Client Engagement - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

The Mechanism of Depression

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 20:45:15 +0000

What do things mean? What does an event mean? What does a situation mean? And what does a circumstance mean? What about what others say, what does it mean? What does it mean to have been demoted, fired, or not to have landed a job? What about to have a breakup, to have a divorce, to have a loss? And to have an illness? To receive a diagnosis? To have received 6 months to live? What does any of these mean? We hope you are taking some time and ponder upon each of these questions. They are intended as such. They require much thought, and they concern us, they concern each aspect of our life, and they deserve at least a few minutes of pondering. Now, what has been your response to each of the questions? Did you find that any of them have more meaning than others? If so, which ones, and why?[1] For example, which has more meaning, the death of a loved one or the loss of a house? Is it a divorce or a breakup? Is it getting fired from a job or not having landed the job, to start with? Is it not having been accepted to the school of your choice, or having failed the entrance exam? Now, if you said divorce had more meaning, would you be surprised to hear that some individuals think that a breakup has more meaning to them? What about if you said, being fired, would you be surprised to hear that some people think that not having landed the job, to start with has more meaning to them than having been fired? What about the death of a loved one? Let us say, for example, that had more meaning[2]; would you be surprised to hear that some people find having their house being destroyed is more meaningful than the death of a loved one? Ok. You must have gotten the picture by now, and the question is what does all this mean? It means, meaning from the mindset in which we currently operate is nothing more than a variable. This means, it varies from one circumstance to the next, from one person to the next, and from one person at a given time to the same person at a different time. It also means what may have had meaning to us then, may have a totally different meaning to us now, and what may have had a lot of meaning to us at some point, may have little to no meaning at all to us at another point, and vice versa. In other words, we assign the meaning. We are assigning meaning all the time, automatically, and to the point where we cannot even help it, given the principle of familiarity that our brain goes by. So, we are assigning meaning. And, until we have assigned that meaning, things have no intrinsic meaning. Wait! What? Does that mean then that having been demoted, having been fired, or not having landed a job, has no intrinsic meaning? Well, yep. What about breaking up, divorcing, or having a loss? No intrinsic meaning? That’s correct. No intrinsic meaning. Ok, how about an illness? A diagnosis? having received 6 months to live? No meaning either? You got it right. No intrinsic meaning. None at all. None until you assign one to any one of these situations. Until then they are just there, with no intrinsic power, until you give life to them through your thinking process, your assigned, meaning, your attention and associated thoughts, forming an action potential, generating the brain image mechanism, interfering with the brain catecholamine pathway and with our serotonin receptor signaling, leading low energy and motiation, depressed mood and anhedonia, negativism, learned helplessness and suicidality. And this is the mechanism of depression [3]. In order words, depression does not take place because of anything that happened; rather, it happens because of our response to what happened. The question now is, “What is to be the response to these day-to-day things that happen in our life, to which most people’s response is likely to depression?” Are you a clinician who would like to help more your patients with depression or adjustment disorder, or those who have gone through loss? If so, click here and see more articles on depression. See you then,Karen and Mardoche [1] Part, C. & Al, A. (2006) Meaning Making and Growth: New Directions for Research on Survivors of Trauma, Journal of Loss and Trauma, 11:5, 389-407, DOI: 10.1080/15325020600685295 [2] Bliss, Sara. “When Getting Fired Is Actually The Best Thing For Your Career.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 June 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/sarabliss/2019/06/12/when-getting-fired-is-actually-the-best-thing-for-your-career/?sh=6e40fe005762. [3] Brigitta, Bondy. “Pathophysiology of depression and mechanisms of treatment.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience vol. 4,1 (2002): 7-20. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2002.4.1/bbondy

The post The Mechanism of Depression first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Post-COVID Reentry Process: Back to Normal And Our States of Awareness

