Dawn-Elise Snipes

Clinical Psychotherapist

Cognitive Behavioral Tips on how to DEFINE and LIVE your RICH and MEANINGFUL LIFE!

Learn how to define and live a rich and meaningful life through cognitive behavioral tips.

Living a Rich and Meaningful Life

Recognizing how automatic beliefs trigger your reactions.

Awareness of automatic beliefs and their impact on reactions.

ABC's of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Identify the most effective way to use your energy to move towards YOUR rich and meaningful life.

Discover how to use your energy to achieve a fulfilling life.

Psychological Flexibility

Forgiveness does not mean that you agree with or condone the situation, but you are choosing to stop giving that person or thing your energy or stop using your energy to beat yourself up.

Forgiveness means not giving energy to the situation or oneself, without agreeing or condoning it.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not mean that you agree with or condone the situation but you are choosing to stop using your energy to beat yourself up.

Forgiveness doesn't justify the situation, it frees you from self-punishment.

Self Forgiveness

Sometimes our brain goes in directions we do not want. Thought stopping helps us redirect our brain. Tell yourself, “No. | am not going to think about that right now”

Thought stopping redirects unwanted thoughts by telling yourself "No. I am not going to think about that right now."

Thought Stopping, Stop Run Away Thoughts

-Predisposing Factors: Early experiences, personal characteristics -Precipitating: Vulnerabilities -Perpetuating: Reinforcing factors and skill/resource deficits -Protective: Strengths

Early experiences and personal characteristics can predispose individuals to vulnerabilities, which can be perpetuated by reinforcing factors and skill/resource deficits, while strengths can provide protection.

4 Ps, Predisposing to Protective

-Facts for and against your = Probability/ likelihood belief -Alternative explanations -Additional factors Learn -Context = Move forward -Extreme language

Evaluate all facts, alternative explanations, and additional factors to understand context before making a probability-based belief; avoid extreme language.

Challenging Questions For Your Beliefs

-Assumptions /rules/attitudes are statements that are Extreme/overgeneralized: All dogs are vicious. -|f-then statements that provide a judgment based on a set of circumstances: “If | am not perfect, then I'm a complete failure." ****** Context Options Resources Probability Support ******

Assumptions and rules can be extreme and overgeneralized, while f-then statements provide judgments based on circumstances.

Problem Formulation with Context Framing

-Create something to look forward -Radical acceptance (silver lining) -Anticipate the positive -Be present -Growth/learning to -Realistic -Affirm yourself -Solutions -Serenity

Focus on the positive, practice acceptance, be present and grow, affirm yourself, and seek solutions for a serene outlook on life.

Optimism With Radical Acceptance

-Thoughts -Activities (including breathing) -Guided Imagery -Sensations

Mental exercises for relaxation: thoughts, activities, guided imagery, and sensations.

Emotion Regulation Thoughts & Activities

-Wise-Mind Thinking -Context—This Situation in the Present Moment -Facts vs. Emotions -Of the situation -What is in your control -Research solutions -Alternate Perspectives

Wise-mind thinking: consider context, facts vs emotions, what's in control, research solutions, and alternate perspectives for present situations.

Realistic Thinking With The Wise Mind

+++ Prior Experiences => Overgeneralization (age, intensity vicarious learning, perfectionism, repetition, self-fulfilling prophesies (giving up)) - Unhook - Examine the facts in context - Find exceptions and commonalities - Eliminate extreme words (i.e. never, always) +++ Fear of the Unknown - If you fear the worst, then you cannot be caught by surprise +++ Fear of loss of control - Examine other painful or difficult situations you have successfully navigated

Avoid overgeneralization, unhook from fear of the unknown, and examine past successful situations to overcome fear of loss of control.

Stop Expecting The Worst

-Create safety -Identify your fears -Validate your feelings of vulnerability -Identify any past traumas that it may be triggering (powerlessness, distrust, unsafeness) -Identify the FACTS for and against those fears in the present context -Identify the aspects of the situation that are within your control (vaccinations, masks, good hand hygiene) -Identify the probability of the worst-case scenario if you do those things that are within your control

Create safety by identifying fears and validating vulnerability, addressing past traumas, evaluating facts for and against fears, controlling aspects such as vaccinations and hygiene, and assessing worst-case scenarios.

