Soul Matters... March 2009

It's the Economy, Scared?

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that sometimes "money costs too much." If you haven't felt the cost of the economic crunch lately, then you probably know someone who has. I don't need to go into detail about how bad things are; we hear about it constantly.

Still, think for a moment about how you've been handling the stress and anxiety that all of us feel right now. Have you been eating or drinking more? Or perhaps exercising less? If you're worried about your job or don't have one, then maybe this has become an identity crisis. It's really easy to get carried away with worry and to cope with it in unhealthy ways.

     There are some simple and relatively easy things you can do to begin to manage your emotions about the economy. It's important to develop a method of de-stressing. Exercise, even just a 30-minute walk, is the best way of doing this. Make sure you're getting enough sleep and pay attention to what you're eating. Avoid watching lots of TV about the economic crisis, since you'll probably only feel worse when you do.
     Talk with your friends and family for support; many of them are feeling just like you are. I've heard several financial experts recommend not opening your investment statements. That's a great idea for your mental health right now. Do take some time to plan for the future. Having a plan will help you feel more in control.
     Lastly, if you feel more than mild levels of anxiety or stress, if you feel hopeless or panicky, then it's a good idea to seek professional help. Many organizations, such as PC&CC, offer a sliding scale so that treatment can be affordable for those people who need help. History tells us that this, too, shall pass. We'll get through it together.

THERAPIST SPOTLIGHT: Joanne Comstock, Ph.D.

A typical therapist's "to-do list" is often bogged down with paperwork, case consultations, licensure maintenance, and continuing education requirements. As a result, considering the spiritual and clinical implications of her work might often come in last. But since the fall, PC&CC's Dr. Joanne Comstock has built such reflection into her work week through her position as an affiliate professor in Loyola College's Pastoral Counseling program. This semester she is guiding new therapists through the capstone process of integrating their personal faith journeys within a psychotherapy context.
"Working with students on the integration process is interesting. They've gotten very detailed about their spiritual journeys - it's an honor to read them because it's so personal," Comstock explains. She splits her time between teaching, working at a treatment center for Catholic Religious, and at PC&CC's Bethesda office. "It is an honor and a privilege to teach, and I think it does help me focus my own sense of why I do what I do," she notes.

For Comstock, teaching others has required that she examine how she herself blends the clinical with the pastoral. "The [Professional Seminar course] has impacted the way that I integrate spirituality into my work. When I taught [the Helping Relationship course] it forced me to go back to the beginning and really think about what makes a good clinician - the fundamental skills that, ironically, Ph.D.s lose sometimes because they get too heavy into research and can forget about the simple caring and listening to people," she says. "Whenever you're watching someone else's work it forces you to think about what's good work and what's not, and that makes you look at your own work."

This semester she has found herself considering more about her call to pastoral counseling. "There have been times when I've felt really grounded in the spiritual aspects, but then life takes over and you're working hard, focusing on treatment and sometimes you lose sight of the larger picture," she says. Her sister recently gave her a reading that used the metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle to describe pastoral counseling. "The writer says that she sees her work with clients as putting the pieces together - she knows their stories and what they need. But she realizes that God is the only one with the picture on the box cover, that she wasn't actually the one doing the healing. I read it to my students because it reshaped my thinking."
Despite a busy schedule of students and clients, Comstock also strives to keep up with new research in the counseling world. "I really fight to stay abreast of the field and read and look at research, even though I'm sometimes so tired at the end of the day. I really think that that is part of being what you need to be for your clients," she says. If the timing works out she might teach another course this summer. "My clients have to come first," she explains.

Comstock works at PC&CC's Bethesda office. She may be reached at 202-449-3789 x703.

REFERRAL CORNER: Simplify With CBT

In their practical workbook, Mind Over Mood, Greenberger and Padesky state that cognitive therapy "emphasizes the examination of the thoughts and beliefs connected to our moods, behaviors, physical experiences, and to the events in our lives." To simplify, if we think pleasant, calming thoughts, we will feel and act calm. If we begin thinking negative thoughts, we will feel anxious or worse, and may act on those feelings.
A first step in understanding CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is recognizing that we all have automatic thoughts (AT) and that problems arise when those automatic thoughts take a negative turn (ANTs). Learning to make our responses less automatic can help change habitual thought processes.

