In This Video A Demonstration Of A Prolotherapy Treatment Is Given
Prolotherapy is referred to as a regenerative injection technique; because it is based on the premise that the regenerative healing process can rebuild and repair damaged soft tissue structures. It is a simple injection treatment that addresses very complex issues.
This video jumps to 1:05 where the actual treatment begins.
This patient is having C1-C2 areas treated. Ross Hauser, MD, is giving the injections.
The Curvatures Of The Neck
In our practice, we see problems of cervical spine instability caused by damaged or weakened cervical spine ligaments. With ligament weakness or laxity, the cervical vertebrae move out of place and progress into problems of chronic pain and neurological symptoms by distorting the natural curve of the spine. This illustration demonstrates the progression from Lordotic to Military to Kyphotic to S shape curve.
Crazy Talk: How Do I Cope With Checking Out From Reality
How do you stay mentally-healthy when youre alone and dissociating?
Hi Sam, Ive been working with a new therapist to deal with some traumatic events that happened when I was a teenager. We talked a little about dissociation, and how I tend to check out emotionally when Im triggered.
I guess what Im struggling with most is how to stay present when Im alone. Its so much easier to disconnect when Im by myself and in my own little world. How do you stay present when theres no one there to snap you out of it?
Wait a minute!
You said that theres no one to help you snap out of dissociating, but I want to remind you that thats not true. You have yourself! And I know that doesnt always seem like enough, but with practice, you might find that you have more coping tools at your disposal than you realize.
Before we get into what that looks like, though, I want to establish what dissociation means so were on the same page. Im not sure how much your therapist filled you in, but since its a tricky concept, lets break it down in simple terms.
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What Risks And Complications Can Dissociation Cause
Some people with a dissociative disorder may also have another mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression. This is called a comorbid condition. In some cases, this can make your dissociative disorder harder in day to day life. However, all these conditions are manageable and treatable.
You can find more information on:
Resonance: Grounding Techniques For Anxiety Relief
Our collection of Grounding Techniques for Anxiety Relief has been carefully created to guide you through a set of experiences that you can use anywhere and any time you choose to help you reconnect with your body and draw your mind away from anxious thinking into a state of feeling more calm and in control.
We hope you found this episode supportive, and invite you to explore the 3 ways we can help you in moving forward with slaying your anxiety
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How To Cope With Dissociation Anxiety Tips To Manage
1. Firstly, Reach Out A Therapist
The best treatment and way to cope with dissociation anxiety is to reach out to a therapist, especially if the symptoms are loud and intense. A therapist suggests psychotherapy related to anxiety and dissociative disorder which may include
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT is provided to an individual in order to identify and change disturbing negative thinking patterns. It also includes techniques like role playing, mental distractions, journaling and relaxation techniques.
- Dialectical behavioral therapy: This psychotherapy is based on the concept that everything has an opposite and the opposite of negative could be achieved through dialogue between opposing forces.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing : It helps in relieving traumatic pain and triggers through the guided eye movement exercises.
With the above psychotherapies, Talk therapy also becomes a guiding light as well as an important way to deal with stress and anxiety.
2. Grounding Techniques
Even though therapists help you to deal with dissociation anxiety, it is also important to practice some grounding techniques at home. Grounding means to be in the present moment and recognize the surroundings. They are meant to bring awareness as well as relax yourself as and when the anxiety shows up.
Techniques you could use include:
3. Exercise Regularly
Additional Tips:
Causes Of Dissociative Disorder
The causes of dissociative disorders are not well understood.
They may be related to a previous traumatic experience, or a tendency to develop more physical than psychological symptoms when stressed or distressed.
Someone with a dissociative disorder may have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse;during childhood.
Some people dissociate after experiencing war, kidnapping or even an invasive medical procedure.
Switching off from reality is a normal defence mechanism that helps the person cope during a traumatic time.
It’s a form of denial, as if “this is not happening to me”.
It becomes a problem when the environment is no longer traumatic but the person still acts and lives as if it is, and has not dealt with or processed the event.
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When Avoidance Coping Is Actually Healthy
Some forms of passive coping, however, are not maladaptive and are actually healthy. These healthier forms of coping do not necessarily approach the problem directly but they do affect our response to the problem. Remember that it is healthy to practice techniques that help you feel calmer;as you face a difficult situationeven if the techniques don’t affect the situation directly.
Stress relief strategies like relaxation techniques and jogging can minimize the stress response when you face a problem and even increase your self-confidence. They can empower you to face your stressors more effectively.
