Posts Tagged ‘Stress’

Rape Truama Stress Disorder: A Primer

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Studies show that 97% of rape survivors will experience PTSD. Almost 50% of survivors still meet the criteria for PTSD even three months after the rape. Nearly 1/3 of people with addictions have been raped. For many people, alcohol and drugs helps them sleep and numb the memories of the rape. So while many people can heal and move forward, a large percentage of survivors simply cannot. We all know that rape is not about sex. It is about power, control, and intimidation. Rape is a violent crime which produces painful psycho- and physio-logical reprecussions. Every person that is raped expresses fear for his or her life whether or not a weapon is used. Rape trauma syndrome usually goes through three relatively predicatable phases. The first phase “impact and disorganization” involves a great deal of chaos in the victim’s life as a result of the rape. Victims often cannot concentrate, make decisions and their short term memory is usually poor. Going to the grocery store or other mundane activities are very difficult. Fear, anxiety, guilt and anger may be prominent. During the second phase, reorganization, the victim begins to organize his or her lifestyle. A change in activities including changing residences, hobbies and beginning to have nightmares, and phobias are likely during this period. The third phase, “resolution and integration” involves the victim begining to re-establish her emotional equilibrium and regains her adapted lifestyle.

One of the immediate problems that a victim may experience is the difficulty sleeping. This problem may be heightened if the person was home asleep when he or she was attacked or if the rape took place within the home. A large number of the victims will move after they have been raped, as the fear that the man knows who they are and may return: some will resort to moving out of town or out of the state and not just across town. Another commong post-rape emotion that people experience is fear. There may be a general fear of people or of men as the person struggles with learning to trust people again. A victim may also experience a period of time immediately after the rape when he or she unwilling to come into contact with anyone,even family and loved ones. A mother may notice a sudden change in her behavior and reactions with her children. Many parents suddenly become over-protective of their children. They may also have difficulty with irritability and exaggerated anger responses to situations in which they perceives a threat to their child(ren).

Victims will often try to justify to themselves that everything is alright. By doing this they often suppresses their feelings. One way of relieving these suppressed feelings is by daydreaming or adopting a dangerous lifestyle doing things that they would not ordinarily do, just to prove to themselves that they are not afraid and can still do whatever they want. Eventually, survivors realize that they cannot go on without facing these feelings and dealing with the reality of the situation. They may drastically change their lifestyle at this point by moving, getting a dog, acquiring a roommate or lover, or by limiting or increasing physical activity.

Most rape victims experience strong feelings of guilt. This is often one of the most difficult parts of the rape to deal with. Victims of aquaintance rape or “date rape” can be even more traumatized than with other types of sexual assault because feelings or shame, guilt, fear, disbelief, and lowered self esteem are often very strong. It becomes hard for the person to know who he or she can trust. Because the perpetrator was a trusted person may cause the victim may initially deny the experience as if nothing happened. Whatever the victim’s feelings are after the assault, it is important that he or she be able to talk about them to someone who is willing to let her express his or her feelings and who will not make personal judgements or decisions about how he or she is reacting or how he or she should have handled the situation. The amount of support and understanding that a survivors receive from their family and friends is of critical importance in their recovery and restoration to their prior level of functioning.

Treatment of PTSD

It is important for all counselors and addictions professionals to be aware of how rape affects people and the treatments available. Once a patient has confided in you, he or she may not want to switch to a victim advocate or other therapist to treat the PTSD. Today, there are good treatments available. Patients who have PTSD can (and usually will) find dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how they feel, they may keep their feelings bottled up. But talking with a counselor can help. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one type of counseling. It appears to be the most effective type of counseling for PTSD. There are different types of cognitive behavioral therapies such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy. There is also a similar kind of therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) that is used for PTSD. Medications such as antidepressants have also been shown to be effective. Additionally, telemental health has also been shown to be helpful for some patients who would not ordinarily be willing or able to seek services.

What is telemental health?

Telemedicine, also known as telehealth, uses electronic communications to provide and support healthcare when distance separates the participants (Field, 1996). Telemedicine uses various communication methods to connect clinicians and patients – in lieu of them meeting in person. The term telemental health services typically refers to behavioral health services that are provided using communication technology. These services include clinical assessment, individual and group psychotherapy, psycho-educational interventions, cognitive testing, and general psychiatry. The term telemental health describes the overall situation in which a clinician uses various technologies to deliver mental health care to a patient who is miles away. The major benefit of telemental health is that it eliminates travel that may be disruptive or costly. In addition, telemental health is a useful tool in situations, where the patient cannot get to the clinician. Telemental health also allows mental health providers toconsult with or provide supervision to one another. Telemental health may utilize a variety of technologies, and is still considered an untapped opportunity for many psychologists, social workers, and counselors (Maheu, Whitten, & Allen 2001). Telemental health can make use of electronic mail (e-mail), electronic administration of psychological tests, online self-help groups, chat rooms, blogs, and websites.

Telemental Health and PTSD

While preliminary research has shown that a variety of telemental health modalities are feasible, reliable, and satisfactory for general clinical assessments and care (Frueh et al., 2000; Hilty, Marks, Urness, Yellowlees, & Nesbitt, 2004), much less is known about the clinical application and general effectiveness of telemental health for the assessment or treatment of PTSD. For individuals with a history of trauma exposure, the first step in getting the necessary treatment is to have an accurate assessment of psychiatric or psychological symptoms, related problems, and factors influencing functioning. The accuracy of a PTSD diagnosis is important for both treatment implications and benefit claims. If possible, the initial assessment should be done face-to-face or at least via video conferencing. After that, treatment may occur via telemental health. Based on early pilot studies, telemental health appears to be a promising way to offer skills-training and assessment from a distance to individuals with PTSD.

Clinical considerations

Using telemental health for clinical work requires planning and preparation. It is important to consider logistics, such as preparation of the room and equipment, and to be sure there is technological and clinical backup support. It is also important to consider the patient’s convenience, privacy and access to emergency services. It is recommended that trauma-focused interventions, such as exposure therapy, not be provided using a telemental health technology. There is a great possibility that the client will experience intense emotional distress with this type of treatment, and it may be very difficult to manage the discussion and contain the situation when providing remote services. Since telemental health is offered (in most cases) because there is not adequate or specialized services at the patient’s site, it is unethical to delve into traumatic experiences without having the necessary clinical backup available. However, telemental health can be used to successfully provide clinically significant interventions such as basic PTSD education, symptom management, coping-skills training, and stress management.

Less Stress ? Better Rest

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

In the present world of today we are always being bombarded with high levels of stress and nervousness. These stresses can be mental, environmental or physical. They place an huge strain on our physical and mental health.

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 Most of us are aware that unnecessary stress can affect our ability to think straight, our digestive system, adrenal glands and heart. Research has however shown that whenever a stressful circumstance arises, there is a knock on effect. Firstly stress restrictions the blood supply going to the stomach, this hampers the digestive system and a impermanent shut down of our resistant system may follow. If we are overwhelmed with stress for an extended period we are likely to experience fatigue and exhaustion.

Although it may not be possible to avoid these stress factors in our lives there is help available. There are many a hrefnatural herbal supplements,</a> known for they’re relaxing properties which assist in combating the harmful effects of anxiety and stress. Several herbs are usually incorporated together to make a powerful formula.

We will take a look at some of the individual herbs, which go to make up some of these potent anti- anxiety supplements.

 

 consists </a>of a proprietary blend of natural, premium ingredients that work in cycle to help you fight fatigue. Over 20 million people in America suffer from occasional fatigue caused by too much work, too much stress.

Baywood Relora® (90 Capsules)

Relora® is an amazing new natural stress relief and anti-anxiety element used to control stress related eating and drinking. Relora® also has the benefit of being non-sedating with potential anti-depressant properties

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 EAS C3 (60 Caps)

C3 (Cortisol Control Complex) helps you achieve maximum leanness and maintain muscle mass.

Enzymatic Therapy L-Theanine (60 Ultracaps)

Enzymatic Therapy L-Theanine is a relaxation supplement. L-Theanine is an amino acid that helps promote a restful, relaxed state without diminishing daytime alertness.

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Purchase and wear trainers with stress

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Misunderstanding 1: only the importance of styles and colors
Investigation shows, up to 85.8% respondents often wear the trainers. However, when purchasing athletic trainers, 46.3% of consumers most concerned about the color and style, 25.9% of consumers are most concerned about the brand, but the functionality of the sports trainers are top priority of only 14.6% of the total number of survey. In these people, respectively 61.1%, 50.5% and 45.7% of consumers do not pay attention to sports trainers slip function, damping function and torsion functions, they are lack of the functional understanding. The lack of knowledge related to sports trainers is also a prominent issue reflected in the survey. For example, when playing tennis, it needs more stop, twist, thus requiring better slip resistance of the tennis shoes, but only 45.5% of respondents know that.
Misunderstanding 2: half of them wearing a pair of shoes for a number of exercises
sports trainers including the running shoes, basketball shoes, tennis and badmintion shoes, shoes and all-around fitness shoes and other exercises shoes and so on. Engaged in different sports should be to select a different professional sports trainers. But the survey, up 50.1% of consumers are often wearing a pair of sports trainers to swept many kinds of shoes. Some people wear the running shoes to play tennis, wear the badminton shoes to play basketball, similar signs are everywhere.
Misunderstanding 3: More than half of people do not understand foot health knowledge
The survey also shows that 50.1% of consumers that there are sweat, foot odor, problems. Many consumers to reflect their own unpleasant odor, which to some consumers with serious psychological burden. But as much as 54.8% of consumers do not know, the major cause of “cause sweat, foot odor, and other foot health problem is the poor ventilation of shoes. sports trainers cavity environment temperature, humidity, resulting in a large number of breeding bacteria. When purchase the sports trainers, for nearly forty percent of consumers did not pay attention to the sports trainers breathable and antibacterial and deodorant properties.
Experts pointed out that through the investigation of sports trainers, reflecting a significant number of consumers do not understand what is the difference between the sport shoes and dress shoes everyday, and there are many errors in the consumption process. Therefore, in the selection of shoes, we want should pay more attention to its performance, not just taking consideration of its color, style and brand. The suitable will be the best!

Combat Stress and increase well being using an invigorating sports massage

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Participants in practically every sport are proclaiming the healing effects and advantages of sports massage therapy for edging out their competition. This not includes professional athletes, but the weekend warriors as well. Below are some of the benefits they enjoy.

Improved range of motion and increased flexibility;

Better endurance and less fatigue;

Looser muscles, resulting in less chance of injury;

The ability to compete at their very best level;

Lesser recovery time between their practice sessions;

Better circulation, which results in more nutrients and oxygen going to the body;

Rids the body of unwanted toxins resulting from exercise.

Sports massage is increasingly being included as an essential part of a complete workout routine that includes not only the exercise involved, but also for the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur in any strenuous activity. Anyone who incorporates this type activity in their daily schedule will benefit from a sports massage program designed to match their activity level.

Our muscles tend to lose their capacity to relax after heavy exercise, resulting in tight muscles and a loss of flexibility, which can cause muscle tears and pulls. A regular routine of sports massage therapy has proven to be quite effective in combating these – and other – ailments of muscles that have been extended to their limit. But the goals of sports massage therapy are different at various stages of sports activity and competition as follows.

Before the event: A sports massage administered before a sporting event is slightly shorter than a normal session and is designed to warm up the major muscles that an athlete will be using. It’s also known to improve the mental health and muscle tension needed for top performance.

Throughout the sporting event: For the ultimate training performance with lower risk, a sports massage administered during a competition will be altered to fortify an athlete for the particular sport in which they are participating.

Post-event: Sports massage performed after a competition is geared toward reducing the muscle spasms and metabolic build-up that occur with vigorous exercise. A post-event sports massage involves not only tissue repair, but also general relaxation and mental calming.

Sports massage therapy for overtraining: Sometime athletes don’t allow their bodies to rejuvenate themselves between training sessions. Irritability, a change in an athlete’s appetite, and an increased number of injuries are all signs that your body may be overworked. A sports massage helps relieve these symptoms by putting it in a state of total relaxation.

Maintaining an athlete’s body: Everyone knows the importance of maintenance and athletes have found that engaging in a regular program of sports massage therapy is an excellent tool. Incorporating sports massages into an athlete’s normal regimen significantly decreases the possibility of serious injury at all stages of a competition.

Rehabilitate with sports massage therapy: Even with the proper maintenance, athletes can experience bruised, cramped and aching muscles … all of which can be treated with sports massage therapy. Athletes who receive a sports massage after an injury report less discomfort and a faster healing cycle.