Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD?

PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder is psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events. The impact of these events last considerably longer than normally expected recovery time.

Read the DSM-IV (diagnotic and statistical manual of mental disorders) criteria

Read a more user-friendly and thorough explanation of PTSD

Causes of PTSD:
Single major life-threatening events: war, act of violence, accident, disaster; prolonged series of events: bullying, harassment, abuse, or living with a violent partner.

Symptoms of PTSD:
*sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
*flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
*impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you
*impaired concentration
*impaired learning ability (i.e., through poor memory and inability to concentrate)
*hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia)
*exaggerated startle response irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts
*panic attacks
*hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical
*obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind
*joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause
*feelings of nervousness, anxiety
*reactive depression (not endogenous depression)
*excessive levels of shame, embarrassment
*survivor guilt for having survived when others perished or for not having done more to help or save others
*a feeling of having been given a second chance at life
*undue fear
*low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence
*emotional numbness, anhedonia (inability to feel love or joy)
*feelings of detachment
*avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
*physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience

If you identify with any of these symptoms and want to know more, please call.

There is courage in seeking help. I can help you.

You serve and protect me...Ditto.

I am creating a new niche in my practice for Police Officers, Firemen and all emergency and crisis responders who struggle with the ongoing trauma that goes along with their respected positions.

Counseling for such individuals may include post traumatic stress disorder recovery, depression and anxiety management and recovery, stress management, and family therapy.

These mentally, emotionally, and physically taxing jobs can take a tremendous toll on a person's mood and demeanor impacting job, family, and self.

There is no shame in seeking help. I can help you.

Quote of the Day

"Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent"

Eleanor Roosevelt

Lookin For Love?

Ar you a singleton trying to navigate your way through the dating pool to "the one"? If you are, and have stumbled a few times along the way, give this article a read.

READ ARTICLE

All of the main points in this article mimic my philosophy about love and how to help people find it. If any of this resonates with you and you want to find the right and healthy path to a loving relationship, call me. I can help you get there.

The Winds of Change

Here is the link to an astonishing story I just read about an official table-turning moment in our current worldwide society regarding standards of beauty.

READ THE ARTICLE

I hope that any girls, women, and even men reading this will give it some good thought.

Fight Fair...Remain A Pair

Here is the link to a Great Article I just read on MSN Lifestyles for Men. It talks about arguing and conflict resolution in marriages. They make several excellent points backed by statistical information-- we all love that!

You'll find that a lot, if not all of these suggestions, statistics, and anecdotes really resonate with you and your struggles.

If you'd like to acheive these goals, call me... I can help.

Areas of Specialty and Interest

Anger Management
Assertiveness Training
Bereavement /Grief /Loss
Childhood Sexual Abuse Victims
Co-Dependency
Depression Management and Recovery
Marriage/Couples Issues
Relationship Issues
Self-Esteem Building
Sexual Dysfunction
Trauma Recovey
Divorce Recovery
Conflict Resolution
Pain Management
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Unplanned Pregnancy/Abortion Recovery
Women's Issues
Trauma Recovery for Veterans of War

I have experience with a wide range of issues that afford me the opportunity to work with many different people. I embrace this in my practice.

I welcome you to ask any questions you may have about any of my areas of interest as well as questions pertaining to your particular issue. Being informed and feeling comfortable and secure in your therapist's abilities can help facilitate the trust necessary for you to achieve the changes you seek.

Ahh, the good ol' days...

I read a great article through my MSN health and fitness subscription. Here various doctors, researchers, and writers talk about the benefits of happy memory recall over the nasty effects of depression.
While severe depression is a serious dis-ease and calls for a comprehensive treatment plan, the maxim behind this article is uplifting and may even bring a smile to your face while reading it :)

READ THE ARTICLE

Don't Take " Pill " For An Answer

I am infuriated by the staggering number of doctors, who we might as well call pill-pushers, who add shame to the healing profession.

Please-- If you see your general medical practitioner for emotional problems, DON'T TAKE "PILL" FOR AN ANSWER!

