Clint Matheny

“We are all children pretending to be adults. Some of us do not know we are pretending and some of us are doing a lousy job pretending.”Author unknown  My name is Clinton Matheny. You can call me “Clint” or “Clinton”. Welcome to my blog, where I share insights and strategies …

Envision navigating life with a nail embedded in your foot. Each step brings a piercing reminder of the discomfort, yet, rather than tackling the fundamental problem—the nail—many of us opt to maneuver gingerly around it. I include myself. We alter our gait, shorten our steps, and sidestep certain routes, all …

      WARNING: This Is About Sexual Abuse  In 1996, while watching the film ‘A Time to Kill,’ based on John Grisham’s novel, with my 16-year-old son, a scene depicting a young girl being assaulted caused me to have a psychotic experience. We had to leave the cinema. I …

In 1985, thirteen year old Lucinda changed my beliefs on what is possible in a therapy session. I had been doing therapy for less than a year. Are your expectations affecting your clients expectations? This video is 12 minutes long. It is partly features the 1985 session and the followup …

The 13th century poet Rumi wrote, “the cure for pain is in the pain”. Amidst the myriad of complex therapies and interventions, a revolutionary technique stands out for its simplicity and profound impact: FreeSpotting. This method is not just another band-aid for emotional turmoil; it is a transformative practice that …

A trauma is not an experience. It is an emotional response to an experience. A trauma is something that happens to you and that makes you so upset that it overwhelms you. A trauma can also caused depression. What is a trauma to you, might not be a trauma to …

This article discusses a highly successful method for treating PTSD, in existence since 1980. It has only recently received funding for research to assess its efficacy and potentially recognize it as an “Evidence-Based Practice.” Over the past 44 years, this technique has been known by various names, including the VK …

This hour and fifteen minute 2020,  documentary concedes that psychiatric medications can provide relief for some patients. Nonetheless, it’s believed that among the 20% of Americans on these drugs, approximately one-third experience severe adverse effects from the treatments intended to aid them. “Medicating Normal” sheds light on the struggles of …

James Davies, PhD has been vocal about his concerns regarding psychiatry and its relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. In this lecture he has exposed several issues: Medicalization of Normality: Davies argues that psychiatry has medicalized normal human suffering, expanding the number of mental disorders without solid scientific justification. DSM Critique: …

Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring has over a decade of experience as a board-certified psychiatrist and has previously served as a medical officer for the FDA. His expertise lies in a niche area of psychiatry, focusing on the side effects of psychiatric medications and strategies for their safe tapering. This is a …

Matthew Perry, a famous actor who starred in the TV sitcom “Friends”, had a history of drug and alcohol abuse. He spent over nine (9) million dollars and half of his life in and out of treatment or sober-living centers, had 14 stays in rehab, and detoxed 65 times beginning …

The “chicken or the egg dilemma” is a classic question that explores the problem of causality and origins. It asks whether the chicken or the egg came first, highlighting the cyclical nature of cause and effect. Is major depression, and other labeled disorders, caused by abnormal blood chemistry, or is …

First watch this 39 second video by psychiatrist, Dr Josef Witt-Doerring if you are going to see a family physician for depression: In 1993, a thirty-three year old woman embarked on a significant journey to overcome her “Major Depression,” which led to a reflective interview nearly three decades later. The …

This is my second posting with follow ups on healing “Depression” with “Clean Language”. The first posting was using Clean Language on Metaphors to heal depression (see the link at bottom of page) will give you a better understanding of the intervention. Could it be that 99 % of our …

In 1999, I revisited Jay’s remarkable recovery journey in a follow-up video. Jay had suffered a severe car accident on August 1, 1995, which resulted in the loss of vision in his left eye. His eye was not only bloodshot and locked in position, but he also grappled with intense …

“Clean Language” is a distinctive approach in therapy that empowers the client by placing their own words and metaphors at the heart of the conversation. The power of Clean Language lies in its client-centered methodology. Therapists practicing Clean Language have to be meticulously attentive to the client’s language, using it as …

“Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine?” Imagine if we could trace the roots of our emotions as easily as we recall our favorite movie lines. It’s a little-known fact that the vast majority of our emotional landscape is formed by the tender age …

To better understand this client session with a three year old, see the Part 1  post on this subject. Both clients had their younger selves “frozen in time”. What does that mean? Our psyche protects us by stopping the worst moments of a traumatic event from happening to protect our …

This session on depression took place in 1985. There are two other post on this blog dealing with depression: https://clintmatheny.cdn-pi.com/healing-major-depression/ &  healing-depression-disassociation-using-clean-language-16-year-follow-up/ A 28 year old man I will call “Bill” came to see me for depression. Bill told me that he had been depressed since age 5. I asked …

This intervention shows the power of “Clean Language Therapy” by healing a middle-aged woman’s panic attacks in a single 25-minute recorded therapy session. https://clintmatheny.cdn-pi.com/what-is-clean-language-therapy/ Stress may trigger asthma or exacerbate the condition. Asthma is a serious condition that can be fatal. Often, doctors misdiagnose panic attacks as asthma attacks (see …

This video has two follow up interviews on Deborah’s two “Clean Language metaphor”sessions with me. https://clintmatheny.com/what-is-clean-language-therapy/ During the first session in 1995, Deborah’s Esophagitis, Spastic Colon (IBS), and Gastritis were healed. I wasn’t aware of her medical conditions at the time of the session and the session was not directed …

