Multiculturalism Globally and Lessons

Recently several political heavyweights have been taking a curious stance on multiculturalism. For instance, President of France, Nicolas Sarkosy positions that tolerance of multicultural individuals doesn't allow for France to maintain an authentic identity (Sexton, 2011). British Prime Minister Cameron and German Chancellors have stated in recent months of the total failure in Europe in themes of multiculturalism (Bleher, 2011, Sexton, 2011). European identity and unification are far from ideal to ideas of collaboration and sustained meaningfulness in the impact of others coming together towards sovereign efforts.

Prime Minister Cameron states “Under the doctrine of state multiculturalism, we have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, apart from each other and apart from the mainstream. We’ve failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We’ve even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run completely counter to our values”. As the world listens and considers such European leader's stance in issues with diversity, one cannot help but think of the lack of progress our own nation has with embracing multiculturalism.

We share a horrific history in tolerance to others in this country. It appears that one of man's greatest struggles is to embrace tolerance of differences and not feel the threat of identity confusion or that resources are scare or compromised in accepting another human being into a community.

Taking history into account, is the age old philosophical debate of whether we actually learn from history or are doomed to repeat it. Though this is a discussion started in macro environments, taking in the totality of the global strife with mutliculturalism, lessons might be learned if one starts small and believes in the butterfly effect where a butterfly's wings pulsation in California might make for a tsunami in coastal India (Lorenz, 1961).

Research indicates that a group that manages issues well can serve positively in regards to diversity. Collectively, it sounds as though countries are struggling to take the cues of what it is exactly that appears to work well so as to better their own country. For instance, can we Americans look at groups, companies that perhaps have moved beyond just tolerance of diverse individuals in their work force and actively move in directions beyond tolerance and actually invests wholly, kindly, and emphatically in that multiple cultures does serve their own interests well?

As one reflects on groups, the human attributes cannot be diminished. If the human condition is to feel threatened by others different than ourselves, what can be done so as to undo these cultural constructs of fear? Education may be the answer, but can the message ever be received well when we operate in the cultural contruct of fear? This goes back to history repeating itself. Has a group ever successfully merged into a new culture peacefully and non-threateningly? One's answer frames the thought process and the interaction of behaviors speaking to tolerance or less in the larger group.

If we can change our cultural contruct, remove fear, add education, our new, embraced, unified mutlicultural group has the potential to be truly fierce. When no group member feels threatened and there is motivation beyond tolerance to embrace multiplicity in the ways of doing things, we open ourselves up to being adaptable infinitely to new ideas, prodecures, approaches, and most humbly, recognizing that there may be mutlitple ways to reach an end result, with no one approach being better. The biggest task remains, getting over ourselves and our fears. A group leader that works to provide psychological safety may be able in this environment to create headway and the butterfly effect remains unknown as whether fear has permanently been replaced with more productive, accurate thinking about others (Levi, 2011).

Reference:

Bleher,S. (2011). Cameron's Failure on Multiculturalism.Retrieved 03/10/2011at: http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=625929

Levi, D. (2011). Group dynamics for teams. (3^rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Sage Publications, Inc.

Lorenz, E. (1961). Chaos & Fractals. Retrieved 03/10/2011 at: http://www.stsci.edu/~lbradley/seminar/ butterfly.html

Sexton, J. (2011). Multliculturalism a Failure...says Europe. Retrieved 03/10/2011 at: http://hotair.com/archives/2011/02/11/multiculturalism-a-failure-says-europe/

Readiness factor to treating Alcoholism

This author writes today coming with a plethora of experience and techniques in the intial identification and treatment of acohol abuse and dependency. By virtue of having worked at two universities where the young adult population either is forming their realtionship and choices around alcohol or is already showing early warning signs of alcoholism, there are a host of entities utilized in understanding, informing, and socially “norming” young adult's decisions with alcohol. This writer resides philosophically somewhere between pusher (i.e. bartender) and prohibitionist with this topic. It's a grey place to reside and unfortunately with student's cognition development, they often have a hard time understanding the grey area instead of being clearly black and white with orientation around alcohol. Perhaps the law serves as the clear and cut parameter around alcohol and how one chooses to either abide by the law or not is where the most cognitive growth can occur around good decision making in regards to consumption.

