What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)?

by | Aug 24, 2016 | Uncategorized

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychosocial intervention that is based on a combination of behavioural and cognitive psychology. It has its roots in the development of behaviour therapy in the 1920’s and the work of Aaron T. Beck in the 1960’s and 1970’s who founded a therapy that was structured and time limited. Beck’s therapy was devised for the treatment of depression as he noticed how often themes of loss, failure, worthlessness and rejection arose in the thinking of a depressed person. Up until this time, it was believed that negative thinking was due to some underlying biological or psychodynamic dilemma and when treated, the thoughts would get better. Beck’s understanding was somewhat different; he suggested that negative thinking could be a causal factor in depression.
Moreover, Beck also proposed that negative thoughts could maintain depression. Beck encouraged his clients to document these negative thoughts and bring them to therapy sessions so that they could be evaluated in terms of the evidence for and against the thought. In this way, thoughts were concepts that could be analysed and refuted if inaccurate. Clients were taught to be vigilant for long term beliefs and assumptions that might colour their mood. From a cognitive point of view, thoughts could therefore be monitored and challenged and alternative thoughts that are less likely to result in depression could be generated.
CBT is founded on the belief that it is distorted thoughts as well as maladaptive behaviours that contribute to the development and maintenance of psychological disorders. It is assumed that changing maladaptive thinking leads to changes in mood and behaviour. Some clinicians are more cognitively orientated while others are more behaviourally driven. From a behavioural perspective, interventions such as in vivo exposure therapy are sometimes used. This term refers to the process of directly confronting a feared situation, object or activity. For example, if someone has a fear of elevators, part of the treatment may be exposing the client in a graduated fashion to the experience of using an elevator. Similarly, if someone develops an association between anxiety and standing in line ups, part of the therapy will involve exposing the client to line ups so that they may confront their fear. Through exposure practice, the conditioning or association may become “unlearned” through the process of habituation and extinction.
CBT is an orientation that may involve multiple interventions including the development of adaptive coping strategies and skills, changing maladaptive beliefs, goal setting, relaxation, biofeedback, distraction, imagery and motivational self-talk. Treatment is time-limited and there is an emphasis on measuring changes in cognition and behavior and in the attainment of goals.

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Research on CBT indicates that the treatment alone is effective for treating depression and anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, tics, substance abuse, eating disorders and personality disorders. It is also recommended as a treatment in conjunction with medications for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, severe major depression, opioid addiction, bipolar and psychotic disorders. As such, it is an effective evidence-based practice for treating psychological disorders. Unlike pharmacological treatments, CBT not only teaches skills and strategies that can be used to alleviate symptoms, it also helps to prevent the reoccurrence of symptoms. By contrast, when a person ceases the use of a medication and has not learnt skills to prevent symptoms, relapse can be a possible outcome.

For more information on CBT, please contact Abigail Draper PhD RPsych

What is Burnout?

by | Jun 23, 2016 | Uncategorized

Job burnout is a type of psychological stress characterised by lack of enthusiasm and motivation, ineffectiveness in the workplace and the feeling that one is overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. Occupational burnout can lead one to feel cynical and resentful. It is particularly prevalent in the helping professions with social workers, nurses, teachers, physicians, customer service representatives, and police officers being most at risk.
The negative aspects of burnout may affect both home and work life. In addition, burnout can lead people to be more susceptible to illnesses such as colds and flu.

Burnout may be a problem for you if you feel:
• Every day is a bad day
• Taking care of your work or home life feels like a waste of time
• You are plagued with exhaustion
• Tasks at work feel mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming
• You do not feel your work is appreciated

Burnout may occur gradually over a period of time. Physical signs of burnout include:

• Feeling tired and drained all the time
• Lowered immunity
• Frequent headaches, back pain and muscle aches
• Change in appetite or sleep habits

Work-related causes of burnout include having unclear job expectations, having little recognition for good work or not experiencing a sense of control over your work. Research has revealed that having a bad job is worse than having no job at all. Apart from work related causes of burnout, there are also lifestyle causes of burnout. These include working too hard and not having enough time to relax and destress. In addition, taking on too many responsibilities and being expected to be too many things for too many people may become a problem. Poor sleep and lack of social support are often causative factors. In addition, certain personality traits are correlated with burnout. These include having an A type personality or traits such as pessimism.

