aggression Not truly taking other people’s feelings into consideration. Often, aggressive remarks contain comments that attack the other person, or are belittling, humiliating, intimidating, or threatening.

agoraphobia A fear of being in public places such as the grocery store or shopping mall.

anhedonia A common symptom of serious depression. It is a loss of a sense of aliveness and vitality. Regardless of what happens in a person’s life, nothing evokes happiness, interest, or enthusiasm. When anhedonia is presents, life loses all meaning, for example, people can no longer experience the beauty of a sunset, a funny movie, the laughter of their grandchildren, the inspiration of a favorite hymn, or the pleasure of good food or physical intimacy. And when nothing matters, people invariably withdraw from life.

assertion Communicating in an honest and direct way, telling someone how you feel and/or asking for a change in her behavior. It is tempered by a respect for her feelings.

behavioral inhibition The capacity of the mind and the brain to hold back outward emotional reactions when inwardly strong emotions are being activated. This is commonly referred to as “emotional control.”

bereavement The state of having lost someone close to you.

blood-brain barrier A complex arrangement of tightly packet cells in the brain that operate to keep certain potentially dangerous chemicals out of the brain. The blood-brain barrier also, to some degree, can make it difficult for certain large molecules to enter brain tissue.

brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) A protein that is considered to be “neuro-protective.” It helps facilitate the repair and maintenance of nerve cells in the brain. It also can activate neurogenesis, which is the birth of new nerve cells.

circadian rhythm The term circadian comes from the root words circa (meaning about or approximately) and dies (meaning a day) … thus about a day. The circadian rhythm is controlled in the brain by what is known as the “endogenous circadian pacemaker.” This is the internal biological clock that regulates the release of many hormones, influences sleep and awake times, and controls body temperature. All of these fluctuations in the body occur at approximately the same time each day. And the rhythm repeats itself every 24 hours.

cognitive therapy A specific approach to psychotherapy where the therapist uses various techniques to help the client improve his own ability to think clearly. A number of such techniques can help people develop a more realistic and balanced perspective on their lives and can improve their effectiveness in problem solving. coping Adaptation and survival. It includes taking direct action in your life to solve

problems. And it also involves internal, psychological experiences, such as thinking, planning, and feeling.

decompensation A term used to describe a marked breakdown in emotional controls.

deep sleep This is considered to be restorative sleep. Deep sleep is especially important for reducing daytime fatigue and maintaining good emotional control. This is also referred to as slow wave sleep or restorative sleep.

defense mechanisms Automatic and unconscious ways that the mind blocks awareness of inner painful or frightening emotions.

dissociation A psychological defensive reaction to being emotionally overwhelmed. It results in a feeling of numbness and lack of strong emotions. Dissociation is often accompanied by two other psychological defenses: derealization, a peculiar feeling that the world seems unreal, and depersonalization, the sense that you are not real (feeling odd and estranged from your normal experience of self). Many experts believe that these symptoms are attributable to changes in brain chemistry that often follow emotional trauma.

dysphoric mania An especially severe form of mania where there are classic manic symptoms accompanied by extreme irritability and depression.

dysthymia A low-grade, chronic depressed mood that is experienced almost every day over a long period of time. People suffering from dysthymia tend to see the world in a pervasively negative way.

ego This is a term that has been used in a number of ways. The ego, in psychological literature, often is synonymous with the concept of “self”; having a well-developed ego might mean having a solid sense of self. The ego is also considered to be those aspects of the human personality that are devoted to coping and survival.

ego strength The degree of emotional sturdiness in the face of strong emotional challenges.

emotional recovery The amount of time it takes a person to calm down after a stressful event. The calming generally refers to decreased physical activation, but also includes feeling emotionally relaxed and in control.

essential amino acids The human body makes a number of amino acids. However, essential amino acids are not produced in your body and must be derived from your diet. Several of these are the key ingredients in the manufacturing of brain neurotransmitters that regulate mood. Two that you may have heard of are tryptophan and tyrosine.

exposure-based cognitive therapy This is a specific type of psychotherapy that has been found to be highly effective in treating most anxiety disorders. Central to this treatment is first teaching anxiety management techniques and then helping the client to face their fears in a gradual, one-step-at-a-time fashion.

fight-or-flight response An automatic biological reaction to the perception of danger in the environment. It is characterized by some or all of the following symptoms: intense physical arousal (heart pounding, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath), emotional changes (feelings of panic, dread, or fear of going crazy or dying), and the impulse to escape.

generalized anxiety disorder This manifests as a near-constant anxiety primarily characterized by constant tension and worry.

grief This represents a large array of feelings that often accompany bereavement, such as sadness and loneliness.

healing Regaining emotional stability and reducing emotional suffering in the aftermath of difficult life experiences.

hypersomnia Sleeping too much. Despite this, most people with hypersomnia also experience significant daytime fatigue. Although hypersomnia can occur in typical, garden-variety depressions, it is frequently associated with bipolar depression (a depressive episode seen in the context of bipolar illness).

hypomania A less severe form of mania.

injunctions Rules for behaving that initially are spoken to children, but with time become a part of the child’s own internal self-talk. Injunctions do not encourage or support. They scold and criticize.

intra-psychic This refers to all privately experienced feelings, needs, thoughts, perceptions, and memories.

intrusive symptoms Highly emotionally charged and vivid memories, images, thoughts, and feelings that come into a person’s mind following exposure to traumatic events; often seen in post traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms are a replay of the traumatic event or elements of that experience. They are considered to be intrusive because they occur without conscious choice. Intrusive symptoms also include nightmares.

koyaanisqatsi This is a Hopi (Native American) word meaning “life out of balance.”

light sleep Twilight sleep, halfway between asleep and awake. Also referred to as stage one sleep. mania A severe mood episode associated with bipolar disorder. It is most noticeable

by the presence of an upbeat mood, elation, and/or extreme irritability, agitation, and impulsive behavior.

mourning Refers to various aspects of emotional healing that take place following a painful loss.

neurogenesis The birth of new nerve cells.

neuropsychiatric disorders Psychiatric syndromes that are presumed to be either caused by changes in brain chemistry or in which, once the disorder begins, noticeable changes in brain functioning begin to develop. Owing to the fact that they involve some degree of chemical malfunction in the brain, treatments that directly target and normalize brain biochemistry are important to consider (such as the use of antidepressant medications).

night terrors This may look like nightmares, however, they are generally not associated with scary dreams. The child is not truly awake, but is extremely terrified and may cry and scream. Night terrors are not due to emotional conflicts, but rather are a type of biologically based sleep disorder. They can be treated with certain types of prescription medications.

nightmares Very frightening dreams that occur frequently when people are under significant stress.

nonassertion Being passive or timid. When acting in a nonassertive way, people do not speak out and may allow someone to repeatedly use or abuse them.

normative A term that simply reflects whether or not something is common, i.e. whether it happens to most everyone. It doesn’t necessarily imply good or bad. Death is normative; enjoying a vacation is normative.

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) This is distinguished by compulsive, ritualistic behaviors such as repeated hand washing or checking and rechecking to make sure the over has been turned off or the doors have been locked, and/or freighting thoughts (e.g. fears regarding dirt, germs, disease, and contamination).

panic disorder This is distinguished by the sufferer experiencing sudden attacks of very severe anxiety that last for only a few minutes. Often after several such attacks, people may also begin to develop phobias (e.g. if they have had a panic attack while driving, they may become very afraid to drive).

parasympathetic nervous system The parasympathetic nervous system sends nerves throughout the body, and when it is activated, it rapidly produces a calming effect.

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A severe reaction to exposure to highly frightening and traumatic life events. Symptoms include intense anxiety, insomnia, intrusive memories, nightmares, and emotional numbing.

premenstrual dysphoria Changes in estrogen levels that often have an impact on mood. Five percent of women suffer from premenstrual dysphoria. Dysphoria is a term meaning unpleasant mood and this can include irritability, anxiety, and/or depression. Premenstrual dysphoria is a marked mood change that occurs on a very regular basis in the days prior to menstruation. Symptoms can be so severe as to be incapacitating. Premenstrual dysphoria is considered to be a biologically based mood disorder.

psychoactive When a particular drug has a noticeable effect on brain functioning. Some psychoactive drugs have a negative impact on the brain, while others have a positive effect. For example, anti-convulsant drugs affect many types of nerve cells in the brain and successfully reduce seizures in people suffering from epilepsy. Antidepressants are often very effective in reducing the symptoms of severe depression.

psychological growth This is about transformation, fundamentally changing something about yourself. This typically includes discovering who you truly are: what you feel, think, value, and believe in, and then beginning to live your life in accord with these truths.

reality testing This is a psychological term that refers to the ability of the brain and mind to carefully consider and reconsider perceptions. Rather than jumping to abrupt conclusions, reality testing involves a more careful and thoughtful consideration of information coming into the brain.

REM sleep REM is short for “rapid eye movement” sleep. Here the brain is very active; it is during REM sleep that most dreaming occurs.

rumination This is the tendency to have troublesome thoughts going through your mind again and again. It is also a kind of worrying that never leads to any real solutions. In common vernacular, rumination is sometimes called “stewing in your own juices.”

seasonal affective disorder A type of depression that is caused primarily by reduced photic stimulation (decreased amounts of light entering the eye). This type of depression is most frequently accompanied by increased appetite, weight gain, lethargy, fatigue, low motivation, and hypersomnia (sleeping too much).

self-regulation Refers to a number of actions people take to reduce tension. Most of the time these are done without conscious awareness. They include benign actions like stretching and yawning, and extend to more problematic behaviors such as excessive consumption of alcohol.

situational anxiety Refers to what is often simply called “stress.” It is an overly anxious reaction to a distressing situation.

sleep hygiene Refers to a number of specific steps that one can take to improve the quality of sleep.

social anxiety disorder Characterized by very intense anxiety felt only in social situations, such as dating, applying for a job, or interactions with strangers (e.g. standing in line at the grocery store, public speaking).

temperament Refers to those rather enduring personality characteristics that are influenced by genetic factors.

validation A term often used in psychology to describe the experience of sharing a thought or a feeling with another and seeing that what you have said has been accepted, understood, and not judged.

working through The process of carefully thinking about, feeling emotions, and finding personal meaning in particular difficult life events. Over a period of time, as people go through this process, generally two things result: first, some of the intensity of painful emotions diminishes, and second, people come to a greater understanding about what has happened and how it has affected them.