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CPAP Sleep
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 3-17-2026 For the past couple of years, my family and friends have been urging me to get another sleep study. I procrastinated because I wanted to stay in denial. I did not want to learn that I have sleep apnea and will be required to wear a CPAP for the rest…
Surrender
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 03-01-2026 At least once a month I receive another burnt out client with a goal to increase their productivity. This is obviously counter productive, but they are in denial. Some of the work ahead includes helping them learn to accept and surrender to their new reality. The reality being that they…
CPTSD & Internalized Beliefs
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 01-23-2026 Complex trauma in childhood tends to lead to internalized concrete beliefs that can rule our emotions, thought patterns and even our behaviors. Childhood traumas can include physical, mental, verbal, financial, sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect and or bullying. Below is an example of some of these concrete beliefs and how they…
Mental Punishments
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 12-27-2025 Mental disorders are finally getting some recognition and empathy, but there is still a long way to go with educating our general public. One topic that is rarely highlighted, is how our mental illnesses can bleed onto other people. People do not choose to have mental disorders, it’s an unfortunate…
Never Thankful
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 11-27-2025 “You walk through life while a rain storm follows. And all the while, people talk to you about the sun, as if you can feel it.” I want to be more satisfied. With the world, with other people, and with myself. Trauma and depression were my greatest barriers. But, it…
PTSD & Minimization
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 11-07-2025 I learned early on in my career that I cannot ask someone “Have you experienced any traumatic events?” Why? Because I had to recognize that if I want the truth, I need to be specific so that the client cannot minimize or deny what they have been through. They don’t…
Interventions for Attachment Anxiety
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 10-13-2025 “Your loneliness will teach you why you settled.” -EaE Lately, I have been discussing attachment anxiety with a good amount of my patients. This topic requires in depth processing and unpacking various root causes. Many people with attachment anxiety are victims of childhood wounds and unhealthy social teachings. Their neglect…
Disorganized Attachment
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 10-04-2025 It’s human nature to seek love, because it is a developmental, physiological, mental, and emotional need. But what happens when this need is met with both love and chaos? Love with abuse? Love with betrayal? Love with confusion? People might develop the pattern of seeking love while fearing it. They…
Grappling through Life
Interviewer: Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ BJJ Purple belt Interviewee: Joshua Murdock/ BJJ Black belt/ Pedigo Submission Fighting-Daisy Fresh Team-Mt Vernon, IL/ Bronze Medalist ADCC Open & Master Worlds IBJJF The Brazilian jiu jitsu circle is small. Chances are if I do not know a BJJ athlete, I at least know someone who knows them. If…
Primary Care Behavioral health
Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ 08-24-2025 We are no longer in a debate of ‘nature vs nurture’. It is nature and nurture combined, working together, every single day. Around the clock. Causing confusion. As everyone hopes that there will be one direct cause, and one specific cure. And a prognosis, with an end in sight. Ultimately,…
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Functionally Mental 