Blog Feed: Catherine Boyer Psychotherapy Blog

Does Exercise Help Sleep?

Published on 2013-05-13 06:52:00

The answer is yes. Anyone who suffers from insomnia knows how miserable it can be, but this

How Long Does Counseling Take?

Published on 2013-04-22 06:06:00

Most people starting psychotherapy want to know the answer to the the question, how long will it take?I wish I could give you a formula for the answer, but each person is too unique. However, studies have shown that motivation is a key predictor of s

Am I Repeating History with my Relationship?

Published on 2013-04-08 06:32:00

We all do this: Pick people who are a mixture of things that are familiar to us from our family (good and bad) and sometimes things that, at least in the beginning, are the dead opposite of what we grew up with.Whats going on here? It's likely a comb

Is Antipsychotic Use with Children Out of Control?

Published on 2013-03-11 06:57:00

This article from my favorite professional journal, Psychotherapy Networker, is about the surprising amount of off label use of powerful, side effect prone anti-psychotics with children and adolescents.The article is titled The Anti-Psychotic Epidemi

How to Find Low Fee Psychotherapy?

Published on 2013-02-25 07:08:00

If you want to start therapy but your budget is limited you still have options. Many counselors have a sliding scale, particularly in economically difficult times. And even therapists who don't have a sliding scale are often willing to lower their fe

How Can You Find the Right Type of Therapy?

Published on 2013-02-11 08:46:00

Most importantly, the therapist needs to be a good fit for you regardless of the techniques he or she uses. Often the most experienced counselors have trained in many ways of doing therapy and can look with you at which way of working is best for yo

Does Time in Nature Improve Mood?

Published on 2013-02-04 06:51:00

I know I post a lot about the benefits to mood from being in nature, but it's such a simple, side effect free, available treatment that I think it bears repeating.It made my day back in 2010 to read this article about the physical as well as mental h

How Can You Find the Right Therapist?

Published on 2013-01-28 07:22:00

Because the work you do together can be life transforming, finding a therapist or counselor who is right for you is an important choice. This post is about how to go about that.Many people prefer a referral from someone they know, but what if you're

Positive Brains and Performance

Published on 2013-01-21 06:49:00

Award winning positive psychology speaker and consultant Shawn Achor delivers a funny and informative TED 12-minute talk called The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance.He knows whereof he speaks. He applied to Harvard on a dar

What Else is Exercise Good For?

Published on 2013-01-14 07:20:00

A recent 700 participant study conducted by the University of Edinburgh's Center for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology showed that more active older adults had:Less brain atrophy (shrinkage)Higher volumes of grey matter - that means more neu

How Can Food Help with Depression?

Published on 2013-01-07 07:51:00

Here is a nice companion piece to butritionist Barbara Mendez' video on foods that help combat depression, which I posted here recently.This is a Psychology Today article titled How Food Can Improve Your Mood: Delicious Ways to Prevent Depression.

Psychotherapy is Effective but Underutilized

Published on 2012-12-17 06:42:00

According to an article published in August of this year by the American Psychological Association, therapists are good at being effective but not good at getting the word out.The title of the article is Research Shows Psychotherapy Is Effective But

Why Waiting in Line is Torture

Published on 2012-12-10 07:04:00

I think you will enjoy reading this recent New York Times article called,

The Adolescent Brain

Published on 2012-12-03 07:08:00

This is a terrific TED talk by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of University College London's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. It's about the mysterious workings of the adolescent brain, in particular what she calls the social brain.The brain is extraordin

Five Foods that Can Help with Depression

Published on 2012-11-27 21:14:00

Nutritionist Barbara Mendez recently made a great video about five foods that can help eliminate depression. The good news is that all five are (I think anyway) delicious. You can view more of Barbara's videos on her blog, Roots and Seeds.As a psycho

How to Survive the Holidays

Published on 2012-11-19 06:48:00

Years ago, when I was in training to be a counselor I was the assistant to the leader (Jill Raiguel, MFCC) of a workshop called How to Survive the Holidays. It was the best attended workshop we did, which told me how much of a problem holidays can be