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Is burnout the same as depression?
Stress at work can cause physical and mental symptoms. Exhaustion is a sign of stress and not necessarily of illness. How is burnout different from other disorders such as depression? Symptoms of burnout resemble symptoms of depression. These include:
• Extreme exhaustion
• Feeling low
• Reduced performance at work

One of the main differences between depression and burnout is that in depression, negative thoughts and feelings are not just restricted to work but may occur in all areas of life. Symptoms that may be typical of depression include low self-esteem, hopelessness and poor energy. It is worth pointing out that burnout symptoms may put one at risk of depression. The unhappiness and depression that burnout produces could threaten your relationships, health and job.

Preventing burnout

Cut back on obligations and extra commitments. Set boundaries and learn how to say “no”. Give yourself time to slowdown, take a break and change your outlook. Make sure you plan a vacation – research shows that North Americans do not always take all of their vacation time. Lots of short vacations are more beneficial than one long vacation.

Be mindful of your thoughts and actions rather than rushing from one thing to another. Take the time to appreciate the small things that bring joy. Reconnect with feelings of fun and a sense of purpose.

Reach out to others and look for social support. You might find others who have experienced a similar story. Sharing your experience can bring a feeling of relief and renew friendships and relationships.

Ask yourself what you can do to manage your stress. This may include learning how to practice relaxation, exercising regularly, eating healthy, being assertive and having a realistic attitude. It may also include learning how to manage your time wisely.

Stop being burnout and be active. Contact us today and see what treatment is best for you!

7 Tips for Improving Insomnia

by | Apr 23, 2016 | Uncategorized

Insomnia is fairly common. Approximately one in four people experience difficulties with sleep. These difficulties include trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking early, as well as sleeping too much or having unsatisfying sleep.

Insomnia affects people of all ages but people in the following groups have a higher chance of acquiring insomnia:

• Individuals older than 60
• History of mental illness such as depression, anxiety etc.
• Emotional stress
• Working late nightshifts
• Travelling through different time zones

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Getting good sleep is fundamental to improving one’s mental well-being. There are a number of strategies that can be helpful in getting a good night’s sleep.

1. Set a bedtime routine. Have a bedtime routine helps to cue the body to relax and rest. Don’t dwell on, or bring problems to bed. A routine may involve having a hot bath, a cup of non-caffeinated beverage, and reading before going to bed. A light snack can also be a good idea, especially if it is high in tryptophan which is a natural sleep inducer. These foods include bananas and milk. Avoid heavy, sugary or spicy foods.
2. In addition, it helps to keep the sleep-wake cycle regular by going to bed and waking at the same time.
3. Avoid caffeinated food or drink (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate) in the afternoons and evenings as these are stimulating. Nicotine can also be stimulating. Avoiding alcohol is also a good idea as this interrupts the quality of sleep.
4. Use your bed only for sleep and sex. The bed should not be associated with watching TV, working, reading, playing on a tablet etc.
5. Don’t watch the clock. Checking the clock when you wake up can reinforce negative ideas such as “I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow; I’ve only had 4 hours of sleep”.
6. Get up after 20 minutes. This is probably one of the most important tips. If you haven’t been able to fall asleep after about 20 minutes or more, get up and do something that is calming, non-stimulating or boring until feeling sleepy again. Keep the lights low and read a magazine or the sports section of the newspaper. This strategy may feel like it will make things worse but if one sticks with it, it can really help.
7. Get exercise. Exercising at least 30 minutes three times a week can improve your sleep. The best time to exercise is in the late afternoon or early evening. Exercising in the morning, while good for one, will not help with sleep.

