Tag: mind management

Categories
Non classé

Remaster your Mind – British Army Veteran Gareth Evans.

Hi Tribe 🙂

 

I hope you are all doing well.

Me, I have been quite busy. And I like it. First, my new job is challenging my skills with human resources, and law norms adapting to the present situation. Some of you might remember when I have started writing this blog, I was not confirmed in my position. I am now one lucky of 37% of employees working on a daily bases. Second, I am glad to announce that I am becoming not only indie-editor (self-publisher), but also self-entrepreneur.

Life is too short !!!!!

I am learning, spending nights on my papers, well, laptops ..and soon I will be able to share the blossoms of my work. In fact, since the translation of the book is taking more time than forecasted, I had this idea to built up a shop on Etsy to launch the book.

The shop will focus on mugs and t-shirts themed on my story. Oh, well, my “branding”. In the meanwhile, one of my illustrators Nazim Artist agreed to partner with me.  AMAZING !!!!!!!

New entry also announced here for a hypnotherapist from over the tunnel, England, his story is quite aligned with the concept of this website and my activity on the web. I am very honored to introduce you Gareth in his own words. His presence gives me hope for the future, and it makes me feel motivated to keep all this up. 

 

** Happy Easter ! **

Diana x

 

Hi, I’m Gareth Evans

I’m a trauma specialist and I’m passionate about helping people recover from trauma because I know firsthand what a real difference it can make to improving your life.

I am no stranger to trauma. I grew up living with 4 siblings (and very strict parents) on a very rough council estate in Leominster, England.

My mother ruled the home with an iron fist. My father was disabled and he had a very fiery temper. Some of my siblings turned to drugs and alcohol where I turned to the military.

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I previously served 20 years in the British Army, including 15 years with the Royal
Scots Dragoon where I was deployed constantly to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
I lost friends and colleagues in various kinetic engagements and subsequently, I was diagnosed with PTSD.

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I have always taken a keen interest in helping people and in 2016 I decided to transfer to the Army Welfare Service (AWS) where I spent 5 years helping soldiers and their dependants through bereavement, anxiety, couples therapy and anger management; (this list is not exhaustive). During this period I achieved a level 7 Diploma in Specialist Welfare in Occupational Health. This was a fulfilling job and it helped me move forward and learn more about myself. However, the most effective method I came across for trauma recovery was Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). I dove into RTT as I loved the methods used, I qualified as an RTT Practitioner and started working with people immediately.

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I felt instantly drawn towards RTT because, first and foremost, it combines Neuro-Science with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and hypnosis and what I love so much about RTT is that the results are mostly instantaneous.

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I spent years analysing my own trauma and I overcame PTSD by a method I came to teach myself.  In 2020 I decided to become self-employed in the field of mental health, as I was able to reflect on my own traumatic background and harness my in-depth knowledge taught to me by the AWS and RTT to create a powerful rapid therapeutic coaching company called ‘Remaster Your Mind’.

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Additionally, as I am a strong believer that people should always have a plan to move forward and we should ask ourselves “what next”? Well for me; currently I am waiting to hear back from Oxford University as I plan to broaden my already extensive knowledge and study Psychodynamics as a postgraduate.

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Secondly, my long term goal is to become the global face of PTSD recovery.

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I take great pride in the results I get for my clients and I would be honoured to help you Remaster Your Mind as well.

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My method

I am a Trauma specialist and hypnotherapist. I was trained and qualified as a Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) Practitioner, where now I use a blended mixture of hypnotherapy and trauma coaching skills and tools which I have learned and acquired over the years. these skills have proven time and time again to have rapid success.

I regress the client back to the first time they felt the way they feel and help them remaster their mind by highlighting the root cause of their problem and aid them to rewire the issue.

“Unexpressed emotions will never die, they are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.”

 Sigmund Freud

Check out Remaster Your Mind on Gareth’s website here. And follow him on his IG page here.

Categories
mental health PTSD AWARENESS

The Emotional impact of COVID-19: it’s Pandemic!

Yeah, such a good way to start on a Monday :-p

Despite what we might think, it concerns not only health care or the first-responders, the emergency is touching all. If we want to create this social web to really help each-others, we do not have much choice than  sharing and caring.

I am like you, I am trying to distract myself, keep on working, and keep connected with other people. But I admit I am drinking more than usual and making an effort to do some workout.

Find this contemporary medical research and some tips from.. well, I found it on google and I liked it.