Richard Davidson on Compassion

Published on 2012-11-12 06:44:00

Awarding winning scientist,

Post Hurricane Sandy

Published on 2012-11-05 06:43:00

Just a quick post today. I am grateful to have home and office intact in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. I wish all of my clients and our friends had fared as well. Thank you for the good wishes expressed by so many.By next week, this blog will be back

Money Can't Buy Happiness

Published on 2012-10-29 06:47:00

Probably one of the most common fantasies pairs a life of happiness with having a lot of wealth. Yet a well-known saying is "Money can't buy happiness." Total opposites, right? It turns out that, for the most part, that old saying is correct.A recent New York Times Sunday Review opinion piece was called, "Don't Indulge. Be Happy."

Low Vitamin D LInked to Dementia

Published on 2012-10-22 06:40:00

I posted recently about research connecting low levels of vitamin D to depression. Now another study connects low vitamin D levels to dementia.This study, published in the journal of The American Academy of Neurology, is what's called a meta-analysis, where researchers look at a large number of related studies and attempt to distill the results. The conclusion was that lower levels of vitamin D were associated with decreased cognitive function and higher risk of AD."AD" stands for Alzheimer's Di [..]

Do We Have Free Will?

Published on 2012-10-01 06:49:00

In July of this year, the New York Times published this interesting article titled,

This is Your Brain on Sugar

Published on 2012-09-24 06:33:00

A UCLA science article, This is Your Brain on Sugar,

Vitamin D and Depression Risk

Published on 2012-09-17 08:09:00

The Cooper Center longitudinal study,

Massachusetts Opens State of the Art Mental Health Hospital

Published on 2012-09-10 06:15:00

Psych Central recently published an article entitled First New State Hospital for Mental Health, Recovery Opens. Author John Grohol points out that the opening of this state-of-the-art

Five Weeks to Improved Mood with Meditation

Published on 2012-08-27 06:22:00

A recent University of Wisconsin-Stout study has the weighty title, "Frontal EEG Asymmetry Associated with Positive Emotion is Produced by Very Brief Meditation Training."This translates to results suggesting that

How Can You Know Counseling Will Help?

Published on 2012-08-20 06:43:00

Personally, I think having good counseling should be in the Bill of Rights. That's how highly I think of therapy. I've been a psychotherapy client myself as well as having seen the benefits to people I've worked with and for people in my personal life. Therapy changed my life for the better, and that's what I see happening with my clients. I believe that's what can happen for you.But naturally, you want to know if therapy can help with your particular problems.Most of us know that psychotherapy [..]

Normal Aging or Alzheimer's?

Published on 2012-08-13 06:43:00

A May, 2012, Psychology Today article gives a very nice synopsis of the differences between normal aging and Alzheimer's symptoms. I'm putting it up on both my blogs because I find so many people in my practice and in my personal life worry about this.Here's the article:

Low Fee Counseling

Published on 2012-08-06 06:19:00

If you want to start therapy but your budget is limited you have a number of options.Many therapists have a sliding scale, particularly in economically difficult times like these.

The Internet and Your Brain

Published on 2012-07-30 06:16:00

A July

Child Sexual Abuse and Silence

Published on 2012-07-23 06:49:00

Author Gretl Claggett has written an article titled,

Quiet in the Center of New York

Published on 2012-07-14 14:21:00

Are you drawn to Buddhist thinking? This article, a New York Times op-ed piece, was written by New Yorker James Atlas about his experience at a four-day retreat in Vermont. He titled the article, Buddhists' Delight.In today's world, a lot of us hunger for a little more stillness inside.

Find an IPNB Therapist

Published on 2012-07-02 06:25:00

The two questions I'm asked most often about IPNB are:What is IPNB?How do I find an IPNB therapist?IPNB stands for Interpersonal Neurobiology. Earlier on this blog I wrote a post about the first question, What is IPNB?

