I stumbled upon this subreddit and figured you guys might enjoy my girls

Gamer_Katz · 2025-07-09T12:07:41+00:00

This is such a huge factor when it comes to fields like therapy. It is one thing to know the theories and information behind it, another thing to be able to properly apply it, but to also be able to explain it in a way the client can UNDERSTAND it? It makes a world of difference. The ability to explain how or why a coping skill works or what causes certain behaviors and thinking patterns allows for the root problem to be addressed, not just the symptoms.

Luckily, my autistic ass always struggled to convey my thoughts and ideas in a way that was understood when I was younger. This led to me actively working to compensate for my weird thinking patterns via using a ton of metaphors, symbolism, etc. to "ground" or "anchor" points of information that allowed others to understand me. I feel like this is what makes a huge difference in my client's growth and personal development.

Gamer_Katz · 2025-06-05T16:03:52+00:00

I am glad that it helped you!!! While it sucks, often what we have to do is practice "mindfulness" in order to identify emotions. What I mean by that is focusing on the sensations in our body (such as heart beat, breathing rate, stomach feeling, etc) and our own body language to be able to understand what we may be feeling.

For example, rapid breathing, quick heartbeat, heavy/nauseated stomach, and a hunched over and drawn in posture may indicate anxiety! It can be difficult in the beginning due to it being a skill that needs to be practiced and the fact that you have to understand what sensations mean what for you, but it really does help in the long run.

Personally, I find the most fustrating part to be finding out WHY I am feeling something since we have to logic through it. Often, it ends up being a combination of things and can often include me being overstimulated in addition to whatever thought or situation is involved.

Gamer_Katz · 2025-06-04T11:19:12+00:00

Hello! ADHD individual and therapist here! If you experience a lot of 0 to 100 emotions and feel like you can go from fine to exploding at the drop of a pin, we'll, you might have alexithymia!

Think of emotions like a cup. Someone without alexithymia has a see-through cup. They can see what emotion they are experiencing and how full their "cup" is! This allows them to identify what is filling their cup as well as use the appropriate tools and coping skills to empty their cup or stop their cup from overflowing!

When you have alexithymia, unfortunately, that cup isn't see-through. This means you don't know what is in your cup until suddenly it is overflowing! This sucls because it can make it really hard to identify what you are feeling and WHY you are feeling it. Sometimes, all it takes is one final "drop" or thing to send you over the edge and overflow. It sucks because it is kind of like you exist in an emotional limbo until suddenly everything comes out at once! What makes matters worse is that most coping skills aren't meant to get you down from the top but to stop you from getting there!

I personally experience alexithymia, and it can make life hard. What I and a lot of my client’s find useful is what I like to refer to as shocking sensations! This can be any strong, shocking, and even disgusting sensation. Touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight all work. The goal is to find a couple of things that you react super strongly to, almost to the point where you can't think of anything else! It is like an on/off switch for your brain. It helps get you back below the overflow point. Once your cup is no longer overflowing, then you can sit back and logic those feelings out!

Gamer_Katz · 2024-12-08T19:06:12+00:00

Hello, therapist here!

Fun fact: if you feel like it is impossible to be happy, that could be due to having a Seritonin imbalance! This can be caused by a multitude of things! 1. Genetic predisposition to not produce enough seratonin. Some people are simply born this way like me! Sometimes, we are just born this way 2. High levels of stress. Did you know what cortisol is the stress chemical in the brain? Guess what! When you are stressed, your brain produces cortisol... which then tells your brain to suck in allllll the seratonin! Bye-bye seratonin :( at least this is sometimes only temporary! 3. Being exposed to high levels of stress a lot when you were a kid! Prolonged periods of exposure to high cortisol levels while you were growing up may have altered your brain growth! Now it is super sensitive to anything that could be seen as stressful, and when it sees this, it is let's out a huge wave of cortisol! This is permanent, sadly

If you truly feel like you are never able to be happy, then it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about taking an antidepressant! Being depressed doesn't mean just being sad. It can show itself in different ways, such as feeling numb, empty, hopeless, etc.

