In the medieval period it was common to take pilgrimages to the holy land from mainland Europe. The trip was an opportunity to face one’s fears and learn to know the deepest parts of self. The trip was long and dangerous. The terrain and culture were different from anything that pilgrims had seen back home. Along the way the pilgrims prayed, fasted and sought inner peace to prepare to be close to God. The pilgrimage to the holy land was a metaphor for Jesus’s life and journey much like the stations of the cross....
What Happens to the Eye During a Brainspotting Therapy Session?
Brainspotting is a revolutionary new therapy for trauma and PTSD. We use many modalities of therapy at Taproot Therapy Collective, but brainspotting is one of the most effective treatments for PTSD and lowering anxiety that I've ever found. when doing brain spotting the therapist looks for a position where your eye blinks and dilates. Many patients wonder what their eye looks like so I created this video to show you what I'm seeing when I do brain spotting on a patient. The eye you see in the video is my own eye...
The Symbolism of Color in Dreams
What is the symbolism of different colors in dreams? What does the color red mean in dreams: In dreams, colors wield the power to mirror our deepest emotions and psychic states, and red, with its primal force and psychological weight, offers a particularly vivid palette of symbolism. The color red in dreams may reflect the journey of passion and emotion that color psychology outlines in phases of stimulation. Initially, a dream awash in pallid red tones could suggest a phase of emotional dormancy, where the...
What is the Pineal Gland: Neuroscience, New Age, Numinous and Nonsense
Crystals are not shaped like the Buddha's face When I was in a bachelors psychology class at Sewanee I had to listen to a student, who was a enthusiast of psilocybin mushrooms, go on a rant to the professor about how there were "magic crystals" in the brain. According to him the crystals were "shaped like the buddha's face" and had been used by "real scientists" to discover things about aliens and mythology. One of these things was that the city of Atlantis, a mythological city that sank, was actually the city...
Attention Pupils! Windows to the Soul; Extensions of the Brain
How Therapists can Use the Pupil to Heal Trauma One of the reasons that I left EMDR and started to pursue brainspotting as the primary brain based medicine that I use as a provider was because of pupil dilation. Years ago when I was just starting out as a therapist I noticed that pupil dilation patterns were a good indicator of how well a patient was processing trauma. I would use a patient's pupil dilation and movement to see how well EMDR was working. During EMDR patients don’t talk much until the end of...
How does Brainspotting and EMDR work in the Brain?
What is it that Brainspotting is doing in the brain? One of the questions that we get asked the most is how brain based medicine like brainspotting, EMDR, and ETT work in the brain. Like many discoveries before it we know often discover THAT something works and then later have to discover WHY it works. Antipsychotics are a good example of this. For years there was a dopamine theory of schizophrenia hypothesizing that medication effecting dopamine levels were some how stopping psychosis. After a decade of research...
Book Review: Erich Neumann’s The Origins and History of Consciousness
Jungian Thought with a Unique Perspective on Ego Development in Mythology Erich Neumann's "The Origins and History of Consciousness" is a dense and relatively early exploration of Jungian psychology. The book not only delves into the intricate web of myths and archetypes but also introduces a unique concept that sheds light on the evolution of ego consciousness within the human species across time using mythological and religious development. While Neumann's work is ambitious and commendable, it is not perfect. I...
I Speak, Therefore I Am; Don’t you think?
So different from the Midwest, where the possibilities sprawled bright and endless in every direction. He wondered if people in the Himalayas and Andes were affected similarly. Did they live in the passive voice, as if their lives were not really happening but instead were memories fixed and immutable? -The World Made Straight, by Ron Rash The Psychology of Language: In the beginning of the book The World Made Straight a latin professor contemplates if the detachment of living in the mountains of Appalachian...
Book Review of of Aztec Philosophy by James Maffie
Unlocking the Mysteries of Aztec Philosophy When Hernán Cortés and his expedition arrived in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, in 1519, they were initially received with curiosity and even reverence by the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II.The Aztecs, interpreting the arrival of the Spanish as a potentially significant event, offered gifts and welcomed them with hospitality. In one encounter, Cortés asked Montezuma about his beliefs, inquiring about the Spanish understanding of God. Montezuma's response was cryptic and...
6 Pseudoscientific and Disproven Approaches in Psychotherapy: Debunking Myths and Dangers
Innovation and experimentation in psychotherapy is a crucial part of figuring out how to help individuals address and overcome various mental health issues. Hopefully these new developments are developed in compassionate and informed collaboration with patients, practiced ethically, and later verified with the scientific method and research. While many evidence-based therapeutic techniques have proven effective, some pseudoscientific approaches have emerged over the years, promising miraculous results but failing...
Getting stuck in therapy as a provider or a patient? Here are 80 different therapy interventions to try!
Are you a new therapist wanting to try some new interventions or a seasoned therapist that is looking for a fresh approach? Try our "cheat sheet" of 80 different therapy techniques from the history of the profession. They might point you in a good direction to research or learn more about something you didnt know about. Many of these are explained on our blog, youtube, podcast, and free therapy worksheets pages too! 1. Visualization Therapy How it works: Clients convert feelings or events into mental images and...
Unlocking the Future of Mental Health: Synergistic Nutrition and Promising Pathways
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, science is continually pushing boundaries to uncover novel approaches for improving mental health. One promising avenue gaining traction is synergistic nutrition – a concept where specific combinations of nutrients work together to optimize brain function. While much of this technology is still in its research phase, modern studies are pointing towards exciting pathways that may revolutionize mental health treatment in the future. In this article, we will explore the...