As I project out a number of years as a psychologist and consider adult patients, I am of the understanding that acoholism is a family disease of which all parties need treatment. As stated in earlier weeks, this writer impresses upon anyone entering within a counseling treatment with a professional like myself at the healm that if “you are not part of the solution in reagards to alcohol than you are part of the problem.” Al-Anon is recommended for family members so that they learn not to support the alcoholism behavior. Not doing this step, as related to the societal and cultural constructs in psychological dynamics and within a family, creates negative feedback loops at many levels. (Nicholson, 2010).

In introductory counseling sessions the client with alcohol problems will need to define family in the terms of people in his or her daily sphere of influence. This idea of family may extend to friends, peers, and co-workers. In matters of professional confidentiality, the client may be asked about comfort level in reporting to superiors or Human Resources about garnering additional resources and assistance towards reforming alcohol dependency issues. These conversations and inquiries about support can come either directly from the client or can be facilitated by the professional.

Beyond getting the client to talk about family and supportive types, we can also begin to explore what constituted their history with alcohol. This writer gets to utilize empathy as alcoholism has run rampant in my family and I am the first generation to break the habits of the disease though my genes are wired to addiction. My consciousness is half of the battle. I work not to put any triggers in range of myself. Peers know that I have alcoholism in my family and that I will not be having any adult beverages or spirits. While I might role model strength and proactivity around the disease of addiction, what works for me may not necessarily work for my clients. Indeed these clients may not be able to ward off the alcohol so successfully. Serenity might work better for them instead of warrioring through. Group processes like AA may be a better fit. Creating a supportive, spiritual group and structure may work better for some clients (Hersen, Turner, & Beidel, 2007) .

Beyond family members and support groups being identified, issues around genetics, environment, and emotion needs to be explored. Is the client feeling guilty or ashamed of their issue? These deep emotions can work sometimes in the client and professional's favor if it acts like a catalyst for change. To uncover a family history of alcholism is not unheard of, and perhaps the client had learned poor coping skills with emotions and soothed with alcohol to a precarious brink. CBT may make its debut at this time. Within the learned behavior is also consideration of the genetic inheritance of alcoholism from biological family members. Also, questions around the client's social environment are key. If they are a clubber, they place themselves in trigger, high risk environments not only for alchol but for drugs.

Assessment of alcohol dependency issues may come to a professional by virtue of the judicial system. To be clear, if a court has referred an individual to counseling because of alcohol, it's safe to say a behavior choice involving alcohol lead to this point. While the motivation to work within the parameters of counseling may not be of the intrinsic sort, none the less, a sphere of the client indicates that some behavior is enough to indicate that the client's relationship with alcohol is not on normal, functional parameters. The client may do the motions of therapy but only when they are ready on their terms will impact on their disease really be accomplished. It is not any fault of the therapist to take things personally when a client resists treatment. The professional must believe in their capabilties should their timing and skill meet up with the right client with a “readiness” factor. This may not happen as frequently as one would like, but when one can get the client to sobriety every hassle patient or every mismatched patient within a broken system tends to fade in comparison to those that wish to be helped.

References:

Hersen, M., Turner, S.M., and Beidel, D.C. (2007). Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis, Fifth Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Nichols, M. P., (2010). Family therapy: Concepts and methods (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Countertransference issues in therapy: Schizophrenia & APD study critique