1) Ask about how COUNSELING can help you deal with your issues and possibly bypass having to take meds altogether!
2) Ask them for a referral to a psychiatrist so you know you will be monitored by a doctor who is abreast of all the latest psychiatric research should you need med management.
3) If your general medical practitioner says nothing about therapy or dodges your inquiries, find a new one!
4) Find a doctor who has a good bedside manner and who makes it clear that they care for your well-being.

We tend to view our doctors as mentors, authority figures, and all knowing healers. We trust them implicitly. Let us not forget that we must trust ourselves as well. Question your doctors, talk to them, be inquisitive. Play a working role in your health.

Charity Begins At Home

When the topic of emotional and mental problems arises, it has become an unfortunate assumption in our society that a pill can solve all problems. This is simply not true and I'd like to open your eyes to the reality of depression, anti-depressant medications and all of the gray area in between.

First things first-- diagnosis. The DSM-IV TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Text Revision), published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the most updated manual describing in great detail virtually every mental disorder and is used by every mental health professional in the United States and many other countries. The DSM helps us make diagnoses based on a multidimensional approach to incorporate all of the possible contributions to a person's mental state.

Q: Who makes these diagnoses?
A: A medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed professional counselor, clinical social worker, or other competent mental health practitioner.

Once the appropriate diagnosis is made, based on the criteria set for the disorder, a plan of action is devised. This may or may not include medication management, which brings me to my point.

Once a qualified practitioner makes a diganosis, such as depression for example, he/she may find that through the patient's reporting as well as the level of severity as stated by the DSM, medication management may be helpful short term. At this point a psychiatrist will prescribe medication or a non-medical pratictioner will refer the patient to a competent psychiatrist. The short term medication management often lasts up to 6 months and its purpose is to alleviate the severe impacts of the depression to allow simultaneous talk therapy to take effect.

Simultaneous talk therapy is pertinent to recovery regardless of the illness.

It is possible that the client's mental state is more severe and longterm, and with the psychiatrist's and counselor's close and watchful eye, medication is managed for as long as deemed necessary in the best interest of the patient.

In many cases medication management is not needed at all as cognitive-behavioral talk therapy may be all the help the patient needs.

A few words about psychotropic drugs

I have seen miraculous changes in people as a result of proper medication management. They go on to live productive lives and find themselves again. When talk therapy is implemented as an equal part of treatment, poeple learn to cognitively and behaviorally manage their symptoms, should they arise again, resulting in less of a need for medication.

I believe that medicine has come a long way and we can surely reap the benefits. However, let us not forget that within us is our own medicine-- the presence of mind to know we need help, to ask for it, and to learn from our teachers and heal ourselves.

Helpful Books

Here are just a few self-help/emotional growth books that I have read that I really like. They could offer some insight into whatever you may be dealing with.

"Self Esteem" by McKay and Fanning
Harriet Lerner's "Dance of Anger" and other similar books
"Co-Dependent No More" by Melody Beattie
"You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hay
"The Book of Romance" by Tommy Nelson
"Mind Over Mood" by Padesky and Greenberger
"Men Like Women Who Like Themselves:(And Other Secrets That the Smartest Women Know)" by Carter and Sokol

Words To Live By

"When you come to the edge of all the light you have, and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, believe that one of two things will happen. Either there will be something solid for you to stand on — or you will be taught to fly." — Patrick Overton

Find Accountability and Forgiveness... Discover Self Respect

I Am More Than Enough

When we begin our path of emotional growth, we may be overcome by emotions such as anger, resentment, confusion, and doubt because we are finally seeing our lives as they are and uncovering the protective yet deceptive veil of denial. On this journey, we may uncover anger toward our families for raising us the way they did. But through insight and awareness, we can take ownership and realize that our souls needed those experiences. As we progress in our self-exploration and living as functioning adults, we can begin to let go of the resentment and take responsibiity for our lives.

Stopping to blame others is only the first step. To truly release blame from your mindset, you need to stop blaming yourself. The same voice inside you that screams, “I hate my mom, I can’t believe what she did to me all those years” is also the voice that says, “I hate myself, I screwed up again, I’ll never finish this project, I’ll never make this relationship last” and other such defeating thoughts.

