Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
Mindfulness Exercise (Exposure-Friendly)
This video above and guide below were specially formulated to help you be mindful in an “Exposure-Friendly” way. This one’s a bit different from the average mindfulness practice you might be familiar with. The reason it’s called “Exposure-Friendly” is that it is specially designed to help a person be mindful of whatever they are experiencing, […]
Read More >Perfectionism, OCD, and Me
Thanks to Jonathan Hoxmark on Unsplash for this beauty! Perfectionism and OCD What is perfectionism? Oxford dictionary defines it as “refusal to accept any standard short of perfection.”[1] That’s automatically problematic.[2] Perfectionism leads to a circumscribed focus, stress, and suffering for not only individuals, but for loved ones nearby who feel the weight of being perfect. Is […]
Read More >Sugar! My Journey to a Healthier Relationship with Food
“Ah sugar, ah honey honey. You are my candy girl, and you’ve got me wanting you.” The Archies may have been describing a relationship with their lyrics, but that’s been me with my relationship to actual sugar. I love added sugar.[1] 5 years ago, I easily would: Down 3-4 large glasses of Dr. Pepper with a great […]
Read More >Fear Not
The Bible has a lot to say about fear and anxiety. In fact, some variation of “do not be afraid” is the most common directive in Scripture, occurring in some fashion more than ‘do not steal,’ ‘do not kill,’ and even ‘love your neighbor.’ How Does Anxiety Work? When we study these constructs in research, […]
Read More >Addiction Has No Standard Definition, But That’s Ok For Now
Addiction is confusing. It is confusing to seasoned professionals. Let’s just admit it. It is not a specified diagnosis under the DSM or ICD; it’s only broadly referential to a sometimes amorphous categorization. Under the DSM-IV in 1994, only one vote separated the task force on substance abuse from using the term “addiction” instead of “dependence.” […]
Read More >The Myth of Disappearing Distress
The Myth of Disappearing Distress. If I do the right things, I won’t have to face suffering, right? It’s easy for me as a therapist to exhort my clients to stay focused on the prize DESPITE the distress they feel. How easy it is to get off track! And while it’s also easy for […]
Read More >What Is Exposure Therapy & How Do You Do It?
What is Exposure Therapy? Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment that is practiced in Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It is indicated as a first line treatment for a number of disorders such as Panic PTSD BDD GAD Even recent evidence for depression It is considered the “gold standard,” or best treatment for […]
Read More >The 4 Types of Exposure Therapy
In Vivo Exposure Directly facing feared objects or situations, examples include: Getting on a flight, touching a doorknob that feels “contaminated,” not going back to check a lock, or going to a social gathering. Good exposure attempts to match the content and detail of a person’s fear as close as possible. So, for example, if a […]
Read More >Winning the Lottery and Money Sense
$1.6 Billion. That’s 1,600 x 1 MILLION Dollars. For the person who won roughly that amount in South Carolina (and the rest of us): Would it surprise you that your emotional well-being really doesn’t improve by becoming wealthy? There’s been a host of research in recent years that look into happiness and money. Possibly the most […]
Read More >Egosyntonic & Egodystonic
Do I want this, or do I not? Is this my actual desire, or what I don’t want? Does this thought or desire define me? What if it’s terrible or horrible? Sometimes the things I think about are because I value them or desire them. Sometimes the things I think about are because I don’t […]
Read More >Finding Meaning Where There Is None, AKA, “Reading Into Stuff”
Photo by Dhiva Krishna on Unsplash Yesterday and today both I witnessed bad car wrecks. I haven’t seen a car wreck in over two years. Not only have I been more cautious driving since, today I caught myself telling my wife possible reasons for seeing two crashes in a row. “Hey babe, maybe people are absent-minded […]
Read More >Sadness of Celebrity Suicide & Hope
Photo by Jonatán Becerra on Unsplash Incredibly sad is the news that in a matter of days, two revered, loved, and famous celebrities committed suicide. This morning I was hit by discovering that after Kate Spade ended her life, Anthony Bourdain also ended his. After I prayed for their families, I knew I needed to send out this blog. Suicide […]
Read More >Southwest Airlines and Fear of Flying
Photo by Owen CL on Unsplash Did your anxiety increase over flying after news of the engine failure on Southwest Flight 1380? Even a little? I have booked plane tickets twice since the incident in mid-April 2018, and when choosing seats, I hovered precariously as I decided whether to select my favored window seat, or if I go […]
Read More >Intolerance of Uncertainty
Photo by Leio McLaren on Unsplash “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller I don’t want to live […]
Read More >Fitbit Your Way To Mental Health
You may have just gotten an activity tracker over the holidays, or maybe you’ve already jumped on the bandwagon of wearable tech. Not only do activity monitors like Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Spire track steps, heart rate, sleeping, and more, you can turn your tracker into an ally for mental health. Here’s how. Being able […]
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