While there are a lot of interesting topics and sub-studies abundant in the field of psychology, nothing
intrigues this writer more than the wide path of Freudian theories so relevant still today. The concern
to account for, recognize and steer clear of countertransference issues is still a work in progress for any
professional. CT is understood to be reactions to clients on both the surface and underlying
motivational levels (Freud, 1910).
Just recently this writer was thinking about how often in professions new professionals are groomed in
kind to old professionals. Yes mentoring and teaching is a wonderfully inspiring thing, but to an extent,
is it possible that all one does is create machines in one's own likeness? This may happen on many
levels. For instance, psychology professionals are held to standards of the APA. Daily one goes about
their practice within these constructs and never really may push the envelope. Parallel to this thought
is the review and discussion of professional composure both on the conscious level and even that of
the subconscious level.
As we mix, mingle, and intertwine, are all we doing is convoluting ourselves and acting out the
Freudian schema of CT? How much of it happens via our shared collective unconsciousness (Jung,
1970)from being human having a shared history versus a methodical personality having the upperhand
in manipulation when one's personality is highly dominant? And if not personality strength, could
being placed in a position of authority tip the CT scale in one's favor?
While Scwartz, Smith, and Chopko in 2007 wove a study to outline CT in instances of schizophrenia and
anti-social personality disorder, daily professionals have to account for and reflect on how much of
their own issues help or hinder their work. Professionals need to ask themselves at the end of the day
how much they were fully present, in their game, and know where their course of treatment or scope
of duties may serve humanity. Ideally, professionals in the field of psychology and
CT 3
social work are some of the fiercest people in being even-keeled to any client that may walk through
their door, the reality is that their own issues can at times distract them from their best work.
As the study of Schwartz, Smith, and Chopko unravels, it presents the data that persons with
schizophrenia become endeared while those of anti-social personality disorder are managed more
harshly in experienced professionals (2007). More interestingly is the realization that often the
persons with schizophrenia tend to look toward the professional for additional guidance and steering
while quite predictably, the persons with APD continue in their path of being resistant to another's
influence of the situation, often challenging it. As these disorders and personalities collide with
therapist, much can be garnered in the effort to maintain professional best practices when one is of
the consciousness that we do not operate in a vacuum and that others will impact services rendered.
What this may boil down to is managing preferences and preferential treatment with patients and
what they bring to bare to the counseling dynamic. For instance, if it's psychometrically valid that
persons with schizophrenia may be holding their helper in high regard, this actually may work well for
the therapist to show them their flaws so as to level the playing field and to introduce more
unconditional positive regard about the human condition in general. This may alleviate feelings of guilt
or embarassment around their disorder.
Knowing that the person with schizophrenia is easy to ingratiate to the trust needed in clinical
relationships, how might the well-functioning client with schizophrenia in turn become empowered
from the counseling sessions to recognize a reversal in CT in that they may be an authority? Could they
do work in group sessions at their center for groups around the theme of coping with schizophrenia?
Let's take a recognized CT situation and realize it may not be so bad if used positively.
In instances of CT going out to APD types, what we need to do is be conscious of things that irritate us
and provide roadblocks. The APD personality in and of itself may constitute one of the most
challenging personalities to help. Perhaps reflection about that which we don't like about ourselves is
CT4
what we see in APD and become most critical of. Can a professional know of expert strategies to
minimize dislike of a patient of APD when they might be sharing aspects of the human condition?
Could sharing these flaws help ingratiate a relationship? While this remains a theory, the CT we come
to therapy with in these clients may unlock a lot of reflection potential in us all. This would be taking CT
and using it in a positive manner again.
While the research of Schwartz, Smith, and Chopko,( 2007) is very illuminating on the topic and
identification of a personality and disorder that lends well to extremes of CT, there was a major flaw to
the study that was not covered in the researcher's considerations of experimental drawbacks. This
writer is of the educational background understanding how media can control a message and behavior
in the masses. The fact that that clients were portrayed on video may need addressing. In reaction to
the experiment, the production, editing, message delivery, implied perceptions, actual perceptions are
all the artwork of a person or team and even within that may be an issue of CT. To be sure, there is a
reason and message that any media has in communicating. That needs to be accounted for in this
study. The clients in each scenario must be addressed for dependent variables of the production of the
video. Controls need to be offered.
In spite of the delivery of the media message, this writer approaches all potential clients with intrigue.
My emotion will be conveyed as curiosity and intrigue around how they function despite something
being outlying to "normal". This goes back to my concentrated interest in positive psychology and how
people persist towards being their authentic self and how this writer may help them capitalize on this.
For instance, in persons with schizophrenia, documenting the stories of their multiple selves may make
the work for a truly layered artistic expression. They have multiple stories to tell and it could be told in
so many fashions. They could paint, write, direct, or musically create their schism experiences if they
have an inclination to take a bad situation, embrace it and spin it positively. How many of us are not
ideas people? These patients may be full of potential if they see it that way. In
CT5
viewing this so positively, I may be counter-transfering my inclination to the arts on my clients. Is this
really that bad though?
In anti-social personality types, I would believe that there resistance towards the therapuetic alliance
may present me with some of the most challenging work possible. Within that dynamic this writer
imagines having to do an immense amount of preparation and research to break down barriers. It
should serve me well. Even if I don't succeed in creating an allegiance, I know that I will have at least
tried. It's never wrong to feel bad about a referral if the relationship is too difficult to be formed. I may
have to wonder of my own CT in abandonment issues as this writer approaches life quite individualistic
at times. However, that may lend itself to a strength area with APD clients as I am aware of functions,
professions, and networks of an individualistic nature.
One last thing to impress upon is the need for any professional to be networked for consultation and
referrals. One must be able to keep CT to a minimum especially when it's one's own issues that have
not been dealt with adequately. This is a field that must build consultation and support among
practitioners to consult on difficulties and shortcomings. Practitioners must do whatever is necessary
to be the rock in a seemingly volatile patient's world.
CT 6
References:
Freud, S. (1910). The Future Prospects of Psycho-Analytic Therapy. London, U.K.
Jung, C. (1970). Collected Works, Volume 10. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.
Schwartz, R. C., Smith, S. D., & Chopko, B. (2007). Psychotherapists' countertransference reactions
toward clients with antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia: An empirical test of
theory.American Journal of Psychotherapy, 61(4), 375-393. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Borderline Personality Disorder