Exercise, the Brain, and New Learning

Published on 2012-06-25 06:23:00

NYU neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki talked

Dan Siegel on Parenting for the 21st Century

Published on 2012-06-18 06:16:00

I'm not trained to work with children as a counselor, but my psychotherapy clients have children and often have questions about being a parent. I know that the mindfulness practices we typically include in our work will help them be better parents.Much of what I know about mindfulness in psychotherapy, I've learned from

Meditation Strengthens the Brain

Published on 2012-06-11 06:20:00

UCLA has been conducting research for years on the effects of meditation on the brain. Increasingly, that research is showing that meditation strengthens the brain.If you know a little about brain anatomy, you know that the cortex is composed of many layers of folds. The research has shown that long-term meditators have more of this. It's believed that this may allow the brain to process information more quickly. This folding is called gyrification. The longer you meditate, the more gyrification [..]

Time Lapse Film of Lotte

Published on 2012-06-04 05:57:00

This is a wonderful short video of a girl named Lotte as she grows from an infant to a 12 year old. It was made by her father, Frans Hofsmeester.What is most amazing is watching the way the "Lotte-ness" of Lotte remains the same.We all have an essence as Lotte does. If you feel you're not fully living out of yours (or if you think something is wrong with it), good

Disconnect to Connect

Published on 2012-05-21 06:34:00

This is a beautiful one and a half minute video that says

The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Health

Published on 2012-05-14 07:20:00

What's the one thing you can do that will improve your health and reduce your risk of:DementiaDepressionDiabetesDeath (yes, death)And those are just the D's. To learn more, watch this terrific video by MD Mike Evans, whose emphasis is preventative medicine. The video is an animation - so it also has humor.The punch line is: Exercise. But it doesn't have to be that much or that much at any one time. This is a video that is very worth watching.Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSWPsychotherapy on the Upper We [..]

31 Ways to Take Care of Your Brain

Published on 2012-05-07 06:36:00

Earlier this year, Sharon Begley (one of my favorite science writers) wrote an article for Newsweek called

A Neuron as Private Investigator

Published on 2012-04-23 07:02:00

This film noir takeoff was one of the entries in the

Expressing Emotions through Music

Published on 2012-04-16 06:58:00

Psychologist Dan Levitan went to a performance of a classical music composition he normally loves - Mozart's piano concerto - and didn't enjoy it. Same notes played, but a very different experience.He and a graduate student designed a study to figure out what made the difference between a lackluster performance and a spectacular one.It turns out it was all about how the performers expressed emotion through music.

What is Eusociology?

Published on 2012-04-09 07:20:00

If you do a search for the term eusociology you won't find much - yet. That may be changing. I just read a fascinating article about the subject in last week's Newsweek, titled

Two Different Types of Thinking

Published on 2012-04-02 07:22:00

This is a very interesting, thought-provoking four-minute video by Nobel prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman.

The Brain on Love

Published on 2012-03-25 19:06:00

Yesterday's New York Times Sunday Review section cover story was titled The Brain on Love. It starts out talking about IPNB - Interpersonal Neurobiology.

Finding a Male Therapist

Published on 2012-03-19 06:52:00

Need Therapy? A Good Man is Hard to Find.

10,000 Sing Beethoven's Ode to Joy

Published on 2012-03-12 06:39:00

I'm posting this DatabaseofMusic YouTube video here because...It's beautifulIt's upliftingIt wonderfully demonstrates the possibilities in group energy and connectionIf you are reading this and you have been depressed, did listening help you? It's likely that it did. Music has that power.Joy is part of the spectrum of emotions we are supposed to have. Depression can take that away... please act to get it back. Finding a counselor is a good start. Other things that can help in addition to psychot [..]

Change Your Emotional Style

Published on 2012-03-05 07:19:00

Emotions are important. We don't have phrases like these in our language for no reason:I knew in my heart...I had a gut feeling I shouldn't...One of the brain researchers whom I most like following is Richard J. Davidson, PhD, who runs the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin. He and Sharon Begley, my favorite science writer, have teamed up to write The Emotional Life of Your Brain. It's subtitle is "How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live [..]