CBT-trained therapists help clients:

elicit and identify ANTs which are often concrete and specific (e.g. "People are mean," "My day is ruined!");
examine the cost-benefit of a thought;
challenge, defend, and/or dispute the thought.

     CBT goals include self-confrontation, raising consciousness, seeking to understand the truth/reality of your life, and understanding the deep connection between thoughts, moods, behavior, and physical sensations.
     It can be said that psychopathology results from narrow views of the self, God, and others.CBT helps broaden a person's perspective by helping them think more creatively about core beliefs and assumptions: "Who says?" "Where is the evidence for that?" "Is it true?" "How do you feel when you have that thought?" A therapist might ask the client: "What does it mean for you to have these symptoms and feel this way?"
     By first learning what the symptoms mean, the therapist can help the client change the meaning helping process the information, reframing it, and cognitively restructuring it. How we interpret physical sensations or situations (what we think), determines how we feel emotionally (mood) and physically (jittery, panicky, tense, nauseated, etc.), and subsequently, how we behave.
     The way any act feels in any given moment depends on the meaning we assign to it. In short, cognitive therapy helps people consider a problem from many angles and in so doing, broadens their perspective and reveals new conclusions and solutions they never dreamed possible.

-Beret Moyer, M.S., NCC

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PC&CC News & Notes

In February, Cindy Thurston Bare and Kerley Perminio Most completed the 96-hour, small-group intensive portion of the Imago Relationship therapy training.
Beginning this month, Bob Gordon will deliver wellness coaching training to coaches employed by the "Healthy Howard" program in Howard County, Md. This coaching is part of a groundbreaking initiative to provide health and wellness services for the county's uninsured. The program was mentioned favorably in Feb. 23 testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, titled "Principles of Integrative Health: A Path to Health Care Reform."
Later this month Stacy Notaras Murphy plans to attend a workshop on mindfulness-based stress reduction with Elana Rosenbaum.
Kathleen E. Scheg will launch a new round of her popular RTA: Releasing and Transforming Anger group on Fridays in Takoma Park from 5-6:15pm starting April 3. She also has plans to attend several upcoming seminars this month including Richard Schwartz's "You Are the One You've Been Waiting For" and Steven Stosny's "Beyond Anger Management."
Last month Rebecca Sears led a group of 14 through the FACT A introductory course in Imago Relationship therapy. The class included professors, clergy, and therapists from as far away as Malaysia, Nigeria and Korea. Later this year she will train Imago therapists in both Estonia and Russia.
The ongoing QuarterLife+10 therapy group for unmarried professionals in their mid-20s to mid-30s is open to additional members. Topics include work/career, spirituality, relationships, and exploring the question "Where do I want to be in 10 years?" For more information, please contact Nathan Gehlert at 202-449-3789 x716 or email him.
Our next "Getting the Love You Want" workshop for couples will take place March 27-29. Email us for more information.

RELATIONSHIP TIP OF THE MONTH: A Lenten Discipline

Traditionally Lent is a time of reflection and a time of change when we commit ourselves to stretching into new behaviors. It's also often a time of cleansing our bodies and spirits to prepare a place for the divine to be more present in our lives. Consider the following to help bring the spirit of Lent into your relationship:

Make a conscious attempt to slow down the pace of your life. Commit to meditating together ideally once a day (or once a week) for 20 minutes. Create a sacred space in your home for this ritual - it doesn't have to be elaborate, perhaps you just light a candle. Afterward, share what the experience was like.
So often we are more focused on how our partner should change than how we could change for our partner. Reflect on the things your partner has been asking for and if you might stretch into giving them as a gift during Lent. If, by chance, nothing comes to mind, ask - it's likely your partner will have some ideas.
Ask yourself, what resentments are keeping me from making room to better receive my partner as a divine gift? Take a few minutes each day to reimage your partner as God's gift to you.

-Rev. Dr. Carl Siegel, Ph.D.