However, just because something minimizes our stress in one particular moment does not mean that it is a healthy form of coping. For example, eating, shopping, or having an alcoholic drink might make us feel better in the moment but they have long-term consequences if they are overdone.
If we rely on these “strategies” for stress relief they can get out of control and create more stress. Instead, it’s more effective to create healthy habits that build resilience.
Learn To Tolerate Uncomfortable Feelings
When you become comfortable being uncomfortable, you will be better able to deal with your feelings and the stressors that cause them. When you can sit with these hard feelings, you’ll have more choices about how you want to face the problem because you won’t have a knee-jerk avoidance response.
Once you become more used to it, facing your problems head-on won’t bring you as much anxiety. Some people find that meditation helps them get into a place where they can be “comfortable with the uncomfortable.”
One technique taught in mindfulness-based stress reduction classes is to sit and meditate the next time you feel an itch instead of scratching it immediately. See what thoughts and feelings arise, and how long it takes for the feeling to pass.
Observing your feelings, breathing through them, and becoming better acquainted with the idea of sitting with discomfort can help you realize that, in most cases, nothing horrible comes from being uncomfortable. You can learn to handle the feelings, allow them to pass, and move on.
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How To Avoid Avoidance Coping
If you find yourself using avoidance coping, look for opportunities to replace these behaviors with active coping strategies. If you’ve tended toward avoidance coping most of your life or at least are in the habit of using it, it can be hard to know how to stop. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you work on shedding the habit.
When Might I Dissociate
- For many people, dissociation is a natural response to trauma that they can’t control. It could be a response to a one-off traumatic event or ongoing trauma and abuse. You can read more on our page about the causes of dissociative disorders.
- Some people choose to dissociate as a way of calming down or focusing on a task, or as part of a religious or cultural ritual.
- Or you may experience dissociation as a side effect of alcohol;or some medication, or when coming off some medication.
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Life Doesnt Feel Real Anymore: Dissociation In The Time Of Covid
2020 has been a pretty surreal year. Many people have faced challenges that would have been unimaginable to them just one year ago and daily life looks nothing like it used to due to COVID-19 restrictions. Routines and patterns are how we keep track of information and time, so being thrown into a situation that youve never been in before can be disorienting, especially for those with mental health conditions who feel anchored by structure. Many people say the duration of the pandemic has felt like a time warp days are blending together, and some months seem to fly by, while others feel never-ending. Weve spent months stuck in the present moment and unable to plan for the future because there is no way to predict what each day would bring. You may be more hopeful now that vaccines are being approved, but if you still feel like the future doesnt quite exist, you arent alone.
What is dissociation?
Why does dissociation happen? ;
What does dissociation feel like during COVID-19?
Dissociation feels different for different people it may be scary if everything suddenly seems unfamiliar, or it may feel like a welcome relief from the scariness of the real world. Because COVID-19 has turned our worlds upside-down, dissociation may set in easier than usual.
What can I do about it? ;
Dissociating isnt inherently dangerous, but it can be uncomfortable. If you notice that youre feeling disconnected, there are several ways to bring yourself back when its safe to do so.
What Does Dissociation Feel Like
Mild dissociation is common. Most people daydream or lose track of time on occasion. Even briefly seeing familiar surroundings as strange or unrecognizable isnt unusual. If these feelings happen often, last for a long time, or cause distress, it may be a good idea to talk to a counselor.
How dissociation feels may vary based on the type of dissociation and the person who has it. There are three main types of dissociation: dissociative identity, dissociative amnesia, and depersonalization-derealization. The DSM also lists other specified dissociative disorder and unspecified dissociative disorder.
People with dissociative identity might:
- Feel like theyre more than one person
- Feel more than one other self within their thoughts
- Take on other identifies that have different memories, mannerisms, or speech patterns
- Lose memories or periods of time. Lost time may relate to switching between identities
- Have panic attacks
- Have depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions
DID can cause distress and emotional strain. People with DID also have an increased risk for self-harm and suicidal thoughts. They may feel powerless to maintain their identity, afraid of what their alter states might do while in control, and frustrated with their inability to remember events.
Dissociative amnesia is memory loss associated with trauma. People may:
Depersonalization-derealization disorder is characterized by a sense of detachment from reality. People with this condition may:
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Treatment Strategies For Acute Illnesses
Treatment for anxiety disorders in serious addictions can be postponed for many patients until it is clear or verifiable that an panic disorder preceded the addiction. In case the symptoms are mild, such as the inability to participate in treatment, if the symptoms are not interfering with daily activities, it is wise to wait and see if the symptoms resolve with the addiction treatment. There is a tendency for Subacute Withdrawal to mimic an anxiety disorder, making it hard to tell the difference.
