True Calling Project 33 – Dr. Gary Brown: Stepping Into Trauma

Gary Brown is a licensed psychotherapist who has been in private practice for over 30 years. His primary focus is helping people connect to themselves and other people at a deeper level than what they might be used to, and his years of practicing have led to a number of interesting opportunities.

In recent years, Gary has experienced a unique level of continuity of care: he has second-generation patients. Couples he worked with 10 to 20 years ago are now referring their adolescent children to his practice.

Gary is able to see first hand how all sorts of traits travel through families. Not just mental health, but also physical, biological and emotional traits.

Gary also has years of experience working in crisis intervention (which is, unfortunately, constantly relevant). During his time working with the the survivors of terror attacks and disasters, Gary has learned strategies that anyone can employ to mitigate the impact of shared trauma.

• The 24-hour news cycle gives us too much exposure to these traumatic events, and that can warp our perception of both the events and the world.
• Perform an honest self-assessment: what is the impact I am experiencing after seeing this event? Are you having trouble sleeping, seeing persistent images of the trauma, withdrawing, becoming hyper vigilant, experiencing fear? You’re not crazy or wrong for feeling what you are feeling – these are normal, human reactions to abnormal events.
• Talk to somebody you trust. “Pain shared is pain halved.”
• Assess your self care. Are you staying healthy and sleeping?
• Acknowledge that you aren’t impudent in the face of huge tragedies. You can help yourself and others heal by volunteering and giving back in your community.

We will all do well to remember that there is nothing disorderly about PTSD – it is simply Post Traumatic Stress, and it’s a very normal reaction to trauma.

“The most beautiful things, and the most important things in the world, are our abilities to express love to each other and our ability to receive love from each other.”

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Interested in learning more about how I can help you through coaching?  Find out more at www.johnharrisoncounseling.com/individual-coaching/

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