Five Top Regrets when Dying

Published on 2012-02-27 06:22:00

This article from The Guardian is not directly related to psychotherapy but is too important not to post.Australian nurse Bonnie Ware recorded the expressions of regret of her patients who were dying. The article is about the top five."I wish I'd bought more stuff" is not on the list.Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSWUpper West Side Counseling

The Divided Brain

Published on 2012-02-06 06:40:00

Iain McGilchrist, London psychiatrist and author, narrates this RSA animation about the left and right hemispheres of our amazing brains.You'll hear that much of popular understanding of the functions of the left and right hemispheres is incorrect (language, for example, does not reside solely in the left hemisphere). The reality is much more interesting.If you enjoyed this animation you may want to read McGilchrist's rich and broad book on the subject, The Master and His Emissary.Catherine Boye [..]

Powerful Video, Can't Explain It, Just Watch

Published on 2012-01-30 14:20:00

That's the name of the video. It's four-minutes that will bring you to tears as well as make you smile, a powerful lesson about judgements and making a difference.If you watched it, I bet you want to share it, too.Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSWPsychotherapy for Change

Antidote to Winter Doldrums

Published on 2012-01-23 07:37:00

This is a wonderful ten minute TEDx video. (TEDx videos are independently organized TED events. ) The video is by Louie Schwartzberg and is titled Nature. Beauty. Gratitude. The video features the exquisite time lapse photograph that Schwartzberg has won awards for as well as interviews of a child and an elderly man who have truly got happiness figured out.Weren't those faces wonderful?Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSWPsychotherapy on the Upper West Side

How Your Brain Benefits from Aerobics

Published on 2012-01-16 07:08:00

Mayo Clinic neurologist J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD, spoke last fall about a recently conducted review of the research on aerobic exercise and benefits to the brain. The researchers concluded that "you can make a very compelling argument for [aerobic] exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed.In the Medscape Medical News article about the research, Dr. Ahlskog was quoted:...exerci [..]

Mindfulness in Psychotherapy

Published on 2012-01-10 07:00:00

I find myself more and more often teaching mindfulness in my psychotherapy practice because I see how many ways it can help my clients. With a regular practice - even just five minutes a day - we can experience many benefits.Here are just a few of the things you are likely to experience:Having the space in the moment to respond to others rather than react (and regret)Stress reductionIncreased self-careMindfulness training increases compassion and sense of connection to othersA more integrated br [..]

Forbes Magazine on Why the Grinch Stole Christmas

Published on 2011-12-23 13:03:00

This article came my way and I couldn't resist putting up the link.Forbes Magazine: Neuroscience Explains Why the Grinch Stole Christmas.In the well known Dr. Seuss story, published in 1957, the Grinch has an epiphany regarding his loneliness - and returns Christmas to Whoville. Loneliness can be especially hard during holidays. If that's true for you, I hope the article gives you hope.Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSWUpper West Side Counseling

The Power of Perspective

Published on 2011-12-19 07:35:00

If you are in need of a little perspective, this short video will provide it for you.Did you find that just watching it helped you be a little more still inside? Being in nature can do that for us. This was a video - imagine being there!To read more about the benefits of being outdoors, read these blog posts:Getting Out into Green SpacesNature and MoodTime in Nature Boosts MoodCatherine Boyer, MA, LCSWNew York City Psychotherapy

Therapy Dogs

Published on 2011-12-12 06:59:00

Although I don't work with therapy dogs, I love reading about them and thought you might also.In this Los Angeles Times health article, Karin Ravn writes about a therapy dog who works at the Mayo Clinic. Labradors and Golden Retrievers are generally thought of as the breeds that make the best service dogs, but the article talks about "Dr. Jack, a 10-year-old miniature pinscher who sees about eight to 10 patients a day." Doesn't it make you smile, just reading that?Miniature pinschers' average we [..]

Omega-3 and Anxiety

Published on 2011-12-05 07:17:00

In a randomized trial, the results of which were published this year, Ohio State University researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced anxiety in the healthy young people studied.The total number of participants in the study was 68. The control group received a placebo. The study was double-blind, which means that neither the student volunteers or the researchers knew which were getting omega-3 and which were getting the placebo.The group receiving omega-3 had a 20% decrease in the amoun [..]

