LifeStance Insights
Our team of expert clinicians give their perspectives across a range of subjects, touching on current topics, family and loved one issues, mental health struggles and the comprehensive services that can help you live a better life.
FEATURED STORY
Why Veterans and First Responders Resist Therapy — And Why That’s Okay
May 22, 2025
By: Lafayette Bagley
Read Time: 2 Minutes
When you join the military, you spend a lot of time at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). That’s where I met a guy who was heading into the Navy while I was joining the Army. He said he wanted to become a Hospital Corpsman and eventually work with the Marines—what they call going “Greenside.” I told him I was going into Military Police. We joked around—he called me an “Army Doggie,” and I called him a “Squid,” which are just playful nicknames between branches. We hit it off and became friends.
Years later, he reached out to tell me he had become an Independent Duty Corpsman, which is a highly trained medic who works alone in some pretty intense situations. Later, he shared stories from his time serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. I still remember the determination in his eyes back when we were just teenagers. I wasn’t surprised at all to hear how he’d stayed calm under pressure and saved lives.
Seeking therapy can feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory. After years of being trained to push through pain and put service before self, the idea of facing one’s own struggles can be daunting.
Now, 40 more years later, I’m a psychotherapist who works with first responders and veterans. Seeking therapy can feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory. After years of being trained to push throu...
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Relationships
What Causes Abandonment Issues and How They Impact Relationships
Abandonment issues can shape how we think, feel, and connect with others—often without us even realizing it. These deeply rooted fears usually trace back to early life experiences like loss, trauma, neglect, or emotional unavailability. And while they may begin in childhood, abandonment issues often resurface in adult relationships in painful, confusing ways.
Whether you’re struggling with your own fear of abandonment or wondering how to handle a partner with abandonment issues, understanding the roots of these fears is the first step toward healing.
As a therapist, I regularly work with individuals and couples dealing with these challenges. Whether you’re struggling with your own fear of abandonment or wondering how to handle a partner with abandonment issues, understanding the roots of these fears is the first step toward healing.
What Are Abandonment Issues?
Abandonment issues refer to chronic fears of being left, rejected, or emotionally abandoned by those close...
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What Causes Abandonment Issues and How They Impact Relationships
Abandonment issues can shape how we think, feel, and connect with others—often without us even realizing it. These deeply rooted fears usually trace back to early life experiences like loss, trauma, neglect, or emotional unavailability. And while they may begin in childhood, abandonment issues often resurface in adult relationships in painful, confusing ways.
Whether you’re struggling with your own fear of abandonment or wondering how to handle a partner with abandonment issues, understanding the roots of these fears is the first step toward healing.
As a therapist, I regularly work with individuals and couples dealing with these challenges. Whether you’re struggling with your own fear of abandonment or wondering how to handle a partner with abandonment issues, understanding the roots of these fears is the first step toward healing.
What Are Abandonment Issues?
Abandonment issues refer to chronic fears of being left, rejected, or emotionally abandoned by those close...
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Trends and Partnerships
How to Do a Digital Detox in Real Life
New data from a 2025 Researchscape International survey conducted on behalf of LifeStance reveals what many of us already feel—our screens are draining us. While social media has its benefits, a striking 76% of Americans say consider a digital detox, with Gen Z (84%) and millennials (83%) leading the way.
From anxiety to sleep problems, screen time is taking a toll. But how do you digital detox in real life when your phone is also your alarm clock, your map, and your social lifeline?
As a licensed therapist, I’ve helped many clients navigate this exact challenge. A digital detox doesn’t have to mean going off-grid or checking into a luxury digital detox retreat. It can start with a few hours of intentional disconnection—and grow into a sustainable mental health practice.
What Is a Digital Detox?
A digital detox is a deliberate break from screens, especially social media, to reduce stress, improve focus, and reconnect with your life offline. It can take many forms—from a full w...
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How to Do a Digital Detox in Real Life
New data from a 2025 Researchscape International survey conducted on behalf of LifeStance reveals what many of us already feel—our screens are draining us. While social media has its benefits, a striking 76% of Americans say consider a digital detox, with Gen Z (84%) and millennials (83%) leading the way.
From anxiety to sleep problems, screen time is taking a toll. But how do you digital detox in real life when your phone is also your alarm clock, your map, and your social lifeline?
As a licensed therapist, I’ve helped many clients navigate this exact challenge. A digital detox doesn’t have to mean going off-grid or checking into a luxury digital detox retreat. It can start with a few hours of intentional disconnection—and grow into a sustainable mental health practice.
What Is a Digital Detox?