The gift of this week is the increased ability to recognize how ineffective beating yourself up is. If you tune into your internal dialogue, you’ll become aware of how often you are blaming yourself for one thing or the other. It’s essential to have this awareness because the most important focus is the mind. It controls everything.

The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life.

Imagine hearing a good friend talk badly about himself. When someone I care about comes to me and says, “I am not good enough,” I immediately disagree and point out their good points. I patiently give them love and help them see that, despite their shortcomings, they contain the spark of God within and, therefore, can do anything.

Why can’t we do that for ourselves?

This week let positive energy push us towards a finer awareness of our stinkin’ thinkin’. This week we can turn ourselves into our own best friends. This week we can give ourselves a warm embrace and say, “I am more than enough.”

We are so used to convincing ourselves why we’re not skinny enough to meet our soul mate, strong enough to stay connected spiritually, smart enough to make more money, that we stop trying.

Repeating in your mind “I AM MORE THAN ENOUGH” twists the downer thoughts to the upside.

Before you leave this tune up and dive back into your hectic life, please, please, tattoo these words onto your brain and repeat them every time you notice the negative loop running again: I AM MORE THAN ENOUGH… I AM MORE THAN ENOUGH… I AM MORE THAN ENOUGH…

Excerpts taken from Yehuda Berg's Weekly Consciousness Tune-Ups

Now...... What Do Women Really Want?

Here is the "she said" portion of Donny Deutsch's poll, this time taken from 1,000 women across the United States; another interesting look into contemporary love.

Click here to watch the clip.

What Men Really Think About Love

Here is a very interesting video clip that I saw on the Today Show. Katie Couric interviews Donny Deutsch for this reveal of some very comforting, enlightening, and encouraging findings from a national poll he did. What do men really think about love? I think men and women will be pleasantly surprised.

P.S. Please wait through the commercial, then the video clip will begin.

Click Here For The Video

Breaking Up

Whether you are getting over a minor breakup or a major divorce and you had genuine and sincere feelings for that person and the relationship, breaking up can be a diffcult and painful task. It often takes a considerable amount of time to recover from this loss- the loss of a partner, the friendship that accompanied that partnership, the security that the relationship afforded you, and the temporary void you feel now that the relationship is over. Some irrational fears may accompany the break-up such as feelings of inferiority, excessive guilt for the dissolution of the relationship, and hopelessness of ever finding someone else to love you or finding someone to love.

But breakups don't have to be impossible and you can recover. The possibility of a fresher and reenergized self can emerge if you look at the breakup for what it is and what it can teach you for the future. Even in the midst of sadness and doubt and all of the pain that you may need to endure as a mourner to a former chapter of life, you can grow from the experience. Your attitude and belief system regarding breaking up and especially divorce is of utmost importance and you may find that you may need to adjust your conceptualization. It could be your saving grace- the thing that allows you to move on wiser and more self-assured that you can find happiness in life no matter what you endured in the past.

If you are dealing with these issues and find yourself stuck in bereavement or irrational thinking, counseling could help you out of it. The possibility of a happier, more productive way of experiencing love and relationships is here if you want it. All you have to do is ask.

ABC's and Self-Esteem

self-esteem
n 1: a feeling of pride in yourself [syn: self-pride] 2: the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect; "it was beneath his dignity to cheat"; "showed his true dignity when under pressure" [syn: dignity, self-respect, self-regard]

We often hear of people struggling with so much in their adult lives. Career, marriage, friendships, and family life may suffer when we feel like we're not putting our best foot forward. And moreso, we may feel as if we don't even know how to do that. We sometimes lack the self-confidence, the self-assuredness, and the self-respect. We are lacking in adequate self-esteem.

This struggle does not magically rear it's ugly head one day when we least expect it. Self-esteem, or lack thereof, is something that is instilled in us from a very young age. Given any individual's history, traumas as well as huge successes shaped his/her self-image. With parental/teacher/primary caregiver guidance, reassurance, caring, love and encouragement- or lack thereof- we learned how to view ourselves. These views were then reinforced by our life experiences and eventually became a part of out internal monologue. Some children hear "you are wonderful" when their internal monologue is spoken. Others, unfortunately hear "you are stupid" or "you are not good enough". These phrases can become the thin line between success and disappointment. They can become the closing door or the opening window.

