This story is a fictional case, but is made up of REAL clinical experiences from my 15+ years treating people with Social Anxiety Disorder. To read previous therapy sessions with John, see the links below: Session 1: Do I Have Social Anxiety? Meet John. Session 2: Help, My Boss Scares Me (more from John) Today’s session…
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Someone once said to me, when they were talking about the importance of the attachment system and human relationships “no one ever lies dying on the battlefield screaming for their car, soldiers call out for their mothers.” It’s a graphic illustration of just how hard wired we all are to seek out and need comfort…
My New Column: Ask Me Your Questions! by Kyle MacDonald in PR I’m pretty excited about having been invited to be a regular weekly columnist for New Zealand’s biggest daily newspaper, the New Zealand Herald. This week I was interviewed and talked my views about therapy and what I hope to acheive with the column…
This may seem like nonsense, but actually one of the best ways to cope with stress is to allow your self to feel a little bit of it, and to take on moderate and realistic challenges. In doing so we inoculate our body and our brain to stress. A lot of people who struggle with…
Help My Boss Scares Me! (more from John)… by Kyle MacDonald in Social Anxiety This story is a fictional case, but is made up of real clinical experiences from my years of treating people with Social Anxiety Disorder. Overcoming Social Anxiety in the Workplace: John knows he’s good at this job. He’s found a…
The Social Anxiety Awkward Silence Moment 29 October 2013 Silence / Kyle MacDonald Comfortable silence. Awkward silence. Thoughtful silence. Angry silence. It might be a myth, but I’ve heard it said that the Native Aleutian people (Eskimos) have 400 words to describe snow. As a therapist we probably have 200 words to describe silence. Generally though,…
8 Steps to Making Smalltalk by Kyle MacDonald in in Public The art of aimless chatter may be something most people take for granted, but for those of you living with social anxiety it can be the hardest part of life to master. First of all you are acutely aware that you’re not talking part…
Fear of Fear by admin in Anxiety, Fear Anxiety is awful, no doubt about it. And when we experience awful unpleasant things we get frightened and want to avoid them. But one of the real head-spinners of anxiety is how we become afraid of fear. What we’re talking about here is “secondary emotions”, when an emotion…
So, You Want To Be Invisible? by Kyle MacDonald on June 8, 2015 in Avoidance One of the most basic instincts when confronted by triggers for your social anxiety, is the desire to become invisible. Have to talk in front of a large group of people? You wish they couldn’t see you. Have to walk…