Tame Your Mood Newsletter
In This Issue:
Feature Article: Which President, Which Mood?
Recent Online Articles
About Marty
EMDR Services for trauma
Services


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 Marty L. Cooper, MFT

4831 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118

martycooper@
mlcooper.com

www.mlcooper.com
































































































































September 2008    Vol. 2, Issue 2
Greetings!

Well, in San Francisco, unlike most of the rest of the world, we're getting hotter days as the Indian Summer sets in.  Hot for S.F. is chilly for places like Sacramento, but we get acclimated to the chill of the summer fog, which makes the contrast with actual sweat-producing weather marked.
 
But really, it's been anti-depressant weather here recently.
 
Nationally, of course, the presidential race is heating up.  So this month's article is focused on using this event to one's own advantage, in terms of understanding a bit better how such "macros" affect our particular "micro"--i.e., us.
 
Take a look at the questions below and see what this race might have to reflect back to us, that might be useful in the project of taming one's mood. 


Best wishes,
Marty
Which President, Which Mood?
 
So with the primaries over, and the campaign for President revving up, here are some suggestions about using this inescapable event to your benefit.  The Wild Moods, depression and anxiety, have multiple factors that influence them, and though our recent bias is towards "brain chemistry imbalance," the storms of culture cannot be taken lightly.
 
Big cultural/political events are something of a Rorschach test for one's own relationship to the macro world we live in.  Take 911:  although grief and anger were common (if not ubiquitous) responses, people differed radically in how they responded to the event. Some sunk into profound depressions, unable to go about their normal routines.  Others developed or flowered an anxiety that verged on paranoia, on seeing dangers in the smallest events.  Others felt motivated to become politically active.  Some made art.  Some supported the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq;  some supported the hijackers.
 
Radical differences, in feeling and action.  Less traumatically (one hopes), this presidential race is likely to also stir up different feelings/moods and calls to action (or inaction).  Some will get depressed-"Look, politics as usual"-and others will get excited-"Here's a chance to make a difference!"
 
So as an event that most will have about as much tangible impact on as a rain storm, consider using the presidential race to see into yourself, to deepen your wisdom about your own habits of mood and interpretation.  Knowing that depression and anxiety feed on unexamined habits of mind (and body), especially when those are habits of rumination, see what your responses might have to teach you.
 
Consider these thoughts as entrances to inquiry:
 
--"When I consider the American political system as a whole, what are the first thoughts?  How do I feel?  What do I feel in my body?"
 
--"Politicians are ____, and when I think of politicians as a class of people, I feel what?  What happens in my body?  Is my mood pulled up or down, or remains stable?"
 
--"If Obama wins, that means what to me?  What story do I tell about a future with Obama as president?  Considering that future, what emotions do I recognize?  Sensations?  What is my mood?"  (Repeat for McCain.)
 
--"If I am to feel safe with American politics, what needs to be true?  And if it's not true, is it possible to feel safe nonetheless?"
 
--"What are the duties of a citizen, in my eyes?  Am I living up to my own standards and expectations?  Considering my own citizenship, what do I feel?  What sensations?  What mood?"
 
--"What do I feel towards the candidates?  Hate?  Love?  Excitement?  Gratitude?  Loathing?  Considering that, what do I feel?  Sense in my body?  What does it seem to do to my mood?"
 
--"If I were to have my mood affected only positively by the presidential race, what would be my attitude?  What, if anything, would be different from now, inside of me?"
 
The flow of these questions is, really, the flow of transforming the wild moods:  first the information about patterns, and then the realization that we are creating mood within us, and therefore have the chance of recreating it.  The last question could be asked of virtually anything in our lives, if we replaced "the presidential race" with, say, relationship, or finances, or whatnot. 
 
Even something as large and out of our direct control as this race can be used for our own wisdom and healing, a principle behind all successful taming of depression and anxiety.
Online Articles
 
Well, it's been a busy summer and I haven't had the time to write very much.  However, you can read past articles, by clicking here.
 
Please feel free to email me with questions or ideas about the wild moods;  many of my best articles came out of conversations with clients and colleagues.
About Marty
Marty L. Cooper, MFT

Marty Cooper is a San Francisco psychotherapist who helps individuals
struggling with anxiety and depression to not only manage these "wild
moods," but eventually learn how to overcome them.  His background in
both Western approaches to healing, as well as Eastern mindfulness
practices (meditation) give a wide range of perspectives and techniques to bring to the work of taming mood. 

Marty's passion arises out of his deep understanding of how painful anxiety and depression can be, and his wish to help others learn how to avoid overwhelm, as well as to find meaning in experience that can otherwise at times just seem pointless.

Joy, connection, and a life not ruled by fear are all truly possible.
EMDR

So, what is EMDR?  EMDR stands for "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing," and is an extremely effective, evidence-based, way of working with trauma, that can lead to a full recovery from post traumatic symptoms, in some cases within a few sessions.  Even very old, entrenched sufferings can be loosened and removed.  People really do experience freedom from beliefs and pains that have pained them for decades.

But EMDR is also effective for clearing old memories that are not overt traumas.  For instance, issues such as phobias, stuck patterns in relationships, general anxiety and depression, all can be helped with the targeted use of EMDR.  Sometimes, because of the more "systemic" quality of these issues, more time and sessions are needed, but the results can still be remarkable and deep.

If you are interested in more information, you can look at the information on my website (click here), or feel free to give me a call. 

(For a fuller introduction to EMDR, Transforming Trauma by Laurel Parnell, is a great place to start.  Click here.)
Services
 
I offer psychotherapy to those who are wanting to learn deeper and more effective management strategies for their anxiety and depression, as well those who wish to find out how to overcome these wild moods.  I work comprehensively with mental, emotional, bodily, and spiritual dimensions, all of which are necessary to overcome the chronic quality of anxiety and depression.

If you are looking to make changes that last, then please call me and set up an initial phone consultation, so we can see if or how I can best be of service. 

Marty L. Cooper, MFT
415.835.2162
martycooper@mlcooper.com