Ask Kati Anything

Today on Ask Kati Anything, I will be talking about being obsessed with our mental illness and diagnosis, and why we can find ourselves spending so much time researching them. I will also explain sleep's role in our mental health and what to do if we aren’t sleeping well. Then we will dig into exercise and how it can be used as a form of self injury and what we can do about it. We will then discuss dating someone with BPD and how we can be more supportive, ways that we can build safety for ourselves, and what we have to do in order to deserve therapy.

I wanted to ask you if I even deserve to be able to go to therapy if I've never experienced any trauma. I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, but my therapist says that it's genetic. If that's true, then how is talk therapy going to...

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In this episode we will be talking about why we can crave physical touch yet struggle to ask for it and even feel awkward when it’s happening. I will also talk about asking for things in therapy so that we get our needs met, and how we can forgive ourselves for past suicide attempts. I will then dig into therapy ending and why we can fear it, how people can actually love their life, and finally how to communicate about our mental illness. I hope my answers are helpful! Let’s jump right in!

1. I was wondering what your thoughts or tips are for people who crave physical touch but don’t get it or find it difficult or awkward to try and ask for it.

2. Is it ok to ask your therapist for more directed sessions? When I go into my appointment, she asks what I want to work on and I don’t really know what I want to do or where I want to go.

3. I was wondering what advice you would give for how to forgive yourself for a suicide attempt? I’m struggling years later when anyone offers compassion or tries to comfort me.

4. Is it normal to fear the end of therapy? I have only a certain number of sessions and still have a lot but nevertheless I already fear the end. Of course I hope it will be better by then but still the thought of never seeing my therapist again is very hard.

5. How can people love life? I'm not jealous or angry, it's just a "concept" I don't understand. For me life was/is always being scared, bullied, traumatized etc.

6. Hi Kati! I’m new to your channel but I’ve recently been having an issue with communicating my mental illness with my partner. She has asked me to be more open about my depression and anxiety, which I have been doing for the most part, but I am...

Recap by Tammy AI⁠

4:25⁠: 💆 The video discusses how to heal from harmful touch and develop a healthy relationship with touch.

⁠8:06⁠: 💔 Physical touch is a human need, but some people may struggle with it due to various reasons, such as childhood neglect or abuse.⁠

11:59⁠: 👥 The video discusses trauma processing and finding ways to soothe the nervous system in order to cope with triggers related to childhood sexual abuse and the need for physical touch.⁠

15:52⁠: 🗣️ The therapist encourages being direct in therapy and asking for guidance, as it is the patient's time and process.⁠

19:58⁠: 💡 Therapist discusses the importance of therapy, communication, and connection in dealing with suicidal thoughts and attempts.⁠

23:32⁠: 😊 Katie discusses the importance of understanding why something is a big deal to us and suggests exploring therapy to address emotional neglect and inner child work.⁠

27:22⁠: ✨ Therapy can help, but it's important to do the work outside of sessions as well.⁠

31:07⁠: 😊 Focus on the good in life and choose to love it, despite the bad.⁠

36:29⁠: 💬 The importance of consistent and repetitive communication when discussing mental illness with a partner, especially during medication transitions.⁠

39:33⁠: ✨ The video discusses the importance of recognizing and expressing our own emotions and communicating effectively with our partners.⁠

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This week we will talk about breaking a therapist’s trust and what to do, why we can always feel like a bad person, the signs of past sexual abuse, why we can get stuck in negative thoughts cycles and blaming ourselves for every misstep, and whether comfort is a need or a want. Let’s get into those questions!

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This week we're be talking about how to go deeper in therapy to explore what it means to be you. We will also discuss why we can often feel like we are exaggerating what we tell our therapist, or think we are making up what we have gone through. We will dig into childhood sexual abuse and why it can be comforting, why hearing about it can sometimes be arousing, and all of the things that can come along with that sort of trauma. I will explain the difference between disordered eating and an eating disorder, and when we should reach out for help. We will come up with ways to uphold boundaries with people who don’t respect them, and the effects a near death experience can have on us. Let’s get into those questions!

Audience questions for episode 185 of Ask Kati Anything, your mental health podcast.

2. I wanted to ask you why I always feel like I'm over-exaggerating what I tell my therapist. I don't do this on purpose, but after my sessions, I always get really angry at myself because I...

3. Is it normal to fantasize about your childhood sexual abuse to try to find comfort in it? I feel like I’m trying to change the narrative to make it feel less traumatic.

4. Hi kati 😊 what's the difference between disordered eating and an eating disorder and when is it serious enough to ask for help? I've been having some problems with restricting and purging when I do eat more than once a day, but I don't feel like it's bad enough because...

5. How can you set boundaries for people who cross boundaries all the time? Especially if it’s a parent you are struggling with. Luckily I don’t live at home anymore but quitting the relationship/contact completely isn’t an option. I don’t want that. Another question is, how can you not let negativity ruin your mood.6. I have asked this question a number of times and so I really hope this gets picked. I was wondering if anyone has ever told you they had an NDE (near-death experience). If they have, how did you react? What did you say?

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In this week’s episode we will be talking about coming back from a mental health sabbatical and how to ensure we do it properly without relapsing. We also talk about the relationship between eating disorders and control. Then we dig into the difference between ADHD, Autism, and CPTSD specifically in females, and also how those in the medical and mental health field can deal with triggering situations or patients. We also discuss why we can struggle so much with self compassion and why some of us prefer to switch languages when talking about our struggles.