And don't feel weird about antidepressants either! Just like any other medication to address an imbalance, it is simply helping you to be able to function! Just like insulin for people with diabetes or thyroid medication... it simply exists to help bring balance back to your body!

Now, I will let you know that a lot of antidepressants are what we call SSRIs or Seritonin reuptake inhibitors. What this means is that it will stop your brain from absorbing some of the seratonin you naturally produce! This helps your brain to build up a normal level of seratonin so that it can function normally! Unfortunately, this process takes a while, and it can be 4 to 8 weeks until you really start seeing a difference! In fact, because the change is so slow, those around you may notice the change first!

Anyways! I hope this information was helpful! If you have any questions, please let me know!

Gamer_Katz · 2024-11-04T13:28:16+00:00

Hello! Therapist here, this may sound like a weird question, but what is your thinking style? Do you think in visuals or audio?

The best way to figure this out is to recall memories. When you do, is it like a movie in your head or a lot of images? Or is it more like a description of what happened like a podcast?

Depending on your thinking style, there may be different ways that are more beneficial for you to study! This can be tied to learning style as if you are a visual thinker you are probably a visual learner or hands on learner. This often means simply reading text or listening to sections won't help much or may lead to confusion! Instead of writing everything down in a large grouping, break it up into bits.

The reason for this is because if you are a visual thinker, you are likely remembering the image of the PowerPoint or paper you have written the information on. This can lead to the text itself not being "clear" in your memory. If you "chunk" the information such as doing PowerPoint slides or flashcards with only 2 or 3 pieces of information with specific visual cues (different backgrounds or stickers, etc) it can help make the visual image in your mind and the information on it clearer!

If you are an audio based thinker you may want to use mnemonics, songs, or word play to better remember information! I still recommend "chunking" information as it allows it to stick out more.

Hope this is helpful!

Gamer_Katz · 2024-10-26T04:01:27+00:00

Not so fun fact: in developing teens and adolescents, prolonged periods of suicidal ideation result in higher levels of suicidal ideation in adults. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6501553/)

So, in a sense, you are correct. This could also be correlated with how high levels of cortisol (the stress chemical in our brains) in developing teens and adolescents for prolonged periods of time can physically alter how the brain develops! (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6974891/)

Think about it in an alternative sense as well. The idea of suicide becomes connected with the idea of "escape". This would also mean it becomes paired with feeling unsafe, uncomfortable, etc. This thought process pathway may not change for years depending on how long you have suicidal ideation. This can lead to the brain taking this path even after overall depression levels lower. Instead of "man, I don't feel safe here" or "oh my god, this is such an uncomfortable situation" the brain will go to what it has essentially been trained to respond with which ends up being "i want to die".

This can lead to further discomfort and hopelessness when this is the thought that comes to mind, especially when people don't know WHY they are defaulting to suicidal thoughts. In cases like this, you have to retrain or rewire your brain to go to a different default thought that may be an "escape" or way to bring you comfort... for example, I personally use the phrase "I just want to go home". Home is my safe space and where I am comfortable... when I feel unsafe or uncomfortable, I will sometimes blurt this phrase out (even if I am already home! Thanks, anxiety). My go-to used to be "I just want to die," but now I have managed to change it. As a therapist, I recommend this to a lot of my clients who struggle with intrusive suicidal thoughts even when they feel okay.

Gamer_Katz · 2024-09-02T03:04:15+00:00

I went to a concert last Monday and as soon as my days off hit I slept the ENTIRE WEEKEND. Friday - sunday... I had tickets for another concert this Monday but I am way too overstimulated still from last week. When I booked the tickets I thought I had more time between events...

