I believe that "The person that can embrace their darkness is closest to the light"
Offering Clinical Therapy, Dreamwork, Hypnosis & Personal Development
Serving NEPA (NorthEast PA)
Call today for a 20-minute free consultation by phone or in person
Offering Counseling For Other Health Care Workers, Decompression Sessions Are Available
"My goal is to offer quality Counseling and Therapy to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania at the most affordable rate. Therapy should be affordable and accessible to all and should be a benefit to you, not an economic hardship"
Grief Counseling
Death is the definition of the end of life, the loss of contact with your world, never seeing your loved ones again, impermanence and finality, it is the end. Death is a very difficult topic to discuss especially when one's own death is impending or one has just lost somebody, people find it difficult to cope and to live without that person in their life. Death is also a change and an adjustment, an adjustment to something very different in your life. When we lose someone we must journey through the "grieving process", something that might help us to understand this process is an acronym known as "DABDA", I will explain this process of both death and loss below:
Denial- at first we may deny that we have lost anything, fighting against this feeling of loss even though we know it to be true. This is the first stage.
Anger: We may be angry at ourselves, the people around us, or whatever it was that we’ve lost, this is the second stage.
Bargaining- we may make deals with higher powers, begging for our loved ones to come back. This is the third stage.
Depression-we may realize the inevitable loss and become depressed. We may need to be left alone and feel sad during this time. This is the fourth stage.
Finally after traveling through all of these stages, we will hopefully arrive at the last stage of Acceptance. This is the final stage.
During these stages we can move forwards and backwards, there is not always a linear progression, we can move from denial to anger to bargaining and find ourselves back in denial, however we eventually do move to the last stage, that of acceptance. If some people find it difficult to cope with the loss or the immanence own death they may find themselves "stuck" and unable to move to the final stage of acceptance. It is this feeling of being stuck where it is beneficial to talk to someone about your underlying, complicated grief, emotions and feelings regarding your loss.
Denial- at first we may deny that we have lost anything, fighting against this feeling of loss even though we know it to be true. This is the first stage.
Anger: We may be angry at ourselves, the people around us, or whatever it was that we’ve lost, this is the second stage.
Bargaining- we may make deals with higher powers, begging for our loved ones to come back. This is the third stage.
Depression-we may realize the inevitable loss and become depressed. We may need to be left alone and feel sad during this time. This is the fourth stage.
Finally after traveling through all of these stages, we will hopefully arrive at the last stage of Acceptance. This is the final stage.
During these stages we can move forwards and backwards, there is not always a linear progression, we can move from denial to anger to bargaining and find ourselves back in denial, however we eventually do move to the last stage, that of acceptance. If some people find it difficult to cope with the loss or the immanence own death they may find themselves "stuck" and unable to move to the final stage of acceptance. It is this feeling of being stuck where it is beneficial to talk to someone about your underlying, complicated grief, emotions and feelings regarding your loss.
Meditation
Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress
Benefits of meditation. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. These benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may improve certain medical conditions. Meditation and emotional well-being. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
The emotional benefits of meditation can include:
Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.
With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
Benefits of meditation. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. These benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may improve certain medical conditions. Meditation and emotional well-being. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
The emotional benefits of meditation can include:
Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
- Building skills to manage your stress
- Increasing self-awareness
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.
With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
- Anxiety disorders
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Depression
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Pain
- Sleep problems
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is not what you think it is, it's not what you see on TV or have seen in theatrical stage presentations, it is simply a trance-like state that allows information to move more effectively from different parts of your mind and allows our daily defense mechanisms to take a break. The mind, that "thing" or the feeling of "I am" that resides in your head is your mind and it exist in two separate but connected realms, the unconscious and the conscious. Your really have no control over your sub-conscious mind, only your conscious mind, Hypnotherapy allows us to bridge that gap more effectively to allow treatment to become amplified and allowing progress to be made within the individuals personal struggles or issues.
Hypnosis is not a dangerous procedure. It is not mind control or brainwashing. A therapist cannot make a person do something embarrassing or that the person doesn't want to do. You have complete control over yourself at any given moment, there is no risk at all, and it is safe and effective.
Can you be hypnotized?
Have you ever caught yourself when your driving, or reading a book or watching a movie or even daydreaming and you felt like you could not remember that brief period of time, you have spent some time being hypnotized!!
Hypnosis is used in two ways:
Hypnosis is not a dangerous procedure. It is not mind control or brainwashing. A therapist cannot make a person do something embarrassing or that the person doesn't want to do. You have complete control over yourself at any given moment, there is no risk at all, and it is safe and effective.
Can you be hypnotized?
Have you ever caught yourself when your driving, or reading a book or watching a movie or even daydreaming and you felt like you could not remember that brief period of time, you have spent some time being hypnotized!!
