Glossary
Art Therapy
Art therapy is an established mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.
Art therapy integrates the fields of human development, visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the creative process with models of counseling and psychotherapy. Art therapy is used with children, adolescents, adults, older adults, groups, and families to assess and treat the following: anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional problems and disorders; mental illness; substance abuse and other addictions; family and relationship issues; abuse and domestic violence; social and emotional difficulties related to disability and illness; trauma and loss; physical, cognitive, and neurological problems; and psychosocial difficulties related to medical illness.
For more information see: http://www.arttherapy.org/about.html
Autogenics
Autogenic training is a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz and first published in 1932. The technique involves the daily practice of sessions that last around 15 minutes, usually in the morning, at lunch time, and in the evening. During each session, the practitioner will repeat a set of visualisations that induce a state of relaxation. Each session can be practiced in a position chosen amongst a set of recommended postures (e.g. lying down, sitting meditation, sitting like a rag doll, etc.). The technique can be used to alleviate many stress-induced psychosomatic disorders.
For more information see: http://www.autogenic-therapy.org.uk
Freeze-Framer (also called emWave)
Developed by HeartMath is a software and hardware program which collects pulse data through a finger or ear sensor which plugs into a computer. The program translates the information from your heart rhythms into user friendly graphics displayed on your computer screen. Dr.Shari uses this technology to evaluate how emotions affect your heart rhythms. With emWave PC, you learn to build a buffer against stress by accessing a high performance state called "coherence."
Coherence is a mental and emotional state that people experience when they are "in-sync" or in the "zone" --when the heart, brain and nervous system are working in harmony. Simply stated, more coherence equals more energy and less wear and tear from stress.
For more information see: http://www.heartmath.com
Somatics
Thomas Hanna created the word "somatics" in 1976 to name the approaches to mind/body integration. "Soma" is a Greek word for the living body, which Hanna re-defined as the body experienced from within, where we experience mind/body integration. Somatics is an approach to renewed control of the muscles through use of the voluntary motor system.
For more information see: http://www.hannasomatics.com
Temperature control
The primitive survival mechanism known as the "Fight/Flight" response is built in to every human.
It responds to fear/danger from everything from life threatening situations to the alarm going off in the morning. Every human has a habitual response to stress that is either learned or genetically implanted. In a real life or death situation almost all of this response will trigger survival to help you to fight off or flee this danger.
By learning to warm the extremities, the hands and then the feet, you can learn the skills necessary to prevent or at least, minimize symptoms of stress that manifest, such as:
- Stress caused or Situational High Blood Pressure
- Rapid or irregular heart rates
- Migraine Headaches
- Panic and Anxiety
- Many Digestive symptoms
- Raynaud's Syndrome
- Many symptoms of Sexual Dysfunction including infertility, impotence, and lower libido
For more information on Biofeedback and temperature control see: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/biofeedback/SA00083