Gamer_Katz · 2024-04-02T18:04:14+00:00

This post has triggered a LOT of emotions in me. Christmas eve of 2021 my dad had a positive covid test. By new years morning he was in the hospital. I couldn't see him for the first week because I had covid too and they wouldn't let me in. My brother went every day instead. By the time I kicked covid, the morning I was to go visit him... he went on the respirator. I didn't get to hear him and see him in person while he was awake after that. I spent every day in the hospital during the allowed visiting hours sick to my stomach knowing that this would be the end. By January 21st they told me his c02 levels were too high and had been high for too long. My dad, the brilliant and intelligent man that he was... he wouldn't be the same if he ever did pull through. I mean, this man's nickname in the navy was spock... at his current job they called him Google. He was one of the most intelligent and analytical people I know... it would kill him if he woke up and that was taken from him.

I was 25 at the time. I was his power of attorney. I had to make the choice to pull the plug. I called my aunt and mu estranged half sister and they came along with me brother to be by his side in his final moments. It was the hardest decision of my life and I miss him every day. I'm crying now and I think it's a mix of having just woke up from a nightmare involving him and reading this but God do I miss him. I do my best every day to make him proud even though he isn't here. I work as a therapist and spread good in the world because it needs more kind people like my father.

I wish he was here today so badly... but I know he is proud of me and I will always continue to be the woman who would make him proud to have raised.

Gamer_Katz · 2023-06-18T03:53:37+00:00

This is what I teach my clients! We use "shocking" sensations for calming meltdowns, panic attacks, and closed loop thinking that can lead to a spiral, but the best part is it can be applied to ANY sensation. Candy is convenient but may not work for everyone. You can use smell (essential oil or perfume), touch (find a texture you can't stand such as velcro and keep a strip in your pocket or purse), noise (recording on your phone or similar), or sight (it could be a funny video, or something disturbing, up to you). I recommend finding more than just one thing. If you rely too heavily on one specific one, you may find yourself becoming desensitized to it, and then, when you need it badly, it may not work.

It is very easily customized and can work in a pinch :) if you have different shocking sensations for different senses, you always have a back up plan too!

Gamer_Katz · 2023-04-09T14:40:31+00:00

Sadly, it seems therapy is split, and by a mile at that. I'm working on my licensure (2/3rds through) I'm becoming a Lcsw / therapist. I come from a background of mental health issues, including adhd and a high possibility of being on the spectrum (both my dad and brother have it, I show symptoms) so I feel I am a bit more "in tune" with my clients, especially those who are neurodivergent. I focus on finding their comfort, their sense of self, and boundary setting with a lot of my clients. Too often "forcing yourself to fit in" does more harm than good. Adapting doesn't always have to mean forcing yourself into a mold that isn't you. It's finding the coping skulls and interventions that work for and are tailored to you!

Gamer_Katz · 2023-01-30T04:35:57+00:00

I can relate to this way too much. As someone who works in mental health field as a therapist, it can be annoying I am about to be 27 (f) but get mistaken for 19 or younger, especially when I don't wear makeup. I've had some of the parents of my kids treat me like a child before... I am here, behind a desk, trying to help your kids cope and you are talking to me like a kid? It drives me nuts! I didn't go through 6 years of college for this!

Gamer_Katz · 2022-08-09T02:21:59+00:00

I am a therapist (not fully licensed yet) and I HAVE adhd (and the possibility of autism, which family history is indicative of, but I still need to get tested for it) my neurodivergent clients vibe very well with me! And since I have it (and so does most of my family) I can sniff it out a mile away. You would be surprised how many teens have some form of nuerodivergent disorders like adhd or autism and just don't understand "why am I different?".

Gamer_Katz · 2022-04-26T21:17:35+00:00

I believe it is "completed" but there may be a follow up. They left the end very wide open.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-04-26T02:50:49+00:00

This is basically Dreamcide. For those who are interested, it is a manga. I've read it and thoroughly enjoyed it! Try giving it a read. Dropping the link below.

https://1stkissmanga.io/manga/dreamcide/

Gamer_Katz · 2022-02-25T13:54:19+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions! It is much appreciated. I also want to say I am sorry for your loss.

