Hope vs. Fear
By Stan Hibbs, Ph.D.
Good and bad things happen. They have always happened and they always will happen. Once you've taken reasonable steps to protect yourself from the bad things, you might as well focus on the hopeful possibilities. Psychological research suggests that this kind of hopeful optimism is good for both our mental and physical health.
Panic Attacks: Surviving the Unexpected
If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you’d know it. It is hard to describe the feeling of having one, but it is something similar to the feeling of suffocating or having a heart attack. Panic attacks can happen at any time, even while you are sleeping. The best thing you can do is learn to realize when you are having a panic attack and how to handle it when you are.
Research Programs Studying Resilience Following Hurricane Ike
Weathering the emotional shocks of disasters can have long-term mental health consequences for those who have experienced these events. Post-disaster research can provide insight into what helps people cope in traumatic situations and what services can best support their ability to adapt and rebound.
Mental Disorders Persist Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors
More residents affected by Hurricane Katrina are enduring mental disorders than was initially determined a few months after the storm, according to a study published online January 8, 2008, in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. The trend runs counter to the typical pattern of recovery after a natural disaster.
Memory-sustaining Enzyme May Help Treat PTSD, Cognitive Decline
Study finds chemically blocking an enzyme in a specific area in the brain’s cortex, or outer mantle, can erase a long-term memory of an aversive event that had been learned. The erasing occurred even if the blocking agent was administered weeks after the event and appeared to be permanent.
The Link Between PTSD and Substance Abuse
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop in some people after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. An emerging body of research has documented a very strong association between PTSD and substance abuse.
Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions About PTSD
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic situations that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, military combat, natural disasters, and automobile accidents. If left untreated, PTSD can become extremely disabling.
Crisis In Our Lives: How To Help Our Children
By Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D
The emotional effects on our children of a crisis or disaster can be tremendous. One of the difficulties experienced by parents is that they have not had adequate time to deal with their own reactions when they are called upon to deal with the impact of the disaster or crisis on their child.
Phantom Limb Pain
By Michelle Gottlieb, Psy.D., MFT
I really like doing EMDR for two reasons: it is highly researched and it works! I recently heard a report about doing EMDR for people with phantom limb pain. And it stopped the pain! I was amazed and so I read the research that had been done on it. It was all the same. In just a few sessions, these people who had suffered pain for years were no longer being bothered.
Childhood Maltreatment Undermines Physical Health in Adulthood
A recently published study's findings emphasize the importance of having supportive and functional family relationships during childhood. Negative experiences early in life can have long-lasting effects on physical health, in addition to the known mental health consequences.
Coping With Traumatic Events
There are as many responses to crisis as there are people affected. Most individuals have intense feelings after a traumatic event but soon completely recover from the trauma; others are more vulnerable — especially those who have had previous traumatic experiences — and will need additional help for such conditions as anxiety, PTSD, and depression.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
By Shayna Reibman, Ph.D.
EMDR is an innovative clinical technique that has successfully helped individuals who have survived traumas including sexual abuse, domestic violence, combat, and crime, as well as a variety of other clinical complaints such as depressions, addictions, phobias, and self-esteem issues.
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