Thank you for witnessing the launch of my blog! The blog will be primarily devoted to the topics explored in my soon to be released book entitled: How To Lose Control and Gain Emotional Freedom. The subtitle is: Learn To Embrace the Dark Emotions Through Integrative Mindful Exposure.
The following is a brief book description that appears on the Amazon book page:
This book is designed as a “user’s guide” for individuals engaged in psychotherapy as well as for therapists and the general population. It endeavors to teach the reader how to embrace the so called “dark emotions” through a process that I call Integrative Mindful Exposure (IME). The basic premise of the book is that much of human suffering and symptoms are the product of our attempts to control and avoid these difficult emotions. Methodologies to help embrace fear/anxiety, shame, and anger are offered. Personal growth and liberation requires learning tools to directly embrace these avoided experiences.
Integrative Mindful Exposure is a conceptual and practical therapeutic model that the author developed over twenty years of conducting psychotherapy that integrates behavioral exposure based approaches as well as mindfulness practices. “Attachment theory” and findings from contemporary neuroscience are also incorporated into this model.
The reader will be led on a journey deep into the layers of their emotional lives. The topography of this inner realm will be revealed as well as the fears, challenges, obstacles and opportunities that emerge as the layers of our avoided emotions are peeled back.
The book also contains self-assessments, worksheets and home exercises to facilitate personal understanding and growth.
OK, so in a nut shell that is it. I will be very excited to explore a number of topics in further depth and to receive input from readers.
In this blog I will describe more about the notion of Integrative Mindful Exposure (IME): A conceptual model that primarily is formed as a hybrid of behavioral exposure and Buddhist mindfulness principles. Also this model also incorporates certain aspects of developmental psychology, most specifically an area known as Attachment Theory. Finally, information and findings from contemporary neuroscience will be underscored to show how the constructs in the IME model also make sense at a more fundamental psychobiological level.
From within this conceptual model, we will be exploring some of the most difficult human emotional experiences including fear/anxiety, shame, and anger. I am probably most excited about the exploration of the experience of shame, since until very recently, it attracted very little attention from mainstream clinical or empirical psychological research. And yet, in my estimation, it plays a fundamental role in the development and maintenance of a variety of symptomatic and other issues that people experience.
The book which I will frequently refer to as HoToLoCo as an abbreviation, as well as this blog will explore the application of IME to other issues that many people struggle with including sleep difficulties, and chronic pain to name but a couple.
Finally, there is a phenomenon that some individuals encounter as they explore the deeper realms of their emotional lives as they utilize some of the techniques that are described in the book. I have devoted a chapter to the experiential domain that I have termed “The Hole”. I have found no references to this phenomenon in the literature. However, my conversations with other therapists reveal that in some cases, they too have bore witness to this phenomenon. I believe that it is a critical realm to understand from within a conceptual framework that can make sense and utilization of this experience.
So, I am very excited about undertaking this journey and I look forward to hearing from you. Perhaps together we can advance and refine this potentially powerful approach to the eventual benefit of those involved in the pursuit of personal growth and liberation.
