News & Tips
Welcome to our space dedicated to well-being news! Here, you will find enriching articles, well-being advice and the latest scientific research to improve your daily life.
A world first: virtual reality for lung transplantation
For the first time in the world, a patient on the lung transplant list will be able to benefit from therapeutic virtual reality sessions to prevent post-operative psychological trauma, thanks to the unprecedented partnership between C2Care and AP-HM (Public Assistance – Marseille Hospitals).
Assertive communication
These days, communicating well is an essential skill. First of all, it is transversal and affects absolutely all areas of our lives. But above all, contemporary means of communication mean that we tend to be in continuous contact with others (via social networks in particular). Consequently, our ability to exchange and express our emotions as well as our ideas in a way that is healthy for ourselves and for others becomes essential for our well-being. This is precisely the purpose of assertive communication.
assertiveness: communication technique
assertiveness is a major tool of cognitive-behavioral therapy, particularly suitable for patients suffering from social phobia. Finding the balance between expressing your needs and listening to those of others can be learned through precise verbal and non-verbal techniques. Discover, with Dr. Malbos, how to teach these basics to your patients and help them progress using virtual reality.
assertiveness: how to receive criticism and react to mockery?
Sensitive to criticism and mockery, social phobic patients, like many others, can be easily hurt. However, there are concrete techniques for learning to receive criticism, formulate it, and react to mockery without suffering from it. Overview of Dr. Malbos' methods to pass on to your patients to strengthen their assertiveness.
August 31: International Overdose Prevention Day
It is International Overdose Prevention Day. In France, several hundred overdose deaths were recorded in 2022, affecting people aged 15 and over. Drug use is increasing, and both users and dealers are increasingly turning to hard drugs. Those who used to sell cannabis may now also sell cocaine. These drugs have become easier for users to obtain. Drug dealing now includes an on-demand delivery model: the police have noticed that some people have drugs delivered to them. Saving lives by preventing the use of illicit substances has therefore become a priority.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, Heller syndrome, Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified: since the DSM-V all these qualifications have been grouped under the name ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder. Is it a disease? What are the different shapes? How to detect it? Let's take stock of this disorder, which is still poorly understood today and which gives rise to a large number of questions and false beliefs.
Barlow's etiological model
Barlow's etiological model presents itself during the second group therapy session. This model explains the causes of phobias, anxiety, OCD, etc. According to this model, there may be a hereditary biological vulnerability, that is to say a sensitivity to anxiety which is transmitted by parents. This sensitivity has advantages, it allows us to be sensitive to the environment and the people around us. This can be an advantage in human care (nurses, caregivers, psychologists), with animals (veterinarians) but also at the artistic level. Artists are often anxious people but also sensitive to the environment and this sensitivity is very useful in the creative world.
Beck's cognitive model
Beck's cognitive model is taught in the second session as part of the treatment of anxiety disorders (OCD, phobia). These sessions are often practiced in groups with the aim of involving patients. Our brain works like a computer processor, its main function is data processing: it constantly processes sensory information.
Behavioral activation
Faced with depression and its negative symptoms, behavioral activation is today a first-line treatment whose effects continue to be highlighted in the scientific literature. Theorized in the 1950s, developed in the 1970s and popularized in the 1990s, behavioral activation shows effects equivalent to anti-depressants and cognitive therapy, while simplifying the patient's therapeutic path. Spotlight on this still little-known technique.
Better understand Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD)
It is a disorder that we hear more and more about, with the impression, sometimes, that it is thrown around indiscriminately. It remains one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, which the constant improvement of diagnostics is bringing to light. However, it remains too little known in its operation and presentation. Shedding light on ADHD and what this acronym means.
C2Care serving patients in intensive care
C2Care collaborated with the North Hospital of Marseille (AP-HM) as well as with Maryse Pour la Vie with the aim of preparing patients for their stay in the intensive care unit following a lung transplant operation. The very first patient to have contributed to this study was exposed before her operation. The results obtained are very positive.
C2Care supports Mental Health Information Week
From March 16 to 29, 2020, the 31st Mental Health Information Weeks (SISM) will take place, with around a hundred events organized throughout France.
Cardiac coherence
Cardiac coherence is a breathing technique which aims to immediately reduce the heart rate in a particularly stressful situation. You can be fully involved in regulating your emotions, in a quarter of an hour a day.
Cognitive distortions
Every day we must understand the reality around us. All our psychological processes will be activated in the context of different situations: whether decision-making processes, emotions, understanding, evaluation... But these processes can be erroneous and limited by cognitive distortions.