“The Havening Technique” was developed in 2013, by the two Ruben brothers, Ronald and Steven . This technique is great for relaxing and the healing of painful emotions (to include PTSD). This 18 minute YouTube video by Tam Johnston gives an outstanding biological explanation of the science behind this Mindbody …

Sigmund’s Psychoanalytic Couch Sigmund Freud got two things right: almost all adult psychological problems are rooted in childhood and he allowed his clients to avoid making eye to eye contact during the therapy session by placing himself behind the client. When you require the client to maintain the western social norm …

In 2017, psychotherapist and EMDR trainer Philip Manfield developed a new trauma procedure that he calls, “The Flash Technique” (FT). This procedure can be easily learned and does not require a person to consciously engage with the traumatic memory. This allows a person to process traumatic memories without feeling distress. …

“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.” — Confucius Have you given personal advice by starting your sentence with, “If I were you?” “If I were you”, I would have your emotions, the same body, and the same personal history. In other …

“Sorting for Self” vs. “Sorting for Others” has offered me valuable insights into how individuals process information, make decisions, and relate to the world around them. After reading this post, you will become more aware of your own sorting style and gain a deeper understanding of others’. Sorting For Self: …

After my previous post, I had many request for more air traffic controller emergency stories. This somewhat violates my  purpose for the blog, so these are my last posts on this subject. Maybe someday I might make a separate website for my other FAA experiences. I am also a licensed …

This story describes how a repressed traumatic memory was triggered and resurfaced three decades after the event, and it explores the impact of this repressed memory on friendships I’ve cherished:                                     DC-8 On …

Doctors, in their unique role, possess the ability to cast spells—not with wands, but with words. Their dialogue, delivered in the clinical sanctity of examination rooms, wields immense power. Patients, in their most vulnerable state, hang on every word. The white coat transforms into a cloak of authority, and the …

For over thirty-six years I have been facilitating what some would call as, “ miracles”. I have always taken exception to that word, because it infers that these healings are unusual or magical. Most of my clients were at first afraid to tell others (to include their doctors) of their …

“In a healing journey, pain and emotions are like transient whispers of the heart; once mended, they often fade into the silent archives of our being.” Clint Matheny Since beginning my “Fear of Flying” practice in 1985, and mainly using the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM) procedure, I’ve made it …

Three and a half decades ago, a client approached me with a question: could she retrieve memories of her mother from before she was four years old? She had lost her mother to pneumonia at that tender age and retained no conscious recollection of her, save for the funeral. She …

I am going to teach you a few techniques to interrupt a panic attack. First you should get a diagnosis that you were actually experiencing an emotional panic attack. First see your primary care provider to determine if you are having panic attacks, panic disorder or another condition, such as …

This recording should only be played only in a safe place where you can use your complete focus of attention. After listening to the recording the first time you can use progressive relaxation from memory to go to sleep, or just relax, and I’m sure you will find other uses. Make sure …

Over 13 % of women in the United States will get breast cancer in their lifetimes. In May 2021, my wife Laurie, found she had a cancerous tumor in her left breast. While radiation therapy does play a crucial role in treating breast cancer, it can cause incidental damage to …

“People like people like themselves or people they would like to be like.” Author unknown  In 1985, I attended a twenty day communications and therapy workshop in Houston . The course was spread over ten weekends and on the first day we spent a few hours on “Rapport”.The definition of …

In 1988, I attended  a five-day advanced Ericksonian hypnosis workshop in New Orleans. One morning we were asked to get into groups of three and to use both hands on the body of the client to push up and down to synchronize with the client’s breathing. I ended up with a …

I purposely posted Ulf (Gustaf) Sandström‘s website below the  “ Pale Blue Dot” post because Gustaf  codeveloped the,  “The Peaceful Heart Network” . The network is a non-profit international organization dedicated to providing practical First Aid tools to help individuals resolve psychological trauma in all languages. Their approach is designed …

Whitney Houston’s song, “The Greatest Love of All” was a big hit during the 1980s. The song basically said that to love yourself was the greatest love of all. Unfortunately Whitney was never able to feel this love for herself and died from an overdose of drugs trying to escape …

Have you ever asked yourself that question? Most people have not and the answer to that question has a great impact upon relationships. My wife, Laurie, introduced me to a best selling book called “The 5 Languages of Love” by Gary Chapman. This book opened my eyes to the evidences that …

Tom Stone started using this very effective therapy modality that he calls,  “ The In Technique ” over twenty years ago on painful emotions (PTSD, grief, anxiety, etc). I have used it for over ten years. Tom and I both believe that when we were infants we learned to avoid …

This procedure when used can desensitized almost any emotional feeling. EMDR was discovered by Francine Shapiro over thirty years ago. Read all of the post before continuing with the procedure! I believe EMDR can  be self administered on mild traumatic events and problems. There are hundreds of thousands of therapists …

I started using the Eye Movement Integration procedure (EMI) around 1991. It is a brief therapy technique that is effective in treating acute and post-traumatic stress, also phobias, the symptoms associated with addictions and negative or self-limiting thoughts. EMI is a neuro-therapeutic method for accessing and integrating traumatic memories and …

By using the Dynamic Spin technique, you can free yourself from negative thinking or self-criticism. You can also reduce or eliminate any physical discomfort, self-doubt, or emotional barrier that prevents you from achieving your goals in a short time. The best way to test this technique is to apply it …