Questions for episode 184 of the Ask Kati Anything podcast

1. Do you have any advice for people getting back into the workforce after a mental health sabbatical? I lost my job as a medical technician late last year due to alcoholism and compassion fatigue.

2. Can you possibly talk about the relationship between eating disorders and control? I guess I’m asking this in regard to the general sentiment that eating disorders are us “controlling what we can.”

3. Kati, can you talk about the difference between ADHD, Autism, and CPTSD in how they might present, specifically in females?

4. I work in the mental health field and action all the incoming referrals however often find them very triggering. I have (stable) bipolar and have self harmed for a long time, anything that mentions self harm really triggers my urges. I feel like such a fraud working in mental health...

5. Can we talk about issues with self compassion…I am currently in a PHP program and have been working on self compassion but I am struggling so much. I cannot help it but so totally hate myself.

6. Is it unhealthy to switch languages in my head to cope? I am not sure that my question is relatable or makes any sense but I do the switch quite often and would love to know your stance.

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This week licensed therapist Kati Morton dives into negative thought loops and ruminating thoughts. She explains why we can get caught up in them and what we can do to pull ourselves out. She also discusses whether or not we have to dive into the reasons behind our mental health issues to heal, and how to get to a place where we can talk about our past trauma with our therapist. She dives into the ways she knows a patient is dissociating, and how we can have healthy relationships with people who have a mental illness. This and so much more in this week’s episode!

Questions for episode 183 of the Ask Kati Anything podcast

1. What makes someone a “complex” case in therapy? Is it a specific diagnosis or cluster of diagnoses? Or is it dependent on how the client presents?

2. My question is about ruminating thoughts and negative thought loops. I constantly find myself in this thought loop in which I’m convinced that I’m lying about my problems to my therapist. I have to then tell myself the facts and use evidence to...

3.Can true long lasting progress be made without talking about the underlying problems that lead to my depression and anxiety? I have been in therapy for a few months now and each week all we discuss which skills or...

4. Do you have any tips for sharing traumatic memories or details (like childhood sexual abuse) with your therapist for the first time?

5. How can you tell if a client is dissociated in session? Like can you see that? And what do you think of the term high functioning anxiety? Can someone with this also dissociate?

6. How do I know whether the way I feel classifies as "depressed" and "anxious" or whether this is just what life feels like for everyone? Maybe living life is just hard, exhausting, and having to fight to get through your days is normal?

7. What's the difference between having social difficulties because of social anxiety and having social difficulties because of ASD and how would I differentiate between just needing to expose myself to social situations and pushing through the anxiety...

8. I wanted to know about how to leave my therapist without her bursting into tears. She has been under a lot of stress lately and has been canceling my appointments. I really need to...

9. How do you maintain friendships with people with mental illness, without it turning into a helping relationship? I have ended friendships simply because it was taking a toll on my mental health as I get texts and calls on...

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Licensed therapist Kati Morton addresses our issues with self-hate, shame, and why we can believe we are unlovable. She walks listeners through the ways we can overcome those beliefs and heal from it. She then explains more about dissociation and freeze states. She dives into what causes them, how our nervous system decides what to do, and what techniques she uses to ground her patients when they are dissociating. Kati also talks about regressing when triggered and why that happens. This and so much more in this week’s episode of Ask Kati Anything, your mental health podcast.

If you want to support the podcast please check out my affiliate links in the description. If you shop on Amazon, or Instacart please use my links below! Also, BetterHelp offers 10% off your first month when you use my promo code KATI when signing up. Okay, let’s get into today’s questions.

1. Hi Kati, looking for some additional tips to overcome self hate…I have been in counseling for almost 2 months now with anxiety and depression from childhood trauma and neglect. As more and more issues from that start to surface...

2. Is it possible to have full on discussions while dissociating? Sometimes during therapy or other overwhelming situations, I can't remember what was said. Is this dissociation or something else?

3. Could you possibly talk a little bit about age regression, why we may want to and if it can be a healthy coping mechanism? I feel for much of my life I’ve felt this urge, mostly used to self-soothe, but understand that it would be socially unacceptable...

4. I know you have talked extensively about dissociation on here, but what exactly is the difference between dissociation and freezing? Is one harder to manage? Do you intervene differently as a therapist?

5. I wonder if you could talk about how to handle negative thoughts that come up while journaling. So often my journal entries end up filled with anger, frustration, and despair. I hate what comes out and I feel ashamed of writing it.

6. Here’s my question: can flashbacks and dealing with trauma cause regression? Scenario: I’ve been battling a really intense CSA flashback lately. I’ve not had one this persistent or reactive in awhile. I often come out of these flashbacks in a different room...

7. I've always kind of had trouble focusing or keeping my attention on things that I don't really find interesting but lately I feel like it's escalated to a whole new level. I'm diagnosed with depression and anxiety so I know that can be a symptom but I'm finding it really hard to focus on anything, even just scrolling through TikTok...8. What do you do with clients that don't meet the full criteria for any particular diagnosis but have some common symptoms? My therapist says he...

9. I lost my safe person and safe space when I stopped seeing my therapist in May. Even though she made my mental health a lot worse I felt a deep bond with her and I opened up completely to her. Now that I've stopped seeing her I feel so incredibly lost....

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Ask Kati Anything ep. 181 | Your mental health podcast

Traumatized https://geni.us/Bfak0j

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask Kati Anything ep. 180 | Your mental health podcast

⁠Traumatized⁠ https://geni.us/Bfak0j

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