Cognitive therapy: Self-observation
Cognitive therapy is used to help patients transform their way of thinking, to no longer interpret the situation in a dysfunctional way. For example, upon seeing a dog, the patient immediately thinks that the dog will bite him. The objective of these sessions is to change the way of thinking.
Constructed Emotion Theory
Many models try to explain the functioning and development of emotions. This recent model offers a new perspective on emotional skills and their cultural variations.
Depression in the elderly
In recent years, the use of VR in geriatrics has grown considerably. As Mathias et al reported in a 2019 literature review, VR has become an effective tool for the screening and treatment of cognitive disorders, while it has also found uses in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The use of VR in treating mood disorders and other forms of depression in older adults has lagged, but there is reason to believe that it will be the next frontier in treating mental health disorders among older Americans. VR has been used with great success in the treatment of ADHD, anxiety and depression in adolescents and young people, leading many geriatric specialists to see exciting potential for older age groups. So let’s take a closer look at how this technology could be applied, and what kind of benefits older people can expect from it.
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder or DID is a mental disorder that was previously called multiple personality disorder. This disorder is characterized by the presence of one or more alters (identities) who will take turns taking control of the person.
Emotional dependence
I could die without you”… Have you ever caught yourself saying this sentence, or thinking it? You particularly suffer from friendly or romantic breakups, and you have the impression that this pattern is recurring regularly? It is impossible for you to imagine being able to make a decision or even being able to live without the other? It is therefore highly possible that you suffer from emotional dependence, and that it eats away at you on a daily basis, in your personal, relational or professional life.
Emotional intelligence
Have you ever taken your stress or anger out on someone when it didn't come from them? Knowing how to accept and correctly manage your emotions is proof of emotional intelligence that is fundamental to success.
Fear of abandonment
The fear of abandonment is a major anxiety linked to the idea that we do not deserve the love of others and that we will quickly be rejected. This anxiety has a significant impact on your life. It causes anxiety and psychological suffering. You sometimes have reactions of isolation, irritability, jealousy, aggressiveness that you do not always understand towards the people you love. A fear of abandonment eats away at the little joys you can have in your daily life.
Fear of insects: a widespread phobia
Extreme fear of insects is called entomophobia and is one of the most common forms of phobia. It causes panic and acute anxiety in victims, but there are effective ways to get rid of it, such as virtual reality, medications, etc. Psychologists offer virtual reality therapies to help their clients overcome this fear by engaging in risky situations in a safe, virtual setting. These specialists use control settings to adjust the environment created by the computer. Complex virtual environments involve replicating aspects of the real world, through 360-degree panorama, 3D graphics and sounds. Children and adults can develop entomophobia, especially when they have previously had hostile experiences with a particular insect. With approximately 6% of the population suffering from entomophobia, C2care provides clients with psychological and medical treatment for various fears, eating disorders, addiction-related stress, and implements virtual reality exposure therapy into their program. Keep reading to understand how virtual reality can help eradicate the fear of insects.
Formavenir, C2CARE and AP-HP revolutionize caregiver training with virtual reality and are finalists for the Sante Expo 2020 Innovation Trophies
The union of three experts gives rise to Caregivers Ré.V: serious game-type simulation training modules, using the immersive capacity of virtual reality to work on the soft skills of caregivers in the management of pain or the management of the aggressiveness of their patients. Supported by Formavenir, C2Care and the DMU Neurosciences du Kremlin-Bicêtre (AP-HP), this device is a finalist for the Santexpo 2020 Innovation Trophies, in the Human Resources category.
Gaslighting
Many people suffer from the manipulation of those around them, most often without knowing it. While manipulation takes many forms, gaslighting has recently come to light. But what is it exactly?
Gender identity: better understanding to better support
Questions of gender identity and inclusiveness have been at the heart of the media landscape for several years. From a health point of view, transgender people often suffer from significant therapeutic wandering due to poor education on transidentity and lack of information from professionals. A short introduction to better understand gender identity and how to better care for trans people.
Gray's neurobiological model
Psychoeducation is done during the first group therapy session and consists of explaining the models of anxiety for patients: phobic, who have OCD, or who have generalized anxiety disorders. The models help explain the causes and mechanisms of anxiety, the goal is to help patients understand what is happening in their brains. Ignorance leads to fear. During group therapy, it is important to establish dialogue with patients and to establish an exchange; give patients the opportunity to participate as often as possible. In this article we will see Gray's neurobiological model and its implication in anxiety, phobias and OCD.