It is former Harvard professor and psychiatrist Theodore Millon's life work that personality is composed of numerous major spheres of structure and functioning. In essence personality is not simply about behavior, or about cognition or unconscious conflicts, but the interaction of all of this to comprise a person (Millon, 2006). Echoing proof in this capactity is the continued discussion of individuals with borderline personality disorder. These individuals show a very distinctive black and white cognition, rationale or irrationale. Indeed twenty to forty percent of these individuals have episodes where reality is elusive within extreme episodes. Another significance is that roughly seventy five percent of these folks are women (Hersen et al., 2007).

What are some of the possible causes that contribute to the development of BPD?

Research from a genetic etiology indicates that attributes of impulsivity and affective instability are partly inheritable. Other research traces the quantity and firing work of serotonin, like in so many other psychological quandries (Hersen et al. 2007).

In the psychosocial developmental realm, instances of traumatic childhood expreriences appear as themes in self-reportings of those within researched studies. Teasing out other variables of these client's childhood experience within the abuse or neglectful home is always complicated work. A weakened family structure so pervasive in American homes is considered causal to the higher instances of this disorder here in the states.

Describe the essential characteristics of someone struggling with a Borderline Personality Disorder.

Millon describes personality disorders through the lenses of structure and function. Functional attributes are as follows:

Expressively spasmodic- impulsivity, lack of energy, self-harming behaviors

Interpersonally paradoxical- manipulative, volatile, angry all working against their need of others

Fluctuating Cognition- vascillating love, rage, and guilt creating conflicting feedback for others

Structural attributes are:

Uncertain self-image- waivering identity, emptiness, self-punitive

Incompatible object relations- aborted lessons, incongruent memories, contradictory needs, erratic impulses and poor skills in conflict resolution

Regression regulatory mechanism- lower development skill set

split morphologic organization- inability to be consistent across the elements, schism with reality

labile mood temperament- shifts in mood, energy from mania to melancholia

What seem to be the most effective treatment techniques with clients struggling with Borderline Personality Disorder?

Personalized psychotherapy joins with thinkers of the past and argue that the following cannot extend beyond the scope of a clinician’s regard: the family and culture, neurobiological processes, unconscious memories, and so on (Millon, 2006).

