Mindfulness Regina

A wonderful group open to all people interested in practicing meditation.  We meet monthly for two hours to practice mindfulness; sitting, walking and laying.  Individual sessions are available.  Check us out on Facebook.  Peace.  Dr. T

Finding Yourself

If you find that meditation does not come easily in your city room, be inventive and go out into nature. Nature is always an unfailing fountain of inspiration. To calm your mind, go for a walk at dawn in the park, or watch the dew on a rose in a garden. Lie on the ground and gaze up into the sky, and let your mind expand into its spaciousness. Let the sky outside awaken a sky inside your mind. Stand by a stream and mingle your mind with its rushing; become one with its ceaseless sound. Sit by a waterfall and let its healing laughter purify your spirit. Walk on a beach and take the sea wind full and sweet against your face. Celebrate and use the beauty of moonlight to poise your mind. Sit by a lake or in a garden and, breathing quietly, let your mind fall silent as the moon comes up majestically and slowly in the cloudless night.

What is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)?

Good introduction.  Workshop in Regina for November 23 has two openings.   Monthly training will be available send your email queries to todd.sojonky@sasktel.net for details.

Anger and Exercise

Anger and Exercise

Anger is often the result of frustration and anxiety that gets redirected toward others. According to psychologist Kelly Wilson in her book "Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong," hundreds of studies have demonstrated that exercise reduces anxiety. Exercise also reduces anger that is the result of frustration or anger management difficulties by burning off excess energy and releasing powerful endorphins that can help improve your mood. Exercise also reduces blood pressure. High blood pressure can make you feel angry, and may also be the consequence of excessive anger.   -Brenna Davis

Wonderful Albert Ellis Teaching

New Location for Sojonky Psychological Services

Happy to announce Sojonky Psychological Services is moving! Opening the Arcola Wellness Centre starting July 2! Marriage and Family therapy, depression and anxiety, stress and chronic pain, eating disorders and yes Yoga classes! Feel free to spread the word. Peace and best wishes. Dr. Todd Sojonky, Ph.D., R.D. Psychologist

3018 Doan Drive, Regina, Sk. (306) 737-6533

Understanding Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy: Effective Eating Disorder Treatment

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective of helping individuals overcome anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. CBT is based on the link between thoughts, actions, emotions, and physiological reactions. The flow chart provided below shows how thoughts, feelings, physical reactions and behaviors are intertwined. Our reactions to external events, situations, and especially other people are complex and multifaceted. By improving coping skills and preparing for challenging situations individuals can make substantial emotional and behavioral changes. 
 

In general, actions and thoughts are more easily modified directly than emotions and physical reactions. CBT therapy is typically a focused, time limited treatment. CBT is a collaborative effort between the therapist and the individual to implement more effective thoughts and behaviors. One benefit is that behavior change can be noticed in a few weeks, although complete treatment may take many months.

Skills acquired during CBT for eating disorder include:

• Identifying events that trigger eating disorder episodes and predict when symptoms may reoccur
• Changing incorrect beliefs and destructive thought patterns
• Developing skills for daily problems that reduce the risk that problems and symptoms will reoccur
• Changing behaviors that do not work, substituting healthy behaviors
• Changes attitudes about food, eating, and body image
• Relapse prevention skills

At the end of treatment, the individual has acquired a toolkit for coping that prepares them to face life’s challenges in healthy ways, rather than relying on the eating disorder.

Understanding Your Story

In therapy I love to use story.  Clients are involved in 're-storying' their experiences and conversations.  Stories are central to an understanding of what a client is presenting.  As they gather their experiences and write them in story form they begin to see 'golden threads' or patterns of behaviour that show themselves as themes of 'thier storied experience.'

Narrative therapy is an empowering way to involve the client as 'expert' on the primary issues in their lives.

Narrative therapists are interested in joining with people to explore the stories they have about their lives and relationships, their effects, their meanings and the context in which they have been formed and authored.  Many of my clients wait a few weeks before they read their stories and when they do they are amazed at the story they discover.  Not only are there insights but the writing serves as a form of emotional release and relaxation.   Google Jerome Bruner to read more about this empowering form of therapy.   TJS

The Gestalt Prayer

In marriage and family therapy we discover that we have false expectations of each other.  We expect other people to act as we would.  This is a lie.  We are different and we do not see the world the same way.  Although we need to work together we must also understand that our differences are our strengths.  TJS


I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful.
If not, it can’t be helped.
(Fritz Perls, 1969)

Self-Efficacy

How do you affect the children you teach? What do students at all levels learn about themselves from their teachers? Do you inspire and build self-esteem? Teaching, like psychotherapy, should help people find their inner strength! Psychologist Albert Bandura said it this way:

"Educational practices should be gauged not only by the skills and knowledge they impart for present use but also by what they do to children's beliefs about their capabilities, which affects how they approach the future. Students who develop a strong sense of self-efficacy are well equipped to educate themselves when they have to rely on their own initiative."

Albert Bandura

The Miracle of the Feast

There is nothing like it! When teachers, staff and principals get together to feast. Bringing food of all sorts to share with each other. Creating opportunities to build friendships and to brainstorm ideas of how to work well with the kids in school. There is a miracle that happens when we come together to share food and listen to each others stories. It is a form of bridge building which helps isolated schools to thrive and encourages each of us to realize that we are never alone. We are all connected! Good schools, great staff working with wonderful kids! ---TJS