Writing at the intersection of psychotherapy, fitness and nutrition for clients and practitioners
The Anatomy of a Couple’s Fight: Triggers, Perceptions, Actions, and the Unspoken Softer Feelings Underneath
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Why do so many couples fight about the same things over and over? What are the obstacles to sending clear emotional signals that allow partners to respond to each other with empathy and compassion? How can partners learn to work together to defeat the common enemy in their relationship, the negative cycle?
In this episode of The Total Self Considered, Jeff Fine interviews Wendy Tomkiel, a certified EFT therapist and supervisor who is also trained in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy), and ISTDP (Intensive Short Term Dynamic Therapy). Wendy and Jeff breakdown the anatomy of a couple’s fight, by explaining the primal wiring that all humans have, and the ways attachment needs shape our reactions to each other. Through typical examples of negative cycles, they pinpoint how EFT helps couples slow down enough to see their own movements in a cycle, and access more options when they start to fall into old patterns.
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Back Pain: Symptoms, Causes, Practical Solutions
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In this episode of the TotalSelf Considered, Jeff Fine interviews Erika Muraski, physical therapist extra-ordinaire. Erika was a competitive ice-skater until she had a career ending injury. She had always wanted to be a physical therapist and the experience of getting hurt and having to give up the sport she loved has made her highly attuned and compassionate to the needs of her patients.
Jeff and Erika discuss back pain and treatment approaches from multiple perspectives: first, Erika explains the physical structure of the spine and surrounding soft tissue, and the related “mechanical” issues or imbalances that can lead to back pain. After going over the symptoms of various types of back pain, and when one should seek medical attention, Jeff and Erika delve into the impact of lifestyle factors, particularly the role that our sedentary lifestyles and stress have for so many of us experiencing back pain.
There’s an overwhelming amount of recommendations out there to reduce back pain – core strengthening, zero drop shoes, standing desks, stretching, ice, heat, doing more, doing less, laser therapy – but which of these actually help? Listen to the episode to find out.
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True or false: “Taking psychiatric medication means you’re mentally ill.”
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In this episode of The Total Self Considered, Jeff Fine interviews Dr Scott Hirsch, a clinical associate professor in the Departments of both Neurology and Psychiatry, as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone. Dr Hirsch shares his insights on our current understanding of mental illness and medications used for treatment, including medical marijuana. As a practitioner who has been exploring the mind-body connection for many years, Jeff is very interested in how Dr Hirsch integrates psychiatry and neurology in his practice. They discuss the distinction between neurologically based disorders and other conditions, how the brain and mind interact, how medications work in treating epilepsy, depression, anxiety and other issues, and the role medical marijuana can play in treating certain disorders and opioid addiction.
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Emotionally Focused Therapy: A Roadmap for Distressed Couples
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In this episode of The Total Self Considered, Jeff Fine interviews Dr Laurie Freeman,
a licensed psychologist, certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist/Supervisor (EFT), and
a certified Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapist (AEDP).
Jeff and Laurie breakdown how this approach works and discuss why the outcomes after
therapy are consistently positive. They also present a vignette of a distressed couple going
through a series of agonizing negative interactions, explain the dynamics and patterns
underneath, and highlight how EFT can help the partners to resolve their underlying issues.
Caring for the Caregivers
Caring for the Caregivers At some point in life, many individuals find themselves caring for fragile loved ones: an aging parent, bedridden spouse, child with special needs or sibling with mental illness. Support services have failed to keep up with growing need, and...
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