Blog - Page 2 of 4 - Rochna Hazra, LPC

Beating Anxiety: Walk Toward your Fear

Beating Anxiety: Walk Toward your Fear Very often we worry and experience anxiety about things that feel scary and insurmountable. The reality is that when we have a anxiety-provoking thoughts, instead of examining the reality of those anxiety triggers, we believe them fully. Our subsequent thoughts, feelings and actions become based on our fears and anxieties as if we know that they are the truth. Lets look at these two situations: Anxiety Jean is a 48 year old woman. She has been happily married for 23 years. However, for the last several months, Jean’s husband seems to be acting [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:21+00:00August 11th, 2015|Anxiety|Comments Off

Denial in Addiction: What you don’t tell your therapist

Maria left her alcoholic husband two years ago. She had been in denial of the addiction for years. The whole process was unbearably painful and even now Maria continues to struggles with occasional depression. Anniversaries are particularly hard. But with the help of her therapist and the Al-Anon program, Maria has built a support network that has helped her tremendously. She has begun to put her 8 year marriage behind her. Recently, Maria has begun to date a wonderful, charming man who treats Maria well, has a stable job and loves to spend time with Maria and her friends. Denial: [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:21+00:00August 2nd, 2015|Alcoholism, For Spouses|Comments Off

Sex Addiction in Women: Challenges to Recovery

Sex Addiction in women can look different from sex addiction in men. What is shared in common is the out-of-control risk taking behavior that is common to all addictions. It is also not unusual for people recovering from one addiction, say, alcoholism or drug addiction, to substitute their need to numb feelings with sex. This could be porn, soliciting sex in massage parlors or sexual encounters with colleagues at work, friends or even strangers. Vera is a 49 year old woman who has struggled with alcoholism for several years. After a DUI, Vera decided that she needed to quit. She [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:21+00:00June 23rd, 2015|Relapse Prevention, Sex Addiction|Comments Off

Relapse Risk: What You Don’t Tell Your Therapist

Relapse Prevention: Looking back, Doug realizes that 4 years back alcoholism had taken over his life. but could he be risking Relapse again? You don't tell your therapist everything. After all, you think, what if my therapist felt disappointed, felt let down or thought less of me? So, what do you do instead? You carry on hoping the problem will go away if you just ignore it. But this could put you at risk for relapse. Let's look at Doug's situation: Doug began seeing his therapist 5 years back. His wife had threatened divorce if he didn't seek help for his [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:21+00:00June 16th, 2015|Alcoholism, Relapse Prevention|Comments Off

Alcohol and the Soccer Mom

On July 26, 2009, 36 year old Diane Schuler drove 2 miles the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway before crashing into another SUV killing a total of 8 people. Toxicology reports revealed that at the time of the crash, Diane had an equivalent of 10 alcoholic beverages and high levels of the active ingredient in marijuana. Even family members were stunned... She was a "good mother" , they said and good mothers aren't drinkers. Most of us think of alcoholics as drunks rolling on a street corner. Here is what we don’t picture: the slim PTA Mom [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:22+00:00June 4th, 2015|Alcoholism, For Spouses|Comments Off

My Husband Won’t to go to Marriage Counseling!! What do I do?

"My Husband Refuses to go to Marriage Counseling!! What should I do?” I hear these words from women all the time. They call me and ask how they can get their husbands to come in to my office for marriage counseling. They have tried everything— pleading, threatening divorce, withdrawing but nothing seems to work. My question to them is: "So what are you going to do?… Are you going to wait for him to change his mind? He may go to marriage counseling a couple of times and then be too busy at work, be out of town on a [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:22+00:00June 4th, 2015|Anxiety, Depression, For Spouses|Comments Off

Are you Addicted to Masturbation? Find Out!

Masturbation is a natural sexual act. However, when masturbation is used frequently as a self-medicating tool to enhance your mood, it can quickly become a compulsion. In basic terms, masturbation addiction is a compulsive need to masturbate. The addict loses the power to choose when and where to masturbate. This loss of choice and power is the basis of any sex addiction. The question is how much is too much? Are you in control of when and where you masturbate? Are you troubled by how many times you need to masturbate? Are you often late to work because you [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:22+00:00March 9th, 2015|Sex Addiction|0 Comments

Depression and Porn Addiction: FAQ

Is there a link between Depression and Porn Addiction? Depression and addiction go hand in hand. This is especially true of addiction to internet pornography. Symptoms of depression is commonly seen in porn addicts. One of the core beliefs of a porn addict is: "I am an unworthy person" (Carnes, Demonico & Griffin, 2001). This mirrors what a depressed person feels about himself/herself. Other feelings common to both addiction and depression are isolation, irritability, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, etc. When a person is struggling with addiction along with depression, it is a double whammy or as professionals would call it -- [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:22+00:00March 9th, 2015|Sex Addiction|0 Comments

Sex Addiction In Women: FAQ

Is it possible for a woman to be a sex addict? Sex addiction is commonly overlooked in clinical assessments of women. Society once believed women could not be alcoholics and now it cannot accept or may be does not want to accept that women can be sex addicts as well. Women around the world are socialized as nurturers and caregivers rather than receivers. However, it this same socialization and expectation that prevents a woman from seeking help for her problem. There is another reason why clinical diagnosis is difficult in women. Sex addiction presents very differently in women than in [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2015-09-20T14:14:08+00:00March 9th, 2015|Sex Addiction|0 Comments

Why Don’t We Talk About It: The Social Aspect of Sex Addiction

Sex addiction is thought to be a sign of moral weakness by our society. Because of this, most of us do not even wish to discuss the topic. We are either embarrassed or ashamed of such behaviors. People may view sex addicts as being morally repugnant and will label them as “perverts” or simply “weird”. If you have ever tried to speak about sex addiction with your friends or family, you have probably been met with embarrassed looks or an abrupt change of subject. You may also have met with dismissive statements like "men are dogs". As a society, we [...]

By Rochna Hazra, LPC|2017-12-07T21:57:22+00:00March 9th, 2015|Sex Addiction|0 Comments