More specifically, Millon offers CBT and catalytic sequences in personalized psychotherapy. The patient's thoughts and behaviors are corrected concurrent to catalytic sequences in step with tasks that can be meaningfully resolved within the new and improved thinking and behaving to reinforce the larger picture of working on the self towards an improved self.

References:

Hersen, M., Turner, S.M., and Beidel, D.C. (2007).Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis, Fifth Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Millon,T. (2006). Institute for advanced studies in Personology and Psychopathology. Retrieved 1/25/2011 at http://www.millon.net/index.htm

Beyond Sasha Fierce

DID may be another psychological disorder best understood and recognized within a continuum of experiences. Mild disassociations of the self and bod y appear acceptable and even healthy while at the polar extreme opposite end of the continuum are individuals identifying with multiple personalities with minimal and no integration of the alter egos, and little control over these disossociations.

An important diagnosis criterion is the extent of which individuals feel out of control of their alter-egos. In contrast, an example of a healthy disossociation would be one during meditation as one feels they may temporarily access a different plane of being, or a different realm of conciousness and not within their physical body. At the other end of the continuum or scale ( Wright &Loftus,1999) and a bit more un-healthy may be persons with diagnosis of DID, where these individuals have mutliple personalities, are not wholly integrated with their alter-egos, and are working through their defense in their alter-ego to cope with trauma or abuse.

Noteworthy to the DID discussion are some cultural implications. For instance governing journals around this disorder are not in consensus (Hersen, Turner, & Beidel, 2008). While the APA has waxed and waned with categorizing DID independently as it stands now from the four other dissociative disorders (APA 200-06), the ICD-10 still nomenclates it as multiple personalities.

Key to this disorder are the areas in which a person must invent a alter-ego to deal with their reality. It's not uncommon for people to have to pull out strength from parts of their personality that otherwise lie dormant within them, or as some psychologist believe, lie entrenched in the subconcsious.

In a mild and culturally revered continuum disassociation example, famous R&B artist Beyonce Knowles has talked at length about her alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, for when it's time to perform for thousands in her audience. Sasha is even noted as having certain songs on her album I am Sasha Fierce while Beyonce has certain milder, reflective songs more indicative of her quiet personality. While Beyonce remains healthy and integrated between her true self and her alter-ego this past year, it is fascinating to know that she felt compelled to create an alter-ego to manage her performances as an artist earlier in her career and her environmental press challenged aspects of her identity.

Though later on in interviews (Allure, February, 2010) Beyonce did some personal work and allowed herself to recognize the Sasha is partly her and that she is allowed to take on and fully integrate herself into her stage persona (Crosley, 2010). Greater analysis is warranted to balance Beyonce's psychosocial, developmental, and identity needs as a twenty-something against the lure of fame, riches, paparazzi, and grueling schedule while on tour. It's not uncommon for famous people and celebrities to invent multiple facets of themselves, or alter egos to get through the demands placed upon them. This identity stretching may be promising in a career as many famed individuals make good actors and actresses in consequence to their environmental press.

While clearly Beyonce will not be receiving a clinical diagnosis of DID, others will. Upon further understanding of the realm of experiences and symptoms to meet the current DSM-IV-TR diagnosis would be the attribute of memory loss, or not being able to account for time while an alter-ego has taken over the client. This speaks to severity along the continuum of functioning with DID. Imagine the problems that inexplicable loss of time would create in an individual's personal and professional life?

This author remains deeply intrigued in all facets of the disorder from authors that write of claims of leaving this plane of existence within parapsychology and perhaps DID as well as the other end of the continuum in those that have a diagnosis of DID as a defense mechanism largely due to trauma, abuse, suggestion in therapies, or iatrogenic causality.

References:

American Psychiatric Association (2000-06). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV TR (Text Revision). Arlington, VA, USA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.. p. 943.

Crosley, H. (2010). Beyonce says she killed Sasha Fierce. Retrieved 1/04/2010 at:http://www.mtv.com/ news/articles/1632774/20100226/knowles_beyonce.jhtml

Hersen, M., Turner, S., & Beidel, D. (Ed.). (2008). Adult psychopathology and diagnosis (5th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Press.

