Taming the Amygdala

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Handouts

Speaker

Catherine Pittman, PhD, HSPP Related seminars and products

Saint Mary's College

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Catherine Pittman, PhD, HSPP, is a professor of psychology at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. Dr. Pittman is the author of the popular books Rewire the Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry (New Harbinger Publications) and Taming Your Amygdala (PESI Publishing & Media). She has a background in cognitive behavioral therapy, neuropsychology, fear-conditioning research, and has treated anxiety-based disorders in clinical practice for over 25 years.

Dr. Pittman’s experience makes her uniquely qualified to provide a clear understanding of neuroscience and how that informs the selection and application of successful anxiety treatment strategies. She is recognized for her clear, accessible explanations of the role of the amygdala, and her approaches to lifestyle change and cognitive restructuring that help motivate clients to be more engaged and motivated in therapy. Dr. Pittman regularly presents workshops at national conferences and webinars on anxiety treatment and is an active member of the public education committee of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Catherine Pittman has employment relationships with Saint Mary's College and Renew Counseling. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Pittman receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Catherine Pittman is a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Additional Info

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Objectives

1. Demonstrate the role of the amygdala in maintaining anxiety disorders for purposes of client psychoeducation.
2. Explain how clients who know the language of the amygdala have improved treatment engagement and mindfulness.
3. Use neurologically informed strategies such as relaxation, exercise, exposure, and sleep interventions to produce changes in the amygdala. 

Outline

Key Knowledge about the Amygdala and Anxiety 

• Help clients understand the experience of stress, anxiety, and panic 
• How the amygdala learns through experience 
• Why vivid experiences in therapy are needed 

Essential Steps to Using the Amygdala in Therapy 

1. Form a strong, empathic therapeutic alliance 
2. How does your client experience anxiety? 
3. Focus on client’s personal goals 
4. Connect amygdala to client concerns and questions 
5. Change the amygdala rather than avoid anxiety 
6. Acceptance of limits of control using Serenity Prayer 

Teach Client’s Where Their Anxiety Comes From 

1. Amygdala pathway – bottom-up triggering of emotion 
2. Cortex pathway – top-down generation of emotion 
3. Both pathways require the amygdala for anxiety to be produced 
4. Help clients recognize their two pathways 
5. How anxiety is initiated in each pathway and how they influence each other 

Target Audience

• Counsellors
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Physicians
• Psychologists
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Social Workers
• Other Mental Health Professionals