, procrastinate and avoid everything.

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co...

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

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