Have a good week and, as always, we are all in here together.

Bless you.

Diana x

An inspiring editorial by  entitled “The emotional impact of COVID-19: From medical staff to common people” recently published in the ‘Brain, Behavior, and Immunity’ motivated us to pen down a concise yet, informative viewpoint entitled “COVID-2019-suicides: A global psychological pandemic”.

24,81,026 is the fearsome and huge number of COVID-19 cases with 1,70,423 deaths being reported from around the world () is complicating the situation and difficult to control. The realization of the non-availability of vaccine and/or effective antiviral drug against SARS-CoV-2 virus, and understanding that social distancing and quarantine/self-isolation is the only available remedy to us, forced the governments of most of the countries to declare the nationwide lock down.

So far the only advice or the option against the disastrous COVID-19 is screening of suspected person for SARS-CoV-2, if comes positive, then quarantine/self-isolation in addition to supportive treatment. However, few cases have been reported around the world where people out of fear of getting COVID-19 infection, social stigma, isolation, depression, anxiety, emotional imbalance, economic shutdown, lack and/or improper knowledge, financial and future insecurities took their lives. With recent suicide reports we can anticipate the rippling effect of this virus on worldwide suicide events. However, the basic psychology and inability of the person and the mass society to deal with the situation are the major factors behind these COVID-19 suicides pandemic.

1. Possible factors and predictors

Social Isolation/distancing induce a lot of anxiety in many citizens of different country. However, the most vulnerable are those with existing mental health issues like depression and older adults living in loneliness and isolation. Such people are self-judgemental, have extreme suicidal thoughts. Imposed isolation and quarantine disrupts normal social lives and created psychological fear and feeling like trapped, for an indefinite period of time. The first suicidal case was reported from south India on 12th Feb 2020, where Balakrishna, a 50-year-old man wrongly co-related his normal viral infection to COVID-19 (). Although out of fear and love for his family, he quarantined himself, but later committed suicide, as he was psychologically disturbed after reading COVID-19 related deaths in the newspaper. In Delhi, India, one COVID-19 suspected man admitted in the isolation ward of the Safdarjung Hospital allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the seventh floor of the hospital building (). Not only India, psychosocial distress linked to COVID-19 crises has swept the globe. COVID-19 worries apparently prompted a murder-suicide () in Chicago where Patrick Jesernik shot Cheryl Schriefer before shooting himself. Patrick was in an illusion that two of them had SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Worldwide lockdown creating economic recession: The looming economic crisis may create panic, mass unemployment, poverty and homelessness will possibly surge the suicide risk or drive an increase in the attempt to suicide rates in such patients. US already claimed a vast increase in unemployment (4.6 million) during coronavirus emergency and speculated that lockdown will cause more deaths than COVID-19 itself amid the recession (). This uncertainty of time for isolation, not only demoralize but also make people feel worthless, hopeless about present and future as exemplified by the suicide of German Hesse state Finance Minister Thomas Schaefer ().

Stress, anxiety and pressure in medical healthcare professionals are at immense and at the peak. 50% of the medical staff in the British hospitals are sick, and at home, leaving high pressure on the remaining staff to deal with the situation. In King’s College Hospital, London, a young nurse took her own life while treating COVID-19 patients (). Even the forefront warriors, i.e. medical professionals are constantly in close contact with COVID-19 positive and/or quarantined patients while treating them are under psychological trauma. The predictors are constant fear of getting infection, unbearable stress, helplessness and distress watching infected patients die alone.

Social boycott and discrimination also added few cases to the list of COVID-19 suicides. Mamun MA et al., 2020 reported the first COVID-19 suicide case in Bangladesh, where Zahidul Islam, a 36-year-old man committed suicide due to social avoidance by the neighbours and his moral conscience to ensure not to pass on the virus to his community (). Other important cases from around the world have been described in Table 1 .

Representative cases showing psycological conditions and underlying predictors leading to COVID-19 suicides.

