Glossary

Psychology Glossary

A

Adult Children of Alcoholics

Several adults grow up in homes as children with a parent living with an active addiction. These struggles continue to plague their ability to live emotionally healthy and balanced lives as adults. A child that grows up in such a household may not have gotten the parental guidance they needed or may have created a distorted view of healthy attachment as an adult. As a result of this dysfunction, children of alcoholics may face several characteristic difficulties in adulthood, making it harder to find balance and peace, resulting oftentimes, in unhealthy coping skills such as substance misuse, self-harm, and other interpersonally-disruptive behaviors.

Attachment Theory

Attachment theory believes that humans are born with an innate drive to develop deep emotional bonds with their caregivers. A bond that exists beyond the basic fulfilment of physiological needs, but also of emotional needs. The safety or lack thereof of our early relationships go on to influence our psychological wellbeing and interpersonal-connectedness later on in life.

Aversive Racism

Attempts to avoid non-white people and communities or to be formal, correct, and cold in dealings with them.

B

Bias

Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Body Neutrality

At its core, body neutrality is the idea that we can exist without having to think too deeply or often about our bodies - either positively or negatively. You can simply exist and be worthy of self and social respect without thinking about your body at all. It encourages us to accept the ebb and flow of our relationships with our bodies- whether it be feeling good about it one day and not as good about it the next

C

Chakras

Chakras refer to various energy centers that correlate to specific internal organs and nerve bundles in the body. The 7 major chakras run from the top of your head to the base of your spine. A high-stress environment, trauma, loss, may create blockages in energy flow that may manifest into anxiety and worry. One way to stabilize or unblock these imbalanced chakras is by partaking in somatic interventions to promote holistic healing and well-being.

Conscious Relaxation

Conscious relaxation involves becoming conscious of your mind and body and then relaxing them by “letting go”. In this state, you are experiencing the release of tension without distraction in the mind.

Couplings

Couplings are associations between a stimulus and the response that follows. There can be "over-coupling" (over associations) or "under-coupling" (fragmented or dis-associate. An awareness of this coupling dynamics is what guides us to more of a sense of presence.

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

The Crown Chakra is the highest chakra, sitting at the crown of the head and represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually. When you fully open your crown chakra—you're able to access higher consciousness. Located at the very top of the head.

D

Denial

This is another defense mechanism, involving an inability to consciously acknowledge feelings, desires, thoughts, or facets of reality that may be too painful or unacceptable for the self.

Dissociation

While dissociating, one may feel disconnected from themselves and the world around them. Often dissociation is one way the mind copes with excessive stress, such as during a traumatic event.

Doomscrolling

The tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing.

E

Ego

The ego is the psychological component of the personality that is represented by our conscious decision-making process.

Egodystonic

Egodystonic is the opposite, wherein, one's thoughts and behaviors conflict with the needs and goals of one's ego and ideal self-image.

Egosyntonic

Egosyntonic refers to values, feelings, and behaviors that are in harmony with the needs and goals of the ego, and one's ideal self-image.

H

Heart Chakra (Anahata)

The heart Chakra is the bridge between the lower chakras (linked to maternity) and upper chakras (linked to spirituality). This chakra influences our ability to receive and give love. Someone with a blocked Anahata will struggle to fully open up to the people in their life. If someone's Anahata is open, they can experience deep compassion and empathy. Located in the center of the chest.

I

Interoception

“The hidden sense that shapes wellbeing”. It is your brain’s perception of your body’s state, transmitted from receptors on all your internal organs. It is your brain’s representation of sensations from your own body.

M

Mentalization

In psychology, mentalization is the ability to understand the mental state, of oneself or others, that underlies overt behavior. Mentalization can be seen as a form of imaginative mental activity that lets us perceive and interpret human behavior in terms of intentional mental states (e.g., needs, desires, feelings, beliefs, goals, purposes, and reasons). It is sometimes described as "understanding misunderstanding." Mentalization can occur either automatically or consciously. Mentalization ability, or mentalizing, is weakened by intense emotion.

Metacognition

Metacognition is quite simply “thinking about thinking”. It involves conscious awareness of one’s thoughts. Separating the thought from you, the onlooker. This emboldening idea lends the notion that if we have the ability to observe our thoughts, we may possibly have the power to change our thoughts.