If you are suffering from insomnia, there are many steps you can take to change your lifestyle. Contact our clinic today so we can help!

7 Facts to Guide Healthy Weight Loss

by | Apr 11, 2016 | Uncategorized

“A promising new method to loose weight without exercising or changing your diet and lifestyle.” We hear it constantly, a new diet becomes popular and works for awhile then all that weight just comes pouring back on, seemingly more easily than the first time it appeared. Don’t fall for it, there is no miracle pill to loose weight, it is about being good to your body. Diets shouldn’t be about following the latest trend and loosing weight fast, it is about choosing healthy foods to fuel our body ‘our machine.’ What we put in our bodies is fuel, for optimal performance both physically and mentally we have to consume the appropriate fuel. Being denied all our comfort foods or treats lead to a good period followed by cheating, then the healthy diet disappears altogether. Education on/about how these diets work is not provided, which can be one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy diet/lifestyle. Learning the impact bad foods have on our bodies, and reducing them can change our taste buds in about 2 weeks. We no longer have as many cravings and what used to be yummy becomes way too sweet. Finding healthier alternatives to our devilish desires like, dark chocolate instead of milk, avocado chocolate mousse, black bean brownies, cauliflower pizza crust. These choices can make the transition away from the bad stuff manageable while getting valuable nutrition from the healthy alternatives.

Weight Loss Guide NW Calgary

1)    Broken Metabolism:

Certain diets can have damaging impacts on our metabolism. The average person puts on 11 pounds after every diet. Specifically, calorie restrictive diets, which can have initial weight loss (sometimes at a rapid rate) but in the long term may damage our metabolism. Your body cannot function on 800-1000 calories a day for extended periods of time. The body goes into protective mode believing it is in a state of starvation, when calories are limited from our normal. Our bodies are programed to protect us from starvation by increasing the hunger response and decreasing our metabolism, conserving our valuable energy (or storing fat and losing muscle). Balance is what we are always trying to achieve so if there is an increase use of calories (exercise) without change in diet, our metabolism adjusts. This does not mean to eat more and exercise less, but gradual long term changes are more adaptive than drastic calorie restrictive diets.

2)    Toxins:

We are exposed to toxins everyday in the food we eat, and environment we live in. Obesity levels are rising, as are environmental toxin levels. Our bodies have an ability to “protect us” from toxins by storing the toxins we are exposed to everyday in our fat cells. The problem is when we begin to lose weight these toxins are released back into circulation. If we lose weight at a rapid rate it becomes faster than our body’s ability to get rid of the toxins. Signs you are carrying a toxic load include making it more difficult to loose weight: asthma and allergies, brain fog, depression, fatigue, headaches, memory problems, chronic pain, chemical sensitivity, and even infertility. Trying to minimize the amount of toxins we are exposed to everyday eating organically when possible (especially the dirty dozen), and avoiding chemical exposure. As well as supporting our organs of elimination, to ensure we are flushing instead of retaining the harmful toxins. Cleanses can be a great way to help to kick start weight loss, or continue seeing the weight drop after already have lost weight. It is important to select a good cleanse that supports your elimination organs during this flushing out period.

3)    Inflammation:

Inflammation throughout the body has be linked to almost every disease. The major contributing causes of inflammation include food sensitivities/allergies (GMO’s), chemicals, sugar, and stress. Foods that are common allergens include soy, dairy, gluten, eggs, corn, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. This doesn’t mean that everyone will break out in hives by consuming these foods, they are common foods that create an immune response thus causing inflammation. Another factor that has increased inflammation is changing what we feed animals. Consumption of grains rather than grass-fed has increased our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Omega 6 fatty acids lead to more inflammation throughout our bodies.

