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By: Bonnie Brown, PsyD As a general rule of thumb, we are told to get about eight hours of sleep per night. That means we should be sleeping about one third of our lives. That’s a large amount of our time, and often far too few people actually reach that number. Does that ever make you wonder how sleep works? What if you don’t get enough? Is it really that important? Maybe you’re thinking, “Yeah, yeah…I know I need eight hours…I just cannot sleep”. What can you do to get as close to that number as possible? You’re not alone. Actually, two thirds of adults in all the developed nations do not actually obtain the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. There are many reasons human beings sleep, and we’re only recently learning more and more. Research has shown that sleep is important for things such as our memory, ability to learn, make logical decisions, keeping our immune system in check, balancing insulin and glucose, and our cardiovascular system (to name a few). Essentially, sleep is one of the most important and effective things we can do to help keep our brain and body in a healthy state. Most people are familiar with the notion that we have a circadian rhythm of twenty-four hours. What most people don’t know is what else goes into feeling tired and eventually falling (and staying) in a comfortable sleep state. One signal that your brain relies on is body temperature. Your core body temperature peaks in the late afternoon,

BY: Rachael Sullivan, PsyD Neurodiversity: High-Functioning Autism (AKA Asperger’s Syndrome) Thanks to the ever-evolving science of understanding how our brains work, you may have recently encountered the term “neurodiverse.” While this may sound complicated, the term simply refers to recognizing and respecting brain differences, the same way we would with any other individual difference. Neurodiversity is a way to describe individuals whose brain has certain variations that result in these individuals learning in a different way than individuals who are “neurotypical” do. Neurodiversity often refers to those individuals who have received certain diagnoses, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is most important to recognize that we strive to use the term neurodiversity to describe individuals with these diagnoses in order to reinforce that these are brain differences, not deficits. In fact, individuals who are neurodiverse frequently have specific strengths and cognitive abilities that individuals who are neurotypical do not. Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a diagnosis that describes one type of neurodiversity. The word “spectrum” in ASD is a key component of beginning to understand autism – it refers to the vast variations of how ASD presents in any given individual. There is an accurate and important saying about ASD: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” One phrase that is often associated with ASD is “high-functioning,” which refers to an individual who experiences the social and emotional difficulties and stereotyped behaviors or interests that are associated with autism, but does not

By Courtney Glueck, PhD It’s that time of the year again. With the year’s end fast approaching and the holiday season in full swing, many people are likely experiencing heightened levels of stress and worry. Arranging holiday travels and gatherings, finding the perfect present, keeping up that workout routine, and meeting end-of-year deadlines are just a few of the things likely to cause excess worry this time of year. For many it happens every year at this time, and so it doesn’t come as a surprise or present excessive concern. We face it, push through, and get back to “normal life” in January. Now, imagine what it would be like to have this level of stress, worry, and pre-occupation characterize your life year-round. For a select group of people who suffer with anxiety disorders, this, unfortunately, is a persistent and daunting reality. Anxiety Disorders: An Overview Anxiety disorders are a broad category of mental disorders that includes many different manifestations, including generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety, and panic disorder, and together they make up one of the most common forms of mental illness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 31.1% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. Unfortunately, despite their prevalence, many still misunderstand these disorders and struggle to cope themselves and/or support others they know living with these challenges. Debunking Myths about Anxiety Several myths exist around anxiety and anxiety disorders. Below are just a few: 1.  Anxiety isn’t a “real” illness. (While some

By Chris Kelley, PsyD Imagine leaving your home to go grocery shopping. This is something you have done dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of times before. It is practically muscle memory at this point. You check to see what you need to replenish in your kitchen, gather your belongings, walk through your front door and lock it behind you. No thinking required, brain on autopilot, maybe even distracted by music or a podcast playing from your phone.  Now you are in front of your home, either walking toward your vehicle or toward your destination. Suddenly, a car speeds down the road you live on, jumping the curb and nearly collides with you! It misses, speeds away, and you are left standing there.  What is the first thought you have? What about the second thought? “That was close!” “That person really could have hurt me.” “This neighborhood is dangerous.” “What an idiot! Who drives like that in a neighborhood?” “I probably should not use headphones while walking around anymore.” “Good thing I wore my lucky shirt today.” “I am never shopping at night again.” “I should buy a lottery ticket.” How might the thought you have make you feel? Scared? Excited? Angry? Hopeless? You may even feel a combination of several emotions at the same time! What do you do next? Perhaps you shake yourself off, get in your car, go shopping, and forget anything happened. Perhaps you call your closest friend (“You’ll never believe what just happened!”). Perhaps you decide to avoid any additional risks, turn around,