Metta Meditation

Metta meditation is one of many types of Buddhist Meditation. The term is derived from the Pali language, meaning friendliness, amity, goodwill, benevolence, loving-kindness, and active interest in others. The goal of such meditation is to cultivate kindness for oneself and for all those around us. The main technique of this meditation involves reciting positive affirmations towards oneself and these surrounding beings.

P

Parentification

A process by which the child is made to take on the role of “parent” to their own parent or sibling due to a reluctant or not able parent. In this process, children are pushed into taking on the role of caretaker, and giving up their role as the child.

Polyvagal Theory

Polyvagal Theory is a tool for working with trauma as well as understanding social connection and communication. The polyvagal theory posits how all of us experience some degree of trauma in our early lives. Whether this trauma was a singular event that brought great fear or a prolonged sense of feeling unsafe. Each of these experiences elicits responses that remain ingrained in our nervous systems and frequently emerge to add fear to situations experienced later in life. Polyvagal theory offers a precise science about the vagus nerve, which is one part of our autonomic nervous system (our control room).

Projection

In psychology, projection is a defense mechanism, wherein one may attribute intolerable thoughts, impulses, urges, or feelings that they do not want to admit, onto other people.

R

Radical Acceptance

The concept of radical acceptance is one that describes accepting life on life’s terms, and not pushing back against what cannot be changed.

Relaxation Response

This is a state of deep rest that allows you to change your body's response to stressful situations, both external and internal. It is an inborn mechanism and is vital for reducing the negative effects of psychological, emotional, and physical wear and tear on our bodies and minds.

Remembered Wellness

Remembered Wellness, previously called the “placebo effect” is the belief that we all have the ability to heal based upon the projection of our intense desire for wellness and healing. It posits that we all can “remember” and draw upon the calm and strength associated with moments of health and happiness. These memories are not only psychologically and emotionally soothing but are also physically soothing.

Root Chakra (Muladhara)

The root chakra represents our foundation. It is located in the base of our spine, in the tailbone area. When the root chakra is open we feel secure in embracing challenges on our own two feet. When blocked, we feel unstable as though our grounding is shaky.

Rupture & Repair

“Rupture and repair” refers to the breaking and restoring of connection with one another. Since human beings are wired for social connection, and connection is what researchers say brings most human beings happiness, rupture and repair is a crucial concept to have awareness around for wellbeing. Stemming from attachment theory, rupture is the disruption of a perceived “positive” relationship and repair is the healing that is facilitated to mend that rupture or fracture, resulting in a deeper and more strengthened relationship.

S

Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana)

The Sacral Chakra helps inform how we relate to the emotion of others and our own. It also governs creativity and sexual energy. Those with a blocked sacral chakra could experience a lack of control in their lives. Located in our lower abdomen, 2 inches below the navel.

Sober-curious Movement

Unlike sobriety, which is often the absolute surrendering of alcohol from one’s life, sober curiosity is defined as having the option to question, to choose, or to change your drinking habits for mental and physical health-specific reasons. Sober-curious culture encourages sobriety but welcomes folks that are currently unwilling or not ready to completely give up alcohol.

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

The Solar Plexus Chakra speaks on your self-confidence, self-work, and self-efficacy. If your solar plexus chakra is blocked, you might feel overwhelming amounts of shame and self-doubt. Those with an open solar plexus chakra are free to express their true selves. Located in your upper abdomen.

T

Third-Eye Chakra (Ajna)

The Third-Eye Chakra controls our ability to see the big picture, seek and impart wisdom, imagine, and connect to our intuition. Often called the eye of the soul. Located in the forehead between both eyes.

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

The Throat Chakra gives voice to the heart chakra and controls our ability to communicate our personal power. Someone with a blocked throat chakra will feel like they have trouble finding the words to say how they truly feel.

Touched-out

A psychological and physiological response that a “body feeding” parent has as a result of the need to provide continuous physical comfort to their child. It means that they have spent so much time in physical contact with another human that the thought of any more touching makes them feel ill or repulsed. It’s something that new parents are especially prone to, as small children are all-consuming and need both their mental and physical attention.

Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)

TIC is an approach that guides itself from the assumption that an individual is more likely than not to have a trauma history. TIC recognizes the prevalence of traumatic experiences in society and acknowledges the ongoing role trauma may play in an individual's life.

W

Wise mind

Wise mind refers to a balance between the reasonable and emotional parts of our brain. Wise mind is able to recognize and respect ones feelings, while responding to them in a rational manner.