Although it is apparent that there haven’t been any cures found for multiple sclerosis there are many ways to help reduce its effects on the body including natural home remedies. These include adapting a healthy diet, exercise techniques, yoga, vitamins. In this article we will be diving into the commonly used therapeutic exercise of psychotherapy. Whenever you think of MS you think of body numbing, loss of energy, vision, fatigue, well another effect is depression and stress. Psychotherapy is a way victims of MS help overcome their inner depression and anxiety issues. Psychotherapy includes Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and other ways.
CBT is a therapy you conduct for a range of psychological issues including depression and anxiety. CBT helps people find their path and the position of their mind to help adapt to changes and fix the way they process life. CBT includes four major steps. Number one; Finding troublesome situations in your life. This means analyzing your relationships, environment, speech, thoughts to find trigger some areas that may be causing some negative thoughts or impacts on how you process things. The second part; Becoming known of your thoughts/emotions or beliefs on these problems. This means addressing these specific issues that trigger you and finding out how they are negatively impacting your life. In MS this could include your negative mindset on healing procedures or believing that it's impossible to ever be normal again. The third component of CBT is Identifying negative or inaccurate thinking patterns. Which aligns with the previous step: find thoughts that are leading to you not feeling good with yourself and find a way to address it; whether it's writing it on a piece of paper and throwing it away. The last step is; Reshape negative thinking; after addressing your negative thoughts, look to the brighter side, engage in healthy activities that make your mind and your body feel good.
ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; another way to address MS intrusively. ACT has six components these include, contacting the present moment, defusion, acceptance, self-as-context, values, and committed action. ACT is a therapy that helps you live in the present moment and put energy into guiding you through your difficulties. It makes you realize the events occurring around you; makes you self aware and helps you address those insecurities in yourself. It makes you value who you are and puts motivation into loving yourself and doing beneficial things for yourself. ACT helps address depression, anxiety, mental health conditions (including MS).
Although neither ACT or CBT or other countless therapies can solve MS. One of the biggest challenges faced by patients of MS in self acceptance and moving on which is possible to address. After all, your body only does what your brain tells it to do.
Sources:
Better Health. (n.d.). Cognitive behaviour therapy. Better Health Channel - Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/cognitive-behaviour-therapy
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21208-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cbt
Multiple sclerosis and mental health: 3 common challenges. (2023, February 9). Johns Hopkins Medicine, based in Baltimore, Maryland. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/multiple-sclerosis-ms/multiple-sclerosis-and-mental-health-3-common-challenges
Psychology Today. (2017, April 17). Acceptance and commitment therapy. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy
Very Well Mind. (2015, October 29). What is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/acceptance-commitment-therapy-gad-1393175
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