Desensitization.

I've been given my first ever assignment since I started my stint two and a half weeks ago. Finally. I'm really relieved about this because it keeps my mind occupied on something other than what it would have been occupied with.

I haven't been really feeling myself sometimes during my attachment here recently and many things seem to have been popping up that just sucks the life out of me. At times, I do feel like an empty shell walking around and nothing really registers. But I do make an effort to experience the things around me, it just takes more effort on my part, and that really exhausts me.

But these are the times when I really appreciate my family for their understanding and comfort and their patience with my constant mood changes.

I've been doing research for my little project and I've been reading many interesting materials about therapy and therapeutic methods. I never knew that Eye movement techniques were actually that recognized as a valid CBT technique. It's really hard to imagine why tracking eye movements can bring people to overcome their phobias. Maybe if I did it to myself for insects I
could actually start being a pestbuster in my house. haha.

What came to me as interesting was that therapy techniques have such a diverse range (and sometimes even contradictory) that you can't say for certain which will work on who. It all boils down to what theory you think is applicable to the person in question. That's the challenge facing therapists. To know theories of mind and behaviours so throroughly that they know at the back of their hand which one would be useful for whatever situation.

So for example, to treat a person with depression, could constitute more than just giving the poor guy trial dosages of anti-depressants (my grandmother was a victim of this and she never really found out how much of which anti-depressant worked for her. Half the time, she was like a zombie). It could mean asking the guy about childhood trauma, or uncovering and making him/ her aware of what distorted thinking he/she has, or just giving the guy meditation techniques to focus on the pain he suffers and the sadness he is experiencing.

What I find fascinating about these meditation techniques is that they allow you to focus on the present moment. For that instant, you rub out everything in the past, everything in the future and focus on the present. It's actually quite calming just thinking about how that would come
about.. One of the meditation stance is actually like that of one in deep prayer. And I think that reflects the deep spiritual nature of such a techinique. It brings you to the core of your problem, the core of yourself and from there, you work on the client.

Maybe focusing on the pain/problem/hurt more also helps desensitize you to it. Keeps you habituated to the situation. Like Pavlov's dogs, or Sniffy. More exposure to the hurtful stimuli makes you less prone to responding to it in the long run.

Such technical jargon. I'll keep it simple then. If you keep running away from your fears and pain, you'll never adapt to them. You must face them, maybe flood yourself with images and exposure to them, and maybe thereafter, find yourself responding more functionally to them.

Desensitization.