If you are experiencing the ravages of trauma, serenity and peace of mind are just two of the mind states you can attain through perseverance and learning new ways of coping with unfathomable fear and situations. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is now recognized as much more common phenomenon than ever before. Although, many disagree with the term disorder, as the intense response is how we are wired to respond to a life threatening situations.
Acute PTSD
Dr. LaVine specializes in acute traumas such as assaults, accidents, burns, limb loss, medical mistakes, and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. LaVine’s neurological clinical background and personal powerful experience affords him the specialized knowledge and skills to deal with the immediate pain management needs and any cognitive rehabilitation that may be required along with ameliorating the acute anxiety that occurs.
There usually is an immediate need to restore a sense of safety and some sense of normalcy – normal sleep, normal relations, normal work; often this means there needs to be a new norm. Therapy is used to reduce the worst of the hyper-vigilance, anxiety, and physiological fear consequences.
However, often the task of reducing the fear and anxiety is complicated by other issues such as bad habits, depression, physical loss and or longstanding relationship issues. If so, Dr. LaVine’s depth of personal and professional experience and maturity provides him the ability to connect and relate at a level that is rare, but required, to deal with these issues while at the same time his personal commitment, perseverance and compassion provides energy and the dedication to help with the change.
In many cases, acute trauma, whether a moment or series of moments, creates a dividing point in a person’s life, there is a before, and an after dividing line in the person’s story. Dr. LaVine helps you write your own story of resilience and growth.
Dealing with loss. From Dr. LaVine’s personal experience, he knows that the loss of the old life, and the anticipation of the challenges of the new life may be as overwhelming and more debilitating than loss of limbs, permanent scars, loss of “intelligence”, memory or clarity. The loss can be overwhelming. The anger and disappointment at the medical community in their inability to deal or even in many cases, causing the loss, is all but consuming.
For those that need to find a new life, or a new identity, the challenge is great. Dr. LaVine specializes in this existential crisis, or existential opportunity, depending on point of view using Existential Therapy. If a new life is required, letting go of the old is a challenge and finding a path to make the new life better that is better than the old may require support and guidance. As Vicktor Frankel expressed – our response, is ultimately our freedom.
Chronic Trauma
Dr. LaVine has also worked with a subtler form of trauma that comes from the emotional abuse that occurred in childhood. These patients often suffer from the constant stress to be perfect or not disappoint others, that eventually manifests as anxiety and sensitivity. This pleasing way of thinking and acting often works better for others than the person themselves. Hypnotherapy, especially cognitive therapy, can be helpful. So are the Mind Body Mastery for Stress Group skills taught in our MBMS group.
