Stress and its effect on health

Stress Or Trauma Can Negatively Affect Our Health; Learn How To Build Resilience To Take Control Of The Present

When it’s stress or trauma, it can leave wounds that run deep. If not properly tended to, these events can leave scars that affect the way a person relates to themselves and everything around them. “It is said that every scar tells a story,” Lauer and Parrish write in The Essence of Resilience: Stories of Triumph Over Trauma (HCI – ISBN: 9780757319419 October 2016 — $14.95), but often those stories are kept locked away in silence by the victims who are struck voiceless and alone in the dark shadow of their pasts. By keeping their stories buried within themselves, often trauma victims distort the reality of their trauma and devolve to self-blame, and very often cope with drugs, alcohol, and other unhealthy and dangerous behavior.

But everyone is capable of harnessing resilience – the part of ourselves that refuses to surrender or die. Everyone is capable of reclaiming themselves and taking control of the present by learning to cope with their pasts, and in The Essence of Resilience, fourteen trauma survivors demonstrate the miraculous healing power of storytelling to work through finding the “gift in their wound.” Stories include:

•    A young girl bullied by her classmates, losing her definition of herself in their hurtful words.
•    An adopted daughter, searching for a sense of belonging through substance abuse.
•    A rape victim regaining her voice through therapy animals.
•    A Marine with a history of child abuse learning the power of sharing and facing his past.

Tanya Lauer and Kathleen Parrish are professional counselors who specialize in those who have suffered a traumatic experience, which they define as “any event that violates your sense of safety and wellbeing, or shatters your integrity or sense of wholeness.” With a combined 40 years of experience helping trauma survivors cope, Lauer and Parrish share their tried-and-true arsenal of tools including Relationships, Trust, Travel, Compassion, Gratitude, Animals, Nature, Humor and Spirituality that helps victims reclaim their voice in this gripping and powerful book.

Join these survivors as they face their pasts head-on, sharing their deepest and darkest moments to open themselves up to the ability to heal. These stories, while they may be painful, are also published to be motivational to those who may be suffering silently on their own. These tributes to each individual’s past reveal an inspiring look into the miracle that is human resilience, and allows us to bear witness to these brave survivors in their triumph over trauma.

About the Authors

Tanya Lauer and Kathleen Parrish are Licensed Professional Counselors with over 40 years combined experience providing counseling and trauma intervention services. They are affiliated with Cottonwood Tucson, an internationally renowned residential treatment program for co-occurring disorders in Tucson, Arizona. They are frequent presenters at professional conferences in the United States and in Europe.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What inspired you to write this book?
We were inspired by the courage and openness of the individuals we have worked with in the area of trauma recovery.

2. Why is resilience such an important component of trauma recovery?
Resilience is a crucial aspect of trauma recovery as it provides individuals with an anchor to hold onto in the midst of the storm. Resilience is that ability to return to original form after being stretched. Trauma not only stretches us, but it shatters us sometimes, too. Recognizing and embracing resilience provides individuals with the opportunity to recover those parts of themselves that they might believe were lost.

3. Is everyone resilient, or is it an inherited trait that pertains to only a few?
Everyone possesses the capacity for resilience, but not everyone will embrace this potential. We believe that individuals are born with certain traits of resilience but we also recognize that resilience can be developed and nurtured.

4. Are the characters in your stories real or fictional?
The characters in our stories are inspired by individuals that we have known; however, significant elements of their story and identity have been changed to protect and honor confidentiality.

5. Are there elements of your own life experiences in this book?
This book reflects some of our own perspectives and ideas about trauma recovery. In addition, there are parts of this book that are incredibly personal to us and allow us to share aspects of our own story in the pages of this book.

Available wherever books are sold or to order directly from the publisher: www.hcibooks.com or call (800) 441-5569
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
KOBO
ISBN: 978075319419 — $14.95

Book Promo: What’s Your Anger Type? by Peter Sacco

What’s Your Anger Type? Revised Edition

 In a thoughtful new book, renowned author and psychologist Peter Sacco takes a good, hard look at anger and the reasons it might be disrupting our lives, and future generations. In What’s Your Anger Type? Revised Edition, he asks, can anger be addictive?