High Intellectual Potential
HPI, Surdoué or even Zebra. All these terms overlap under the same principle. HPI is a term that we hear a lot about lately, whether on television through the news or series (eg: HPI with Audrey Fleurot), or even on social networks. Let's take stock of High Potentials together.
HPI stands for “High Intellectual Potential”. This indicates that people have higher cognitive intelligence than people in the same age group. For a person to be considered HPI, they must have an IQ (Intelligence Quotient) higher than 130, which corresponds to 2.3% of the population with the highest IQ.
Hygiene and dietetic rules
In the context of anxiety (phobias, OCD, GAD) today we will discuss health and diet rules. These rules are intended to provide advice on lifestyle habits. These rules go very well with the therapeutic elements that you are going to teach him
Imposter syndrome
Do you have a feeling of fooling the world around you, whether from a personal or professional point of view? Do you have trouble accepting compliments? Maybe you are prone to imposter syndrome! Although not considered pathological, imposter syndrome arouses a lot of curiosity in psychology. Indeed, it affects a large majority of people who may have this experience at least once during their life.
Improve your concentration
Knowing how to concentrate is not something innate, you have to learn to develop it. And yet, it is the key to our development in our personal and professional life, and will help you achieve your goals. Therefore, it will bring you personal satisfaction and pride of accomplishment. However, it is not easy to cut ourselves off from all surrounding or internal distractors and pay particular attention only to our objective. Here are some tips on how to improve your concentration.
Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation
This relaxation method has been around for a long time and has therefore already been scientifically validated many times. You can use it with your patients with all anxiety disorders, with all phobias, in particular agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder (chronically stressed people who need relaxation).
Managing an anxiety attack
As the situation overwhelms us, our anxiety takes an important place in our life, sometimes going so far as to cause a panic attack. This situation is particularly unpleasant for the person experiencing it, with significant physical and psychological symptoms. But this feeling is not irremediable, and there are some tips for managing your anxiety attack in the urgency of the situation. It is also possible to reduce the risk of panic attacks in the longer term by adopting certain strategies.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
What if your own development was not only dependent on you but on the fundamental needs present for every human being? What if understanding your needs made it easier to get closer to a feeling of well-being? Learn about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Mental health and climate change
You may be wondering what link there may be between climate change and mental health? After all, how can one impact the other? The WHO (World Health Organization) indicates that climate change represents a significant risk for mental health. So in addition to impacting our planet, these changes will have an impact on anxiety, depression, violence and even post-traumatic stress.
Mindfulness meditation
When we are overwhelmed by our thoughts, mindfulness meditation is a breath of fresh air to find our bearings.
My child is afraid to go back to school
Parents and guardians currently considering the choices to make when it comes to reopening schools during the height of a deadly outbreak may have an additional challenge on their hands: children afraid to return to the classroom. Feelings of agitation are common and expected in times of change or transition. This is especially true for children and adolescents returning to school or children entering kindergarten for the first time.
National Hypersensitivity Day
This day is an opportunity to revalue hypersensitivity. Launched by Saverio Tomasella, it helps to better inform managers on the characteristics and modalities of hypersensitivity. They represent a quarter of the population, there are almost 10 million in France. We must therefore now take into account the specific problems of hypersensitive people and their place in society.
Neurotransmitters: our neuronal language
Have you ever heard expressions like “having the memory of an elephant”? Or: “have the brain of a sparrow”?
Because yes, not so long ago, we thought that intelligence and brain size were linked.
Today, it is no longer a secret; intelligence has nothing to do with the diameter of the forehead or the volume of our brain. We know that, despite its average weight of 1400 grams, the human brain is the most evolved and dynamic in the living world.
Parental burnout
We have all heard of Burn Out Professional. But have you ever heard of parental/family burnout? Perhaps this is still taboo, but yes, despite all the love that parents can have for their child, a parent can fall into exhaustion from their parental role. Let’s take a closer look at this subject and without taboo this time!
Pessimism
“Stop always being pessimistic!” Have we often repeated this type of sentence to you? Pessimism is something we can all experience at certain times in our lives. However, some of us will be too pessimistic or even maladaptive, which will have an impact on our personal and professional lives.
Positive psychology
Even today, many therapies focus mainly on what is wrong. Thus a lot of knowledge has been accumulated concerning the negative which surrounds humans. But little attention has been paid to the strengths of people that enable them to be in a state of well-being. To get better, it is also necessary to understand what makes you feel good.
