Friday, June 14, 2013 11-1 PM
DWS Building
1385 S State St, room 157A
Salt Lake City
Water and fruit provided.
Bring your lunch.
Free to NASW members
$10.00 for non-members seeking credits
Shannon will be presenting a workshop to LCSWs that will offer another way of approaching personality dis-order with an emphasis on Borderline Personality Disorder.
Friday, June 14, 2013 11-1 PM DWS Building 1385 S State St, room 157A Salt Lake City Water and fruit provided. Bring your lunch. Free to NASW members $10.00 for non-members seeking credits
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Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing addresses the scientific principles behind, and applications of, evidence-based healing practices from a wide variety of sources, including conventional, alternative, and cross-cultural medicine. It is an interdisciplinary journal that explores the healing arts, consciousness, spirituality, eco-environmental issues, and basic science as all these fields relate to health. By Shannon McQuade, LCSW I was recently approached for an interview by a student who is considering social work as a career. I appreciated the opportunity to take a step back and reflect on these questions, which were very thought provoking and helped give me a sense of perspective. It's my hope that, by sharing some of this interview, I might share a bit of why this work is so important to me. In my last post, I ranted on about the dangers of sugar addiction. Many of you shared concerns for how to handle cravings. In the past 2 years I've experimented with recipes to do just that.This "sugar" cookie recipe I developed this past Christmas is, so far, the best I've come up with (in my own opinion of course). I modified the traditional sugar cookie recipe found in the Betty Crocker cookbook. I hope you enjoy these! - Shannon Cookies 2 cups gluten-free flour mix (or white rice flour) 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp xanthum gum 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 cup Xylitol (found in natural food section) 1/2 cup butter (or I used 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup coconut butter..also in natural food store - no reason really, I was just out of butter!) 4 tsp vanilla extract (or you could use other extracts like lemon, rum, almond) 1 egg 1. In medium bowl mix flour,baking powder, xanthum gum, cinnamon, and salt 2. In large bowl combine sugar and butter mix well 3. Add egg and vanilla (and other) extract to sugar and butter, mix in flour mixture well, 4. Chill in refrigerator 2 hrs. 5. Pre heat oven to 350 F,Grease baking sheet 6. Shaping options: Roll dough into 6-1 1/2 inch log rolls,slice into 1/4 inch slices. Or..roll out flat: about 1/4 inch (I used non-sweetened vanilla protein powder to keep it from sticking...adds more flavor) and cut into shapes. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart 7. Bake for 10-12 min or until golden brown. Makes about a dozen. Frosting Okay, these are rough estimates because I wasn’t really using a solid recipe here. 1/4 c coconut butter (or reg butter if dairy is okay) 1/4 c sour cream 1 - 2 teaspoons xanthum gum One dropper of liquid stevia (if flavored, that’s fine) Vanilla or other extracts to taste. Whip it to desired consistency. Texture is like marshmallow creme, taste for right amount of flavor. Add more xanthum gum if not thick enough. Sugar addiction is an insidious problem in America. It may not attract the attention of certain other addictions, but it is doing us no less harm. A range of health problems stem from the over consumption of sugar including mental disorders like depression and even schizophrenia. Read my article "Sugar Addiction and Mental Health: America Needs Rehab" at GoodTherapy.org. The problem is so bad, that chances are very high that either you or someone you know is addicted to sugar. I understand what it's like to be hooked and my hope is that this article will help you, or someone you love, get unhooked. Whatever action you take, it's good to know your options! Shannon I've given my input, along with several therapists from different specialties, in this article at GoodTherapy.org regarding the Newtown tragedy. There is no one solution to this problem. It's going to take a comprehensive, holistic approach to create real change. The bottom line, however, is that we need to evolve into a culture that cares more about others. Shannon This whole 2012, end of the world, panic has gotten me thinking about the metaphorical idea of "world". I know the earth will still be here after December 21. But maybe our "world" will feel different. The way I see it, the end of the world happens frequently. The world of autumn ends when the leaves are gone, trees are bare and the snow has covered everything. A new world of winter begins and will end with the warming of the world of Spring. The end of the world happens everyday when we go to sleep at night and today becomes yesterday and we head into a new world of tomorrow. Days and times are an interesting construct. Children are in a world of wonder. A woman told me that her son counts days in yesterdays and tomorrows. How many tomorrows until... For the Mayans, December 21, 2012 is the end of their 5125 year calendar. Time for a new calendar and a new world. Shannon One of the biggest highlights of my life was "clowning" with the real Patch Adams. I had the opportunity to coordinate the event "Living a Life of Joy" at Kingsbury Hall in May 2008. It was fun to go around the University Hospital dressed up as clowns and see the smiles on the faces of the patients there. (I removed my red nose as it got too itchy). I recollect the moment in this picture quite well as he was a bit sweaty from going all over the hospital and he thought it would be funny to squeeze a bit tighter for the photo!You may remember Patch Adams from the movie starring Robin Williams. What you may not know is that, over the course of the last two decades, Patch has been on the road for 200-300 days of the year. In 1985, he took a group of people on a clown trip to what was then the Soviet Union. Equipped with colorful clothing and compassion they visited hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly as well as just clowning on the street. Since then, these trips have been an integral part of Gesundheit´s global outreach. Patch started the The Gesundheit! Institute, 40 years ago. The Institute has offered care to tens of thousands, given workshops and lectures in over 65 countries, built and supported clinics, schools, and orphanages from El Salvador to Cambodia, and brought the joy of clowning to parts of the world damaged by violence and injustice. Patch's mission with the Gesundheit! Institute is to create a health care model based on the following principals:
Physical and mental health problems are very serious for those who are suffering, and yet we are still human and need to have fun and laugh. It can be hard to do when you're not feeling well. Those who know me understand my humor and I've certainly enjoyed the humor of those I've been privileged to work with over the years. Whether appropriate or not, sometimes you just have to laugh or you'll cry....or even both (which is often the best)! We don't need science to prove that laughter is good for your health, although there is plenty of research in this area. When we laugh, our bodies feel the release and our minds are distracted from the pain, even for a moment...and this is how the healing happens. One moment at a time, one day at a time. Shannon What I usually hear at this point is... “whaaat”?Yes, dialectic is not a word we commonly use. It comes from ancient Greece and was made popular by Plato and Socrates. Basically, a dialectic is a dialogue between two different points of view. It differs from a debate, where there is a ‘right or wrong’. A dialectical approach holds both points of view at the same time, evaluating both sides and coming to an understanding that is somewhere in the middle or a ‘shade of grey’. Dialectical thinking was introduced in psychotherapy by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D, who developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Similar to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), it works to change dysfunctional thinking and behavior. DBT, however, emphasizes the dialectic of change AND acceptance. I think of the serenity prayer “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” DBT is all about finding the wisdom part - some kind of balance, which isn’t necessarily right smack in the middle. It’s like learning to ride a bike..you lean right and left (very slightly) until you manage to find yourself not falling over. Driving a car, you notice that the steering wheel usually moves slightly back and forth to stay in the middle of the lane. Often it’s necessary to go from one side to the other to determine your center - like a pendulum. You can practice dialectical thinking by being an ‘observer’, watching like a fly on the wall. From this angle, you’re better able to ‘see’ the different parts of a situation and have a more balanced perspective than if you’re in the middle of things. Taking a ‘step back’ can help you find balance. Shannon How many of you - just for the heck of it - randomly dart your eyes around, back and forth, up and down or diagonally? Most of us don’t unless we’re dreaming and having REM sleep. Research has found that this rapid eye movement, that occurs in our sleep, plays a significant role in processing and storing information. It’s like we have a built-in computer processor that runs a program every night to clear out unnecessary files and store what is needed. Though human beings are more complex than computers, our brain operates as a central processing unit and our organs are attached through nerves, just as computer components are attached by wires. If you try to load too many files on your computer, or the wires are worn down, the computer can slow down, freeze up, or just shut down completely. Just like a computer your brain can slow down or freeze when you experience stimulation or information overload. You’re more vulnerable when you’re young and your brain is still developing. Events ranging from mildly disturbing to very traumatic can overwhelm the brain and emotions can become frozen as a result. Everyone is affected differently depending on your sensitivity, temperament or environment. We see the results of unprocessed events clearly in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when people experience nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks. But milder symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, unexplained body complaints and addictive behaviors (often used to mask symptoms) can also be traced back to negative past events. While you may remember experiencing unpleasant past events, you may not necessarily understand the current impact. I will often hear “I dealt with it, I’m over it”. And, it’s true to a degree. Over time, we might process parts of the event slowly, intellectually on some level, but perhaps not completely. We tend to move on and “get over it”, yet, the subconscious (emotions and body) doesn’t forget. You might hit Control-Alt-Delete on your computer to restart it, but that doesn’t mean the problem is resolved. So why eye movements? Researchers are still studying the why, but what we DO know from over 20 clinical studies, is that a powerful transformation occurs when we recreate - while you’re awake - the eye movements you’re supposed to be experiencing in REM sleep. This therapy is called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR. It was discovered by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. in 1987 quite by accident while on a walk. As she moved her eyes around and simultaneously thought of past events, she discovered these events didn’t bother her as much as they used to. After much research and design, we now have a protocol using eye movements to bring up past events and get them fully processed. You can see ABC's 20/20 segment about EMDR (it's relatively old, but explains it pretty well). More recently, Dr. Shapiro was interviewed by the New York Times in February 2012. We know these past events get completely processed when people are no longer reporting anxiety, panic, depression, sleep has improved and mysterious body complaints are improved. Addictive urges are greatly reduced as there’s no longer a need to self-medicate. It's fascinating to see someone bring up the negative memory - really think about it - and it no longer bothers them - it seems farther away, less vivid, because it has been filed into long-term memory where it belongs. When you think about it, we really don’t remember many events from long ago very clearly, unless something negative happened. That’s because your survival brain is designed to focus on things that may cause you physical harm, so you can run, fight, or hide. This part of the brain is primal and doesn’t always separate real harm from perceived harm, so it acts to protect you regardless. And it doesn’t always know when to stop so it keeps helping you survive long after you need to, leaving you in “survival mode”. EMDR calms the survival brain, and engages processing so that you can feel what you know to be true. That it is over. What if you have eye problems or are blind? Good news. Over time, it’s been discovered that bilateral (right/left) sensory stimulation - including tapping and sound - can produce the same results. In fact, I like using these methods to enhance positive memories or thoughts, so that you can close your eyes and really visualize the experience. I’ve been using EMDR with clients since 2007, and it amazes me to this day the rapid processing that occurs right before my OWN eyes. I never get tired of it. In the past couple of years, I've used EMDR to reduce (or eliminate) sugar cravings, increase urges for fruits, vegetables, water and increase motivation for exercising. These sessions have been quite remarkable, while results vary, the outcome is usually long term. Shannon |
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Shannon McQuade, LCSW, LMT, CHT
shannon@realcaring.org 801-712-6140 |
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