People tend to fall into familiar patterns, and Alexandria Psychologist Dr. Eleni Boosalis wants her new podcast to help folks get unstuck.
“The pandemic has caused about half of people in the U.S. to have symptoms of anxiety and depression that are pretty severe,” Boosalis told ALXnow. “We also don’t have the benefit of social connections, or routine and predictability. It just seems like from moment to moment we don’t know what’s gonna happen, so everyone’s just in this perpetual state of anxiety right now.”
Boosalis, the owner of Del Ray Psych & Wellness, launched “Why Does This Keep Happening To Me? with Dr. B” on Tuesday (Nov. 10). The shows will be a mix of monologues and conversations about helpful topics.
Boosalis says that her nine therapists have a four month waitlist and she is considering hiring more help.
“We have seen an increase in couples therapy requests, and we have also seen an increase in like substance abuse, depression, panic disorders, and things like that,” she said.
Boosalis has been a psychologist for the last 15 years, and she constantly hears her clients say, “Why does this keep happening to me? I feel stuck.”
“There’s this phenomenon that’s called the repetition compulsion in one of the models of psychotherapy,” she said. “The idea is that we all compulsively repeat and recreate patterns in our life where we feel powerless. We learned that from childhood.”
Boosalis said that improving your state of mind begins with mindfulness.
“Even if it’s uncomfortable, we’re comfortable in our discomfort at times,” she said. “If we can slow down and be in the moment and notice our thoughts, and notice the patterns of our thoughts and the patterns of our choices, then that leads a person to that ‘Aha!’ moment, where you know why you did that, because there’s usually no gap between your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. People act, think and feel all at once in one second. The goal is to separate those out and be more aware of yourself.”
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