Richard Nikla, MA, LMHC, CAP, C-PD

West Coast Behavioral Therapy

    Counseling Individuals & Families 

Certified Telemental Health Provider-Associate

    941-780-6939

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Addiction Professional, and Certified in Personality Disorders, that has a practice in Sarasota, and New Port Richey, Fl. My experience involves substance abuse, personality development, and disorders, depression, mood disorders, co-occurring disorders and anxiety disorders as well as guiding people to reduce stress and living a more fulfilling way of living.

PROLOGUE

Science is increasingly linking thought and behavior with physiology. Research has shown that our sensory system initiates responses through our neurons and thus nervous system that shape our behavior and is shaped by our behavior. These responses are based on genetics history, family dynamics, past and current interactions as well as future expectations. These responses are also shaped by our friendships, communication, what we eat, and exercise routine. The revelation of this scientific connection, showing the interaction between our genetics, physiology, environment, behavior, and mental health, gives us an added tool to develop an understanding, meaning, and manageability, i.e. coherence, as a key to decreasing or even eliminating mental and physical health symptoms in the future. Developing this state of coherence also allows us to control, regulate and even eliminates the negative psychological and physiological effects of stress.

Behaviors that we form through life are reflected by our genetics, environment, and life experiences. The process of environmental interactions, and life experiences is called Epigenetics. As we grow our life experiences form our conscious and subconscious thoughts, actions, interactions, and experiences, generating reactions to different situations in our environment. This process is how we develop traits.  Simply put traits are tendencies or dispositions toward a specific behavior, (56).  Adding stress to these reactions can cause us to repeat our behaviors forming habits. These habits can result in good or bad behaviors, which can lead to addictions.

Addictions have less to do with alcohol, drugs, or ingrained habits and more to do with past experiences that have led to addictions. Time management is a key behavior that forms due to past experiences, and thus itself an addiction. Time management not only reflects on how we keep appointments and budget our time, it also reflects  on the choices we make in life and ultimately how our lives are organized. Time management reflects in our relationships, friendships, employment, extracurricular activities, and education. This time management phenomena is also learned behavior, which we have learned by our past experiences, and can pass on to our friends and chidden.

On this website, “Mental Health, Behavior, and Addiction Videos”, I have included videos, from noted Doctors, Psychiatrists, Psychologists and authors. The viewer is encouraged to google other videos by the same or different medical or mental health professionals. The viewer is also encouraged to read the books and articles in the Reference section for more knowledge about subject matter on this website.