Reading Time: 2 minutes On October 10, we recognize World Mental Health Day. To emphasize the importance of mental health, Calmerry therapists have prepared a special gift to our readers. These are the books that will help you deeper understand your emotions, patterns, and coping strategies. Reading itself is an excellent way to contribute to your mental health and practiсe mindfulness. Especially, when the books you read are recommended…

Reading Time: 4 minutes If you have never been to therapy before, you probably know that it can be very challenging to decide who to see about your mental health. There are different types of mental health professionals. Their job titles and specialties can vary by state, and it all can seem so confusing to figure out who does what. So if you are struggling to cope with your…

Reading Time: 6 minutes If you think of yourself as uninteresting, unintelligent, and unworthy of anything good, you’re probably not going to put yourself out there very much. In fact, you’re likely going to miss out on a lot of connections and opportunities throughout your life. But what if your negative thoughts are just like any other bad habit that can be broken? According to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT),…

Reading Time: 5 minutes As the myth goes, Narcissus was the beautiful son of a river god and nymph. When he rejected the love of Echo, the gods of vengeance cursed him to fall in love with his own reflection in the waters of a spring, which led to his death. In psychology, narcissism represents excessive self-involvement, a sense of entitlement, and a need to be admired. Narcissistic personality…

Reading Time: 5 minutes Therapy can be a rewarding and valuable experience for those who need help to overcome the challenges they encounter in life. However, seeking help is still something that some people find difficult. Stigma, physical limitations, and busy schedules often get in the way of accessing therapy. Online counseling reduces the barriers to access to mental health services. It is yet another area of health that…

Reading Time: 10 minutes Relationships, emotions, likes and dislikes, behaviors, and self-image change abruptly, like the weather, reacting to the slightest changes in the environment. Frequent mood swings, seeing things in extremes, impulsiveness, intense fear of rejection and abandonment, difficulty managing emotions, “all good or all bad” — for the person with borderline personality disorder, every aspect of life may feel unstable. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is widely discussed…

Reading Time: 7 minutes 2.8 percent of U.S adults live with bipolar disorder. Some of them have episodes several times a year; others experience them rarely. Attacks may last for days or weeks. Unfortunately, this condition has no cure. A common misconception is that this disorder is just about having mood swings. The truth is, it is a severe mental condition that can affect one’s quality of life. There…

Reading Time: 4 minutes Somewhere along our never-ending evolutionary journey, our ancestors developed perceptions towards negative emotions. Research and studies in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and psychology agree that anxiety and stress are feelings we developed to stimulate movement, for survival. Consequently, these emotions triggered us to address specific primary stimuli, such as danger or thirst. However, these emotions manifest on a different plane in the current human experience. Coping…

Reading Time: 6 minutes At some stage, you may meet an individual with antisocial characteristics. Some surveys estimate that about 4% of the population are sociopaths, and most of them are men. The concept is commonly used in reference to people diagnosed with the disorder. The behavior of these people often hurts others more than it does themselves. High-functioning sociopaths can cause harm to people close to them, making…

Reading Time: 6 minutes The MMPI is one of the most commonly used psychological tests in the world that assesses personality traits and psychopathology. Although it was created in the middle of the 20th century, the test remains popular even today, given its empirical tradition. The test has measures to check dishonest responses and to detect exaggerations.  Originally created in the 1930s, the MMPI has undergone numerous updates. Now,…

Reading Time: 5 minutes Can people change? According to recent studies, personality can change throughout a person’s life, even stretching into older adulthood. People can always work to adjust the personality aspects that least impress them. The main factors influencing our personalities, values, beliefs, and behavior are genetic predispositions to specific traits, childhood environments, and life experiences. However, this does not mean that personality is always predetermined. In this…

Reading Time: 4 minutes Feminist therapy and feminism are two completely different things, and you shouldn’t disregard the former because of the latter. Feminist therapy is a treatment methodology for mental issues, and it’s becoming more and more popular. It’s regarded as the most tolerant and accepted type of mental help, and it might be the answer for you. What’s Feminist Therapy? In a nutshell, feminist therapy is a…