Community, Pain, and Healing By: Sunda Friedman TeBockhorst, PhD, ABPP The other day, my two young children were playing a t-ball game in a local youth sports league. One of the players on their team had taken a ball to the face, and, while he wasn’t badly hurt, of course it had been a shock of pain, surprise and probably embarrassment for the little guy. He was crying – loudly – as the game went on. This boy – the crying boy – happens also to be a neighbor and one of my son’s best friends. As he cried, it became clear that he didn’t want to leave the game, but was told by Coach that he might have to if he couldn’t pull it together. I prompted my children to approach the child (he was playing center field, my kids in right field) and offer some words of companionship and comfort, whereupon both children looked at me as though I’d grown an extra head and stood as if their feet had grown deep roots. My older child, after a second, and third, prompting, stood very thoughtfully, staring at the boy, and, with a deep breath that very much looked like a screwing-up-of-courage breath, marched herself over to the boy, patted him on the back, said something brief and fled in relief. But also, pride shown on her face; she had done something a little scary, but it had been kind, and she took satisfaction in doing the harder-but-right thing. My younger child followed her example

By Matt Bynum, MA, LPCC These days, it feels like mental health is getting much needed attention in many circles. On both a national and local level, more and more people seem to be working to decrease the stigma of asking for help. This is truly wonderful. But there are still a lot of misconceptions and unknowns about therapy floating around. What is therapy exactly? Why do people go to therapy and what do they get out of it? What happens in the therapy office? What is the therapist’s role? What follows are some answers to these questions. Keep in mind that different therapists will have slightly different answers to these questions. In fact, there are as many “therapies” as there are therapists, because each clinician will bring their own experience, modalities, and approach into the room. Furthermore, if a therapist is good at what they do, they will do their best to adjust the therapy to fit your specific needs. What is therapy? Why go to therapy? Psychotherapy, (or counseling), is the process of regularly meeting with a mental health professional to work through problems and dilemmas in your life and gain some renewed sense of vitality or flexibility. People seek individual therapy for lots of different reasons. Be it addiction, past trauma, a break-up, major life transition, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, or strong desire to look at painful habits. That being said, it is absolutely OK to see a therapist if you are wanting some increased self-knowledge and personal growth. There is a common

Nine Common Symptoms of ADD By Sunda Friedman TeBockhorst, PhD, ABPP If you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of a conversation and realized that you don’t know what the person you’re talking to just said because you forgot to pay attention to him or her, you may relate to this title and wonder: is this Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?  Or, is ADD affecting someone close to me?  Here are nine signs and symptoms common to those who may be affected by ADD.  People accuse you of not listening – even when you are. Wandering attention is a core symptom of ADD.  This often surfaces for people via interpersonal frustration and relational stress when people don’t realize you aren’t intentionally disregarding them or their concerns. You just lost your phone – again. Keeping track of personal possessions can be particularly tricky for those with ADD, who tend to spend more time than the average bear hunting down wayward possessions. Alternately, some have developed an intense focus on preventing this with certain rituals and routines, which must be adhered to inflexibly – which can be another sign of ADD. Doors have magical brain-erasing properties. Having to walk from one room into another – to tell somebody something, to retrieve an item, to do a task – can be a series of misadventures for the person with ADD, who may have to give this several tries before their short-term memory decides the jig is up and produces the nugget of knowledge about why the journey was started in

Sometimes things happen in life and we don’t know how to deal with them. Or perhaps you’ve struggled with feelings of emptiness for a long time, but you don’t know how to cope. Talking to someone about how you’re feeling can have an incredible impact on your life, but the first step to doing so is removing the stigma surrounding counseling and seeing a therapist. At Metis Center For Psychological Services in Boulder, CO, we offer counseling for anxiety disorders, depression, and other mental health conditions. Whether you’ve just experienced a tragedy or you have a chronic condition, we can help. Learn more about how to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and contact us today to schedule a counseling appointment. Address What’s Causing The Stigma Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about mental health issues that can lead to stereotyping and even discrimination. Whether you or someone else has stereotyped you, it can be even more detrimental to your overall health. Signs of stigma include a reluctance to seek counseling, a lack of understanding from your loved ones or employer, fewer opportunities at work and in your personal life, and even health insurance that doesn’t properly cover your expenses for mental health. Luckily, there are ways to address these effects. Seek Counseling It can be one of the most difficult steps in your journey to better mental and emotional health, but scheduling a counseling appointment can make the biggest difference. Counseling can help you identify negative thought patterns, help you reduce the symptoms