... the emotional help continues: bringing hope and healing to typhoon survivors ...

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just what does a mother say when her 8-year old child asks, "is this the end, mom? is this our destiny?" just what comfort can this mother offer when she herself is struck with terror by the very questions her child asks?

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such were the stories shared in the post-typhoon disaster forum i facilitated at the national grid corporation of the philippines.

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people have the impression that just because the worst of the typhoons is over and that the relief goods have been distributed, the typhoon survivors can now put their trauma behind them. but the sad truth is this: when calamity strikes, it deeply sears into one's heart what is known as the "death impact." it is the sense that life is frail, that everyone is vulnerable, and that death may be lurking at any corner, at any time.

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a month has passed since the typhoon disaster happened but many typhoon survivors are still experiencing anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, and grief. some are now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or ptsd.

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these people, they continue to need helping hands, listening ears, and compassionate hearts!

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the workshop: helping typhoon victims overcome and survive their emotional storms

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the workshop was attended by educators, social workers, hr officers, psychologists, ministers, and students.
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we started by sharing our personal experiences during the typhoons ondoy and pepeng. though a month had past since the two storms, many participants were still emotionally distraught as they narrated their stories.
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after the sharing session, we proceeded with learning different ways to help typhoon disaster victims overcome anxiety, depression, grief, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. among the the topics covered were:
- cognitive processing therapy,
- relaxation methods,
- emotional freedom techniques,
- emotional release therapy and EMDR,
- brain balancing techniques, and
- art therapy.
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participants had plenty of practice sessions:
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many participants received relaxation and healing in the process:
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and what workshop would be complete without some smiles and camaraderie?
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my thanks too to agnes, al (and may) for their ever-reliable, ever-efficient support and assistance!

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Helping Typhoon Victims Overcome and Survive Their Emotional Storms

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"Helping Typhoon Victims Overcome their Emotional Trauma”

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Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng are now gone but they continue to wreak havoc in the emotional and psychological lives of some of its victims. Survivors may give the impression that they have already recovered but many are actually suffering in silence from their emotional distress and psychological trauma. For instance, many of the survivors develop fear, panic attacks, depression, nightmares, insomnia, loss of appetite, flashbacks, and difficulty in concentration. All these symptoms cause long term disturbances in their personal and work lives.
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In view of this calamity that raged through the country, the Philippine Society of Life Coaches (PSLC) is offering a skills-training workshop entitled "Helping Typhoon Victims Overcome and Survive their Emotional Storms." Participants will learn the essential skills for assessing the survivor's emotional condition and acquire the strategies for supporting them towards their emotional and psychological recovery.
. This one-day workshop is facilitated by Randy S. Dellosa, M.D., Psy.D., a life coach, psychologist and psychiatrist. It will be held on October 24, 2009 at the University Hotel, UP Diliman, Quezon City from 9 am to 5 pm.
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Registration starts at 8.30 am. Proceeds of this training will be donated to typhoon victims. For more details please contact Agnes R. Agbayani, RGC, M.Ed. at 415-7964 and 415-6529 and mobile phone 0922-877-5970.
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Philippine Society of Life Coaches
Office Address: 105 Scout Rallos Street. Barangay Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City
Telephone Numbers: 415-6529, 415-7964

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.. typhoon ondoy and crisis intervention stress management at manila central university (mcu) ...

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story after story poured, and all were heart-breaking.

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employees and students of manila central university (MCU), around 90 of them, gathered at the MCU auditorium to attend to a crisis intervention stress management (CISM) forum. i was given the daunting task of helping them deal with the ordeal they suffered due to typhoon ondoy.

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one participant, a student, tearfully narrated how she was stranded at the roof of their house with her brother desperately clutching onto her for dear life's sake. she felt especially helpless and resigned when her brother asked her whether they were going to die. some of her neighbors had rafts with plenty of extra space but simply ignored her frantic plea for help. at one instance, she even fell through her roof and fractured her arm. despite having survived the floods, she was immersed in her deep feelings of anger towards God for allowing this calamity to happen.

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every so often, i caught myself holding back my own emotions and tears, lest i choke while facilitating the session. at the end of the forum, i felt a strong empathy, a heartful connection with these survivors of the raging floods. as much as i wanted to do much more, all i could do was be present with them in their time of vulnerability.