A digital detox is a deliberate break from screens, especially social media, to reduce stress, improve focus, and reconnect with your life offline. It can take many forms—from a full w...
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Lifestyle/Cultural
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3 Steps to Understanding and Maximizing Your Mental Health Insurance Coverage (Updated for 2025)
This content has been updated from previous article on November 1, 2023.
Since 2022, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have mandated that mental health and substance use disorder services be covered by insurance plans at the same level as other medical and surgical services. This means that insurance plans are generally required to provide coverage for mental health treatment, therapy, counseling, and sometimes related prescription medications.
Getting mental health coverage through insurance has become easier thanks to recent federal regulations, including the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), updated significantly in 2024. Follow these three straightforward steps to confirm your mental health coverage:
1. Obtain and Review Your Health Insurance Policy
Start by securing a copy of your insurance policy from your employer’s HR department or directly from your insurer’s website. Review the Summary of...
By LifeStance Health
Published: May 14, 2025Read Time: 3 Minutes
3 Steps to Understanding and Maximizing Your Mental Health Insurance Coverage (Updated for 2025)
This content has been updated from previous article on November 1, 2023.
Since 2022, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have mandated that mental health and substance use disorder services be covered by insurance plans at the same level as other medical and surgical services. This means that insurance plans are generally required to provide coverage for mental health treatment, therapy, counseling, and sometimes related prescription medications.
Getting mental health coverage through insurance has become easier thanks to recent federal regulations, including the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), updated significantly in 2024. Follow these three straightforward steps to confirm your mental health coverage:
1. Obtain and Review Your Health Insurance Policy
Start by securing a copy of your insurance policy from your employer’s HR department or directly from your insurer’s website. Review the Summary of...
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Share
Disorders
Living with Borderline Personality Disorder: the Truth, the Stigma, and the Path to Healing
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized mental health conditions. Despite how often it’s referenced in popular media and online conversations, accurate information—and true compassion—are often missing. As both a clinical psychologist and someone who has personally experienced BPD, I want to shed light on the realities of this diagnosis and offer hope and clarity to those navigating it.
What BPD Really Is
Borderline Personality Disorder isn’t just a checklist of symptoms—it’s a nuanced condition shaped by both genetics and environment. From a biological standpoint, we know that people with BPD often have increased sensitivity from a young age. That sensitivity isn’t imaginary—it’s observable even in the brain.
Research shows structural and functional differences in key brain areas for individuals with BPD. The amygdala, our brain’s emotion processing center, may be more reactive. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus—essential for...
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Living with Borderline Personality Disorder: the Truth, the Stigma, and the Path to Healing
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized mental health conditions. Despite how often it’s referenced in popular media and online conversations, accurate information—and true compassion—are often missing. As both a clinical psychologist and someone who has personally experienced BPD, I want to shed light on the realities of this diagnosis and offer hope and clarity to those navigating it.
What BPD Really Is
Borderline Personality Disorder isn’t just a checklist of symptoms—it’s a nuanced condition shaped by both genetics and environment. From a biological standpoint, we know that people with BPD often have increased sensitivity from a young age. That sensitivity isn’t imaginary—it’s observable even in the brain.
Research shows structural and functional differences in key brain areas for individuals with BPD. The amygdala, our brain’s emotion processing center, may be more reactive. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus—essential for...
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Types of Therapy
How Trauma Leads to Addiction and Substance Use—and What Helps People Heal
Many people struggling with addiction have also experienced trauma. Whether it’s childhood abuse, neglect, violence, or emotional pain, unresolved trauma can play a major role in why someone turns to drugs or alcohol. I’ve seen this connection over and over in my work as a therapist over the past decade, especially in treatment settings that focused on both mental health and substance use. Early in my career, I worked in an intensive outpatient program for co-occurring disorders, and later in a trauma-informed agency that truly changed how I approached care. That experience taught me that healing happens when we treat the whole person—not just their addiction, but the pain underneath it.
Addiction Is Not a Moral Failing—It’s a Brain Disorder
Let’s start by redefining addiction. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), addiction is a chronic brain disorder. That means it changes how your brain works—not because you’re weak or broken, but because your brain...
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How Trauma Leads to Addiction and Substance Use—and What Helps People Heal
Many people struggling with addiction have also experienced trauma. Whether it’s childhood abuse, neglect, violence, or emotional pain, unresolved trauma can play a major role in why someone turns to drugs or alcohol. I’ve seen this connection over and over in my work as a therapist over the past decade, especially in treatment settings that focused on both mental health and substance use. Early in my career, I worked in an intensive outpatient program for co-occurring disorders, and later in a trauma-informed agency that truly changed how I approached care. That experience taught me that healing happens when we treat the whole person—not just their addiction, but the pain underneath it.