Hypnosis is used in two ways:
- Suggestion therapy: The hypnotic state makes the person better able to respond to suggestions. Therefore, hypnotherapy can help some people change certain behaviors, such as stopping smoking or nail biting. It can also help people change perceptions and sensations, and is particularly useful in treating pain.
- Analysis: This approach uses the relaxed state to explore a possible psychological root cause of a disorder or symptom, such as a traumatic past event that a person has hidden in his or her unconscious memory. Once the trauma is revealed, it can be addressed in psychotherapy.
- Phobias, fears, and anxiety
- Sleep disorders
- Depression
- Stress
- Post-trauma anxiety
- Grief and loss
Childhood Behavior
Take a look at the picture and ask yourself, what do you see? This was drawn by a child who was experiencing emotional pain on every conceivable level in his eight years of life. It did not matter which way he turned, north, south, east or west, his pain was everywhere. Many children today feel like this, enveloped with pain, encapsulated. Children today are not the children of yesterday, life is moving much to fast, there is too much pressure to learn, conform, and grow up. We essentially have children trying painfully to be little adults, to conform and adapt to their varying circumstances.
Many kids are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school. Kids who complain about their activities or who refuse to do them might be over scheduled. Talk with your kids about how they feel about extracurricular activities. If they complain, discuss the pros and cons of stopping one activity. If stopping isn't an option, explore ways to help manage your child's time and responsibilities to lessen the anxiety.
Cutting is a serious issue that affects many teens. Even if you haven't heard about cutting, chances are good that your teen has and might even know someone who does it. Like other risky behaviors, cutting can be dangerous and habit-forming. In most cases, it is also a sign of deeper emotional distress. In some cases, peers can influence teens to experiment with cutting.
To adults, childhood can seem like a carefree time. But kids still experience stress. Things like school and social life can sometimes create pressures that can feel very overwhelming for kids. As a parent, you can't protect your kids from stress — but you can help them develop healthy ways to cope with stress and solve everyday problems.
Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not initiate a conversation about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles.
Children go through stages of development just as adults go through stages when they are developing, sometimes when something happens in the child's life, development can become stuck or may develop in a negative way. These developmental stages do not last for long, therefore it is imperative to explore and process what problem that child may be having and to help them fix that problem. They need to pass from one developmental stage to the next, free of any negative emotions or feelings to be successful at maturing in their life. If you see any of the warning signs below with your child do not hesitate to find a qualified counselor or therapist to help them deal with their issues.
"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves".
Many kids are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school. Kids who complain about their activities or who refuse to do them might be over scheduled. Talk with your kids about how they feel about extracurricular activities. If they complain, discuss the pros and cons of stopping one activity. If stopping isn't an option, explore ways to help manage your child's time and responsibilities to lessen the anxiety.
Cutting is a serious issue that affects many teens. Even if you haven't heard about cutting, chances are good that your teen has and might even know someone who does it. Like other risky behaviors, cutting can be dangerous and habit-forming. In most cases, it is also a sign of deeper emotional distress. In some cases, peers can influence teens to experiment with cutting.
To adults, childhood can seem like a carefree time. But kids still experience stress. Things like school and social life can sometimes create pressures that can feel very overwhelming for kids. As a parent, you can't protect your kids from stress — but you can help them develop healthy ways to cope with stress and solve everyday problems.
Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not initiate a conversation about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles.
Children go through stages of development just as adults go through stages when they are developing, sometimes when something happens in the child's life, development can become stuck or may develop in a negative way. These developmental stages do not last for long, therefore it is imperative to explore and process what problem that child may be having and to help them fix that problem. They need to pass from one developmental stage to the next, free of any negative emotions or feelings to be successful at maturing in their life. If you see any of the warning signs below with your child do not hesitate to find a qualified counselor or therapist to help them deal with their issues.
- Your child becomes excessively clingy.
- High level of crying or becoming upset.
- Your child has given up communicating his or her feelings.
- Noticing a considerable change in behavior than what is typical.
- Disobedience and/or defiance.
Even though most children will display some level of the above warning signs, any time you feel that it is too excessive, it will never hurt to contact a professional to help both you and your child through whatever problem the family may be experiencing.
"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves".
Depression
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. However when we feel like this more days than not, it can become an issue for your happiness and your functioning in daily life. Depression may be caused by life changes, loos of a loved one, changes within the family constellation, a sense of failure in life or loss of a job, in fact we can continue this list indefinitely, there are many things that happens to us that may cause us to become depressed. We live in a society today that seems to herd people into to extremes that of depression or that of anxiety. There are ways to alleviate the suffering of depression.
There are several forms of depressive disorders.
Major depression - severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.