“After working with individuals one-on-one in counseling and in groups, I would definitely have to say yes,” he says. “There are people who get totally aroused, empowered and motivated by their anger.” People respond to adversity and emotions one of two ways. They either run from it, or they stand up to it. “If you keep standing up to conflict or seek it, you get aroused and release adrenaline. This hormone provides a rush almost like a stimulant or ‘upper.’ We are seeing more of this now in acts driven by political fanaticism and moral justification.

There are twelve types of anger identified in What’s Your Anger Type? Revised Edition. A series of self-inventory tests help to clarify the different anger types and provide tips on overcoming them through proven methods. The two most important facts to keep in mind about anger, Sacco says, are that anger is a normal and healthy emotion, and you are not nuts or insane when you get angry. “It is how you deal with your anger which is the most important factor,” he continues. “There’s no time like the present to modify your life and make optimal living your goal.” His new book examines how ‘anger’ is affecting today’s children in North America.

Peter Sacco is also the acclaimed author of Right Now Enough Is Enough, a self-help guide for overcoming addictions of all types by combining Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) with the law of attraction. And in Why Keeping Resolutions Are So Ridiculously Difficult! The Handbook To Understanding And Overcoming Procrastination, Sacco explains that procrastination is a habit that can become an addiction, and how it is out of control in our culture – as are the bad habits and addictions which are its by-products.

In addition to being an author of many books and more than 800 magazine articles, Sacco is an award-winning lecturer at universities in both the USA and Canada, specializing in relationships, criminal psychology, addictions, and mental health. He is also a frequent resident expert on several television programs and appears regularly as a guest expert on many news talk radio shows in the USA (FOX, ABC, CBS, Iheart, Coast To Coast, etc.), as well as hosting the weekly radio show “Matters of the Mind: Managing Relationships and Mental Health.”  He is also an award-winning executive producer and host of documentaries on relationships, psychological issues and child issues.

For more information, please visit www.petersacco.com.

What’s Your Anger Type? Revised Edition
DoctorZed Publishing and Booklocker Publishing
Available in print and digital formats online everywhere
$17.95 Print
$1.00 Kindle
ISBN: 978-1634911610

Book Promo: What’s Your Anger Type? by Peter A. Sacco, Ph.D.

WHAT’S YOUR ANGER TYPE?

What’s Your Anger Type? is an interactive, informative book which deals with anger management problems in a whole new light. Readers will be able to identify their anger types, their triggers and the best way to handle all situations.

In a thoughtful new book, renowned author and psychologist Peter Sacco takes a good hard look at anger and the reasons it might be disrupting our lives. In What’s Your Anger Type? he asks, can anger be addictive?

“After working with individuals one-on-one in counseling and in groups, I would definitely have to say yes,” he says. “There are people who get totally aroused, empowered and motivated by their anger.” People respond to adversity and emotions one of two ways. They either run from it, or they stand up to it. “If you keep standing up to conflict or seek it, you get aroused and release adrenaline. This hormone provides a rush almost like a stimulant or ‘upper.’

There are eleven other types of anger identified in What’s Your Anger Type?. A series of self-inventory tests help to clarify the different anger types and provide tips on overcoming them through proven methods. The two most important facts about anger to keep in mind, Sacco says, are that anger is a normal and healthy emotion, and you are not nuts or insane when you get angry. “It is how you deal with your anger which is the most important factor,” he continues. “It’s the start of a new year and there’s no time like the present to modify your life and make optimal living your goal.”

Peter Sacco is also the acclaimed author of Right Now Enough Is Enough, a self-help guide for overcoming addictions of all types by combining Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) with the law of attraction. And in Why Keeping Resolutions Are So Ridiculously Difficult! The Handbook To Understanding And Overcoming Procrastination, Sacco explains that procrastination is a habit that can become an addiction, and how it is out of control in our culture – as are the bad habits and addictions which are its by-products.

