The Alexithymia Therapist in Morwell, Victoria | Medical and health

The Alexithymia Therapist

Locality: Morwell, Victoria

Phone: +61 427 349 134

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21.01.2022 Jason Thompson wrote the book Emotionally Dumb to bring about awareness of Alexithymia, and to give individuals and clinicians the opportunity to learn more about what it was, and how to assist those with this condition. Jason has also developed some wonderful self-assessment tools for Alexithymia and the imagination aspect of Alexithymia, which is simple and easy to use. In my practice we do not diagnose. We use these self-assessment tools as a resource to allow us to b...Continue reading

19.01.2022 A chapter from a book I wrote between 2012-2015; published 2015. I wrote these words years before I knew what Alexithymia was, only discovering Alexithymia around July 2018. It feels eerie looking back at these words with the filter of 2018, and seeing the Alexithymia so clearly described here, but sadly not seen by others.... == Emotional intelligence deficit == What is emotional intelligence? First, we should acknowledge that this is an expression invented by others, and what follows is just our take on this subject. Emotional intelligence is the ability to empathise, understand and be aware of one's own emotions and those of others, with the ability to navigate interpersonal relationships in a way that respects each person. Emotional intelligence is about being able to listen, speak, act and interact within relationships in an empathic and understanding manner. It's also about being aware of our own feelings and emotions, the reactions that arise within us and being able to manage, control and express those emotions judiciously. Do you know someone who lacks empathy? Someone who just doesn't get how you feel? Someone who doesn't understand the language of emotions and feelings? Feel like you are in a relationship with a robot? These people aren't necessarily sociopaths or psychopaths, they may just be people who never learnt how to manage or deal with emotions, so they stuffed them down and shut down emotional responses. Sometimes people who lack emotional intelligence are very concrete 'doers', the ones who get things done, who are happy to 'build a bridge and get over it' kind of thinkers. They don't necessarily like all the talking that goes on when people want to express their feelings and may get uncomfortable around emotionally vulnerable people. Conversely, these same people may be drawn to emotionally intelligent people because they sense their complementary mate or partner and want that closeness. However people are, emotional intelligence can be learned and most people can upskill in this area given time, practical exercises and advice, and the right kind of support. Practicing emotional intelligence doesn't come easy to a lot of people, and it can feel artificial and contrived, but used and practiced often enough it will become like any other habit. How long does it take to form a habit? Around 28 days. That's 12 new habits you could form in a year. Just think of all the positive changes you could make in your life when looked at it that way. ====================================== https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAlexithymiaUnicorn/ https://www.amazon.com.au/Loving-Listening-Int//B016SPOKJ2 #alexithymiaunicorn

18.01.2022 Sometimes you’ll be the cable coiler, other times you’ll be the one trying to help. Either way, our concrete way way of thinking can make even the simplest of tasks seem like a drama to our loved ones. We love to give advice, we know exactly how it should be done the right way, and we frustrate the hell out of those who just want to get on and do the job. ... Sometimes you’ll be right, sometimes you won’t be. Learning to navigate these scenarios without creating the lasting resentment is difficult. Living with someone who has alexithymia is not easy. I should know...my propensity to be the cable coiler expert drives my husband to despair, and it takes great effort to not take my words personally. We have had to develop little tools to help create circuit breakers so our interactions become less tense and hostile. It’s always a work in progress.

17.01.2022 This is a Q&A session I ran today on Alexithymia and communication within relationships. You can find more info here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAlexithymiaUnicorn/

14.01.2022 Small talk is step one in learning how to manage the Alexithymia. You don’t have to live with Alexithymia to find small talk difficult, frustrating and confusing, as it’s a pretty universal issue. But for us, it’ll never come naturally, and always be something effortful. ...Continue reading

13.01.2022 https://rolandbal.com/childhood-trauma-triumphs-over-all-o/

07.01.2022 Alexithymia is like an unseen tsunami that tears relationships apart and leaves people scattered, isolated, and alone. As a practitioner with Alexithymia I understand the needs and difficulties people experience because I’ve been there, and I have had to navigate a therapeutic landscape that doesn’t see this condition. I am a unicorn therapist, because I shouldn’t exist. ... A therapist with Alexithymia is unheard of. It is my lived experience with Alexithymia that has informed my clinical work from day one, even though I was unaware of its existence until recently. My couples work is Alexithymia based. It isn’t counselling, because that doesn’t work with us. People with Alexithymia need concrete, practical and solution focussed strategies developed by someone who knows the condition from lived experience. Their partners and loved ones need support as well, because their lives have to change if they are going to be in committed relationships with us. We are worth the effort.

07.01.2022 While those with Alexithymia may lack a feeling vocabulary, we certainly don't lack feelings. Poetry is a fascinating and powerful tool for expression and one that can put our thoughts and feelings about our world into stark focus. Poetry isn't just about pretty words.... It is heartfelt, expressive, powerful, and evocative. And here is some research to back up the power of this therapeutic approach. Abstract It is a common experienceand well established experimentallythat music can engage us emotionally in a compelling manner. The mechanisms underlying these experiences are receiving increasing scrutiny. However, the extent to which other domains of aesthetic experience can similarly elicit strong emotions is unknown. Using psychophysiology, neuroimaging and behavioral responses, we show that recited poetry can act as a powerful stimulus for eliciting peak emotional responses, including chills and objectively measurable goosebumps that engage the primary reward circuitry. Importantly, while these responses to poetry are largely analogous to those found for music, their neural underpinnings show important differences, specifically with regard to the crucial role of the nucleus accumbens. We also go beyond replicating previous music-related studies by showing that peak aesthetic pleasure can co-occur with physiological markers of negative affect. Finally, the distribution of chills across the trajectory of poems provides insight into compositional principles of poetry. www.loving-therapy.com https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5597896/

04.01.2022 Alexithymia is a personality trait that forms in the brain a number of ways, such as an acquired brain injury, or a birth trauma injury, organically, or, in the majority of cases, as the result of childhood experiences when children are unable to express their feelings due to a vast array of circumstances, including sustained trauma, dysfunction, and emotionally unavailable primary caregivers. Alexithymia means ‘no feeling words’. It is often described as ‘emotional blindne...ss’. It’s considered rare, yet if 1 in 4 children in Australia are now considered at risk of being exposed to abuse, neglect and dysfunction, then the maths is pretty easy to calculate. The reason it’s considered rare is because too few people know how it presents even if the client is a textbook presentation. If you think you or a loved one might have aspects of this disorder, then check out the online non-diagnostic assessment tool in the link below as a first step, developed by the author of Emotionally Dumb, and consider joining the only group designed to educate and inform individuals and therapists. www.alexithymia.us

03.01.2022 If your relationship feels strained, or is experiencing difficulties, I’ll be running some Facebook live Q and A sessions in the next couple of weeks in the Alexithymia group I run to educate, inform, and support those who live with Alexithymia. These sessions will include the tools I give clients, and you’ll be able to get some first hand insight into how to begin communicating effectively for what may feel like the first time. I look forward to seeing you there. ... https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAlexithymiaUnicorn/?ref=share

02.01.2022 Think you, or a loved one, might have aspects of Alexithymia? Why not use this online questionnaire to get a better understanding. This is not a diagnostic tool, simply an indicator of the possibility of traits. ... http://www.alexithymia.us/test-alex.html