I am the founder of Alternatives Counseling Center and have practiced psychotherapy in the state of Florida for nearly twenty years. I have a degree in Psychology from Indiana State University, as well as a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova University. I have been licensed by the state of Florida since 1995. I am also certified as a Master Addiction Counselor and a Substance Abuse professional. Throughout my years in practice, I have assisted people suffering from a variety of psychological disturbances including: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, addictions, relationship issues, family conflicts, and more. During the earlier years of my work in this field, I used traditional methods of psychotherapy, however, I always had the inclination for mind-body connection and holistic healing.
As years went by, this inclination became the focus of my research and academic training. As a result, around the year 2008, my practice made a shift. I gradually began integrating other tools such as: hypnotherapy, audio-visual education, biofeedback, neuro feedback, and brainwave entrainment. My aim was to increase the effectiveness of my work by helping people attain real changes and growth on a long term basis.
I have treated thousands of people in a variety of settings and if there is one generalization I can make without hesitation, it is that change is the scariest thing for human kind. We remain in miserable relationships, jobs, situations, and continue repeating destructive behavioral patterns even when we know the right actions to take. In every single case, I have observed that our Psychological Resistance to change is associated with a form of Pay-off we receive from holding on to such behaviors or situations. Breaking our comfort is the hardest thing to do. We change when we are pushed by circumstances; when the threat to lose our comfort is greater than the fear to change. These findings lead to the birth of the Resistance Breaker, a short-term treatment protocol designed just to break that psychological resistance and to help people become aware of their self defeating habits, to take responsibility over their choices, and make a conscious commitment to change. This protocol is designed to bring our subconscious programming into awareness and hence disempower the irrational programming. With the Resistance Breaker, I have seen people transform their lives in just a few weeks, which may have taken those years using traditional methods of psychotherapy. I have seen clients lose the weight they have been carrying for years, stop panic attacks, overcome depression, addictive behaviors, codependent relationships, and even reduce or completely stop taking medications they thought they were bound to take forever.
Following these experiences, my views about mental illness also changed. Today, I strongly believe that psychological disorders are mere manifestations of our state of unconsciousness. The day-to-day exposure to physiological stress, triggered by our subconscious programming, leads to chemical imbalance and disease. Eventually, we develop symptoms severe enough to receive a diagnosis of Major Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and many others both of physical and psychological nature. I have found that once people become aware of these programmed unhealthy habits and irrational beliefs, they free themselves from their mental prison and the transformation begins.
Having understood what makes us ill, we are then able to learn to reprogram our mind with healthier thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Therefore, influencing our environment, relationships, and overall life experiences.
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