Persistent depressive disorder - depressed mood that lasts for at least 2 years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for 2 years.
Some forms of depression are slightly different, or they may develop under unique circumstances. They include:
Signs and symptoms include:
There are several forms of depressive disorders.
Major depression - severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.
Persistent depressive disorder - depressed mood that lasts for at least 2 years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for 2 years.
Some forms of depression are slightly different, or they may develop under unique circumstances. They include:
- Psychotic depression, which occurs when a person has severe depression plus some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false beliefs or a break with reality (delusions), or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others cannot hear or see (hallucinations).
- Postpartum depression, which is much more serious than the "baby blues" that many women experience after giving birth, when hormonal and physical changes and the new responsibility of caring for a newborn can be overwhelming. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is characterized by the onset of depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. The depression generally lifts during spring and summer. SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy, but nearly half of those with SAD do not get better with light therapy alone. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or in combination with light therapy.
Signs and symptoms include:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
- Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
- Irritability, restlessness
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
- Fatigue and decreased energy
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
- Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
- Overeating, or appetite loss
- Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
- Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.
Bi-Polar and Management of other Maladies
In bipolar disorder, after remission from an acute episode of mania or depression, a person is at an especially high risk of relapse for about six months. Thus, continuation and maintenance of (ongoing) therapy is often recommended as treatment for bipolar disorder.
Anyone who has experienced two or more episodes of bipolar disorder generally is considered to have lifelong bipolar disorder, where the goal focuses not only on treating current symptoms but also preventing future episodes. That person should have maintenance therapy. Once your doctor has helped stabilize the moods of the acute phase of the disorder (either a manic or depressive episode), drug therapy is continued indefinitely -- often at lower doses.
It is important to remember this: Even if you have been without bipolar symptoms for several months, do not stop taking your medications. Your doctor may lower your doses, but discontinuation of medications will put you at risk for recurrence of bipolar symptoms.
Moving from one mood to another is known as cycling. Bipolar mood episodes can last for days, weeks, months, or even longer so cycles can take various amounts of time, too. In classic bipolar disorder, people have three or less mood episodes (not including euthymia) per year. A typical example might be one moth of mania followed by three months of depression and then the rest of the year spent euthymic.
Anyone who has experienced two or more episodes of bipolar disorder generally is considered to have lifelong bipolar disorder, where the goal focuses not only on treating current symptoms but also preventing future episodes. That person should have maintenance therapy. Once your doctor has helped stabilize the moods of the acute phase of the disorder (either a manic or depressive episode), drug therapy is continued indefinitely -- often at lower doses.
It is important to remember this: Even if you have been without bipolar symptoms for several months, do not stop taking your medications. Your doctor may lower your doses, but discontinuation of medications will put you at risk for recurrence of bipolar symptoms.
Moving from one mood to another is known as cycling. Bipolar mood episodes can last for days, weeks, months, or even longer so cycles can take various amounts of time, too. In classic bipolar disorder, people have three or less mood episodes (not including euthymia) per year. A typical example might be one moth of mania followed by three months of depression and then the rest of the year spent euthymic.
Spiritual Development
Spiritual development as I define it is the way in which we see our lives, our behaviors, our emotions and how those subjects fit in with life, before, during and after. Where do we come from?, What are we doing here?, and Where are we going? Sharpening and enhancing our philosophy and our spirituality provides a proper framework on how we see and how we process our lives.
- Acceptance of thoughts
- Control of our actions
- Equanimity
- Inner harmony
- Complete openness
- Understand other beings
Addiction and Recovery
Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol,cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.
The word addiction is used in several different ways. One definition describes physical addiction. This is a biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a drug so that drug no longer has the same effect, otherwise known as a tolerance. Another form of physical addiction is the phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or to cues associated with the drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar, for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues.
However, most addictive behavior is not related to either physical tolerance or exposure to cues.
People compulsively use drugs, gamble, or shop nearly always in reaction to being emotionally stressed, whether or not they have a physical addiction. Since these psychologically based addictions are not based on drug or brain effects, they can account for why people frequently switch addictive actions from one drug to a completely different kind of drug, or even to a non-drug behavior. The focus of the addiction isn't what matters; it's the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. Treating this kind of addiction requires an understanding of how it works psychologically.
"Excerpt taken from Psychology Today"
The word addiction is used in several different ways. One definition describes physical addiction. This is a biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a drug so that drug no longer has the same effect, otherwise known as a tolerance. Another form of physical addiction is the phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or to cues associated with the drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar, for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues.
However, most addictive behavior is not related to either physical tolerance or exposure to cues.
