Discover Effective and Compassionate Psychosis Treatment with a Therapist

Altered States at Vantage Point Center for Psychotherapy:

At Vantage Point, we have specialists dedicated to the fair treatment of individuals with psychosis or "altered states." 

Treatment is tailored to the individual and what this person wishes to work on. We have a supportive team of therapists versed in ACT, CBT, DBT and with the possibility of open dialogue treatment. 

Altered States/Psychosis

Altered states refers to states of mind that are different from what most other people experience. It is also called psychosis. For example, it is possible to hear voices that others do not hear or see things others do not see. You may experience trouble thinking clearly or concentrating, feel uneasy around others, and/or you might or might not end up spending a lot of time alone. You may or may not experience a sense that a lot of time has gone by, and you don’t remember what happened during this time.

• Hearing voices others do not hear
• Seeing things others do not see
• Smelling things others cannot
• Feeling someone touching you when no one appears to be there

• Extreme beliefs refer to a strong belief in something that others do not typically believe. Others might feel these beliefs are unusual and be confused by them. Psychotherapy can help work with these beliefs and help you with understanding them and dealing with others’ reactions to them.

Psychotherapy can be a very helpful tool for individuals with altered states. At Vantage Point, there are a few approaches we can take to help if you would like help coping with altered states.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviors and how this relationship affects our everyday lives. We learn that we can change our thoughts and behaviors, which affect our feelings, and are able to change aspects of our lives. 

With altered states, we look at how altered states might affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. For example, when a stressful trigger occurs, such as being alone, voices may be activated which then leads to thoughts and behaviors that relate to what the voices are saying. 

In the CBT approach we learn how we can become aware of and change some of these thoughts and behaviors so we can feel more comfortable with them.

Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) refers to accepting where you are and committing to change in the direction you wish to change. ACT teaches you to be flexible with yourself and kind to yourself while growing in the direction you wish. If you want help coping with an altered state, working with an ACT therapist can help you be less stressed when experiencing an altered state.

Open Dialogue refers to treatment where your family members, or members of your community can attend your therapy and speak openly with the therapist before deciding on treatment options. It follows seven principles which are:

• immediate help
• social network perspective
• flexibility and mobility
• responsibility
• psychological continuity
• tolerance of uncertainty 
• dialogue. 

By following these principles, Open Dialogue Treatment allows you and your loved ones to be a part of the decision making for your treatment.

 Psychosis Recovery and Care Resources on the Web

• Hope Cooperative
  "Hope Cooperative (aka TLCS) has been providing behavioral health and supportive housing services for people with mental health challenges for 40 years in Sacramento County. As a client-driven organization, we are dedicated to the independence and empowerment of individuals with psychiatric disabilities and co-occurring substance use disorders including those experiencing homelessness. Our services include intensive case management, supportive housing, life skills education, psychiatric services, therapy, co-occurring substance use treatment, residential support services, opportunities for social connectedness and meaningful activities, and crisis intervention, which we provide to more than 8,000 people in our community each year."  

• Recovery Center Turning Point’s Coloma Center
  A mental health clinic for anyone who has psychosis and is at risk for legal issues  

• Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic (MHUCC) Sacramento County 

               "A walk-in clinic for individuals with an urgent mental health need. The MHUCC is a  

               client-centered program that focuses on providing immediate relief to individuals and 

               families in distress."

• SacEdapt
  SacEdapt and other Edapt clinics aims to provide for early intervention of psychosis for adolescents.

• The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis
  ISPS is an international organization promoting psychological and social treatments for persons with psychosis and schizophrenia. ISPS-US.org is the national group and ISPS.org is the international group. 

• hearingvoicesusa.org

• madinamerica.com

• treatingpsychosis.com

• actforpsychosis.com

• dialogicpractice.net

• recoveryfromschizophrenia.org

• spiritualcompetency.com

• WillHall.net

• MichaelCornwall.com

• aciste.org/competency-guidelines-for-professionals

• Ted Talk Elanor Longden “The Voices in my Head”

• Compassion for Voices: A Tale of Courage and Hope

• PESI
  https://catalog.pesi.com/item/psychosis-understood-making-meaning-extreme-states-lasting-recovery-53334

• Zur Institute
  https://www.zurinstitute.com/courses/psychosis-and-therapy/overview/