Page 19 - Boca Club News - February '23

Boca Club News, Page 19
Mental Health Memo…Case Studies:

Depression and Divorce–Reframing Your Thinking

By Elyce Kiperman-Gordon, MS, your job, and your own feelings of self-worth. I observed typical cognitive distortion patterns, where irrational and
LCMHC, NCC, owner of The Feeling that Robert had a number of the typical symptoms such as inaccurate thoughts show up and undermine our sense of
Expert®, an evidence-based and anxiety, sadness, withdrawal from normal daily activities, self-confidence and ability to succeed. As an example, to
holistic psychotherapy practice, and emptiness, which had persisted for an extended period prepare him for being around his family we used an exercise
located in Boca Raton. She is a of time. He was also having difficulties sleeping at night where he would write down a painful scenario and identify
Board Certified, licensed Clinical and was feeling exhausted all the time. what triggered his maladaptive belief.
Mental Health Counselor, offering Since the divorce less than a year ago, Robert found He noticed he was comparing himself whenever
a range of therapeutic approaches himself becoming increasingly stressed about his living he had to be around his more successful brother and it
to treat anxiety, depression, trauma, circumstances, finances, and work. He noticed he was triggered thoughts that he would never be good enough or
and relationship issues. Elyce is an Internal Family Systems neglecting numerous tasks around the house, his financial as successful which put him in a depressed mood. As an
Specialist (IFS) and a Certified International Integral Sound responsibilities, and avoiding activities he used to enjoy. exercise, I had him recall when he felt sad and hopeless in
Healing Therapist. She can be reached at (844) CAN-HEAL He was feeling very negative. He was having a hard time the past and then explained how thoughts affect our mood
or Elyce@TheFeelingExpert.com. getting unstuck and back into his old routines. and can change the way we feel in any given moment. He
Disclaimer: Names and identifying characteristics have The Treatment: was able to see how his maladaptive thoughts had been
been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Divorce can be challenging; each person must move impacting his mood. That gave him the opportunity to
The Patient: through it at their own pace and process in their own way. analyze and evaluate his thoughts and beliefs for truth.
Robert, 58 and recently divorced, was feeling like a Developing a support network can help as you move through When he was able to notice the triggering situations,
failure. He felt sad and empty and found himself tearing the process. Therapy can assist you in developing new he could address the associated uncomfortable or painful
up and getting emotional over small matters. He wasn’t coping mechanisms and in managing your emotions. emotions in the moment and manage his response differently.
interested in doing anything with friends, lacked energy, In order to help Robert see and change the negative It takes time and practice to recognize and consider the
wasn’t exercising, and was experiencing more frequent thinking and behavioral patterns that he had developed since evidence for and against the thoughts you are having and
bouts of insomnia. After he declined doing anything to the divorce, we started his treatment with mindfulness-based to identify whether they are accurate or not. The goal was
celebrate Hanukah with his family, his brother recommended cognitive therapy (MBCT). It is a type of psychotherapy for him to be able to determine if the thoughts were based
he work with a professional to sort things out. that combines mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and on facts or feelings. As he became more conscious of his
Robert felt a lot of pressure around the holiday to “act” meditation. The practice of mindfulness is the cultivation faulty thinking, he was able to become more aware of his
in a certain manner with his family. He was having trouble of a present-oriented, non-judgmental attitude. With this negative thinking and more easily pinpoint what triggered
with finances again, and he didn’t want that to be the topic approach, as well as and cognitive restructuring, we could his behaviors.
of the holiday dinner. The thought of being with his family gently address the cognitive and behavioral causes of him To get Robert to relax and bring his anxiety under
made him feel worse. He didn’t want to have to explain feeling depressed. He displayed several cognitive traits that control, we engaged sound-healing techniques. Sound
everything because it was too painful and humiliating. He included negative thoughts about himself, such as “I am therapy, a non-aggressive and gentle approach, helped him
had made a lot of progress but lately began slipping back no good” or “things are not going to get better.” Cognitive relax and focus in a natural and soothing environment.
into self-sabotaging ways. He started distancing himself restructuring helps build new skills to reframe negative That approach gave him the emotional room he needed to
from others, being self-critical about his money troubles, thinking by identifying and challenging negative beliefs evaluate his current circumstances in a safe place and diffuse
and constantly comparing himself to his brother, making and irrational thoughts. The objective was to enable him the sensitivity and overwhelm he was feeling.
him feel worthless and hopeless. to experience his feelings free from any sense of shame or The Results:
The Diagnosis: guilt, and to help him move forward and thrive. Therapy helped Robert make progress and gain new
Major depressive disorder is one of the most common Letting go of the negative thinking was difficult for perspectives and fresh insights into what was triggering his
mental health conditions. Depression can occur after Robert at first, but I provided him with practice assignments emotional responses, which were both helpful. It provided
traumatic or stressful life events like a divorce or financial to help him recognize patterns and incorporate mindfulness him with tools and coping mechanisms he could use to
hardship. It can negatively interfere with your relationships, practices when they appeared. He was thinking in the refocus when he felt anxious or wanted to isolate himself
from being around others. The techniques helped him
change how he was thinking about himself and adjust his
unhelpful beliefs to more empowering ones to manage his
stress. Therapy helped get him back on track more quickly
and feeling at ease. He saw immediate improvement in
his sleep patterns, which helped him feel more rested and
focused throughout the day. As he felt calmer, he was able
to tackle the things he had been avoiding, like his finances,
and get them back in order. He noticed improvements in his
psychological state, he was becoming enthusiastic socially
and getting back to the gym.