People compulsively use drugs, gamble, or shop nearly always in reaction to being emotionally stressed, whether or not they have a physical addiction. Since these psychologically based addictions are not based on drug or brain effects, they can account for why people frequently switch addictive actions from one drug to a completely different kind of drug, or even to a non-drug behavior. The focus of the addiction isn't what matters; it's the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. Treating this kind of addiction requires an understanding of how it works psychologically.
"Excerpt taken from Psychology Today"
Trauma
Trauma is a word of Greek origin derived from an earlier lost language and even earlier word of "trau", an extended form of the root "tere", "to rub, to turn or to tear", in realizing the history of word we can see how trauma operates within the psyche of the individual, we can define trauma as a deeply, disturbing experience that leaves a lasting impression similar to a wound, a hurt or a defeat, it is a constant "tearing", and how can something heal if it is constantly tearing?
The trauma itself is always very deep within the psyche,because a trauma is a horrible experience laden with frightening emotions we succeed in pushing this trauma down, very deep, down into our psychic reservoirs where it is successfully anchored within us. Because of this depth, it takes much work, strength, insight and will power to journey into those depths to work with that particular trauma.
A trauma must be analyzed, worked with, seen in a different light. In the same way that we can never look at a stop sign at the end of a street without reading it, we can never forget our trauma, we can only apply a meaningful twist of our narrative on our fated life.
The trauma itself is always very deep within the psyche,because a trauma is a horrible experience laden with frightening emotions we succeed in pushing this trauma down, very deep, down into our psychic reservoirs where it is successfully anchored within us. Because of this depth, it takes much work, strength, insight and will power to journey into those depths to work with that particular trauma.
A trauma must be analyzed, worked with, seen in a different light. In the same way that we can never look at a stop sign at the end of a street without reading it, we can never forget our trauma, we can only apply a meaningful twist of our narrative on our fated life.
Anxiety
The painting to the left is titled "The Scream", and was created by the Expressionist artist Edvard Munch between 1893 and 1910 and for me was always the best visual description of what anxiety is and what it feels like, it feels as if we are both distorted inside of ourselves and outside of ourselves. Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Anxiety can be a very debilitating issue and can impact daily life and people's functioning. Anxiety can happen at the most inopportune times, such as "on the job", "driving a car", or just simply lying in bed at night. It may feel as if a wave of negative power is washing over your body, which can disrupt your breathing, increase your heart rate and can cause headaches and other bodily pains.
Anxiety most of the time is thought of as something negative that occurs to us with no prejudice , without remorse, We think anxiety attacks with its own will. However what most people fail to realize is that anxiety is a message that is being conveyed to you, it is as though it were a sign on the road telling you "turn here", "change lanes" or "you're going the wrong way". I have come to view anxiety as a message, a sign that we must listen to, if we embrace our own anxiety and struggle through it, it will teach us something deep about ourselves, something that we need to change. We don't need to change the anxiety, the anxiety is only a message, changing just the sign or the message on the road won't get you to where you are going, you will just become more and more lost, even causing others to become lost as well. When anxiety attacks your life or behaviors needs to be examined to find out where the actual issues lies, that is what must be changed, when you want to deal with a weed, go for the roots.
Anxiety is most commonly manifested as:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Social Anxiety
Specific Phobias
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population).
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only about one-third of those suffering receive treatment.
People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.
Anxiety most of the time is thought of as something negative that occurs to us with no prejudice , without remorse, We think anxiety attacks with its own will. However what most people fail to realize is that anxiety is a message that is being conveyed to you, it is as though it were a sign on the road telling you "turn here", "change lanes" or "you're going the wrong way". I have come to view anxiety as a message, a sign that we must listen to, if we embrace our own anxiety and struggle through it, it will teach us something deep about ourselves, something that we need to change. We don't need to change the anxiety, the anxiety is only a message, changing just the sign or the message on the road won't get you to where you are going, you will just become more and more lost, even causing others to become lost as well. When anxiety attacks your life or behaviors needs to be examined to find out where the actual issues lies, that is what must be changed, when you want to deal with a weed, go for the roots.
Anxiety is most commonly manifested as:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Social Anxiety
Specific Phobias
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population).
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only about one-third of those suffering receive treatment.
People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.
I also do presentations, for no charge, concerning mental health issues, happiness in the workplace and personal enrichment within an existential framework. If you are interested in having me speak to your group, please use the contact information on my contact page
Accepting most healthcare insurance, I do not take State Medicaid or Medicare, Aetna or Cigna. For self-paying patients or those without insurance I will offer you the lowest payment fee in the area.
Services may be covered in full or in part by your health insurance or employee benefit plan. Please check your insurance carefully by asking the following questions:
- Do I have mental health insurance benefits?
- What is my deductible and has it been met?
- Do I have a co-payment?
- How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?
- What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
- Is approval required from my primary care physician?