Surviving the Holiday Blues
Dr. Dennis Maness
The Holiday Season is upon us. Can you tell? It seems Christmas was
upon us before Thanksgiving arrived this year. While this may be great for
retailers, however as a healthcare clinic we at BrainTektm started
seeing the onset of holiday blues in our clients in October.
According to the American Psychological Association, about 19 million
adults suffer from depressive symptoms. For some, all of the pressures of
shopping, coordinating social functions and negotiating family issues bring
anxiety while others start reminiscing about past holidays and become
overwhelmed. The list of things that cause us to become anxious, depressed or
down are many. It doesn’t have to be that way.
People often recall the highlights of a Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas
or a New Year event from the past and hold on to what they remember as an ideal
holiday from years gone by, but today the facts have changed; we are older, the
kids are older, many of the family have moved to distant places and this
economy may bring financial limitations to many, making it impossible to
reproduce the holiday in our dreams. The result is often family tension and
holiday depression stemming from unrealistic expectations.
So just what is going on? The behavior on the outside is tandem to what
is going on the inside. As we start to slip into a depressive state of mind, we
start processing from a different part of our brain. We slip into a state
called Fight or Flight. The governing area of the brain for this state is
completely on the opposite side of the brain from where we think and process
our best thoughts and decisions. As a matter of fact, most of the thoughts
processed from this Fight or Flight area are thoughts of escape. We escape from
the moment by recalling the past which causes us to miss all the new, happy
memories being created in front of our own eyes.
One quick and easy procedure I teach people who are caught in this state
is for them of a close friend, spouse or clinician to touch their forehead and
ask them to focus on the touch. While they are doing this, I am
monitoring them utilizing proprietary software through connections on a BioComp
qEEG or the Nexus 10 qEEG unit. By monitoring, I am able to watch the
activity of their brain. With practice, they are able to move thoughts
from undesirable behavior to the new acceptable brain behavior even if
momentarily to a new focal point where they are able to process with logic,
away from their current state. This step is called Behavioral Relationship
Entrainment. In this step, I use a proprietary computer
program that teaches them to bring their thoughts from their current state to
the executive center of their brain where they create their best decisions and
behaviors. Here, we work together to help them appreciate the past and to be
aware of the present.
These methods and software programs were developed by
BrainTektm Institutes Dr. Dennis Maness we can work with you to
establish new thought patterns so that you are more in the moment and open and
able to creating new positive experiences. You are more able to think and work
from your highest potential instead of being stuck in a repetitive pattern zone
of Fight or Flight which can only give you less effective fear based
solutions.
Remember you are making new memories with fresh results with each thought
and action. Make them pleasant, proactive thoughts and deeds and enjoy each and
every moment. Live the moment with love and appreciation of your family and
friends. Making new memories and new friends can be a great and rewarding gift
that only you can give yourself.
Our clients at BrainTektm learn how to be in the moment so
they can deal effectively with the current issues, be present with their family
and friends because this creates a more enjoyable and productive present and an
even better future.
If you have a loved one who is caught reliving “Times Past” telling them
to “Get Over It” doesn’t help, it will only aggravate or intensify their pain.
This is like telling someone who has a toothache to “Get Over It”! Make the
holidays fun, light and fill them with love. Involve the family member who is
reminiscing the past. Help them create new, happy memories of the present and
appreciate the great holidays we have enjoyed before.
There are also serious health consequences to being in a depressive state
of mind - the longer you stay in this state of mind the more your body produces
adrenaline and cortisol. This build up of adrenaline and cortisol will
eventually be harmful to your body’s immune system. The sooner you can leave
this state of mind, the sooner your body can regain balance and start to repair
itself and you can also start to make new memories with the ones closest to
you. Two great products to help you out of the doldrums are liquid Vitamin B
drops and Passion 4 Live Vitamins which will help balance your hormones,
support your body to synthesize protein and maintain mental
wellbeing.
Remember you have a choice – choose to live in the present and create
a future you will be proud of. We at BrainTektm
Institute are here to support you and empower you to live and act from your
highest capacity so that you are building a happy and healthy today and
tomorrow.
Research
BrainTek Institute continues to stay at the cutting edge of brain / body
research. Our research has helped us become successful with
traumatic brain injury, stroke, Attention / Focus and other cognitive
challenges. We are also studying how early detection of irregular
brainwave behavior is a valuable predictor of potential challenges.