Anxiety & Depression Therapy - Orange County CA - Liz Birch, LMFT
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Talk Therapy
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Fees, Insurance, Directions
  • Why Do You Want Therapy?
  • Blog
  • Important Forms
  • Podcasts
  • Confidentiality

​The Emptiness of Alexithymia

10/29/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Alexithymia is a clinical term for the inability to understand the intricacies of feelings and emotions. The existence and study of alexithymic experiences started in the 1970's. Some research suggests that alexithymia is more predominant in men than in women and is prevalent in approximately 10% of the general population. Alexithymia is also understood to have two components; a cognitive component where people might face challenges with thinking and emotions while trying to name, understand and talk about feelings, as well as an affective component where people might struggle with the experience of sharing, responding to and sensing emotions.
 
People who experience the effects of alexithymia might have these symptoms:
 
1. Difficulty identifying feelings
2. Difficulty distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations
3. A lack of impulse control
4. Violent or disruptive outbursts
5. Difficulty describing feelings to other people
6. Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds, or physical touch
7.Limited imagination and, therefore, little or no fantasies and limited dreams
8. An unawareness of what is happening in their own mind and a very concrete way of thinking.
 
Alexithymia is known to be co-morbid with a number of psychiatric conditions. Therefore, when signs of Alexithymia are seen one might also look at depression, post traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries, substance abuse, and eating disorders, as it’s these diagnoses that one might harbor alexithymia.
 
But where does it come from?  How does one end up with this personality construct of marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment and interpersonal relating?  Some research has indicated that events happening in a person’s early childhood such as neglect or abuse but there are also cases of witnessing a horrifying event is known to trigger alexithymia.
 
If you, or someone you know, is displaying symptoms such as those described above please seek out the support of a licensed therapist.  Therapy will often concentrate on building a foundation of naming emotions and appreciating a range of feelings. The process will likely include both consideration of the experiences of other people and self-reflection. For people who have no problem with emotional comprehension this might sound very basic, however, for a person with alexithymia the process of growing their emotional intelligence and capacity may be difficult.
 
 
​
I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who can provide services with anyone who resides   in the State of California. I have also been trained in Clinical Hypnotherapy which is beneficial for more specific goals.
Liz Birch, LMFT, CHt 
~ 714-584-6047 ~ LizBirchMFT@gmail.com

​

Weiss, Thomas C. , Alexithymia: Information, Symptoms & Treatment Options, August 2012, Disabled World/heath/neurology/alexithymia

0 Comments


    Liz Birch, LMFT, 
    CHt

    I'm a licensed Psychotherapist and certified Master Hypnotist who works with adults looking to reduce anxiety, depression and stress as a result of every day life and traumas. Work can also be done on breaking specific habits.   

    I hope I inspire you to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. You might be surprised what you discover.

    If you reside in California feel free to reach out to me. We can talk on an initial phone call to see if you feel I'm the right therapist for you. 


           ​

    714-584-6047

    LizBirchMFT@gmail.com

    ​

    ​The information provided through this website is for informational purposes only.
    ​This information is not intended to and does not create a therapist-client relationship.

    @2022 Liz Birch, LMFT, CHt   Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist   CA Lic.#40999   
    ​Orange County, CA


    Archives

    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    December 2018
    March 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Categories

    All
    Acceptance
    Affection
    Alcohol
    Alexithymia
    Anger
    Anxiety
    Cigarettes
    Compliments
    Connections
    Convenience
    Coping Skills
    Counseling
    Couples
    Date Nights
    Daylight Saving Time
    Depression
    Emotion
    Entertaining
    Goals
    Holidays
    Homebased Therapist
    Home Based Therapy
    Hope
    Hypnosis
    Hypnotherapy
    Imperfections
    Inner Child
    Insurance
    Insurance Panels
    Journal Writing
    Making A Profit
    Mindfulness
    Motivation
    Negative Thinking
    Networking
    Phone Apps
    Psychotherapist
    Psychotherapy
    Ptsd
    Relationships
    Relaxation Aid
    Resolutions
    Self-esteem
    Sex
    Sleep
    Social Media
    Stress
    Success
    Tbi
    Teenagers
    Therapy
    Vision Board

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Talk Therapy
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Fees, Insurance, Directions
  • Why Do You Want Therapy?
  • Blog
  • Important Forms
  • Podcasts
  • Confidentiality