Reintegration Anxiety After Change

+Helps you alter your reaction to triggers/stimuli in the environment +Create an environment of safety and empowerment +Master the ability to use breathing/relaxation/distress tolerance to downregulate your stress response +Learn about the trigger and mitigate the stress response -Why it triggers you and what it is related to (smells, sights, sounds) -Fact-based information about the threat it poses in the present +Imagine the trigger or remember a recent time when you were triggered... +Exposure in a safe situation or from a distance...

Learn to alter reactions to triggers, create safety, and use breathing/relaxation to downregulate stress; mitigate triggers by understanding and exposure.

Exposure Therapy and Desensitization

-Authenticity means being true to yourself -We often become inauthentic because we -Are trying to get other people's approval -Fear of being rejected or canceled -Are operating on autopilot (not mindful) -Develop your self-esteem and let go of the need for other people’s approval. (If you are inauthentic, they are not approving of you anyway...only the facade) -Chocolate chip cookies -All parts of one body

Be true to yourself, let go of others' approval/fear of rejection, develop self-esteem, and avoid operating on autopilot to maintain authenticity.

Authenticity - Be True To Yourself

- Mindfulness means turning off autopilot and being nonjudgmentally aware of your thoughts, feelings, needs, and behaviors in the present moment. - Mindfulness helps you connect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors - Mindfulness promotes prevention and early intervention - Think about how operating on “autopilot” may have contributed to sickness, anger outbursts, or relapses of depression.

Mindfulness is being aware of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the present moment to prevent illness, relapses, and identify needs.

Mindfulness - Avoid Autopilot On

-The anchoring bias is the tendency to rely too heavily on one aspect or piece of information when making decisions (usually the first piece of information acquired on that subject). -Common source/method: Using research or information from only one source or sources using the same methods -Functional (role) fixation: Use it only how it is supposed to be used -Law of the instrument: Reliance on only tools or methods currently known. (Leads to "stuckness")

Anchoring bias: relying too heavily on one piece of information, common source/method, functional fixation, and reliance on known tools/methods.

Anchoring Bias - One Fact Only Mind

*Availability Heuristic: Tendency to notice things that have most recently occurred *Frequency Illusion: Once something has come to your attention, you notice it with improbable frequency in the near term. *Salience Bias: Focusing on things that are most prominent or emotionally charged *Partial Picture: Focusing only on what is presented instead of the whole picture (related to salience) *Attentional: Recurring thoughts

Human cognitive biases include the availability heuristic, frequency illusion, salience bias, partial picture, and attentional.

Availability Bias - Focus on the Recent

Defining How to Effectively Use Your Energy + Looking at the bigger picture to understand the reactions of yourself and others + 4 Ps -Predisposing: What were the background factors (historical, personal traits, transference) that contributed to the person’s behavior? - Precipitating: What vulnerabilities and contextual factors precipitated the reaction? - Provocations: In what way might | have inadvertently provoked the behavior? - Plans: Did the person have good intentions?

Understand reactions of self and others by analyzing predisposing, precipitating, provocation, and plans factors to effectively use your energy.

Perspective Taking

» Dissociation happens when your mind is so overwhelmed that it “checks out” » Dissociation may occur when you are in physical pain, the the current situation is too overwhelming to cope with or you are reminded of a prior trauma » Dissociation is different from daydreaming or “highway hypnosis”

Dissociation occurs when the mind checks out due to overwhelming situations, physical pain, or past trauma, and is distinct from daydreaming or highway hypnosis.

Dissociation and Safety

-Oxygenation -Terpenes -Sunlight -Improves Vagal Tone -Stress Reduction -Cortisol Reduction -Reduction of Inflammation -Pain Management -Increase Energy -Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, BDNF

Sunlight, oxygenation, and terpenes provide various health benefits such as stress and cortisol reduction, pain management, and increased energy. Improvements to vagal tone, reduction of inflammation, and increased levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and BDNF are also observed.

