... a picture gallery of the life coach certification program of the philippine society of life coaches ... (counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

a picture gallery:  

the life coach certification program 

of 

the philippine society of life coaches.

... Gestalt Therapy growth group activity: gumuho ang aking mundo habang namimili sa divisoria ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

when we least expect, our world sometimes just crumbles down on us, leaving us confused, disillusioned, angry, sad, or afraid.  

we may get emotionally knocked out for a while, but when we start coming to our senses, what else can we do but to slowly pick ourselves up, shake the dust off ourselves, take our shaky first steps, and get moving again.   

a world that's crumbled down only offers us the opportunity to create a new one- a world that's hopefully better, more joyful, and more meaningful.

here are friends from universidad de manila: 

kc santos, wats watanabe, berlin perales, marielle paraiso, and charmaine bilan.  

... Gestalt Therapy growth group activity: malaking ahas na nilulon ng arowana sa aquarium ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

student doctors from the u.p. college of medicine visited my place to get a taste of gestalt psychotherapy. 

we did an activity which generated a number of issues:


> we need to step up to the challenges of life. -(tonicci/ jayson)


> we need to ask for help when we feel afraid and helpless. -(julie)


> we may be harboring a seething anger within that seeks to destroy. -(nico)


> despite feeling small and vulnerable, we need to have a confidence that we can overcome the hurdles of life. -(patrick)

well, to cap off our meeting, we (Jayson Panganiban, Patrick See, Tonicci Paulino, and Julie Reyes) did some tuning fork therapy on Nico Rogelio to revitalize him after playing a very convincing portrayal of an angry slithering snake in our gestalt activity.

we all wondered how he ever learned to play that part so well! :D

... the weirdest therapies ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

“Ang Pinaka…” hosted by Rovilson Fernandez is an infotainment program of GMA News TV 11, a sister TV station of GMA Network, Inc. It lists down the Top 10 of all things Filipinos want and need to know about. 

I was interviewed on 10 of the weirdest health therapies listed below.  Personally though, I didn't find the list of therapies weird enough.

10. Ho’oponopono:  a Hawaiian form of conflict management. 

9. Urine Therapy:  the golden liquid is considered curative in many parts of the world.  Famed singer Madonna, MMA fighter Lyoto Machida, Boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, and author J.D. Salinger all swear by it!  

8. Ear Candling:  entails lighting up one end of a candle and placing the other end in to your ear.  Most of the leading health organizations strongly dissuade people from trying this therapy.

7. Rebirthing Breathwork:  this I do in my clinic!  Through the use of "connected breathing," to resolve the trauma of birth.  

6. Beer Spa:  In some spas, you can have your bath and drink it, too!

5. Psychic Surgery: only in the Philippines! (and also in Brazil.)

4. Virtual Dolphin Therapy:  experience deep relaxation by watching dolphins frolick in deep sea.

3. Bee Sting Therapy: bee venom has anti-inflammatory properties that can be used in illnesses.

2. Past Life Regression: through hypnosis, patients are able to remember their their past life memories. 

1. Snake Massage Therapy:  the slithering actions of the snakes are supposed to give you that ultimate soothing sensation for your tired and aching body.

... drug and alcohol detoxification, rehabilitation, and treatment in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

nemia de guzman-turla is the host of doctors online, a medical talk show of christian radio station 702 DZAS (AM band).  today's interview focused on the management of addiction.

addiction is characterized by the 4 p's:  
(1) preoccupation with the substance,
(2) progression (or escalation) of its use,
(3) persistence in using substance despite negative consequences,
(4) poor control at stopping its use.

mainstay components of treatment include:
(1) detoxification 
(2) rehabilitation
(3) counseling (individual, couples, family)
(4) lifestyle revision
(5) monitoring/ accountability system.

in my 15 years of managing an addiction recovery center, i've witnessed thousands of individuals overcome their addiction.  change is possible for most addicted individuals, and what Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous claims- that "once and addict, always an addict," simply is NOT true!   

... personality disorders in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

today, anna maria, anelie samson, mia tabangcora, gemelyn paz, dgie santos, john carl gerez, sarah sepillo, ar-ar crawford -- all psychology students from new era university, and i had a discussion on personality disorders.  


people with personality disorders are stand-outs in a crowd because of their prominent traits.  in a way, just like cartoon characters, they are "caricatures"  because they have one fixed and exaggerated "style" in dealing with people and situations.  


check out the personality disorders below.  i'm sure you've encountered people with personality disorders.  in fact, before anyone else, first check yourself out.  you may have a personality disorder yourself!

o   The distrustful/suspicious type:  Paranoid personality disorder

o   The aloof introvert/loner type:  Schizoid personality disorder

o   The eccentric/odd type:  Schizotypal personality disorder

o   The sociopathic/unlawful type:  Antisocial personality disorder

o   The emotionally intense/unstable/unpredictable type:  Borderline personality disorder

o   The flamboyant/theatrical/seductive type:  Histrionic personality disorder

o   The conceited/egotistical type:  Narcissistic personality disorder

o   The perfectionist/overly-organized type:  Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

o   The extremely shy/socially-inept type:  Avoidant personality disorder

o   The clingy/insecure type:  Dependent personality disorder

o   The inefficient/overly laid-back type:  Passive-aggressive personality disorder

... Gestalt Therapy growth group activity: shadow boxing one's self ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

"beating one's self up" is an idiom which means "being overly critical of one's own flaws, shortcomings, or weaknesses."  

first of all, we need to evaluate whether the flaws, shortcomings, or weaknesses we think we have are real, imaginary, or merely exaggerated. and for whatever reason we beat ourselves up, the important thing is to make a plan for overcoming these flaws.  


what comes to mind is the well-known poem by theologian  Reinhold Niebuhr entitled "The Serenity Prayer."  It goes like this:  

God grant me 
the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

this is a beautiful prayer and i hope that it guides and inspires you to live life fully and meaningfully.


up and coming doctors from u.p.college of medicine-- laya zamora, clare toledo, godfrey torres, yen waga, april tagayona, and zie versoza learn life lessons while simultaneously having fun: