Humous

Serve in a bowl with a little olive oil drizzled on top and a sprinkling of chilli powder or paprika.
Eat with crudities, spread on oatcakes, wholemeal toasts or wholemeal crackers.

SAVOURY ROAST BEEF SANDWICH

Ingredients:
2 oz roast beef
2 Tbs spicy or roasted red pepper hummus
3-4 lettuce leaves
2 slices dark rye or any whole grain bread you like

Directions:
Place 2-3 lettuce leaves on one slice of bread. Spread hummus on to lettuce leaves; top with roast beef and second slice of bread.
Make a complete meal by serving with 1⁄2 cup carrot sticks and 1 medium apple.

Tomato Artichoke and Zucchini Soup

Servings: 6

• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes
• 2/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts

• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan cook onion, carrot, celery in hot oil for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, seasoning, salt and pepper and simmer ten minutes.

Cool slightly and place half of the tomato mixture in blender or food processor and blend, repeat with remaining half.

Add just enough water to reach desired consisitency. Add in Zuccini and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer until zucchini is tender then add artichoke hearts. Heat until artichokes are warm.

Top with grated parmesan cheese.

What is happening physiologically during severe anxiety?
The client shows evidence of hyperarousal i.e. there is an inundation of adrenaline and other stress hormones resulting in the client reacting confused and threatened. The brain structures mainly involved in rational thought and memory are short-circuited so to speak. The client’s sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive, presenting muscle tremors, a dry mouth and a pounding heart as a result. The limbic system, the hippocampus and the amygdala handle emotion and danger. The limbic system also is the mid brain area accountable for the initiation of the freeze, fight, flight response. The amygdala and the hippocampus are deeply involved in responding to perceived traumatic events too. The more rational outer layer of the brain, the cortex is where our ability to judge, deliberate, contrast and compare is seated as part of the thinking capacity. The hippocampus, amygdala and the cortex are in constant communication.

The amygdala is the early-warning system. Here emotion is processed even before the cortex is knowledgeable about the event. The amygdala on receipt of stimulus from the sensory nervous system, immediately generates an emotional response by releasing hormones that stimulate the visceral muscles of the autonomic nervous system, which are felt in the stomach or elsewhere. Then the amygdala initiates the accompanying somatic nervous system response (musco- skeletal) e.g. trembling legs.

The amygdala is unaffected by the effects of stress hormones and may continue to alert even when it is inappropriate. Meanwhile, the hippocampus is passing the information to the cortex, the seat of rational thought. Once this happens, the rational thought will take precedence in the decision for action or not as the case may be. However, this assumes that the hippocampus is able to function and is not being paralysed by large amounts of adrenaline and noradrenaline that would make it impossible for it to instruct the amygdala to stop sounding the alarm.

I have been setting up a specialist anxiety clinic. For many years I have been working with patients suffering from a variety of anxiety based disorders and have found at 6 month follow-up irrespective of the type of therapy, something was lacking for some. So, I started to look outside the box and found an extensive amount of research around the reduction of anxiety using exercise.

As a result of the research of people like Oeland AM, Laessoe U, Oleson AV, Munk-Jorgenson P C. Barr Taylor, MD James F. Sallis, PhD RNeedle, PhD, I have integrated exercise (with a personal trainer) with specific type of CBT to form a new type of evidence based therapy for clients suffering from anxiety related illness. This integrated therapy will float under a positive Therapeutic Relationship. I still believe that it is the Therapeutic Relationship that far outweighs any other factors in therapy and it is from there that one needs to integrate whatever therapy will meet the need of the client.

This therapy model works with the client from both body and mind perspectives.  I also feel that the effects of exercise which are similar to the symptoms of anxiety i.e. shortness of breath, elevated heart rate, tightness around the chest, sweating will be reframed into a positive experience with the help of therapy and therefore on an experiential level their angst about feeling anxious will be brought under control a lot faster.

Do the free Anxiety test on my main website under the “Do I need Therapy” tag.

the-nature-of-memory-processes