The best way to help patients with anxiety disorders concerning their traumatic antecedents and dysfunctional family situations is to engage in a supportive, calming approach. However, it would probably be wise to hold off on affect-liberating therapy until stability has been achieved regarding the abuse of AOD abuse and acute anxiety disorder. Even though the patient should be kept updated about hospital policy and procedures regarding questions relating to his/her health, examining any underlying trauma should be avoided until the patient is stabilized.
Dealing With Dissociation First
Therapy involves delving into the root causes of certain fears and emotions, unwrapping those anxieties and the reasons behind them. If a patient constantly dissociates during therapy sessions, it shows an unwillingness to be in the moment and to deal with the source of the mental health issues. With the insight granted by this new study on dissociation, psychiatrists in Singapore may be able to develop new techniques for dealing with the dissociative tendency itself. Once they teach the patient how to respond without dissociating, they can move forward with treatment of the anxiety disorder.
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Summary And Contact Us Can We Help You How Do I Know If Im A Good Candidate
Many of the patients who we see in our neck center have conditions of anxiety, depression, and dissociation. These challenges can be termed psychiatric-like because, in some people, these problems are manifest of cervical spine and craniocervical instability and are symptoms of nerve, vein, and arterial compression caused by the unstable bones of the neck pressing and compressing these vital structures. By identifying cervical spine instability, disruption of blood flow into and out of the brain, disruption of normal Cerebrospinal fluid flow and by treating the damaged cervical spine ligaments and addressing the problems of the cervical spinal curvature, we hope to be able to help the right candidate get back to a better lifestyle.
We hope you found this article informative and it helped answer many of the questions you may have surrounding cervical spine instability and anxiety, depression, and dissociation. Just like you, we want to make sure you are a good fit for our clinic prior to accepting your case. While our mission is to help as many people with chronic pain as we can, sadly, we cannot accept all cases. We have a multi-step process so our team can really get to know you and your case to ensure that it sounds like you are a good fit for the unique testing and treatments that we offer here.
References
Issues With Subacute Examinations
Even though the danger to oneself and others is not considered a hallmark of anxiety disorders, the person may be in great danger and involuntarily committed in a dissociated state. The relationship between depression, panic disorder, and suicidal behavior has been noted. Consequently, one ought to consider how one might harm oneself and others. Both psychological and substance abuse issues have to be regarded as anxiety disorders, in addition to medical issues. A person having a panic attack may end up in the emergency room. Once she is diagnosed as a substance abuser, she will be transferred to an outpatient mental health clinic, along with a treatment plan. This treatment plan should evaluate her substance use, functional level, and physical status, including cardiac and endocrine tests, as necessary. Specific considerations to consider include assessing patients for hyperthyroidism, which has been four times more likely in female patients than male individuals. Individuals suffering from anxiety disorder should be screened for HIV infection and transient ischemic attacks in the early stages. There should be a thorough evaluation of the patients neurological status.
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Explaining Anxiety And Dissociation Disorders
Both nature and nurture contribute to the development of anxiety disorders. In terms of our evolutionary experiences, humans have evolved to fear dangerous situations. Those of us who had a healthy fear of the dark, of storms, of high places, of closed spaces, and of spiders and snakes were more likely to survive and have descendants. Our evolutionary experience can account for some modern fears as well. A fear of elevators may be a modern version of our fear of closed spaces, while a fear of flying may be related to a fear of heights.
Also supporting the role of biology, anxiety disorders, including PTSD, are heritable ,;and molecular genetics studies have found a variety of genes that are important in the expression of such disorders .;;Neuroimaging studies have found that anxiety disorders are linked to areas of the brain that are associated with emotion, blood pressure and heart rate, decision making, and action monitoring .;;People who experience PTSD also have a somewhat smaller hippocampus in comparison with those who do not, and this difference leads them to have a very strong sensitivity to traumatic events .
What To Do If You’re Worried About Someone
If you’re worried that someone you know may be considering suicide, try to encourage them to talk about how they’re feeling.
Listening is the best way to help. Try to avoid offering solutions and try not to judge.;
If they have previously been diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as depression, you can speak to a member of their care team for help and advice.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Dissociation Disorder
Symptoms of dissociation disorder typically develop during or after a traumatic event to control your emotions and memories. Stressful situations can heighten symptoms to such an extent that they affect your everyday function.
Individual symptoms will differ from person to person and depend on the nature of the dissociative disorder they suffer from.
Some of the most common symptoms of dissociation anxiety include:
- Out-of-body experiences, such as feeling like you are watching your body from above or seeing a movie of yourself
- Disconnection from surroundings