Mental Benefits of Exercise

Cognitive Restructuring literally means changing your thoughts. -Unhooking -Cost vs. Benefit to holding the distressful thoughts -Dispute using -Facts -Alternate explanations -Exceptions -Alternate perspectives (How would your best friend describe the situation? What solutions would your best friend offer?) -Evaluate probabilities -Focus on what you can change (Your behaviors, Your emotional reactions, Your perception) -Distress tolerant thoughts -What would you tell someone else -“Nobody would want to be in a relationship with me because I am too broken”

Cognitive restructuring is changing thoughts by disputing distressful thoughts using facts, alternate explanations, exceptions, alternate perspectives, and focusing on what you can change.

Cognitive Restructuring

-Causes of Addictive Relationships (Psychological Withdrawal) -New Relationship Energy ( NRE ) -"Addictive" Nature of Some Relationships -Characteristics of Healthy Relationships -Strategy to Address an Addictive Relationship

Causes of addictive relationships include psychological withdrawal and new relationship energy, but healthy relationships have different characteristics, and addressing addictive relationships requires a specific strategy.

Addictive Relationships

Effects of Betrayal » Betrayal is an emotional assault that causes the loss of trust, the loss of the relationship you thought you had and a need to reconsider your assumptions about your safety, people, and the world. » These losses need to be grieved » It affects all aspects of you - Physical - Affective/Emotional - Cognitive - Environmental - Relational / Interpersonal

Betrayal causes loss of trust, relationship and affects physical, emotional, cognitive, environmental, and relational aspects; requires grieving.

Trauma of Betrayal

+What will be your "Rich and Meaningful Life?" +Affective Effects of Betrayal » Grief » Anger: Self, partner, other, the world for hurting you, taking away from your power to choose, spending money, choosing someone else over your current family » Blame: Self, partner, other, the world (woulda-coulda- shoulda) » Anxiety » Guilt » Depression » Jealousy of the other person » Envy of healthy relationships

Betrayal can lead to various negative emotions such as grief, anger, blame, anxiety, guilt, depression, jealousy and envy of healthy relationships.

Emotional Impact of Betrayal

+ Lowered self-esteem (Why wasn’t | good enough?) - How much of the situation had to do with you vs. your partner? - What characteristics make someone a good person? + Gives the hecklers a voice - How do you silence them? - Challenge them with “Who says?” +Questioning judgment/feeling stupid -Given the information you had at the time is it reasonable to expect you would have “known?” -What can you learn from this situation?

Challenges to self-esteem and judgment can be addressed by questioning the situation and gaining a better understanding of one's own perspective.

Cognitive Impact of Betrayal

+ The safe space becomes a minefield of reminders and triggers - If still cohabitating - add positive reminders, eliminate negative -If separated - Add positive unrelated triggers + Smells, sounds (text message alerts), friends, anniversaries, holidays and separation may be triggers - | have to go to work. How can | help you feel less anxious when | am gone? - | need time with my friends. How can | do that without adding to your stress? (Have them come to the house. Go out as a group...) - Running is important to me. You can track my run. - The person may wonder every time they go out “Did they come here?”

Tips for creating a safe space for someone with triggers - Add positive reminders, eliminate negative, and use unrelated triggers to reduce stress.

Environmental Impact of Betrayal

Relational Effects of Betrayal + Trust issues - Stay in the present / Don’t hold hostages - Focus on facts + Fear of intimacy/vulnerability - You were vulnerable to your spouse and got traumatized - Becoming vulnerable is a terrifying thought - Take it slowly. - Don’t confuse sex or superficial small-talk with intimacy + Questioning the goodness of others - Make a list of good, trustworthy people you have known or you currently know (including yourself)

Overcoming betrayal and trust issues involves staying present, avoiding hostage-taking, focusing on facts, taking vulnerability slowly, and making a list of trustworthy people.

Interpersonal Impact of Betrayal

+What is Lazy? +Burnout is a state of exhaustion that may or may not meet the clinical criteria for depression +Signs of burnout or depression -Exhaustion and lack of energy -Feeling disconnected -Withdrawal -Moodiness and irritability -Lack of motivation (due to depletion) -Loss of interest/apathy +Burnout and depression both represent a state of exhaustion coupled with a sense of hopelessness and helplessness -Get back to basics (must-dos) -Define a rich and meaningful life -Identify what is triggering your burnout/exhaustion and begin addressing it -Prioritize self-care- Physical stress contributes to B/D

Burnout and depression share exhaustion, hopelessness, and helplessness. To combat it, focus on self-care, identify triggers, and define a meaningful life.

Am I Lazy, Burned Out, or Depressed?

-What does Perfectionism look like? -How does it impact you? -10 Tips To Address Perfectionism

10 tips to address perfectionism and its impact on individuals.

10 Tips To Address Perfectionism

10 tips to assist in recognizing and dealing with anger. These are concrete strategies to help in everyday life.

"10 tips for recognizing and dealing with anger in everyday life."

10 Ways to Deal with Anger

10 Practical tips to help you deal with depression. (And a couple of bonuses at the end!)

"10 tips to cope with depression, plus bonus tips."

10 Ways to Deal with Depression

* Awe, Wonder, and Humility in Genesis 1 + Think about how two little cells can divide like breaking apart balls of clay. + Eventually, a master switch is flipped and the undifferentiated cells start to differentiate and become skin, bone, organs, etc. + How does that master switch get flipped? How does each cell “know” what to become? « There are scientific explanations for this process, but how was that process created + Explore the world through a child’s eyes. Ask how and why. Appreciate the world outside of yourself. (life, electricity, telephone, thoughts/memories...)

Reflect on the awe, wonder, and humility in the complexity of life's creation, from the division of cells to the intricacies of the universe.

Creation of Abundance Through Balance

Learn about the story of Adam and Eve, but more learn some principles to take away: -Prudence -Respect -Forgiveness -Compassion -Truthfulness -Meekness

Discover principles from the story of Adam and Eve: prudence, respect, forgiveness, compassion, truthfulness, and meekness.

Adam and Eve

Principles - Prudence (Wisdom + Patience) - Earnestness - Respect - Forgiveness - Compassion + Truthfulness + Meekness / Selflessness

The principles of Prudence, Earnestness, Respect, Forgiveness, Compassion, Truthfulness, Meekness, and Selflessness are important for life.

Cain And Able

- Being loving and compassionate is much harder than being selfish (which produces immediate rewards). - Compromise is much harder than being aggressive and taking what you want or demand your own way. - We see here that just “knowing” what is right does not mean people will choose it. - When we face challenges, we must be patient. There is a time for recovery and reconciliation (to offer and live branch) but we must wait until the environment is hospitable to that recovery. - Likely there were still lots of places that were submerged (suffering) but the dove found places that had begun recovery and worked to help unite/direct Noah to those places where they could start to rebuild.

Choosing love and compassion over selfishness and compromise over aggression is tough; patience is needed for recovery and reconciliation.

Noah's Ark

10 tips that will help you deal with social anxiety. These are especially good for people that feel anxiety before a social interaction.... dinner party, work meeting, group dinner with friends as the case may be.

10 tips to help deal with social anxiety before social interactions such as dinner parties, work meetings, and group dinners with friends.

10 Ways to Deal with Social Anxiety

This track covers 11 tips that provide concrete steps and tools to help you cope with high functioning depression. Almost anyone dealing with depression will find some tools in here,

"11 tips to cope with high functioning depression, providing concrete steps and tools for anyone dealing with depression."

11 Tips to Cope with Depression

Intrusive Thoughts According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America intrusive thoughts are involuntary, have no bearing on reality, and are typically perceived as unacceptable. -Can be Triggered by stress, anxiety, insomnia, or hormone fluctuations. -Often totally random -Can be an aspect of anxiety, depression, PTSD, PPD, or OCD This track defines Intrusive Thoughts and provides tools for dealing with them.

Intrusive thoughts are involuntary, unrelated to reality, triggered by stress, and can be a symptom of various mental health conditions. This track offers coping strategies.

Coping with Intrusive Thoughts

This track will teach you how to determine if YOUR Relationship is Toxic. +Relationships should enhance each person not tear them down +Relationships can be toxic for one or both people +Toxicity can be caused by: - A person’s behaviors in response to the other person (address it with the other person - don’t assume) - A person’s behaviors in response to what they assume the other person is thinking or going to do (based on current core beliefs and schema formed from past experiences)

Learn to identify toxic relationships by addressing one's own behavior and assumptions towards the other person, and understanding that relationships should enhance each person.