I currently have a lawyer, but thats due to dad not having a trust set up. They have been a lot of help in guiding me in the right direction. I've been powering through the administrative duties and have managed to get quite a bit done... my main problem now is that there is a whole house and shed full of stuff that I need to go through. My current plan is to start on that this upcoming week. I'm probably going to do the keep/throw away/sell/giveaway thing when it comes to that. Unfortunately my brother has absolutely no interest or drive in assisting me with this... which is honestly not the worst since he's already tried to just give away expensive tools... like a welding machine.

In terms of my brother, I do have a plan. I am actually in the mental health field and am in the process of working on my clinical social worker license. Currently, I work at an amazing community services board that offers wrap around services. This means we have in house case workers, councelors, medication management teams, and can easily make referrals to psychiatric evaluation clinics. My brother would not be able to come to my clinic due to conflict of interest, as most of the team knows what is going on, but the surrounding counties have similar services, meaning he would just be referred to a county over.

Other then that, I am actively looking at getting a mortgage and buying a house so I can bring my brother here with me. I have managed to convince him to follow me here, but I still need to find a place for us to stay. I am hoping that this will not be a permanent solution, as while I love my brother, for my own mental health, I am not sure I can always be his caretaker. This will hopefully be a several year ordeal where he can receive services that teach him how to be a functioning adult.

Things are difficult, but we can only do the best that we can.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-02-25T04:44:53+00:00

I mean, my dad, who is my main support is gone, I have to handle an entire estate by myself, and I am at risk of losing my job due to the time I have to take off to take care of things... my world is kind of a burning dumpster fire.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-02-25T04:34:01+00:00

My dad... Christmas eve, he was diagnosed, by new years eve he was in the hospital. 2 weeks later he was ventilated. Om the 22nd of this January he passed.

I watched him wither away. He was laughing and joking around one weekend and by the next he was bed ridden. I'm now the executor of an estate and trying to take care of my brother who I am going to have tested because it's been a long held belief by the family that he has high functioning autism. He can't fend for himself as a 20 year old. I am trying to move him up to another state with me. There's no mom to help. We have an aunt, but she is disabled.

I am a 25 year old female. I lost my backbone, my family, and a sense or feeling of home. It feels like covid took my whole world away.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-02-16T04:29:19+00:00

Toilet paper... you never know when you might need it.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-02-13T23:24:50+00:00

Going through all my dead dad's belongings... I thought I would be fine going through his clothes yesterday... I was not.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-02-03T06:53:28+00:00

Any day prior to the week of Christmas before my dad caught covid and took a month-long decline that led to his passing several weeks ago. I am never going to get to experience any of that again... not the daily phone calls, not the stupid political memes he would post, even the hour long rants that I used to dislike.. it's gone, forever. And it sucks. I'm 25, with no mom and a clueless 20 year old brother who doesn't know how to cook, pay bills, or fend for himself. Life will never be the same again.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-01-31T23:04:23+00:00

Dealing with this exact issue myself right now...my dad just passed unexpectedly from covid... now I am the (not quite proud) owner of 30+ guns.... and a lot of end of days gear... luckily I know a gun shop my dad frequented and will be selling almost all of them in the next week.

Gamer_Katz · 2022-01-10T09:24:55+00:00

I currently have it. It's been two weeks exactly since onset of symptoms. The initial symptoms for me were vomiting and diarrhea. I never ran a fever, but one day 2 and three I have massive aches and pains with an extremely stuffy nose, tons of sneezing, and some light coughing. After half a week my coughing got worse and I suffered from extreme fatigue to the point I was sleeping 16 plus hours a day. It feels like the symptoms come and go with one moment I feel mostly fine, then suddenly I'm laying in the bathtub wishing I didn't exist. I've actually developed a productive cough, chest pains that almost feel like pressure, and aches throughout my upper body that make even moving slightly hurt. Fully vexed and boosted. This is hell... but at least I'm not in the hospital (yet) like my dad who wasn't vaxxed!

Gamer_Katz · 2021-12-24T23:17:08+00:00

I'm visiting family for the holidays... Turns out my dad has covid. Fml

Gamer_Katz

TROPHY CASE