Nick Holt, LCSW is a certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT therapist in West Los Angeles, 90025 | Sawtelle
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Nick Holt, LCSW

West Los Angeles Psychotherapy

Am I seeking pleasure? Or am I just avoiding again?

3/27/2017

1 Comment

 
Compulsive behaviors or addictive behaviors? Am I avoiding or am I seeking pleasure?
From the article:

"
An addiction, goes the emerging understanding, begins with a flash of pleasure overlaid with an itch for danger: It’s fun to gamble or to drink, and it also puts you at risk (for losing your rent money, for acting like an idiot). Addictions bring pleasure, though they also build up a tolerance over time, as the addict requires more and more of the behavior (or substance) to get the same hedonic hit."

Continued ...


"Compulsions, by contrast, are about avoiding unpleasant outcomes. They are born out of anxiety and remain strangers to joy. They are repetitive behaviors we engage in over and over to alleviate the angst brought on by the possibility of negative consequences. If I don’t check my phone constantly, I’ll miss an urgent demand from my boss or will feel like I don’t know what is going on. If I do not religiously organize my closets, my home will be engulfed in chaos. If I don’t shop, it will be proof that I can’t afford nice things and am headed for homelessness. “A compulsive behavior is one that’s done with the intent of decreasing an overwhelming sense of anxiety,” said Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation. The roots of compulsion lie in the brain circuit that detects threats, which is abnormally active in people with OCD and other compulsions."

Great work and an informational piece. Read more here.
1 Comment

    Nick Holt

    Mental Health and Therapy Writer. As featured on Huffington Post, Vox Media and elsewhere.

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​Psychotherapy.
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  • Psychotherapy.
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
    • Depression and Suicide.
    • Mens Mental Health.
    • Caregivers and Family.
  • Blog.
  • Contact My Practice.
    • Self Pay Therapy | Out of Network Therapist.
    • My Credentials