Post-traumatic stress
We hear a lot about post-traumatic stress (PTSD), but what is it really? Can you suffer from post-traumatic stress even if you haven't actually experienced a traumatic event? We will try to answer all these questions together.
Procrastination
Procrastination is a well-known phenomenon that affects most of us. It’s this tendency to procrastinate on tasks that need to be accomplished.
Response Prevention – OCD
Response prevention is a method of cognitive behavioral therapy used for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This module is done after the five psychotherapy sessions which precede exposure to virtual reality and is only intended for people suffering from OCD.
Schultz relaxation
Today we are going to discuss the Schultz relaxation method. Schultz autogenic training is one of the three relaxation methods strongly recommended by Doctor Malbos and for your patients who are anxious, addicted or who have an eating disorder. This relaxation method will ultimately be able to be applied to most of your patients, but will be particularly effective on your patients who are chronically stressed, in other words, who have a generalized anxiety disorder, but also on those who have a panic disorder or who have agoraphobia. For the little historical point; This relaxation method was written by Doctor Schultz, psychiatrist from the German Göring Institute. He applied this relaxation method with veterans of the First World War.
Self-determination
What if completing a task didn't depend solely on you? What if your personality was governed by fundamental psychological needs and responding to them leads you to personal fulfillment? Being self-determined means being able to respond to a feeling of freedom, interest, valuation and acceptance at the same time. Self-determination is then fundamental to our well-being.
Self-stigma
Belonging to a minority group can be a source of great suffering. Most often, this suffering comes from outside, from majority groups or other minority groups. But the stress and suffering felt in relation to this status can also come from within. Low self-esteem, dysfunctional beliefs, repetition of toxic patterns, self-stigma adds additional suffering to the minority experience. It is interesting to understand how this mechanism works to better support people who suffer from it.
September 4: World Sexual Health Day
The WHO defines sexual health as a “state of physical, mental and social well-being in the area of sexuality (…)”, emphasizing the importance of the psychological aspect in sexuality. If sexual health is often seen through the prism of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and somatic dysfunctions, it is important to remember that sexuality is above all mental. It goes through desire, libido, excitement, attraction, among others. So let's take advantage of this World Sexual Health Day to take stock of the mental and social aspects of sexual health.
Sleep
Nearly 15% of the French population believes that sleeping is a waste of time. However, one in three people suffer from sleep disorders. And yet, sleep plays a major role in all areas of our lives. Indeed, good sleep is essential in learning and memorization (particularly long-term memory), in the development of metabolism (very favorable to good growth in young people) and in many cognitive and biological functions. This will help improve your general health and reduce the risk of depression, certain pathologies (such as cancer, obesity, stroke, etc.) or even accidents (car accidents, among others).
Slogans: Positive self-instructions
Slogans are short, punchy, understandable and clear sentences that are repeated. But what exactly are slogans for? This is a good introductory question to ask your patients.
Somatic origins of psychiatric illnesses
This article will be dedicated to evaluation and especially to the fact that you need to think carefully, when you have a patient who comes to you, about the organic origins of a psychiatric or psychological pathology. It is the idea that, behind a patient who is depressed, who is anxious, who has mood instability, there may be a somatic disorder, an organic disorder. That is to say a medical, medico-surgical pathology to be treated.
Sophrology
Reducing your anxiety by being completely in control of your body and your thoughts is the very principle of sophrology. This therapeutic technique is based on various methods of relaxation, breathing, and imagery which bring rapid and long-term relief. Sophrology has also proven itself when used accompanied by virtual reality.
The mental load
You've probably already heard about mental load. But do you really know what that represents?
The savior syndrome
Among us there are saviors. These people who are very, even too, empathetic, who want to help everyone in every situation. These are people who will give everything for others, even if it means forgetting themselves. We call it savior syndrome.
The TIPI method
Anxiety, sadness, anger are all negative emotions that can be difficult to manage and can impact our personal and professional lives. However, there are simple and quick methods that allow you to accept and deal with your emotions, so that they no longer impact our daily lives. Among them, the TIPI method.
Therapy ACT
In mental health and in the context of psychotherapy, one element often comes up as a source of suffering: the need for control, and the distress it brings when, inevitably, certain elements escape this control, which can lead to a feeling of helplessness. The ACT is one of the tools to overcome this difficulty.