Mindsight and Google

Published on 2011-11-28 06:51:00

As part of its Personal Growth Series, in 2009 Google invited Dan Siegel to give a talk about his work called Mindsight. Dan looked with his audience at important questions:What is the mind?What is a healthy mind?What can you do to have a healthy mind?These are questions that are not addressed in our culture and are even not often addressed in the training programs of therapists and counselors.I'm currently about two-thirds of the way through a three-year course with Dan in IPNB. He's one of the [..]

Mindfulness Meditation Changes Brain Structure

Published on 2011-07-02 07:03:00

A study recently completed at Massachusetts General Hospital has indicated that participants in an eight week long mindfulness program showed measurable positive changes in their brain structure. The changes were in brain areas associated w

How Soon Should I See Change from Counseling?

Published on 2011-06-27 08:03:00

That's a question most people starting a course of psychotherapy have - how long will they be coming to their therapist's office?I think that you can often very quickly - even in the first session - have a sense that your therapist "gets you" and fee

How to Cope with a Changing World

Published on 2011-06-10 09:42:00

We have a lot on our plates these days - national and international economic woes, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, climate change. It can feel overwhelming. It's more important than ever to have simple ways of keeping our feet on the ground.Here are som

What is Mindfulness?

Published on 2011-06-03 14:46:00

There are many definitions of mindfulness. A simple way of thinking about it is that mindfulness is staying present moment by moment to what is arising, staying present without judgement.Anyone who has every tried it knows this is something that take

Daydreaming Doesn't Make You Happy

Published on 2011-05-27 09:44:00

This interesting New York Times article on daydreaming describes extensive research conducted at Harvard using an iPhone app called trackyourhappiness.More than 2,200 people around the world weighed in on what they were doing and thinking when p

A Simple Question Can Stop a Fight

Published on 2011-05-20 08:34:00

If you're having a fight with someone you love, try to ask yourself this question:Which do I want more? To be connected to _____ or to be right about the fight?Fights with people we love usually start with some kind of break in connection. Some

The Master and His Emissary

Published on 2011-05-13 11:43:00

My counseling clients often ask me questions about which hemisphere does what. The answers are much more complex than the idea that a particular function is located in a particular area of the brain.One of the ways this is relevant to psychotherapy i

The Adult as a Two-Year Old

Published on 2011-05-06 06:46:00

Have you ever noticed how when an adult is really triggered - reacting intensely to something that doesn't seem to warrant it - that there is no point in trying to reason with that person?That's because what you are seeing in action is their limbic s

Vulnerability, Connection and Shame

Published on 2011-04-29 13:43:00

Brené Brown, researcher and story teller, on vulnerabiltiy. 20 minutes long, but well worth it. She starts with connection, "which is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives." I think she's absolutely right. She talks about the

"Self Sabotage" - What May Be Really Going On

Published on 2011-04-22 08:38:00

People frequently come into my psychotherapy office blaming themselves for sabotaging their own lives, their relationships, their progress at work... They ask themselves (and me) questions like:Am I afraid of success?Is this because I have poor self

Driving While Distracted

Published on 2011-04-15 09:22:00

This is not directly related to psychotherapy or counseling - although the impulse to get things done now! or anxiety behind the behaviors may be - but I wanted to post the information here because I think it's important.A few days ago, Jane E. Brody

Money Does Not Buy Happiness

Published on 2011-04-01 08:52:00

In research published late in 2010, the relationship between happiness and income was examined in 37 countries. This was a longterm large population study completed by economist Richard Easterlin in collaboration with a team of resear

We're Ready for Spring

Published on 2011-03-25 13:08:00

We're all waiting not very patiently for spring here in New York. It's been a long, cold winter, so I thought I'd post a slide show from April of 2010, just for a tasste of what's to come. These photos were taken at the New York Botanical Gardens in

Mental Health Websites

Published on 2011-03-18 09:13:00

Sometimes researching on the Internet can be overwhelming, and research has shown that we make better decisions when we put limits on how much input we sort through.Here are two websites that may help you do that.PsychCentral.com - In 2008 Time