Knowles, Beyonce (2008). I am Sasha Fierce. Columbia Records.

Wright DB, Loftus EF (1999). Measuring dissociation: comparison of alternative forms of the dissociative experiences scale. The American journal of psychology The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 112, No. 4)112 (4): 497–519.

Prone to Hypnosis

extreme professional handling. This author recommends that hypnosis sessions absolutely either be recorded or detailed transcriptions are maintained. This author can share a little about personal experience of hypnosis and its positive outcomes in therapy. For discussion today, one must outline the measures to know that false memories are not being implanted and tactics to avoid that. Clues to identification of false memories exist and will be discussed.

One only needs to know a little bit about me to recognize that I spend a lot of my daily time in altered states of consciousness and hypnotic-like states. It's not that my reality isn't pleasant- I have built myself a great everyday life. Part of me is more concerned to habitate in my inner-mind more often than the physical world. I can say this with certainty due to my behaviors to get me out of my physical world. My behaviors that get me into my brain or elsewhere and away from the physical world include writing, being artsy, dancing, sleeping, meditating, day dreaming, lucid dreaming, driving on auto-pilot (habituation), walking on auto-pilot, re-living conversations and making them even funnier in my mind editing, and if were not so expensive, hypnosis. While my altered states of consciousness is usually driven by myself, in hypnosis another party is usually in the driver's seat. There are issues of trust and risk to this, including the consequence of false memory implantation if not following a strict protocol that I observed from personal experience.

I first learned that I was highly suggestible to hypnosis while an undergraduate student. We had had a magician/ hypnotist come to an event and very easily I became an audience member “put under.” Fast forward to a few years ago, summer 2007 when I was struggling with a work presentation and I used this little fact to my advantage. I needed to know a work presentation that was an eight-page document and for the life of me, could not memorize it under my time constraints to execute its delivery. In great panic, I researched and found an OSU professors of Psychology and Hypnotist. In a series of about 4 hypnosis sessions, I was hypnotized to help my memory into learning my presentation-all eight pages.

In speaking a little about from my experience and to the idea of implanting false memories, it could very easily happen. Under hypnosis, the client is in a very vulnerable state and open to suggestion. A Hypnotist must work very hard not to suggest or implant any ideas foreign to the patient.

During hypnosis, a client may find blockages and verify them with the Hypnotist. For example, during some of my hypnosis, I had blockages to the actual hypnosis sessions resembling many things like a free-association exercise. I had had a grandmother, a dog, a baby, and the presence of a yellow energy burst all stymieing the effectiveness of my treatment. The Hypnotist and I had to free these entities from myself in order to get onto the hypnosis. Should that Hypnotist not be so well trained, he or she could have implanted their ideas or entities as to who or what is a blockage to the work at hand.

Furthermore, I learned from the professional protocol of the Hypnotist I saw what techniques to employ so as not to implant false memories and suggestions. First, the hypnotist must never know anything about the incoming client. One may need to even assume an alias. This is especially true in small towns. It's almost like making an appointment with a fortune-teller. They too don't want to know the client before-hand. Very minimal interaction other than the goal of the hypnosis session must be in place so as not to bias the professional to the potential of human error by presuming things about the patient and placing a projection onto the patient.

Also, a Hypnotist that's not very careful in presumptive questions could implant a false memory. A lot of times, behind a question is an implicit expectation. It could be like this: “ Mary, being that you are working full-time and a mother of two, it makes sense that you were stressed out frequently?” As one can infer from this example, the Hypnotist's question may infer to Mary that she perhaps should assume that she is stressed instead of allowing her own synopsis of how she's feeling. Being that she's presumably “under” in this hypnotherapy session, the Hypnotist may have very innocently though ignorantly just hypnotized Mary to being stressed when she may not, in fact, be all that stressed given what's on her plate.