Toltec agreements
The Toltec agreements aim to rediscover freedom and personal well-being, present in ancestral Mexican culture. It was Don Miguel, in 1997, who shared this precious information with us in order to help us feel more in harmony with ourselves.
Understanding CBT: an effective and concrete approach to get better
Cognitive-behavioral therapies, or CBT, are today among the most used psychotherapeutic approaches and the best validated by scientific research. Recommended by many health authorities, they are aimed at people who wish to better understand their psychological difficulties and learn how to overcome them in a concrete way.
Understanding your stress
It is not always easy to understand your stress in a situation and recognize it. It is sometimes difficult to know what this anxiety refers to. And yet this is necessary to reduce this anxiety, its symptoms and regain daily serenity.
Vicarious learning
The other has an impact on us, and we have an impact on him. Vicarious learning, or modeling, refers to the imitation of behavior observed in our peers, without going through trial and error. Theorized by Albert Bandura, this mechanism shapes our acquisitions since childhood and plays a key role in education as well as in reducing anxiety. Deciphering this essential driving force of social interactions.
Virtual nature, real well-being
Regular exposure to nature is an integral component of good mental health. The sun, greenery, and wind are all elements that contribute to good psychological balance and a better quality of life. However, certain unforeseen events in life sometimes prevent us from fully enjoying these benefits. Highlighting an alternative solution to allow as many people as possible to enjoy nature: virtual nature.
Virtual reality and hygiene: Protect your patients during your virtual reality sessions
For several months, the whole world has been facing the Covid-19 epidemic, causing concern and worry among the general population. It entails, on the one hand the risk of death due to viral infection, and on the other hand significant psychological pressure. Following government measures, in particular quarantine, the daily lives and habits of individuals have been disrupted. Several recent studies have highlighted the impact of these changes on the mental health of individuals, causing, among other things, an increase in depressive symptoms, anxiety and substance use disorders. In view of the psychological difficulties that the population faces, mental health professionals are on the front line in order to be able to offer psychotherapeutic care. The intervention of these professionals is essential, particularly with populations at risk: the elderly, who are more often socially isolated, people suffering from a psychiatric disorder as well as people suffering from depression, anxiety and substance use. However, the threat of a second wave of the pandemic is real, which is why compliance with health and hygiene rules is crucial.
Virtual reality and social skills training with researchers from Aix-Marseille University.
A doctoral student in psychology in the Social Psychology Laboratory at the University of Aix-Marseille, I work with Dr Del-Monte, Ms Fauvarque, and Professor Graziani on virtual reality in the therapeutic context. In this context, I have had the pleasure of working for 3 years with C2Care software. The plurality and personalization of environments allowed me to have the freedom to direct my research in the desired direction without technological barriers.
Virtual reality therapy to break the isolation of seniors – Clinical study of CHU in Nice
C2Care collaborated with CHU in Nice, as part of the “Bien Aging” project, on a clinical study integrating virtual reality with EHPAD residents. By relying on reminiscence therapy and personalized immersive content, the objective is to stimulate the autobiographical memory of seniors, improve their mood and break the isolation, particularly accentuated in people with mild to moderate cognitive disorders.
What is a phobia?
Phobos is the incarnation of fear, he followed his father on the battlefields. The panicky fear that he triggered at the mere sight of him reflects what a person feels when confronted with the object of their fear. There are many phobias and some are more well known than others, including agoraphobia and claustrophobia. On the other hand, aviophobia is less so as it affects many of those who would also dream of discovering fine sandy beaches.
What is the impact of Covid-19 on mental health?
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health, between fear, isolation and financial distress. This article reviews the main psychological effects of the health crisis and therapeutic solutions, including virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), to help patients cope.
Work on your self-confidence
We have all, at one time or another, doubted ourselves or our abilities to complete a task or overcome an obstacle. When this lack of self-confidence begins to become too difficult to overcome and when it handicaps us, limits us, when it builds barriers to our projects or our desires, it is fundamental to take charge of ourselves to improve it. Having confidence in yourself will allow you to achieve great things, and your personal pride will only grow.
Workaholism: addiction to work
Workaholism or “boulomania” in French refers to work addiction. Unlike many other addictions, its symptoms such as presenteeism (presence at work even when one should not) or overinvestment in work are often valued in companies, which makes it more insidious and difficult to treat than the majority of addictive disorders. However, as with all addictive behaviors, it exposes affected people to very significant risks for their health (hyperstress, burnout, depression).