Therapy is a powerful tool to help individuals achieve inner peace and calm. In our modern lives, it can be difficult to find ways to manage stress and anxiety that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. Through therapy, it is possible to unlock inner calm and find ways to cope with the pressures of life. This blog post will explore how therapy can be an effective way to reduce stress and promote overall well-being.

The Importance of Inner Calm

n today's fast-paced and stressful world, finding inner peace and calm is more crucial than ever. Inner calm is not just a luxury; it is a necessity for our mental and emotional well-being. When we are constantly overwhelmed and anxious, it takes a toll on our health and happiness.

This is where therapy can play a significant role in helping us achieve that much-needed inner calm. Therapy provides a safe and supportive environment where we can explore our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It helps us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the root causes of our anxiety and stress.

Through therapy, we can learn various techniques and strategies to manage our emotions and find peace within ourselves. These techniques can range from mindfulness and meditation practices to cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation exercises. Therapists are trained to provide guidance and support, tailoring their approach to the specific needs and preferences of each individual.

Inner calm is not just about the absence of stress or external challenges. It is about cultivating a sense of balance, tranquility, and resilience in the face of life's ups and downs. Therapy can help us develop coping mechanisms, improve self-awareness, and reframe negative thought patterns that contribute to our inner turmoil.

Prioritizing our mental health and seeking therapy is an act of self-care and self-love. It is an investment in our overall well-being and our ability to navigate life's challenges with grace and resilience. So, if you find yourself constantly overwhelmed or struggling to find inner peace, therapy can be the stepping stone towards unlocking the calm you deserve.

How Therapy Can Help

One of the key ways that therapy can help is by providing individuals with the opportunity to gain insight into the root causes of their stress and anxiety. Through open and honest conversations with a therapist, clients can explore past experiences, trauma, or negative patterns of thinking that may be contributing to their lack of inner peace. This deeper understanding can be the first step towards healing and finding inner calm.

Additionally, therapy offers individuals coping mechanisms and strategies to manage their stress and anxiety in a healthy way. A therapist can provide practical tools and techniques to help individuals regulate their emotions, manage stress, and find a sense of peace amidst life's challenges. These skills can be invaluable in maintaining a state of inner calm even when faced with difficult situations.

Therapy also offers individuals a space for self-reflection and personal growth. In therapy, individuals have the opportunity to explore their values, beliefs, and goals, and align them with their actions and choices. This self-awareness and alignment can contribute to a sense of inner peace and fulfillment.

Moreover, therapy can provide individuals with the support and encouragement they need to navigate the ups and downs of life. A therapist acts as a compassionate and nonjudgmental listener, offering validation and guidance as individuals work towards finding their inner calm. This support can make a significant difference in an individual's journey towards inner peace.

Ultimately, therapy is a powerful tool for unlocking inner calm. Through gaining insight, learning coping mechanisms, fostering self-reflection, and receiving support, individuals can find the peace they long for. If you are struggling with anxiety, stress, or a lack of inner peace, therapy can be a transformative step towards a more fulfilling and calm life. Don't hesitate to reach out and seek the help you deserve.

Different Therapeutic Approaches for Finding Calm

In the pursuit of inner peace and tranquility, therapy can serve as a valuable tool for individuals looking to unlock their inner calm. Understanding the importance of the mind-body connection in learning to regulate your nervous system is essential in this journey. One therapeutic approach that has gained recognition for its effectiveness in finding calm is somatic-based therapy.

Somatic-based therapy emphasizes the connection between the mind and the body. It recognizes that unresolved emotional experiences can manifest as physical sensations and tension in the body. Through techniques such as body awareness, breathing exercises, and gentle movement, somatic-based therapy aims to release this stored tension, allowing individuals to achieve a greater sense of calm and well-being.

One of the key aspects of somatic-based therapy is resolving the disconnect between what you logically know and how you feel in your body. Often, we may understand intellectually that we should be calm and at peace, but our body may still feel tense and anxious. Somatic-based therapy works to bridge this gap by helping individuals become more attuned to their bodily sensations and providing tools to release any emotional or physical tension.

Ultimately, therapy offers a variety of therapeutic approaches for individuals seeking to find calm. Whether it be somatic-based therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, or others, therapy can provide the guidance and support needed to navigate the path towards inner calm and peace. By addressing both the mind and the body, therapycan help individuals develop strategies to regulate their nervous system and cultivate a sense of tranquility in their everyday lives.

Overcoming Barriers to Achieving Inner Calm

Achieving inner calm is often easier said than done. We live in a fast-paced world filled with constant demands and distractions, making it challenging to find peace within ourselves. However, therapy can provide invaluable support in overcoming the barriers that prevent us from achieving inner calm.

One of the most common barriers to inner calm is stress. The demands of work, relationships, and everyday life can quickly become overwhelming, leaving us feeling anxious and restless. Therapy offers a safe space to explore and address the underlying causes of stress, helping us develop coping mechanisms and stress reduction techniques.

Another barrier is unresolved trauma or past experiences that continue to impact our present lives. Therapy provides an opportunity to process and heal from these wounds, freeing us from the burden they create and enabling us to find peace within ourselves.

Additionally, negative thought patterns and self-doubt can hinder our ability to experience inner calm. Through therapy, we can identify and challenge these thoughts, replacing them with more positive and empowering beliefs. Therapists can teach us cognitive-behavioral techniques and mindfulness practices that help us manage negative thoughts and cultivate inner peace.

Finally, lack of self-care and prioritization can also be barriers to achieving inner calm. Therapy can help us recognize the importance of self-care and provide guidance on setting healthy boundaries and practicing self-compassion.

Tips for Incorporating Calming Techniques Into Everyday Life

In our fast-paced and chaotic world, finding inner-peace and calm can sometimes feel like an elusive goal. However, by incorporating calming techniques into our everyday lives, we can create a sense of tranquility that can greatly improve our overall well-being. Therapy can provide the tools and support needed to unlock this inner calm and learn to manage stress in a healthier way.

One technique that has been proven effective in cultivating calm is meditation and mindfulness practices. Taking just a few minutes each day to sit in silence and focus on your breath can do wonders for your mental and emotional state. It allows you to connect with the present moment and let go of worries or anxieties.

Another powerful technique for regulating your nervous system and promoting calm is deep breathing exercises. By taking slow, deep breaths and focusing on your breath entering and leaving your body, you can activate your body's relaxation response and reduce stress levels. Simple techniques like inhaling for a count of four, holding for four, and exhaling for four can be done anywhere, anytime.

Incorporating wind-down time before bed is another valuable habit to develop. By creating a bedtime routine that includes activities such as reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation exercises, you can help your body learn to settle and calm itself before sleep. This can greatly improve the quality of your sleep and contribute to a greater sense of inner-peace.

If you are craving more peace and tranquility in your life please give our office a call or fill out a consultation form. We'd love to help you achieve more calm, peace and joy in your life.

Sending Love & Light,

Jamie Vollmoeller, LCSW

Learning Disabilities are Common and a Big Deal

According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), across the United States, 1 in 5 or 20% of adults have a learning disability (LD). As of the 2019 population, 20% is representative of 65.6 million individuals have serious learning and attention difficulties. Meanwhile, there are 56.6 million students in elementary and secondary schools across the county; of them, 1 in 5 or 11.2 million students have such difficulties, too. This is a tragic statistic due to its effects. Consider the following…

• Only about 8.25% of US students are diagnosed with a learning disability and in turn receive accommodations or specialized instruction such as a 504 or IEP.
• Students with LDs are nearly three times more likely to drop out of high school versus their peers.
  • Of those asked why they dropped out, 57% reported they suffered poor relationships with peers, teachers, and administration.
• Undiagnosed, untreated learning and attention problems can lead to criminal issues. Half of young students with such concerns have been involved with the justice system – and that only includes those with a diagnosis. It is unknown how many students with such impairments are also involved in the school-to-prison pipeline.
• Enrollment in college, retention, and completion rates are lower than all other students in the same age bracket. Only 41% of such students complete a 4-year college program versus 51% of the overall population. Again, consider the 11-12% of young adults who are undiagnosed.
• A third of students with a learning disability are held back a year/have to repeat a grade. This increases the risk of dropping out.
• Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school versus those without disabilities. This results in a loss of instructional time while increasing the possibility of failing a course and/or having an academic aversion.
• Only 46 percent of working-age adults with LDs are employed. People with such disabilities are twice more likely to be unemployed (Barto, LDA, 2019).

My Life with Dyscalculia

I graduated summa cum laude twice, having earned my Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees from Adelphi University and the highly renowned Fordham University. Yet what if I were to tell you that my teachers and school guidance counselor were convinced that I would become a statistic, part of the 57% of students who drop out of high school? I struggled with making and maintaining friendships, was bullied by my peers, and literally cried while receiving private instruction for remedial mathematics because no matter how much I studied, despite all the endless hours of repetition and practice, it just did not make sense to me at all.

At thirty-five years old, I cannot multiply or divide, and still count on my fingers for addition or subtraction. I suffer from visuospatial difficulties, making it so I am unable to orient myself in reference to the directions. I also do not have a driver’s license because I am unable to properly judge distance and time. I have time blindness and even cannot read an analog clock – if it were not for that I use a timer, I would be unable to tell my clients how much time remains in their session. I have to “eyeball” ingredients in cooking recipes because fractions are foreign to me. I struggle with coordination. My bills are all on autopay, not for practicality reasons but to prevent the awkwardness of not knowing if I have enough money (thank goodness my financial institution has overdraft protections!).

I am that awkward person who has come up too short on money when at the check-out, forcing the cashier to have to unload some items.

I am that person who has been the cashier and has given back $23 when the amount owed was only $19 – and fired for being accused of stealing from the till.
I am that person who has heard people mutter “f-ing idiot” under their breath when I make a mistake with arithmetic.

If you’re like me, someone with dyscalculia or another learning disability, you know all about the daily pressure to effectively cope with the chronic stress and limitations of your abilities – things which may be unfathomable to others.

5 Ways to Thrive with a Learning Disability

1. Allow yourself permission to accept your disability.

A learning disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning you were born with it. Even with sufficient treatment and the appropriate accommodations, you will never truly recover from it. Thus, it is better to make peace with your disability by coming to terms with your limitations, while embracing your strengths such as creative solutions, resiliency, and empathy.

Also, a learning disability is not a mental disorder. No amount of psychotherapy will help you overcome it. However, psychotherapy can be a valuable tool for learning how to work toward acceptance of it and to develop helpful coping skills. It can also help you tackle the negative core beliefs that can develop from having such a condition by replacing them with a positive belief (i.e., changing “I’m stupid” to “I’m smart and it is okay for some things to be harder for me”). Don’t know where to start? Consider EMDR which specializes in targeting beliefs – an approach we offer at Long Island EMDR!

2. Redefine your expectations to work toward a purposeful life.

As a person with dyscalculia, one of my greatest obstacles was having to accept my true passion could not become my career. No, that is not as self-defeating as it sounds. If anything, I appreciate that I came to radically accept my circumstances.

At first, I attended a small environmental college in Maine where I was studying wildlife conservation with the intention to become a wildlife biologist and canid specialist. While the lecture portion of the biology courses came easy to me, the labs and intensive mathematics had me spending many hours in the tutoring center – and just like a repeat of my earlier days, not understanding any of the information no matter the approach. It seemed impossible for me to get ahead.

After much introspection and honesty with myself, I decided to redefine my goals for myself. I changed my major to social work which replaced my math-heavy academic requirements with courses mainly focused on the humanities and the social sciences. Through that one profound change, I no longer needed the tutoring center, got to embrace my strength of writing rather than bury it, and realized I can have other career interests outside of wildlife biology.

Furthermore, becoming a social worker allowed me to feel attached to something greater than myself – through connecting with my clients to help them find their own sense of purpose in their lives, I feel benefitted in knowing I have made a difference. It is a reciprocal relationship.

3. Find a support group for your learning disability.

Peer support is an important – and often overlooked – component to learning to manage having a lifelong condition. It offers mutual understanding between equals, in which people truly get it. It is a safe, nonjudgmental platform for people to reveal the struggles of having a misunderstood condition while knowing that they feel supported.

4. Learn more about your condition.

Learn about and understand your learning disability. By doing so, you will have the information and knowledge needed to make the wisest decisions to help you feel more in control, which is essential to coping with your LD.

However, a word of advice -- I strongly urge that you seek credible sources during your research, some of which are included at the bottom of this article. While platforms like TikTok can be helpful for peer support or the basics, they can also be littered with misinformation because there is no way to verify the person’s level of expertise. Exercise social media with caution.

5. Advocate for yourself!

Learning disabilities are recognized, protected conditions under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you are an adult, you may be eligible for workplace accommodations if they are appropriate in line with the type of job. You may read more about that here.

If it is your child that has a LD, he or she qualifies for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help him or her reach her academic goals. An IEP is a documented plan to provide your child with free, appropriate education in their least restrictive environment. You can read more about the IEP here on the NYC Public Schools website.

If you are a college student, you also may receive academic accommodations but you must advocate for yourself. More than likely, you will need to provide your college with a neuropsychological exam dated from within the past 4 years. This document will determine what kinds of services will benefit you. Contact the disability department at your college for further information on how to navigate the process.

Credible Sources:

LD Resources Foundation (LDRFA)
www.ldrfa.org

Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
www.ldaamerica.org

National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
www.ncld.org

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/learning-disabilities

Understood.org
www.understood.org

Sources Cited:
Barto, A. (n.d.). The State of Learning Disabilities Today. Learning Disabilities Association of America. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://ldaamerica.org/lda_today/the-state-of-learning-disabilities-today



- Valerie Smith, LMSW