Help for Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Abuse in LA

Are you suffering from depression, anxiety, or problems with alcohol or drugs? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Many people just like you are experiencing the same problems. The good news is that there is help available. As a psychotherapist with over twenty-five years of experience working with people who have these types of problems, I have found some powerful and effective tools for overcoming these problems.

There are a multitude of reasons why people become depressed, anxious, or abuse alcohol and drugs. What I have found is that often these problems are brought on as a result of painful emotional responses to past experiences. While these experiences may have occurred long ago, part of our brain (the subconscious) didn’t get the news that the “war is over and I survived”. Because of this, the subconscious part of the brain keeps responding emotionally to situations as if the experiences or situations are still occurring. Like the soldier who returns from war. In order to survive he had to experience horrible things and be wired to survive twenty-four hours a day. After returning home his conscious mind realizes he is safe, but his subconscious mind still thinks he is in the war zone. One day he is on the porch and a car backfires near him. Without thinking, he is on the floor and is ready for battle. Emotionally, he is still at war. His subconscious mind hasn’t adjusted to the present, it is still responding to the past. This is what is happening to most people with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse problems.

Depression occurs because the mind is in an infinite loop responding to old beliefs and experiences that seem like they are never going to go away. Quite often, our subconscious mind will be drawn to people and situations that remind us (are similar) of past people and situations. Because of this people see no end to their pain, failure, defeat, unhappiness, or failed relationships. No wonder they are depressed.

Anxiety is fear of fear. Fear is an emotion geared directly to our survival. If the antelope sipping water at the watering hole sees a lion approaching does he continue to sip the water? No! His mind and body quickly respond to help the antelope survive. That is called the “fight or flight” response. We call it fear. Fear is neither healthy nor unhealthy. It is a response to a real or perceived threat. The antelope’s brain can only respond to a real threat, while a human can imagine a threat or remember a previous threat and get the same response. Because a person’s body is geared for a threat (flight) , the physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, tension, palpitations, and general agitation are interpreted by the person as “anxiety”. So where or what is the threat? Most likely the “threat” is something in the past that is triggered by thinking about or remembering the past event in which there was a “real” threat.

Drug and alcohol abuse is often a way to self medicate painful emotions and to suppress unpleasant and often traumatic memories and experiences. Without eliminating these painful emotions, many people find it difficult or impossible to stop using drugs or alcohol. While many require more intensive treatments or detoxification to stop using, they will likely relapse if they don’t eliminate the painful emotions, anxiety, and depression that often underlies their substance use.
There is hope! Rapid Resolution Therapy™ is an approach developed by Dr. Jon Connelly, a world renowned psychotherapist, trainer, and author. This approach is designed to quickly and painlessly relieve and eliminate painful emotions and behaviors that are a response to past experiences and events. It has also proven effective in eliminating alcohol and drug cravings and a host of other addictive behaviors. Within 1-3 sessions most painful and distressing emotions can be cleared. By addressing both the conscious and the subconscious minds, a person can feel immediate relief from distressing thoughts and feelings which have plagued them for a lifetime.

To schedule an appointment, just pick up the phone. If you live in the Los Angeles area call John K. Smith Ph.D., LCSW at 626-859-2686 or fill out the contact us form on the website. Your information is confidential an appointment will be scheduled within a few days at a convenient time. If desired, a free telephone consultation will be provided.

500 W. Badillo St., Covina, CA 91722      Phone: 626-859-2686

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