Likewise for the discussion at hand, children seek and want to perform for the positive reinforcement of adults. Hypnotists and adults involved with the court not only can implant expectations, but by also creating a court prosecution conducive to “leading the witness” for the intended outcome of the defendant/prosecutor is extremely relevant in questiong tactics/techniques. In fact, it's known in other court cases, such as a domestic assault case, that prosecution has been known to create questions that dehumanize the victim/survivor in jury cases to sway juror's perceptions. ( Personal Communication, Audited class on Women's Studies, OSU Winter quarter 2006). (Belknap and Dee, 2000)

To ward off any chances of false memory implantation of suggestions, Hypnotists must be vigilant in monitoring their communication and intent in sessions. A tool that could be used would be either a video recorder or audio recorder. Much training would be needed to relieve the Hypnotist of asking leading questions. This is true of counselor-techniques too. ( Personal Communication, Dr. Linda Hall, Interpersonal Sensitivity classes, IUP summer 2002). Counselors and psychologists will spend many class sessions perfecting techniques accordingly. (Conte, 2009). Should also, there ever be a need to look back at hypnosis sessions, the Hypnotist would have the video or sound recording sessions archived to know if they unknowingly implanted a suggestion or expectation tangential to goals during hypnosis.

In the event that one's curious, not only did my hypnosis “cure” me to memorize my 8-page presentation for work, but I also was hypnotized to no longer have road rage, and to fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. Yes, hypnosis can be a magically, beautiful thing in the proper hands.

References

Belknap., J., and Dee., G., (2000) Factors Related to Domestic Violence Court Dispositions in a Large Urban Area: The Role of Victim/Witness Reluctance and Other Variables, Final Report (Available from U.S. Department of Justice)

Conte., Christian., (2009). Advanced Techniques for Counseling and Psychotherapy. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Co.

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)

Blanche Dubios in Street Car Named Desire, Scarlett O' Hara in Gone with the Wind, and the Bette Midler character in Beaches are films that help illustrate the strong personality disorder of HPD revealed in their main characters. While these characters exemplify HPD quite well, we may also look to many famed celebrities that may or may not exemplify HPD including Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, and perhaps even the late Marilyn Monroe.

HPD may be quite difficult to differentiate from some other personality disorders including narcissism and more rampant in our celebrities and in our friends that just need more time to be less self-involved on this earth. To help understand HPD over other disorders is one key component; it is the sole personality disorder where the disorder is explicitly linked to the patient's appearance. Understandably, better than average appearances may comorbidize to HPD.

For further assistance in identifying traits of HPD the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) has the following eight characteristics for HPD:

Center of Attention

Sexually Seductive

Shifting Emotions

Physical Appearance

Speech Style

Dramatic Behaviors

Suggestibility

Overestimation of Intimacy

Two qualities that may be the most difficult to treat within HPD would be the narcissism aspect and the fact that extroverted behavior is much more valued in our society. Engaging in the discussion of celebrities and narcissim and how the media reinforces negative messages is celebrity addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky. In a recent publication, The Mirror Effect, Dr. Pinsky creates a dialogue about how culturally the media holds up some very destructive people as role models and celebrities thus warping our sense of normal, acceptable, and even healthy behaviors.

Narcissism aside, the taming of the extrovert and the center of attention in HPD actually may be not favorable at all to the patient. In many settings extroverted individuals are preferred time and time again in matters of social networks, promotions in the work environment, in school performance, and other situations.

To best treat HPD, perhaps adressing aspects of the most hurt towards the self and others is where the focus should reside. For instance, psychotherapy may address the denial and defense mechanisms put on by the patient acting within the constraints of HPD. As the patient lets down these defenses with their identification, HPD's attributes will subside as they get closer to being their true authentic self rather than the shell of ego defense of HPD pathology. As ego defenses are minimized, the capacity of the tru self emerges perhaps healed enough to enter into true intimacy of friendship or more over sustained psychotherapy intervention.

References:

American Psychological Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Addition, Text Revised. Washington, D.C.

Pinsky, D., Young, M. (2009) The Mirror Effect:How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America. London, U.K. Harper Collins.