Integrative Solutions for Mind-Body Problems Part I by Dr. Eric Garland

At IHC, I offer counseling, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and clinical hypnosis for individuals, couples, and families. My practice of counseling and psychotherapy is pragmatic and solution-focused. I challenge my clients to grow in addition to giving them the emotional support and tools necessary to do so. I am not a passive therapist who will repeatedly ask you to “tell me how you feel” – instead, I will give you practical, concrete strategies and techniques that you can use to help yourself progress towards your goals. My therapy style is alternately gentle and firm, and designed to generate insight as well as behavioral change. I also work to help others in their quest for personal growth and self-actualization. When appropriate, I engage clients on an existential level, assisting them in clarifying the meaning and mission of their lives. Through a number of techniques, I support deep and powerful positive changes in the behaviors, feelings, and thoughts of my clients. I have successfully assisted clients with diverse issues including: stress; depression; anxiety; drug, cigarette, and alcohol addiction; irritable bowel syndrome; acid reflux; headache; chronic back, neck, and jaw pain; weight loss; sleep difficulties; parent-child and marital conflict; trauma; physical and sexual abuse; and self-esteem issues, among others.

Why do you need clinical hypnosis?
I am certified in clinical hypnosis from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Clinical hypnosis is a powerful tool that can help you to heal and gain self-control by learning to focus your mind in a natural state of deep concentration. Hypnosis involves the induction of a state of mind that is focused and absorbed, but at the same time relaxed and open. In this state of concentrated attention, you can become more open to positive suggestions for growth and healing. Thus, the hypnotic state can enable you to resolve life problems quickly and effectively. Also, hypnosis facilitates personal growth by helping people to overcome learned limitations. Hypnosis allows you to bypass the conscious mind, which often holds us back with worries, doubts, or limiting beliefs. As you learn to enter into the hypnotic state, you can put the interference of these conscious limitations to rest, thereby enabling you to change and live your life the way you want to. 

Contrary to popular myth, the hypnotist does not put someone in a trance and dominate their will. Instead, during clinical hypnosis, I will present to you ideas and suggestions that will evoke mental imagery and metaphorical associations which will help you to enter into your own self-hypnotic state. All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. I serve as a guide to help you stimulate your own inner resources for growth and healing.

Hypnosis is most effective when you are highly motivated to change or overcome a problem. The change that can occur from clinical hypnosis may happen rapidly or gradually, depending on your issue and your receptivity to the hypnotic state. To learn more about this amazing technique, visit http://asch.net/genpubinfo.htm. I have used hypnosis successfully to treat a wide array of emotional, behavioral, and mind-body issues.

Why do I need counseling or psychotherapy?
Counseling and psychotherapy, terms used here synonymously, can be enormously effective in helping you to overcome life problems and further your personal growth. At IHC, I use pragmatic techniques to help you bring about the changes you desire in your life. I distinguish myself from many other therapists in that I employ action-oriented therapy techniques designed to help you achieve significant results in a brief time span. Unlike other therapists, I will not ask you to rehash the past over and over again. Instead, I will help you to find solutions to your problems and a new perspective that will ultimately empower you to find meaning and enjoyment in your life.

I utilize mindfulness-based cognitive behavior therapy in my practice. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has been demonstrated through research to help people find well-being by overcoming negative emotions and unhelpful thought patterns. It incorporates cognitive therapy techniques (one of the most widely supported, evidence-based mental health practice) within the framework of mindfulness. This form of therapy is especially good at helping people overcome self-critical, self-defeating, and pessimistic thoughts and fears. Mindfulness helps you to learn to focus your mind on the present moment in an open, accepting, nonjudgmental, and nonreactive manner. By training yourself to pay attention to your breathing and body sensations, you can learn to “step back” from negative thoughts and feelings, reducing stress and managing emotional and physical pain. In so doing, you can learn to “get out of your head” so that you can enjoy your life more fully in the present. Ultimately, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help you to let go of distressing thoughts, emotions, and sensations, allowing you to accept, appreciate, and enjoy your life more fully.

I am also trained in solution-focused therapy, a type of talk therapy that focuses on developing action-oriented strategies to overcome problems and achieve life goals. This form of counseling does not require you to re-hash painful past events. Instead, it focuses on active change in the present that can help you to build the future you desire. Using this therapy, I will ask questions aimed at helping you find your own solutions to the challenges in your life. In so doing, I can help you construct a clear vision of your preferred future, as well as a roadmap that describes the small steps you can take to get there.

In our first meeting, we will discuss your goals for treatment. One of my first questions to you will be, "How will you know when you've gotten what you need out of this experience and no longer need therapy?" I am pragmatic in his approach and will seek to be as efficient as possible. Most issues can be resolved in five to ten sessions. I will be up-front and honest with you about your counseling goals and the approximate length of time necessary to achieve them. My goal is for you to get what you need out of our work together and then move on with living the life you want to live.

Fees:
Initial session and assessment                   $100 per hour
Individual therapy or hypnosis                    $100 per hour
Couples or family therapy                           $110 per hour
 
A substantial percentage of the cost of these services may be covered by your health insurance if you have out-of-network benefits.

Eric Garland, Ph.D., LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist in Florida and North Carolina, with professional memberships in the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the National Association of Social Workers. He recently completed a fellowship funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, where he conducted clinical research on mindfulness-oriented treatments for addiction, irritable bowel syndrome, and other stress- and pain-related conditions. In addition to providing counseling at IHC, Dr. Garland teaches psychotherapy and conducts clinical research at Florida State University on mindfulness-based interventions.