Going ‘naked’: safety items

We often have individuals engaging in driving exposures for both panic disorder and fear of driving.  From our office in Mission Viejo, we have people driving locally south to  San Clemente, north through Newport Coast, Irvine, and east to Rancho Santa Margarita.  As they head farther afield, they are driving to Los Angeles, the Inland…

Read More

Mean Therapist. Why I assign homework every single session.

“If you ever become a teacher, do NOT give out lots of homework-I hate homework. Homework is so bad. I have a life, and homework is not fun. If you do have homework make it like Mad-Libs. -Real entry from Dr. Davis’s 7th grade journal Well, I hate to ignore the pleas of my 7th…

Read More

Thinking about Thinking: Emotional Reasoning

                          As we continue thinking about thinking, let’s examine emotional reasoning: “Thinking something must be true because you “feel” (actually believe) it so strongly, ignoring or discounting evidence to the contrary.” This is a common thinking pattern we often see with phobias.  For…

Read More

Intentional use of Relaxation

Before we ease into relaxation mode, lets recap some basic anxiety information. When you feel anxious, it often means there is a perceived danger which leads to a  thought/feeling/behavior cycle known as the “3-Component Model”. Relaxation techniques are tools, not solutions Relaxation affects the feeling component (physical or emotional). Remember that relaxation is not a…

Read More