In addition to being an author of many books and more than 700 magazine articles, Sacco is a former private practitioner and former Editor-in-Chief of Vices: The Magazine for Addictions, Habits and Well-Being. He is an award-winning lecturer at universities in both the USA and Canada, specializing in relationships, criminal psychology, addictions, and mental health. He is also a frequent resident expert on several television programs and appears regularly on talk radio shows in USA Top 35 markets as well as hosting the weekly radio show “Matters of the Mind: Managing Relationships and Mental Health.”  He is also an award-winning executive producer and host of documentaries on relationships, psychological issues and child issues.

For more information, please visit http://www.petersacco.com.

What’s Your Anger Type?
DoctorZed Publishing and Booklocker Publishing
ISBN: 978-1591139089

Amazon

 

Emotional Women

Emotional Women: How to Turn a ‘Liability’
Into a Source of Power
Assimilated Leadership Mentor Shares 4 Tips
for Harnessing Your Feelings

Emotional. Sensual. Intuitive. 

Society tends to treat these “feminine” qualities as liabilities; traits that should be suppressed and discouraged because they make us appear “weak.”

“Those characteristics are in fact the foundations of our feminine power,” says Leela Francis, author of “Woman’s Way Home,” (www.VividlyWoman.com), which includes techniques and tools from her Vividly Woman Embodied Leader Tools and Training.

By resourcing the power within one’s own body, Francis teaches, “a woman can have the life of her dreams.”

One of the ways to do that is to master the world of your emotions.

“Emotional power is the freedom to feel the truth of your feelings and the ability to harness them so you’re the master of them,” Francis says. “When you can do that, your emotions will expand you rather than consume you.”

Denying, suppressing or expressing emotion to manipulate others all stifle this wellspring of potential for depth and intimacy, which is a source of mental, physical and spiritual joy, Francis says.

What can you do to begin reclaiming your own emotional power? Francis offers these suggestions.

• Indulge your emotions without dumping them on others. When you digest food, your body absorbs the nutritious elements and expels the potentially toxic wastes. Emotions must be digested the same way. It’s important to express your feelings in responsible ways so that you don’t build up emotional toxins and pollutants in your body. This may be why anxiety, depression and panic attacks have become so prevalent in our culture, Francis says. Some healthy, responsible ways to express emotion include creative endeavors, such as the visual arts – painting, drawing, sculpting; expressive arts such as singing and dancing; and healing arts such as massage.

• Don’t demand others witness your emotional expression; and don’t allow others to demand you witness theirs. Using emotional expression to evoke responses from others is manipulative and does not allow you to experience the truth of your feelings. Crying, yelling, even pretending to be happy when you’re not in order to influence someone else’s behavior are abuses of emotional expression. Not only are we denied the benefits of expression, we have to live with our own lack of integrity for using them irresponsibly.

• Make the time to engage in intimate, authentic verbal sharing.The honest, spoken expression of our true feelings allows us to tap the deep emotions that facilitate our tender connections to others. These connections trigger a physiological reaction that creates our own, natural brain elixir. When women engage in intimate conversation, it encourages the production of the hormone oxytocin, which creates feelings of euporia. (It’s the same hormone secreted after childbirth to help our minds and bodies quickly recover from the pain of labor.) It also encourages production of the hormone serotonin, which gives us a feeling of well-being.

• Don’t impose your emotional process on others. We sometimes seek to avoid the discomfort of painful emotions by expressing them outwardly to others, for instance, angrily blaming someone else for our discomfort. Yelling at others because of the emotion we’re feeling only indicates that we have an inner turmoil, and an inner turmoil can only be resolved self to self. In addition, blaming someone else – or yourself! – for painful emotions causes us to become a victim, which creates suffering. 

“These steps will help you begin to master your emotions, and once you do, you will find they will make you richer and more vibrant,” Francis says.

“Our emotions don’t make us weak; they give us the empathy and love that make us care for and nurture our loved ones. That’s pretty powerful.”

About Leela Francis

Leela is the founder and director of Vividly Woman Embodied Leader Tools and Training. A facilitator of groups and individuals for over 20 years, she’s an expert in the field of body consciousness and soulful personal expansion.  Along with her trained staff and apprentices, Leela facilitates Vividly Woman workshops and retreats at beautiful nature resorts all over the continent and appears regularly as a speaker and contributing facilitator at other live & virtual events. Leela divides her time between Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, and the rest of North America.