Are you grieving from the loss of a loved one? Are you or someone you know terminally ill? Have you experienced a trauma? Have events in Iraq, New Orleans, Houston, New York City, and the Pentagon left you feeling lost? Have you been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? For more than 30 years, and with the Red Cross as a volunteer with the disaster relief network, Dr. Diane has helped people come to terms with their trauma and/or grief and she can help you, too.

PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome of emotional and behavioral disturbances that follow exposure to a traumatic stressor or set of traumatically stressful experiences that is typically outside the range of normal, everyday experience for that person.

Symptoms of Trauma & PTSD

Anxiety- This includes panic attacks.
Sleep Disturbances
Flash backs
Intense Fear
Helplessness
Recurrent and intrusive recollections
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Diminished interest in activities
Feeling of detachment
Restricted range of emotions
Irritability or outbursts of anger
Difficulty concentrating
Hypervigilance
Exaggerated startle response
Significant distress or impairment in social & occupational
Avoidance/Denial
Sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or a normal life span)
Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma).
Physiological arousal:

• Physical symptoms as shakiness
• Restlessness
• Fatigue
• Heart Palpitation
• Breathing difficulty
• Stomach and bowel disturbances
  

There are many ways Dr. Diane can help you overcome the stress and grief that occur when one is dealing with traumatic events. However, first and foremost Dr. Diane reminds you that there are times when you must yourself experience the strong emotions associated with these events. However, you must also know when it is not a good time to experience them. Dr. Diane can work with you to take action and deal with your problems so that you can achieve this balance and allow you to continue functioning.

There are a variety of treatments available to help you come to terms with your grief. Click here to learn more about the available treatments.

GRIEF AND BEREAVEMENT THERAPY

Bereavement is to feel desolate and alone as a result of a death/loss. Grief is the deep mental anguish arising from bereavement.

There are two types of grief, normal and pathological.

The type of grieving I’m referring to today is the healthy normal process that is part of relieving sorrow and give meaning to loss. It is seen in all cultures. But what is meant by loss? Loss is the essential elements of creation. If you gain something, you lose something else.

There are obvious losses, from death of a loved-one, break-up of an affair, separation, divorce. Not so obvious is the loss of a job, money, from an illness, daily changes in schedule, robbery, and success. There are losses related to aging.

The loss of the ability to do work, job or profession performance is felt as a loss of self. At several points in our life we will have to relinquish a former self-image and move on.

Grief Therapy provides a soothing holding/supportive environment to allow the person to work through the process of loss.

Symptoms of Grief and Bereavement

• Anger
  
• Depression
  
• Disorganization
  
• Emotionally Sensitive
  
• Lack of Appetite
  
• Lack of Motivation
  
• Sleeping Problems
  
• Lack of Concentration
  
• Despair
  
• Distractibility
  
• Fatigue
  
• Isolation and Withdrawal
  
• Mental Exhaustion