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quietly, i continue to offer them a prayer of hope, and the strength to pick up and mend the broken pieces of their lives. dear god, i just pray that you comfort them at this time when they need you the most.

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... fear of dolls; fear of separation from cellphone ...

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the second time around for just this month, i get another interview on phobias. this time, gma-7's ka-blog crew visited me to interview actual people who have the fear of dolls (pediophobia) and the fear of separating from one's cellphone (nomophobia).

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benj (wearing black), the lady with doll phobia, remembers being scared of dolls as early as 4 years old. what she fears most are dolls that are life-like, particularly dolls with realistic skin texture. she also fears the sight of doll body parts like doll arms, legs, heads, and torsos. with a doll in sight, she starts panicking. and as soon as the doll actually touches her skin, she becomes hysterical.

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ana (wearing yellow), has the fear of separating from her cellphone. she says that without her cellphone, she feels emotionally empty and alone because according to her, the cellphone is her lifeline to other people. it was only because her family members pointed out her exaggerated reactions that she realized there was something wrong with her. otherwise, she would have considered her fear "normal." just like benj, she gets panicky and hysterical even upon the thought of losing her cellphone.

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to help them with their phobias, i did talk some brief psychotherapy and exposure therapy on them. i also taught them some breathing and body-focusing exercises. in such a short span of time, it turned out relatively well, with benj actually holding a baby doll and ana being estranged from her cellphone for 10 long minutes.

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assisting me in doing the exposure therapy was the show's host, lucky mercado. being the prankster that he is, he did a pretty good job in provoking benj and ana to feel more phobic than ever!

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... counseling for transgendered, transexual, and gender-variant persons in the philippines ...

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i met sharon for a counseling session this afternoon and she told me her story:

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as a kid growing up, she didn't have much care in the world. but as soon as puberty hit her, she fell into a deep crisis about her sexual identity. she became severely disturbed by the mismatch between her masculine mentality and her feminine appearance. for her, nature had played a dirty trick on her by making her a "man trapped in a woman's body."

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in order to halt the development of female sexual characteristics, she resorted to severe dieting which made her frail and sickly in the process. years later, as she researched on the internet, she discovered that her "affliction" had a name-- it was a condition known as "transexuality."

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this afternoon, sharon sought consultation with me for the very reason that she was ready to come to terms with her transexual self. she was ready to let go of the emotional baggage that had burdened her through the years.

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through individual counseling and group therapy with other transexuals, i hope that i can assist her well on her journey towards personal healing, growth, and wholeness.

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... treatment for phobias in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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the beautiful and spritely iya villania visited me at my clinic for an interview on fears and phobias.

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i gave her the following tidbits of information: fear is a normal emotion which warns us of impending danger. when the fear is irrational and intense, then it is classified as a phobia. phobias are best treated through a combination of exposure therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and relaxation exercises. other helpful interventions include art therapy, hypnotherapy, basic talk therapy, family support, support groups, and even a change in diet (low sugar and low caffeine).

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at the end of the interview, iya felt comfortable enough to confide in me about her deepest and darkest fear: "it's ipis cuz its nakakadiri." hehe! funny girl!

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... group therapy on relationship issues ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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this evening, i did group therapy on another batch of psychology interns from lyceum.

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the session generated serious reflection, sharing, and discussion, centering mostly on their relationship problems.

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the end result of group therapy? from the glow on their faces, you can tell that they gained a lot of emotional relief and life-changing insights which i hope they keep for the rest of their lives.

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... counseling in the philippines for those with homosexual issues and other sexual struggles ... (life coach, psychotherapist, psychiatrist))

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today, i had an informative and engaging lunch meeting with benjie cruz, the national director of living waters, philippines.
. in my clinical practice, i meet a lot of clients struggling with homosexual issues, sexual addiction, sexual abuse, and other sexual problems. most of my clients want privacy and anonymity so they opt for professional and confidential counseling.
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some clients however ask for spiritually-oriented help, so this is where living waters comes in. living waters is a christ-centered ministry which offers spiritual support and christian camaraderie for those burdened by sexual struggles.
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whether in the form of professional counseling or christian ministry, hope and help is available for those in search of sexual healing and wholeness.
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