Factors and predictors for COVID-19 suicides
Social Isolation/distancing
SN Case History Predictors Reference
1. Santosh Kaur, a 65- year-old woman, committed suicide over the fear of the COVID-19. (India) Person was depressed, had anxiety over COVID-19 and was alone. Her fear was just an illusion and there was no one to counsel or to console her. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/anxiety-over-covid-19-leads-to-phagwara womans-suicide-66466 (Accessed on 7 April 2020)
2. Chinese student living in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia had committed suicide by jumping from the 3rd floor of a hospital. (Saudi Arabia) Quarantined on suspicion of being infected with the coronavirus.
3. 19-year-old Emily Owen, youngest suicide victim(Britain) Fear of isolation was created just by the announcement of the country lockdown https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-is-likely-to-lead-to-an-increase-in-suicides/ (Accessed on 8 April 2020)
Worldwide lockdown creating economic recession
4. Finance Minister Thomas Schaefer, 54-year-old economist. (Germany) Could not able to bear and cope with the stress about the economic fallout of COVID-19. Turned him hopeless that he could not able to manage citizen’s expectations for financial aid. https://www.todayonline.com/world/covid-19-german-minister-commits-suicide-after-virus-crisis-worries (Accessed on 8 April 2020)
Stress, anxiety and pressure in medical healthcare professionals
5. 49-year-old nurse (S.L.) of Jesolo hospital committed suicide by jumping into Piave river (Italy) Lived alone and distressed https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/trez-m31.html (Accessed on 9 April 2020)
6. Daniela Trezzi, a 34-year-old nurse of the San Gerardo hospital (Italy) Deeply traumatized, compassion fatigue, emotional burnout, hopelessness, and fear of contracting and spreading the disease to others. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/trez-m31.html (Accessed on 9 April 2020)
Social boycott and discrimination
7. Mustaffa, a 35-year-old male and Mohammad Dilshad, a 37-year-old male committed suicide. (India) Both were facing social boycott and religious discrimination from their neighbours in the suspicion of positive COVID-19 report. Resulted in isolation, stigma and finally depression. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/stigma-over-covid-testing-blamed-for-mans-suicide/articleshow/74939681.cms (Accessed on 8 April 2020) https://www.livemint.com/news/india/facing-social-boycott-covid-19-negative-man-commits-suicide-in-himachal-s-una-11586090515081.html (Accessed on 9 April 2020)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7177120/

Do’s and dont’s

 

  • Pause. Breathe. Reflect.

Take some slow breaths: in through your nose, then slowly breathe out.

Slow breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress, because it signals to your brain to relax your body.

Notice how you are feeling and what you are thinking, without judgment. Instead of responding or reacting to those thoughts or feelings, note them, and then let them go.

  • Connect with others

Talking to people you trust can help. Keep in regular contact with people close to you. Tell them how you are feeling and share any concerns.

  • Do:
    • Get up and go to bed at similar times every day.
    • Keep up with personal hygiene.
    • Eat healthy meals at regular times.
    • Exercise regularly. Just doing 3-4 minutes of light intensity physical movement, such as walking or stretching, will help.
    • Allocate time for working and time for resting.
    • Make time for doing things you enjoy.
    • Take regular breaks from on-screen activities.

    Don’t:

Don’t use alcohol and drugs as a way of dealing with fear, anxiety, boredom and social isolation.

  • Be kind to yourself and others

Don’t expect too much of yourself on difficult days. Accept that some days you may be more productive than others.

Try to reduce how much you watch, read or listen to news that makes you feel anxious or distressed. Seek the latest information from trusted sources at specific times of the day.

Helping others can be good for you too. If you are able to, offer support to people in your community who may need it.

  • Reach out for help if you need it

Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you think you need it. A good place to start is your local health worker. Help-lines can also be a source of support.

 

Please, find the Helplines Resources on the following links and be kind to your mind:

 

US Helplines Resources

UK EMERGENCY HELPLINE

Categories
PTSD AWARENESS PTSD BOOKS

BOOKS

Parisian Sparks of Inspiration.

It goes without saying, during my Journey, the assistance of Firefighters has been effective several times: anxiety, panic attacks and terror attacks.

“FIGHT TO SAVE US”

French firefighters are complaining the lack of staff and fuel. The fact is “that they can’t even strike, cos they are meant to be there in emergency” as reported by one of them.

THE CHIMP PARADOX

This book was suggested me by a Serviceman who is using this manual as program for Mind Management of his troops. Dr Steve Peters is a psychiatrist who has inspired Elite sport Gold Medal Champions like Victoria Pendleton and Liverpool Football Team in the UK. Personally, I was aware of Self Sabotage because of my inner wisdom led me to observe my self behaviour and noticed that I was doing that any time I was close to Success (school examens, sport achievement, any potential partner who reciprocated, job team talent… ). The avanguardist Prof is now telling us that it’s our brain who is dysfunctional and that’s okay. All we need is to become a Master of our Mind. As simple as that. Which probably guides us to Mindfulness alias Mind at its full Potential.