It is my wish that every child may hear "you are wonderful" when their internal monologue is spoken. And you, as parents, teachers, and primary caregivers can make this a reality. You can help the children around you seek success rather than cower in the face of disappointment. You can help them find open windows rather than closing their own doors.

Throughout college and some of graduate school, I worked for a few different daycare centers with pre-school aged children. I had the chance to work with infants up through kindergarteners, and I also had the chance to know their parents. I could tell, quite quickly and easily, which children would be progressing- socially and intellectually- and which might end up struggling. And to make this observation, I looked to their parents. The parents who were ready and interested to speak with me and the other teachers about their childrens' progress were invested in their childrens' experiences and growth as individuals- even at a place as seemingly inconsequential as daycare.

By being involved, those parents set an important precedent in their childrens' lives: We love you, care about you, and believe in you - and we are teaching you to do the same for yourself.

Be one of those parents.

Conflict Resolution

One vital component to a healthy relationship is the ability to resolve conflict. As every person in any sort of relationship knows well, conflict arises whether we like it or not. The challenge is to resolve the conflict in a timely manner while maintaining our self-respect, feeling heard and respected by the other for our thoughts and feelings, and an enhanced closeness to the other as a result of the increased understanding that comes from a well-resolved conflict.

Why is conflict resolution so hard? Some people may find themselves on either side of the spectrum when it comes to unhealthy conflict resolution skills. One person may find themselves very resistant to conflict, or conflict avoidant, and will manifest this fear in different ways. He/she may quickly yet painfully shut down, emotionally, when faced with conflict. Some fears associated with a conflict situation may be: fear of rejection for disagreeing with partner, fear of "blowing up" at or incurring violence from partner, fear of being belittled for one's opinions, fear of being manipulated by partner to adhere to partner's wishes, and fear of the possible dissolution of the relationship for saying 'No' to partner. Ways that these fears manifest themselves are: walking away when being confronted about an issue, remaining very quiet and acquiescing to the other's decisions, agreeing with partner to "keep the peace" (in other words, not keeping good personal boundaries) or triangulating someone outside of the relationship to take your side in the conflict. These fears may overlap resulting in the intense anxiety often produced by a conflict situation.
The same anxiety is produced by the other possible unhealthy response to conflict: intense anger and explosiveness. Some manifestations of this are: any type of verbal manipulation to get one's way (yelling, talking down to other), physical violence against someone/something or throwing inanimate objects at someone/something, or triangulating someone outside of the relationship to take your side in the conflict.

It is important to note that the fundamental fears are the same for both groups of people. Both groups are afraid of losing control; the former for losing their perceived control of the "happy and undisturbed" relationship, and the latter for losing their perceived control of the other in the relationship. Attempted control over anything but yourself and your actions can lead to serious relationship problems.

If you notice any similarities between your conflict resolution skills and the ones listed, seeing a mental health professional could be of great help. Learning the skills necessary for healthy conflict resolution can do wonders for your relationship.

Credentials

Karen Israel has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Counselor Education from the University of North Texas, in Denton, Texas. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas and has been practicing psychotherapy both as an Intern and a certified professional for 12 years. She also has a national certification as a Board Certified Professional Counselor (BCPC).
Having gained extensive knowledge and clinical experience working with trauma victims, sexual abuse victims, and individuals with major depression and anxiety, as well as dual diagnoses, she has a solid foundation regarding individuals with severe issues. Karen's experience has offered her a widespread understanding of self-esteem issues and personal boundary work, and she affords her clients a comfortable and safe growth environment.
She is also specifically interested in relationship dynamics and works with clients on pre-marital, marital, and divorce issues as well as sexuality and sexual dysfunction issues.

My Philosophy - The Ripple Effect

Nature shows us how one tiny drop of water can dramatically alter the surface of an entire body of water; hence, The Ripple Effect.

I believe that people function in the same way. If you can make one small change on the inside, you have the capacity to witness miraculous changes on the outside.

Change is Possible.

You are Capable.

Let Me Help You Find the First Drop