Articles

Coping with anniversaries of traumatic loss

As we begin the week approaching the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, people are asking how to avoid traumatic anniversary reactions and/or support friends directly impacted by this event. The good news is that people are preparing themselves in advance and coming together in very creative, positive ways. For [...]

Recovering the Lost Self

After a major loss or other traumatic event, you could feel as if you’ve changed permanently and will never return to be who you once were. You can feign joy, hope, or humor for your friends, but deep down it can feel like only a hard, bitter shell of who you are remains. Many people [...]

Three things Ric Elias learned while his plane crashed

NICABM 2011 Teleseminar Series on Trauma is Excellent!

If you want an affordable, accessible way to learn cutting edge material from world-class trauma experts from the comfort of your own home or office, I encourage you to sign up for the NICABM trauma teleseminar series that is going on from now through July 6th. If you can tune in at the time of [...]

Heal Trauma and Grief with Storytelling

Sometimes people are so disturbed by the way someone died that they focus more on the deceased person’s “dying story” than they do on the person’s living stories. Yet reflecting on our living experiences with the deceased is an integral part of healing. When I interviewed grievers for my book, they consistently stated one of the [...]

PTSD Coach: New i-Phone App

Yes, there is an app for just about everything, including PTSD management. I downloaded “PTSD Coach” last night on my i-phone and have to say it is a handy little tool. PTSD Coach has all sorts of exercises someone can use to calm down and reorient themselves when they are triggered or feeling anxious.  The [...]

Coping with Waves of Grief Using Mindfulness

Current research suggests that grievers do not actually move through grief in a series of five “stages,” but instead tend to experience grief in cycles of recurring waves. There are high tides during which emotions are intense and the griever is preoccupied with feelings and thoughts around the loss, alternating with restorative tides during which [...]

Get my new book and help the Red Cross!

Did you know there have been many recent advances in the effective treatment of complicated and traumatic grief that have not been featured in the mainstream literature? Well, I’ve been working feverishly over the last six months to put these together in a book I’ve written called, Transforming Traumatic Grief: Six Steps to Move from [...]

Healing Traumatic Grief with Prescriptive Art

Read how a Chicago artist helped a grieving mother heal.

“All I wanted was a trophy!”

Recently in the media, there has been so much focus on horror and destruction around our world. Seeing such images over and over again can make us feel helpless. But, aren’t you more uplifted, inspired, and motivated when you hear stories of how people are helping one another, creatively surviving, and coming up with innovative ways to get through these tragedies?