Make Positive Changes Patricia Dean, LMFT, SEP
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Health Needs

5/22/2012

7 Comments

 
I don't know about you but I really do not enjoy going to the doctor or dentist. I know it is something I need to do to take care of myself....I just don't like it. I will procrastinate and find ways to not remember to make the appointments and just wait until next year. The pain will go away.
This year, I was the health monster! It seemed like every week I was going to some sort of a doctor. And a couple of them were not giving me the answers I wanted to hear and I still had to pay for it.
Through it all, it felt good to know whats going with me and how I can improve my well being for the future. I was back in control of my health destiny.
What about you? Are you taking care of yourself? Physically? Emotionally? Sprititually?
Because they are all three interrelated and if one is suffering they all suffer.
 
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Healing from Stressful Situations

4/1/2012

9 Comments

 
 Have you been in a stressful situation which left a mark in your story?
 I have experienced three fires in my life time. The first one was when I was ~8yrs old, the stove caught on fire. We were watching Emergency 24 at the time so watching the firemen just added to evening. My parents were thankful they paid the voluntary fire department dues that year. The second one was when I was working at Nestle and I drove home to find 4 fire engines at my duplex. I had friends help me move and provide a bed so it was easier to swallow being displaced. The last fire started at 2:30am Sunday morning and 20 units in an
apartment building were affected. This one I sat and watched the flames creep underneath the roof and quickly burn the building. It was totally out of my control and I just had to sit and wait. Then slowly sort thru my
belongings-water and smoke damaged while the smell of mold was permeating the building. I didn’t realize the smell of smoke or the sound of fire truck sirens or alarms would affect me so strongly.  

  When I began studying for my licensure exam symptoms began showing up. Several times I would wake up smelling smoke and need to check the oven. Or wake up smelling smoke with my heart racing and running out of my bedroom.  Or hear the fire truck sirens and positively know my house was on fire. I felt as though I was going crazy! I wouldn’t go anywhere without my cell phone.

 What I learned was I had Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder those can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. Diagnostic symptoms for PTSD include
re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and increased arousal—such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger, and hypervigilance. Formal
diagnostic criteria (both DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10) require that the symptoms last more than one month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder)

 What helped me get past the PTSD was counseling, exercise, EMDR, Brainspotting, self-talk, supportive friends, faith and time. It did not stop overnight. It was a gradual decrease in sensitivity to the smell and sound. Even to this day when I am stressed, my sensitivity to the smell and sound increase and I utilize skills learned to soothe myself.

9 Comments

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    Patricia Dean, LMFT
     

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