How To Tell If A Relationship Is Toxic?

I define the difference between introversion, social anxiety, and avoidant. We then develop a deep understanding of the introvert. Great for learning to understand yourself better or an introvert friend/partner.

Learn the difference between introversion, social anxiety, and avoidance to gain a deep understanding of introverts for personal growth or relationships.

Introversion and Social Anxiety

-identify what people do or do not do that make you feel like you do not matter or are not accepted. -Connect with (and stand up for) yourself and your inner child -Often people feel invisible when they are not getting their needs met, but they can’t ask for what they need it because they do not even know. -What parts of yourself do you hide from others? -What parts of yourself do you not want to see or accept?

Identify how others make you feel and connect with yourself to understand your needs and hidden parts.

12 Tips To STOP Feeling Invisible

-What is Invisibility? -What Causes It? -In part 2, we discuss how to STOP feeling invisible

Part 1 explains the concept of invisibility and its causes, while Part 2 provides tips to stop feeling invisible.

Why Do I Feel Invisible

-Define hopelessness -Explore the connection between hopelessness and helplessness -Identify tips to take back your power and regain hope.

Learn to define hopelessness, explore its connection with helplessness, and reclaim power to regain hope through tips in this article.

Addressing Hopelessness

» Define Triggers and Cravings » Explore ways to identify triggers and cravings » Discuss methods to deal with triggers and cravings

Learn about triggers and cravings, identify them, and find ways to cope with them effectively.

Triggers And Cravings, And Dealing With

-Identify common behaviors that cause overeating, poor nutrition or weight gain -Explore strategies to address those behaviors

Learn how to identify and address common behaviors that lead to overeating, poor nutrition, and weight gain through effective strategies.

CBT Tools for Mindful Eating

Migraines affect 15% of the U.S. Population. We will discuss their Prevalence, Causes, Effects, Triggers, and Tools to Cope. Migraine is defined as a recurrent headache disorder manifesting in attacks lasting 4 to 72 hours, with or without aura.

Migraines affect 15% of the U.S. population and are recurrent headache attacks lasting 4 to 72 hours, with or without aura.

Migraine Triggers And Living With Them

The Dopamine Fast Alternative to reset your nervous system and HPA-Axis

Dopamine fasting is an alternative method to reset the nervous system and HPA-axis.

The Dopamine Fast Alternative

Learn 6 simple techniques to help with grounding. What is Grounding Good For? *When people feel threatened, it can trigger feelings of anger or anxiety which result in (among other things) *Racing thoughts *Ruminations *Flashbacks *Dissociation

6 grounding techniques to help manage anger, anxiety, racing thoughts, ruminations, flashbacks, and dissociation.

6 Simple Grounding Techniques

Prevent Backsliding -Create a sense of safety -identify what you do and do not have power over and how to accept that -Learn how to set and maintain boundaries -Connect with and comfort your inner child -Develop self-esteem -Address abandonment anxiety

To prevent backsliding, create safety, set boundaries, connect with inner child, and address abandonment anxiety.

10 Tips Not To Return To CoDependency

Emotional intelligence is essential for secure attachments. It is developed through consistency, responsiveness, attention, validation, and encouragement. Time Stamps: 00:00 Introduction 04:35 Secure Attachment and Emotional Intelligence: How consistency develops EI 07:10 Secure attachment: What responsiveness develops 10:05 How Validation And Encouragement Develop Emotional Intelligence 13:15 Summary

Developing emotional intelligence through consistency, responsiveness, attention, validation, and encouragement is essential for secure attachments.

Attachment And Emotional Intelligence

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons and begins and ends at about the same times every year. It is not considered a separate disorder but is a type of depression characterized by its recurrent seasonal pattern, with symptoms lasting about 4 to 5 months per year. Dr. Snipes provides tips to address it.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recurrent type of depression linked to seasonal changes; Dr. Snipes gives tips to manage its symptoms.

Seasonal Affective Disorder With Tips

In this presentation, Dr. Snipes discusses "Brain Fog," and 6 Tips to clear it up!

Dr. Snipes presents 6 tips to clear up "Brain Fog" in this concise and informative presentation.

Tracks by Dawn-Elise Snipes