TRIBE

This man, the humanitarian Journalist, made a difference to me. At the time I met his book, I had read only one article which listed all PTSD and refered to combat stress. Revelation when I found his Vanity fair interview about his panic attack in New York back home from Afghanistan. Well, I respect his journalist activity, despite all the crap and slave journalism spreading today. His values about this alienated society where Vétérans miss war are deeply shared.

Sometimes we ask ourselves if we can save Veterans, but the real question is can we save ourselves?

THE POWER OF NOW

Simply life-changing. Effective. Oh, well I couldn’t finish last pages, but eventually the first ten had already done the job. For the short story, I have kept reading it in the metro, one day at a time, one page at a time. You need to integrate concepts and this is a good exercise for those who Don’t read a book since ages. Tolle will explain you that. My fave quote : ‘We are not our thoughts.’ So what are we? Bestseller.

THE BURNOUT SOCIETY

In 2016, during my deep rest, home from work, due to sleep burnout, as a consequence of PTSD and long term stress disorder, I borrowed this book from my mentor / my physician. He is a humanitarian Medecin sans Frontières and charming Monsieur who changed my life for the better. My soul is eternally grateful. And yes, Doctor, ladies who read are quite Dangerous.

HEROES IN CRISIS

Tom King is not only the Batman’s author, but also ex FBI agent in the Middle East. He conceived this Masterpiece to spread awareness on PTSD in 2018. He is one of my heroes. Enjoy the graphic. Story: Sanctuarium is the first rehab for superheros, where some mystery occurs. Harley Quinn is perhaps the rebel heroin who is not recovering well. When I found his work I thought “the times they are a changing”.

AWAKENING THE HEROES WITHIN

To be honest, I bought this book years ago, and couldn’t relate to it in the very beginning. Then, one day, I tried again, and I admit, it gave me some effective inspiration for my self help book. So, Carol, bless you. It wasn’t easy. First, try to figure out what an archetype is, then embrace your hero’s journey. Good luck.

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

When I was in it, I could only see the dark, and it’ been a long ride. Now in my mind all is clear. Personal growth requires challenges. No slight, no hero. Right? I liked this ex monk psychologist who humbly change perspective on so called depression and transition stages in life beyond labels. Rites of passage are much more speaking to me. To make it short, you need to prove your value in a Society, in order to gain your status in a Community. Primitive and ancient tribes did it all the time. We lost our roots and therefore we lost our consciousness that a dark night will make come out the best from you and put it at service of others. That’s what life is all about. This is how humanity shall work.

Conversations with God

Well, I admit that I watched the movie several times and can’t stop spreading word about it, especially to whom are diving deep in the abyss of a dark night. Perhaps a dialogue within your Self. Or accept that there is a force – much bigger than us – guiding you if you let her manifesting.

Guided Mindfulness Meditation.

A Complete Guided Mindfulness Meditation Program from Jon Kabat-Zinn Audio CD.

afghanistan anger anxiety awareness belonging break down burn out combat stress coping with ptsd dark night of the soul depression emotional empath empathy fear highly sensitive person homecoming hsp meditation mental health mental illness mindfulness paris attacks post traumatic stress disorders psychological ptsd PTSD AWARENESS ptsd recovery resilience sebastian junger self care self discovery self love self worth shell shock social anxiety spiritual awakening stress stress disorders trauma tribe veterans vets war vets yoga

Each book is linked to Amazon.com

If you make a purchase Amazon will provide Parisian Sparkle with an itsy-bitsy royalty. 

Categories
PTSD STORYTELLING

Federica Pellegrini: “Fight for your Self.”

20 novembre 2015 · from my facebook :

Repeat to yourself, “This will not last forever.” And remember that you’re the only one that can truly get you out of this rut. No one will fight for you like you will fight for yourself. So get out there and fight.

**Italian Swimmer World Record and Gold Medal**

Federica Pellegrini is now retiring after a long career as sport Champion in Swimming. She is not only very attractive, but a real source of strenght and inspiration. One of her tatoos on her neck is a phoenix. She knew loss of her coach and various physical injuries on her journey, but never gave up.

**Phoenix araisen**

“What it happens in the last 50 meters? It’s my last 50 meters, my race is like that.”

Her race is like that.