4)    Sleep and Stress

Cortisol is a stress hormone, released from the adrenal glands when we are in a heightened state of stress. Cortisol help the body prepare for “flight or fight” from stressful situations, freeing up energy stores. After this experience we have an increase in hunger because all of our energy should have been used to ‘flee or fight.’ However, when we experience chronic stress we have chronic cortisol release and energy is stored away in our tissues overtime causing weight gain and insulin resistance. Our parasympathetic nervous system opposes this and allows us to rest and digest, when we are relaxed or sleeping. Promote relaxation through activities like meditation, walking, expressing/receiving gratitude, reading or whatever activity you find re-charging and relaxing. Watching television can actually be draining and habit forming, with certain programs elevating our cortisol levels.

Lack of sleep causes inflammation throughout the body. When we have sleep disruption this has an impact on our circadian rhythm which can elevate our stress hormone cortisol especially at night. When we are tired, we get hungry and crave sugary/high carbohydrate foods to maintain our energy levels, we also move less. This is a double whammy contributing to weight gain. Shortened/disrupted sleep reduces our insulin sensitivity and impairs glucose tolerance, which is what Type 2 diabetics suffer with. Insufficient sleep also down regulates leptin levels (our satiating hormone) and upregulate ghrelin which increases appetite. So get your 7-8 hours minimum of sleep!

5)    Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise has been largely promoted for weight loss, although it is very good for your health specifically heart it is not the most effective strategy to loose weight and keep it off. During cardio workouts you are burning calories however once you stop the workout the calories stop burning. Weight lifting and high intensity short duration exercise are more effective because your muscles continue burning after the activity itself. This short duration has greater effects on appetite suppression, while longer duration may actually increase your appetite. All forms of exercise are so important in maintaining health and body weight. It decreases cravings, stress, inflammation, improves sleep quality, mood and energy all important factors to weight loss.

6)    Macronutrients

Fats are so important in our diet, they feed our brains, our joints and keep us full and satisfied. Contrary to popular belief healthy fats will lower cholesterol, rather than raise it. Low fat products aren’t very tasty like their full fat counterparts, so they are generally loaded with sugar. So opt out the low fat, processed, high sugary foods and go for whole healthy fats, to keep you fuller longer. Various vegetable oils can be inflammatory so try to stick to good healthy anti-inflammatory ones like olive oil (great for your heart) and coconut oil (great for your brain). Other heathy fat sources include wild fish, grass-fed beef, nuts, seeds and avocados.

Protein another important component often overlooked in diets. Protein like fat keeps us fuller longer, it also helps to reduce sugar cravings and decrease the impact sugar has on our blood-glucose levels by leveling out the response.

Carbohydrates Reducing (not eliminating) carbohydrates especially from grain sources. Focusing on getting your carbohydrates from vegetable and fruit sources that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as well as fiber which like protein controls the blood-glucose levels. Consuming fiber is another important aspect especially concerning the toxins discussed earlier. Fiber helps collect toxins lingering in our digestive system, and gets it out of our system. Grain fiber sources are not the best because they generally have inflammatory qualities to them. Look to flax seeds, chia seeds, vegetables and fruit, they come packed with other anti-inflammatory nutrients. Avoiding sugar, sugar causes an increase in our blood sugar and insulin release which causes inflammation. Sugar has been called the most addictive drug, in a study conducted with rats they chose sugar over cocaine! The more sugar we consume will intensify our cravings, and removing it can cause withdrawal symptoms much like drugs. So managing these sugar cravings is vital to the success of healthy diets. Research is now showing that it may be the bad bugs in our gut that cause these sugar cravings, because that is what they feed off.

7)    Surround yourself in a healthy, happy support system to hold you accountable and provide you with the will power to maintain your new healthy lifestyle.

My passion is education around healthy foods and lifestyle that are sustainable to treat/prevent diseases. Supplements can also be appropriate to adjust for nutritional deficiencies, to address underlying causes and support body systems. Contact the the clinic today to book a consultation – I would LOVE to partner with you today to create the healthy life and body you deserve. 403-452-6262