Meditation and the Brain

Published on 2011-03-11 12:53:00

Meditation can help us relax, improve sleep, and increase contentment. And, according to researchers at UCLA, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of participants in a 2009 study showed that long term meditators have increased energy in certai

Connection and Compassion

Published on 2011-03-04 10:01:00

This delightful short film called Second Line was directed and acted in by Danny Glover. It's not only inspiring; it also made me laugh out loud. Liberty Mutual (which I have no connection to) funded it as part The Responsibility Project.One th

Trauma and Mindfulness

Published on 2011-02-25 16:23:00

John Briere, in this five minute video, is speaking at the 2009 Awakening to Mindfulness conference about trauma, suffering and mindfulness.Some of the points from his talk (in my words):Pain is the experience we have when we have been hurt. Th

Van der Kolk Treatment Center for Trauma

Published on 2011-02-18 08:08:00

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has been a well-respected leader in the treatment of severe trauma for decades. By severe trauma I mean, among other things, Dissociative Identity Disorder (which used to be called Multiiple Personality Disorder) as well as PT

Music Therapy and Depression

Published on 2011-02-11 10:03:00

This Swedish study of music therapy is the largest to date looking into the effects of music as a treatment for depression.It's a quite well designed study. Two different types of music therapy were tested with two control groups rece

But Only If It's Fun

Published on 2011-02-04 10:33:00

A study published in November 2010 in the British Journal of Psychiatry indicates that people who exercise regularly have less symptoms of depression.But there's a caveat:It needs to be exercise that is done in your spare time, not exercise that

Neuroplasticity and Psychotherapy

Published on 2011-01-28 10:18:00

Neuroplasticity means our brains' ability to change and reorganize our networks of neurons. What does that mean for counseling and psychotherapy?It means that it is not true that past a certain age, the brain can't change; and psychotherapy is

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation

Published on 2011-01-20 09:13:00

If you've been following this blog, you've already read here about Dr. Dan Siegel's work with mindfulness practice - a variety of ways of training your brain to stay in the present moment - and its importance to mental health. A way to think of mindf

Aerobic Exercise Improves Sleep

Published on 2011-01-10 13:21:00

Anyone who suffers from insomnia knows how miserable it can be. This Northwestern University study showed that exercise can help. Participants in the study exercised in either two 20-minutes sessions four times a week or one 30-40 min

Distress May Hurt Your Heart

Published on 2011-01-04 16:35:00

According to this US News article about Type D personality people, anxiety, stress, depression and negativity - hallmarks of this type - triple the risk for heart problems. The article says that about 20% of otherwise health

Winter Doldrums?

Published on 2010-12-27 13:25:00

Many people with depression tendencies feel worse as the days get short and sometimes dark, as it was here yesterday during the storm. This post is a quick reminder that getting out into nature has been demonstrated to raise mood.This short sli

Loneliness Prevention

Published on 2010-12-17 10:10:00

This is a time of year when many people are feeling especially lonely. If you identify with that, here in this post is something that you can do about it right now.Besides feeling bad, research has shown that loneliness can be a health factor,

What to Do about Commuter Stress

Published on 2010-12-10 14:21:00

Living in New York City, I hear about the stress of commuting a lot from my clients and friends. I'm blessed with a 15 minute walk from home to office, but I've commuted in the past and appreciate the problem. There are steps you can take.Guest

Getting Out into the Green Spaces

Published on 2010-11-30 08:24:00

I've been posting here for awhile on the benefits to mood from being in nature. It made my day to read this article about the physical as well as mental health benefits of getting more time with green. It's by Jane Brody, who writes a wond

How to Get Closure

Published on 2010-11-22 15:42:00

There are many roads to Rome regarding getting closure. Certainly psychotherapy can help. But here's some interesting, easy to implement, research on the subject.A recently completed study at the NUS Business School in Singapore demonstra

How to Survive the Holidays

Published on 2010-11-13 08:08:00

The question may be how to survive visiting family over the holidays, but it can also be a strain when you're the host or hostess. Are visits with family at best stressful and at worst they repeat the bad stuff that happened when you lived with them?