Addiction Is Not a Moral Failing—It’s a Brain Disorder
Let’s start by redefining addiction. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), addiction is a chronic brain disorder. That means it changes how your brain works—not because you’re weak or broken, but because your brain...
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Anxiety/Stress
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The 4 Types of Trauma Responses
This content has been updated from previous article posted July 3, 2023
When people encounter threatening or high-stress situations, their bodies often react automatically with what’s known as the “fight or flight” response. This instinctive reaction has helped humans survive dangerous situations throughout history. Whether it’s facing a wild animal, experiencing a traumatic event, or navigating overwhelming stress, the brain and body shift into survival mode.
This automatic response is triggered by perceived threats to one’s safety—whether physical or psychological—and can result in intense fear, anxiety, and physiological changes. Over time, particularly in individuals who have experienced ongoing trauma or high-stress environments, these responses can become ingrained patterns of behavior.
To better understand these responses, let’s take a look at an example of how this could come to life. If you happen to find yourself face-to-face with a tiger, would you be more likely to take out a weapon and fight? Or would you lace up your best running shoes and run away – taking flight? Both reactions are considered normal for different types of people. However, there’s more to the story. In today’s society, it’s highly unlikely you will have to face a tiger, but traumatic events that involve actual or threatened dea...
By LifeStance Health
Published: May 5, 2025Read Time: 7 Minutes
The 4 Types of Trauma Responses
This content has been updated from previous article posted July 3, 2023
When people encounter threatening or high-stress situations, their bodies often react automatically with what’s known as the “fight or flight” response. This instinctive reaction has helped humans survive dangerous situations throughout history. Whether it’s facing a wild animal, experiencing a traumatic event, or navigating overwhelming stress, the brain and body shift into survival mode.
This automatic response is triggered by perceived threats to one’s safety—whether physical or psychological—and can result in intense fear, anxiety, and physiological changes. Over time, particularly in individuals who have experienced ongoing trauma or high-stress environments, these responses can become ingrained patterns of behavior.
To better understand these responses, let’s take a look at an example of how this could come to life. If you happen to find yourself face-to-face with a tiger, would you be more likely to take out a weapon and fight? Or would you lace up your best running shoes and run away – taking flight? Both reactions are considered normal for different types of people. However, there’s more to the story. In today’s society, it’s highly unlikely you will have to face a tiger, but traumatic events that involve actual or threatened dea...
Read More
Share
Types of Therapy
Feeling Overwhelmed? How Understanding Your Emotions Can Help You Regain Control
What Are Emotions?
When we think of emotions, they at times feel almost magical and intangible. Sometimes we have clear cause and effect, such as “I was in such a rush leaving the house this morning I can’t believe I forgot this one specific item I wanted to bring and now I am annoyed.” Other times they can be more vague or unknown, like if someone was hanging out comfortably at home or with friends and noticed that for some reason, they suddenly felt sad or anxious despite being in an objectively happy situation. Sometimes they are powerful and seem to take us over without us wanting that to happen; for example, some people experiencing “black outs” when they are angry and seem to have clarity only after the event ended. To better understand this, we explore the biological process of emotions.
The reasons emotions exist is to have a need to be met. If we did not have biochemical responses, it would decrease the likelihood of an action being taken. For example, if there was express danger in front of someone and there was no panic or fear, then they would not try to get away from the danger. We can see this in instances when there is dysfunction in emotional experiences. Using the example of individuals with no safety awareness, such as individuals with sever...
Read More
Feeling Overwhelmed? How Understanding Your Emotions Can Help You Regain Control
What Are Emotions?
When we think of emotions, they at times feel almost magical and intangible. Sometimes we have clear cause and effect, such as “I was in such a rush leaving the house this morning I can’t believe I forgot this one specific item I wanted to bring and now I am annoyed.” Other times they can be more vague or unknown, like if someone was hanging out comfortably at home or with friends and noticed that for some reason, they suddenly felt sad or anxious despite being in an objectively happy situation. Sometimes they are powerful and seem to take us over without us wanting that to happen; for example, some people experiencing “black outs” when they are angry and seem to have clarity only after the event ended. To better understand this, we explore the biological process of emotions.
The reasons emotions exist is to have a need to be met. If we did not have biochemical responses, it would decrease the likelihood of an action being taken. For example, if there was express danger in front of someone and there was no panic or fear, then they would not try to get away from the danger. We can see this in instances when there is dysfunction in emotional experiences. Using the example of individuals with no safety awareness, such as individuals with sever...
Read More
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