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 22:25:19 +0000

First, what does “normal,” even mean? Etymologically, the word, “normal,” comes from the Latin word, “Norma,” which means, “Carpenter’s square,” or “right-angled.” And a right angle necessitates a perpendicular, meaning a vertical and a horizontal line, giving a sense of relativity [1]. The word, “normal,” also comes from the Latin word, “normalis,” which means “in conformity to rule; conforming to common standards, established order or usage. [1]” The definition itself of the word, “normal,” tells us that what’s normal today may no longer be what’s normal tomorrow. And this is so regardless of which system of thought formulation we are looking at from: Science, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Spirituality, or Religion. As we say in Science, “The biggest Truths of today are the biggest lies of tomorrow.” Looking at this from far away, one may be left wondering whether truth may therefore be, subjective. To this, we respond that “truth,” (with a lower-case t), known in Neuroscience as “Self-Created truth,” is indeed, subjective. On the other hand, “Truth,” (with a capital T), known in Neuroscience and Physics as “Objective Truth,” is the same everywhere, for everyone, and at all times. What does that mean to us as it relates to going back to normal in this slow transition from the acute COVID era? It means the following: What’s “normal,” changes all the time. It’s part of self-created truth, and it is not part of The Objective Truth What’s “normal,” is a variable. It varies from one place to the next; from one culture to the next; and from one generation to the next. On the other end, the Objective Truth is constant. It operates the same way, across space, time, and culture This moment can be used as an opportunity, and an opportunity to make the distinction How do we use this as an opportunity? First, everything is an opportunity [2]. There is no exception to this. And this is what makes this assertion Objective Truth. Now, because everything is an opportunity, it does not mean that everyone knows that. And everyone does not know that because everyone is not at the same state of awareness (Another example of an assertion that is based on Objective Truth and, therefore, has no exceptions). Now, those who may be aware that everything is an opportunity may not be at a state of awareness for them to make use of it, despite understanding that there is an opportunity present. Furthermore, those who make use of an opportunity may not be at a state of awareness where they make use of every opportunity. This tells us that each state of awareness presents a specific set of decisions, and this is another example of Objective Truth. Now, this statement also tells us that the decisional factor when it comes to transitioning or going back to normal will fully be determined by our state of awareness, as our decisional factor. This means: If before COVID, we were not at a state of awareness where we understood that everything was an opportunity, we may miss the fact that COVID has been an opportunity [3]; therefore, we may miss all the benefits that come with it. In fact, not only might we be missing the benefits, but we may also have been seeing COVID as perhaps “the worst thing ever!” or “a curse,” or “a trauma.” Regardless of how we view it, unless we can recognize COVID as an opportunity, we will then be missing all the related benefits Failing to see COVID as an opportunity, and missing the associated benefits means we will likely be failing to see the Post-COVID Reentry Process as an opportunity, and we will therefore likely be missing the intrinsic benefits If before COVID we were at a state of awareness at which we failed to understand that everything is an opportunity, then the best step in going back to normal; the best step in the Post-COVID Reentry Process is to shift our state of awareness to one that will allow us to understand that: A. Everything is an opportunity, and B. COVID has been an opportunity; and C. The Post-COVID Reentry Process is an opportunity. While we are still practicing Social Distancing in most parts of the world, we are all preparing, at least mentally, to transition back to normal. Given that “normal,” is a subjective, variable, and self-created truth [4], the wisest way for us to prepare for a Post-COVID Reentry Process is for us to: Recognize which state of awareness we are currently operating from Learn how to shift to a different state of awareness Learn how to recognize both COVID and the Post-COVID Reentry Process as an opportunity; and Learn how to reap the benefits of the upcoming Post-COVID Reentry Process; benefits that are available to all of us, with the only pre-requisite being a specific state of awareness We look forward to hearing about how helpful this article may have been to you. We at the SWEET Institute are determined to end suffering in the world. It starts with us clinicians who will then be able to facilitate the same for our patients. Almost everyone in the world sees a clinician. Therefore, there can be no better way for us to end suffering other than working with all clinicians. As such, we hope you will join us and together we can make a real difference in the lives of those we serve and beyond. We look forward to seeing you soonKaren and Mardoche [1] “Normal (Adj.).” Index, www.etymonline.com/word/normal. [2] Smythe, Jamie. “Opportunities Are Everywhere.” Medium, Medium, 13 July 2020, medium.com/@jamiesmythe/opportunities-are-everywhere-c865ea8523cc. [3] Kraaijenbrink, Jeroen. “The Bright Side Of Covid-19: Seven Opportunities Of The Current Pandemic.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 23 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2020/03/23/the-bright-side-of-corona-seven-opportunities-of-the-current-pandemic/?sh=1ab65810785c. [4] Fisher, Max. “What Will Our New Normal Feel Like? Hints Are Beginning to Emerge.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/americas/coronavirus-social-impact.html.

The post Post-COVID Reentry Process: Back to Normal And Our States of Awareness first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Fulfillment

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Knowing who we are. Knowing our True nature. What does all mean? It means everything. It means why so many in the world are not fulfilled.

The post Fulfillment first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Why do your patients and clients suffer?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

We do not have a lack of information in the world but rather a lack of true understanding. In other words, knowledge is not power, rather, potential power, which can be harnessed only after a true understanding leading to full implementation.

The post Why do your patients and clients suffer? first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

How can we make the biggest difference?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

We can no longer wait and allow those with special interests, none of which include the interests of our patients, continue to make the decision for them. We can no longer stay on the sidelines. We have to do something, and while one person, alone, may not be able to do much, coming together, in community, we can.

The post How can we make the biggest difference? first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

27 Sample Rebuttals and 12 Cognitive Errors

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Our last CBT article mentioned how challenging Rebuttal can be, even for the most skilled CBT clinician. CBT is best learned and mastered through modeling.

The post 27 Sample Rebuttals and 12 Cognitive Errors first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Apathy

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Of course, this reinforces our state, but we do not really see any other way, and those around us may either not know the state we are in, or may not understand that they can help us differently than they have been. They are making us totally dependent on them, on the system, on being given a fish, instead of teaching us how to fish.

The post Apathy first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Signs That You Are Empowered

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

In a previous article entitled, Are You Empowered? we began talking about what it looks like when we are and when we are not empowered. Today’s article is a continuation and will look at the signs that denote whether someone is empowered.

The post Signs That You Are Empowered first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.