The Fight Response on the Road AKA Road Rage
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghApril 24, 2023 fight flight freeze, fight response, flight or fight, freeze response, nervous system, nervous system regulation, road rage, stress responses, sympathetic nervous system0 comments
Welcome back to our stress responses series; what they are and how they manifest in different contexts. So far, we’ve explored the different stages of the freeze response: Freeze in a survival scenario and Freeze during social threats, and in our last blog, you survived the ultimate cage fight with Michael Myers (you’ll have to go back and read that one if you are wondering how you...Learn MoreFight or Flight? An Exploration of the Fight Response in a Horror Film
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghApril 19, 2023 fight flight freeze, flight or fight, freeze response, nervous system, nervous system regulation, stress responses, sympathetic nervous system0 comments
Welcome back to this series on the stress responses. Our hope is to untangle the web of confusion that has been spun surrounding these responses, and to demystify this innate human ability that we all possess and experience regularly. Our last two articles explored the freeze response—you learned how to recognize the differing stages of the freeze response in both Big T (catastrophic...Learn MoreUnderstanding the Freeze Response During Social “Threats”
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghApril 12, 2023 fight flight freeze, flight or fight, freeze response, nervous system, nervous system regulation, Parasympathetic nervous system, stress, stress responses, sympathetic nervous system0 comments
In our last blog, Stress Responses: What Are They, How Do They Work, and Why I am so Confused!?, you survived a vicious bear attack and learned how the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in when other responses fail. We explored different stages of the freeze response, and how to recognize them. You also learned some pretty cool new words, like neuroception and ventral vagal,...Learn MoreStress Responses: What Are They, How Do They Work, and Why I am so Confused!?
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghMarch 29, 2023 fight flight freeze, flight or fight, freeze response, nervous system, nervous system regulation, stress responses, trauma21 comments
The stress responses conversation has been ramping up on social media as we move closer to becoming a more emotionally intelligent and trauma-informed society. But what are stress responses, how do they work, how can I recognize if I am in one; and is it me, or do they keep changing? These are all valid questions that we will try to break down in this blog series.
By now, most of...Learn More“Mom Brain” or Something Else? Understanding Undiagnosed ADHD in Women
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghMarch 21, 2023 ADHD, ADHD / ADD, ADHD in women, mom brain, new mom, undiagnosed ADHD in women0 comments
Many women report having “mom brain,” in which they report being forgetful, having difficulty concentrating, and being impatient. While “mom brain” has been proven to be a real phenomenon, it is typically reported by women who are pregnant or have young children. “Mom brain” is situational and typically goes away on its own. These same symptoms, however, can also be indicative of...Learn MoreWhat Are Intrusive Thoughts? And What Can You Do About Them?
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghMarch 9, 2023 anxiety, CBT, cognitive behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, instrusive thoughts, obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, post traumatic stress disorder, ptsd0 comments
Intrusive thoughts can occur at any time and are just as they sound—intrusive! Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that come out of nowhere, are involuntary, and can be difficult to get rid of. Common examples of intrusive thoughts include wondering if the doors are locked, if the stove or curling iron is turned off, or if people like you.
Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts at some...Learn More