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Therapy vs Medication
The Basics: Therapy vs Medication Studies show that both therapy and medication can be effective, but the best option really depends on your specific mental health condition, symptom severity, and other factors. Here’s a quick rundown of how both treatments work:...
Adult Child Estrangement
Amber's Story Amber was the first-born child to her mother and father. By the time she turned five, her parents had four more children, and the weight of responsibility settled on Amber far too soon. While other kids her age were playing with friends and exploring,...
Comprehensive Couples Therapy: EMDR & Schema Approaches for Lasting Connection
What Is Couples Therapy? Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy designed to help romantic partners improve their relationship, deepen their emotional connection, and navigate challenges together. Whether couples are dating, engaged, cohabiting, or married, therapy...
Combining EMDR and Schema Therapy
What is EMDR Therapy? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help individuals heal from trauma, distressing memories, and negative self-beliefs. Developed by Francine Shapiro, EMDR...
Recognizing Unresolved Trauma: Signs, Symptoms, and Effective Treatment Options
What is Unresolved Trauma? Unresolved trauma refers to psychological and emotional distress that remains unprocessed or unhealed after a traumatic experience. When trauma is unresolved, the individual may continue to experience intense emotions, intrusive memories, or...
Creativity and Maladaptive Daydreaming: The Double-Edged Sword
The human imagination has birthed our greatest artistic achievements, scientific breakthroughs, and technological innovations. Yet for those experiencing maladaptive daydreaming, this same creative faculty becomes both gift and burden—a wellspring of boundless...
Practical Coping Skills for Managing Maladaptive Daydreaming
Maladaptive daydreaming—the tendency to become absorbed in vivid, detailed fantasy worlds for hours at a time—can significantly disrupt daily functioning and relationships. While not yet officially recognized as a disorder in diagnostic manuals, research increasingly...
Living with a Partner Who Has Maladaptive Daydreaming
When someone you love seems physically present but mentally elsewhere, the experience can range from puzzling to deeply painful. For partners of individuals with maladaptive daydreaming, this scenario plays out repeatedly, creating unique relationship challenges that...
The Science Behind Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Research Overview
Introduction: The Discovery of a Unique Psychological Phenomenon In 2002, a groundbreaking paper published in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy introduced the world to a previously unnamed psychological phenomenon: maladaptive daydreaming. The term was coined...
Hidden Longings: Maladaptive Daydreaming Through a Schema Therapy Lens
Understanding Early Maladaptive Schemas and Maladaptive Daydreaming Maladaptive daydreaming—the immersive fantasy world that many individuals retreat to—can be deeply understood through Jeffrey Young's Schema Therapy model. This therapeutic framework provides profound...
How Maladaptive Daydream Content Reveals Unmet Childhood Emotional Needs
The rich, immersive worlds created in maladaptive daydreaming rarely emerge by chance. Behind the elaborate storylines, recurring characters, and persistent themes lies a psychological blueprint—a map of emotional needs that often traces back to childhood experiences....
The Co-occurrence of Maladaptive Daydreaming with ADHD, OCD, Depression, and Anxiety
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is increasingly recognized as a complex psychological phenomenon that frequently co-occurs with other mental health conditions. While not yet formally classified as a disorder in diagnostic manuals, research indicates that MD rarely exists...
Maladaptive Daydreaming and Depression: Understanding the Connection
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a relatively newly recognized psychological phenomenon characterized by extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and interferes with daily functioning. Since Eli Somer first described this condition in 2002, growing...
Is Maladaptive Daydreaming a Behavioral Addiction?
In recent years, maladaptive daydreaming (MD) has gained increasing recognition as a distinct psychological phenomenon that affects many individuals worldwide. As researchers delve deeper into understanding this condition, an important question has emerged: Should...
Maladaptive Daydreaming: 7 Signs You’re Experiencing It and How to Find Relief
Have you ever found yourself lost in an elaborate fantasy world for hours, complete with complex characters and ongoing storylines? Do you sometimes pace, rock, or make facial expressions while immersed in these daydreams? Does your daydreaming interfere with your...
The Types of Maladaptive Daydreams: Understanding Different Fantasy Patterns
Overview: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is characterized by extensive fantasy activity that interferes with daily functioning. While all maladaptive daydreamers share the common experience of becoming deeply absorbed in their inner worlds, the content and patterns of...
Me, Myself, and Thai: Sam Rockwell’s Monologue on White Lotus is an Object Relationist’s Candy Store
Note: This essay contains spoilers for Season 3 episode 5 of White Lotus. We’re going to examine Sam Rockwell’s acclaimed Asian girl monologue from HBO Max’s The White Lotus through the lens of object relations, a school of thought in psychoanalytic theory that...
Analyzing Apple TV+’s Severance using Schema Therapy: Mark S’s Innie and Outie as Schema Modes
Mark S from Apple TV+’s Severance is a compelling fictionalized case study of extreme emotional state fragmentation. He and other Lumon employees elect to undergo the severance procedure which splits ones conscious awareness between ones innie work self and their...
Navigating the Aftermath of Infidelity: Should You Stay or Should You Go?
Infidelity is one of the most challenging crises a couple can face. The discovery of an affair shatters trust, triggers intense emotions, and forces both partners to question the future of their relationship. As therapists specializing in relationship counseling, we...
How Schema Therapy Fights The Psychological Effects of Systemic Trauma and Oppression
Schema therapy offers a powerful framework for addressing systemic oppression and promoting social justice. By focusing on deeply ingrained patterns of thought and behavior, this approach provides unique insights into how societal inequities become internalized and...
Understanding Sensory Processing Sensitivity: Are You a Highly Sensitive Person?
Do you often feel overwhelmed by the world around you? Are you deeply moved by art or music? Do you need time alone to recharge after busy social situations? If so, you may be what psychologists call a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Sensory Processing Sensitivity...
Understanding PTSD: The 7 Key Symptoms and the Role of Trauma Therapy in New York
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects approximately 6% of Americans at some point in their lives, yet many people don't recognize its symptoms or know where to find effective treatment. While commonly associated with combat veterans, PTSD can develop in anyone who...
Schema Therapy vs DBT for BPD: Key Differences in Treatment Approaches
When it comes to treating mental health disorders, particularly Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), several therapeutic approaches are available. Two of the most popular are Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Schema Therapy. While both therapies have proven...
Maladaptive Daydreaming: When Fantasy Becomes Problematic
Daydreaming is a common and often harmless activity that most people engage in regularly. However, for some individuals, daydreaming can become excessive and interfere with daily life - a condition known as maladaptive daydreaming (MD). What is Maladaptive...
Limerence: When a Crush Becomes an Obsession
Have you ever felt an overwhelming, all-consuming attraction to someone that lasted for months or even years? Did thoughts of this person dominate your waking hours, affecting your mood, productivity, and relationships? If so, you may have experienced limerence - an...
Can EMDR Be Done Online? Exploring the Potential of EMDR Online Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in the field of psychotherapy. It is a unique, nontraditional form of psychotherapy designed to diminish negative feelings associated with memories of traumatic events. Unlike...
Understanding Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition characterized by intense emotional instability, self-image issues, and impulsive behaviors. It can significantly impact a person's ability to maintain relationships and perform daily activities. One of...
How To Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
In the journey of life, we often find ourselves in situations that make us feel uncomfortable. These scenarios could range from public speaking, meeting new people, or even trying out a new hobby. The discomfort we feel is a natural reaction to unfamiliar territory....
Understanding Exposure Response Prevention: A Key to Overcoming OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is characterized by recurring, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). While OCD can be challenging to manage, there are...
The Difference between a Therapist and Trauma Therapist
The world of mental health care is vast and varied, with many different types of professionals offering their expertise to help individuals navigate their mental health challenges. Among these professionals, therapists and trauma therapists play crucial roles....

