Articles by Gloria Arenson

Scary Moments

The first therapist I ever saw was a very kind and wise woman. One day, in a moment when I was feeling angry with myself and she was trying to be supportive she said something that I have always remembered. “People are like every day china. They have some chips and cracks.” That certainly is true. We can’t get through life without collecting scars of different kinds. Some are physical and some psychological. (read more)

More on Scary Moments

Last week I accompanied a dear friend to the doctor to lend support while she had an invasive diagnostic procedure. She was very anxious. I was allowed to be in the room with her while she waited for the doctor. I did a gentle relaxation exercise with her and asked her to use EFT to allay her anxiety. The doctor allowed me to remain during the procedure and praised her for going through it well even though it was painful. (read more)

The Power of Words

When I was growing up there was a saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” That adage supposedly was teaching that it didn’t matter what someone said to you; insults were only thin air. Yet day in and day out I work with people who were damaged by what someone else said. Only it wasn’t the words that were the cause but the interpretation of those words. I wonder what percentage of us really mean our words to wound our loved ones or friends. (read more)

EFT For Kids

When my daughter was 2 we lived in a house with a mural on the bathtub wall. It was a Polynesian scene with a palm tree and some strange looking Tiki figures. One day, for some reason, she became terrified of the scene and refused to take a bath. I tried everything I knew then (I wasn’t a therapist at that time) to no avail. She was adamant about not stepping into the tub and became hysterical if anyone tried to coax or force her. (read more)

A Guide For Choosing The Right Therapist For You

Some people think that going to a therapist is like going to a car mechanic: they expect the therapist to diagnose a specific problem and fix it just as the mechanic puts in new brake pads or readjusts the carburetor. These clients expect something to happen to them. That is not the case. Don’t expect the other person to have all the answers. Therapists don’t come with crystal balls. You have the answers. They are already within you. The psychotherapist helps you discover those answers as you examine your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. I think of therapy as education. In therapy you may learn new skills to help you communicate better, decrease difficulties in your life and increase benefits. (read more)

 

Gloria Arenson is a Southern California based psychotherapist with a private therapy practice in Santa Barbara. She helps people to recover successfully from eating disorders, compulsive spending, anxiety, fears, phobias, PTSD, panic disorder and other problems. Gloria is a licensed hypnotherapist and is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychosynthesis, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She specializes in cutting edge energy therapies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), an acupressure based therapy method, Thought Field Therapy (TFT), and Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT).