... typhoon ondoy, post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), and disaster counseling ... (philippines, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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Dealing with trauma after 'Ondoy'

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ABS-CBN - Wednesday, September 30

MANILA - The damage brought by tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) ruined the lives and homes of thousands of Filipinos in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

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"This time, we're dealing with trauma based on a calamity or disaster. So it's very disheartening to know the extent of the damage, not only environmentally but with regard to people's lives," said clinical psychologist Dr. Randy Dellosa in an interview on Mornings @ ANC on Tuesday.
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Trauma
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Dellosa said there are different kinds of trauma based on different emotional incidents in a person's life.
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"I've talked to a number of survivors and they have exhibited different types of emotions," he said.
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Though they have bravely stepped up to help others during the typhoon, disaster response teams or volunteer rescuers also need help themselves.
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"These 'heroes' also need our help. Because some of them may be acting out of their own fears. We call this counter-phobic helping. Just to confront their fears, they start helping people, but deep inside they have anxieties and fears," Dellosa said.
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Common reactions experienced by disaster victims are the following:
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SHOCK over the suddenness of the disaster, being unprepared for it, and feeling bewildered. Dellosa said there is also a tendency for victims to deny that things were happening to them, even if they were confronted with flood waters and scenes of death and destruction.
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ANGER that can be directed towards the disaster, God, others, or themselves. Victims question why disasters happened to them and if they had done anything wrong. They can also feel regret for choosing to live at a certain place, especially when there is great loss.
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DEPRESSION after losing property or loved ones. Dellosa said it is natural for victiims to cry profusely, even if they don't know the reason, or to feel an overwhelming sense of sadness. "That's part of the grief of losing so many things," he said.
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SURVIVAL GUILT or wondering why they survived and others did not. Victims may feel that others were more worthy of living, or that they did not do enought to help others. This is sometimes accompanied by the feeling that they should have died along with their loved ones.
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Further, people surrounding a typhoon victim or survivor are also at risk for developing psychiatric disorders because the experience of dealing with others' losses can be traumatic or make them feel vulnerable.
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Telltale signs
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Victims can develop anxiety disorders like a panic disorder. Throughout a person's day, they can experience periodic symptoms like shortness of breath, palpitations, gastric disturbances, and tenseness of the body.
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Dellosa said victims can also experience anticipatory anxiety, or the fear that something traumatic will happen again. This can happen, for example, if a typhoon victim gets nervous at the first sight of rain.
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Depression can manifest in sudden changes in appetite, energy level, or sleeping patterns. Victims have difficulty focusing or concentrating, and can even have suicidal tendencies or thoughts - just to escape pain or even to reunite themselves with their loved ones. 'Sometimes they are stoic and do not show emotions. But they are delaying the manifestation of their anxiety. Everyone can experience this, from old to young," Dellosa said, adding that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to emotional stress.
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What to do
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He warned those who have relatives of friends who exhibit overwhelming anxiety or depression to seek professional help immediately, or to offer a sympathetic ear so that victims can unload their feelings.
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In counseling, this is called a "defusion stage" where victims release pent-up emotions and tell their stories so that healing takes place. "You have to lower the level of anxiety and terror that they feel. This takes place in the first few hours after the disaster and before they sleep. Allow them to vent and share their stories," Dellosa said.
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People should also avoid showing graphic images of calamities to victims because it reinforces their negative feelings. It would also be a good time to mobilize the victim's support system (friends, family, church) to remove feelings of helplesness or lonliness.
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... the guest psychologist at ruffa and ai ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychiatrist)

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the guests featured at ruffa and ai-ai's show were the stars of the movie "lovers in paris"- kc concepcion, piolo pascual, and zanjoe marudo.
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in the show, piolo and zanjoe were instructed to give kc a gift. kc, in turn, would choose the gift of her preference.
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as the guest psychologist, i was tasked to interpret kc's personality based on the gift she chose.
.the first pair of gifts offered to kc were a long stem rose from piolo and a bouquet of roses from zanjoe. kc's preference was the long stem rose.
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kc's choice reveals that as a romantic partner, she is "low-maintenance," easily appreciating the simple manifestations of love by her partner. the long stem of the rose is a symbol of the process of courtship which ends with a blossoming of love as symbolized by the flower. if kc picked the bouquet of roses, it would mean that she was a "high-maintenance" partner, wanting a flair for drama, passion, and flamboyance in her romantic affair.
. the second pair of gifts offered to kc were a stuffed toy from piolo and a box of chocolates from zanjoe. kc's preference was the stuffed toy.
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kc 's choice reveals that as a romantic partner, she is child-like, fun-loving, spontaneous, and sentimental. if, on the other hand, kc chose the box of chocolates, it would mean a predilection for the "sensual", since chocolates are related to physical or carnal appetites.
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with kc's choices, the "solid kc-piolo fans' club" has all the reason to go extremely jubilant and wildly gaga!!
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... more interviews on hair loss ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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after my talk on male hair loss, the solar sports crew ambushed me for an interview.

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their question: What are the common things guys do to cope/deal with hair fall?

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my answer: (1) by wearing caps, hats, bandannas, or toupees; (2) by growing thick facial hair such as moustaches and beards; (3) by growing their remaining hair long enough to brush over the balding area- the so called "comb-over; (4) by bulking up their bodies to distract people from noticing their balding heads; (5) by womanizing to prove that they are still desirable; and lastly, (6) by avoiding people to avoid embarrassment.

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cute nila 'no? well, this proves it: different strokes for balding folks!

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... acupuncture in the philippines for erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, and premature ejaculation ... (psychologist, psychiatrist)

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since the start of this year, i've been receiving more and more male clients concerned about their sexual health. many do not have any sexual problems but have simply made sexual health an essential aspect of their self-care and personal wellness program. some guys, on the other hand, consult me because they want particular help for erectile dysfunction, infertility, or premature ejaculation.

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a popularly-sought out wellness therapy for sexual health is acupuncture. this 30-minute procedure is virtually painless, involving the insertion of fine needles into specific points on the body. aside from the needles, laser, finger pressure, suction cups, and energy healing are also applied.

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acupuncture is one of the healing practices of traditional chinese medicine (tcm). it is believed that illness is caused by blockages in the flow of energy through the body's meridian system, resulting in illnesses and disorders. acupuncture is a means of removing these energy blockages. done regularly and frequently, acupuncture can help guys boost their sexual energy and maintain sexual well-being.

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forgive the pun but really, for acupuncturists, a robust prick is just pricks away!

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... cognitive-behavioral therapy (cbt) in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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way back when i was in training as a psychiatric resident, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was virtually unheard of among psychiatrists. that's because psychiatrists are basically trained in the the psychoanalytic (freudian) tradition of psychotherapy. having taken up psychology as my pre-med course, i was well-aware of the weaknesses and limitations of the psychoanalytic approach and decided that i would never use it as stand-alone therapy. in my desire to offer more substantial help to my patients, i studied and learned how to do cognitive-behavioral therapy at the same time that i was training myself in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

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here i am teaching cbt to psychotherapy students.

in my current clinical practice as a psychotherapist, i commonly employ cognitive-behavioral therapy on my clients with anxiety disorders (panic attacks), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd), and addiction problems. cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches that "bad" thought patterns cause us to experience"bad" feelings and makes us engage in "bad" behaviors. 

cbt however is not always the appropriate therapy to use. cbt may be the most popular and most-researched of the psychotherapies but this does not make it superior to other psychotherapies.  for instance, a large long-term study by the national institute of mental health (nimh) rated medical treatment and interpersonal therapy to be more effective in the treatment of depression than cbt.  

furthermore, cbt is the most-researched of the psychotherapy approaches NOT because it is most effective BUT ONLY BECAUSE it is the easiest to research on.  why? because cbt is the most structured of the psychotherapy approaches and a cbt treatment protocol can easily be  standardized (i.e., applied as a "de-kahon" approach).  because it is a structured approach, you might not even need a cbt therapist to help you.  buying yourself a self-help cbt workbook and religiously doing the exercises and assignments on a long-term daily basis will probably do you much better than merely consulting a cbt therapist for weekly sessions of one hour each.   

in my long years (decades actually) of exposure to and practice of different psychotherapies, I personally and professionally consider gestalt therapy to be more effective than cbt.  for one, gestalt therapy not only has a strong cognitive-behavioral component like cbt, but it also focuses on the physical, emotional, spiritual, energetic, relational (interpersonal), and ecological aspects of existence.  it is therefore a more holistic approach than cbt.  and secondly, gestalt therapy is not only about "fixing" your disorders; its higher goal is for the client to experience personal growth and have a more meaningful life.  unlike cbt, gestalt therapy then is really about attaining your fullest potential as a human being.  it is about becoming the person you were meant to be.  but, enough of gestalt for now.  going back to cbt...

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many people have the notion that cbt can take the place of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications and this simply is not true. in the midst of overwhelming emotions or symptoms, it is very difficult, even impossible, to apply cbt.  do you think, for instance, that you'll still be able to apply your positive affirmations and positive self-talk when you're desperately gasping for air and physically feeling that your heart is going to explode from the pounding heartbeat of an intense panic attack? cbt can certainly be a helpful form of therapy for mild cases.  my clinical experience (and the experience of many many patients) tell me however that psychiatric disorders (i.e., schizophrenia, major depression, GAD, SAD, panic disorder, OCD, etc.) have to be medically treated or managed first before cbt can be successfully applied.

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... emotional release therapy ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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emotional release therapy (ERT) is a type of laying-on-of-hands therapy for letting go of one's painful emotions. ERT involves healing touch, visualization, and prayer. without having to disclose the problem, ERT is able to discharge emotional pain from one's system- gently, effectively, and fully.

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ERT was systematized in 1996 by dr. walter weston, a methodist minister and researcher who had practiced spiritual healing for over 40 years through healing touch and prayer.

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in 1996, he traveled to india teaching ERT to local indian healers. dr. weston writes, "before the workshop, the healers complained that they had very few healings and none were permanent. after the workshop, they excitedly phoned me to tell me that after doing ERT, everyone they worked with was healed and healed permanently."

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"it was then that i realized why some people were not healed. it was because if you are filled with emotional pain, somehow this blocks the effectiveness of all healing techniques. you must first remove emotional pain with ERT before any form of healing can heal effectively."

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i was certified by dr. walter weston as an ERT practitioner and teacher in 2007. since then, ERT has successfully helped numerous clients of mine to release their intense pent-up emotions such as anger, sadness, grief, fear, anxiety, and worry.

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... dream interpretation in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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people often consult dream dictionaries or dream interpreters to discover the meaning of their dreams.

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as a dream analyst however, i contend that it is the dreamer alone who can give meaningful interpretation to his own dream. this is because the dreamer subconsciously selects specific characters, objects, places, and scenarios for the dream, and each of these elements in the dream has highly personalized meanings for the dreamer.

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once decoded, the dreamer discovers that the dream is a commentary on a particular life situation, or that the dream has a special message for the dreamer.

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i've found out that the best dreams to work on are (1) recent dreams with emotional content, (2) nightmares, (3) bizarre dreams, (4) recurrent dreams, and (5) dreams from the past that are still vividly remembered.

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just yesterday, i facilitated a dreamwork group composed mostly of medical students from the philippine general hospital (pgh).

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the dream we worked on was a recurrent dream- one of being chased by zombies, and ending with a fatal fall off a cliff.

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the dream was worked on with a gestalt therapy approach, and the participants were deeply immersed in the process.

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in a dreamwork group, even if only one participant's dream is worked on, all participants end up gaining insights for their own lives.

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the subconscious mind is a repository of wisdom and as such, must never be taken for granted. it would do us well to make it a regular practice of decoding our dreams, and heeding its messages which may spur us towards greater personal growth.

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... balakubak and paglagas ng buhok on Filipino guys ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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i did a talk this morning on the psychological effects of dandruff and hair loss on guys. The occasion was the launch of proctor and gamble's new head and shoulders shampoo called "hair retain." manny pacquiao was their chosen celebrity endorser.
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here are the folks who worked behind the scenes to make the event such a success:
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here's what i shared:
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When men notice that they have dandruff and hair loss, the initial reaction is to shrug it off, thinking that the conditions will just go away. However, if the dandruff and hair loss persist, men start to get alarmed because know how disastrous the consequences can be.
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Men suffering from dandruff and hair loss become very self-conscious and uneasy around people. In extreme cases, they become paranoid and think that people talk about them or laugh behind their backs. In reality, men with dandruff and hair loss do become the butt of jokes or objects of ridicule.
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Consider these pinoy nicks hurled at guys with hairloss:

• Pepito- Pepito na lang ang buhok
• Shaggy- Shagilid lang ang natitirang buhok
• Funny Face- Panipis ang buhok
• HIV-positive- Hair Is Vanishing, positively!
• BMW- Buhok Mo Wig
• Hercules- Hair ko less
• Arabo- Arabohok

Guys with dandruff are commonly perceived as unhygienic or unhealthy, while guys with apparent hair loss are considered unyouthful. Such perceptions make people avoid them and thus, guys with dandruff and hair loss are at risk of being isolated, lonely, and depressed.
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The balding process in men usually starts in the late 20’s or early 30’s. Because this is the period when guys usually hunt for their life partners, guys with hair loss may get edged out by thicker-haired rivals. Career-wise, hair loss may also affect one’s career since baldness may be associated with advanced age, declining productivity, and reduced efficiency at work.
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me, after the talk:
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