Coast to Coast AM: Strategies for Optimism — August 18, 2020
Dr. George Pratt, is a clinical psychologist and best-selling author with a private practice in La Jolla, CA for over 30 years, specializing in helping people resolve emotional blocks and achieve success. He specializes in mind/body techniques, hypnosis, psychotherapy, and performance enhancement. In the first half, Pratt discussed how we can all choose to be optimistic in this stressful time. He began with what he believes are the fundamental keys to health and stress relief: eating healthy and exercising daily. Eating foods that will stabilize mood and exercising, especially in the outdoors, Pratt says will “add to a sense of happiness and stabilize your mood.” Pratt stated that 95% of psychological problems and blockages stem from the subconscious, and it is there where he applies his techniques to change his patient’s mood and outlook.
Pratt described one of the techniques he uses to help people, called EMDR (or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.) He says this has been quite effective at promoting a “decrease in anxiety and feeling lighter and brighter,” and involves a series of eye movements while the patient is holding “a thought about whatever’s bothering them.” Pratt also decried the circumstances that lead to most problems and commented that “80-90%” of problems in adulthood stem from traumatic experiences in early childhood, specifically from birth to age 6. These problems are deep and are caused by such things as abuse, neglect, and bullying. Even with these steep challenges, Pratt believes we can “have the ability to heal even from the most challenging circumstances.
Coast to Coast AM: Suicide Epidemic — December 5, 2018
A clinical psychologist for over 30 years, Dr. George Pratt, specializes in helping people resolve emotional blocks and achieve success. In hours 2 & 3, he discussed how an epidemic of suicide has driven the life expectancy rates lower and why our current state of unfiltered mass communications and personal devices has handicapped our ability to communicate and resolve problems. 90% of people that commit suicide have a mental health condition they’re not receiving help for, he cited, and they’re also more vulnerable to opioids. Beyond mental health issues, problems associated with suicides include strained relationships, finances, substance abuse, and physical health conditions.
When people spend extended periods of time on social media the risk for depression goes up, Pratt revealed. He suggested interacting more with nature, as looking at “fractals”– the patterns in leaves, trees, and flowers– can have a subconscious effect that elevates a person’s mood. He also talked about different energy and relaxation techniques that have therapeutic value such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)– a rapid way to clear trauma, clinical hypnosis, and tapping (a kind of psychological acupressure).
Coast to Coast AM: Psychology & Resolutions — December 30, 2013
Clinical psychologist Dr. George Pratt, shared tips for helping people achieve goals, as well as emotional well being. Mindfulness meditation can have a significant calming effect on the central nervous system, he noted. One way to do this, is to close your eyes, become totally aware of the breathing process, and breathe in through the abdomen rather than the chest, he detailed. This so-called “belly breathing” activates a natural relaxation response that counteracts stress, he explained. One of the best things you can do for your brain is to practice gratitude, and make a list of the things you are grateful for, he added.
Dr. Pratt addressed the problem of young people devoting so much time to their electronic devices and video games that they are often lacking in important interpersonal skills. He cited the importance of spending time outdoors, where recurrent patterns in nature or fractals have a calming effect on the brain. As far as New Year’s resolutions, he suggested people pick just one goal to focus on. It should be something that can have measurable results, the goal should be written down, and a certain amount of time allocated for it to occur.
Coast to Coast AM: Emotional Healing — December 26, 2012
Clinical psychologist Dr. George Pratt talked about techniques for achieving emotional and psychological well being. He noted that stress, which releases the hormone cortisol, can suppress the function of the immune system. One way to counteract this is to do a breathing exercise, where one simply observes their breath. This will trigger a relaxation response, and a host of positive biochemical measures, he said. Regarding New Year’s resolutions, Pratt suggested that people pick just one goal to focus on. Write down your goal and delineate specifically what you want to happen– the writing process helps to transfer the data and activate different parts of the brain, he stated.
By utilizing tools that access the subconscious mind, you can have more powerful results than working with the conscious mind, he continued. He described a balanced breathing exercise (video) which can adjust a person’s polarity or electrical system. Dr. Pratt discussed the process for releasing deeply held negative beliefs, and unlocking your natural state of happiness. He also cited three powerful therapeutic tools– EMDR, clinical hypnosis, and energy psychology (tapping).
Coast to Coast AM: Energy Psychology — April 7, 2012
Joining John B. Wells, clinical psychologist Dr. George Pratt discussed how traditional psychology focuses solely on the mind, but he has found that the most remarkable personal transformations happen through using the body’s energy systems to eliminate buried emotional debris.