Helping Others Help Themselves through Counseling with Sandy

Panic Attacks/ Panic Disorder is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by several physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness or abdominal distress. These sensations can often mimic symptoms of a heart attack or other life-threatening medical conditions.Unfortunatly as a result, the diagnosis of panic disorder is frequently not made until extensive and costly medical procedures fail to provide a correct diagnosis or relief.
 People with panic disorder may develop intense anxiety between episodes. It is not unusual for a person with panic disorder to develop phobias about places or situations where panic attacks have occurred, such as supermarkets or other everyday situations. As the frequency of panic attacks increases, the person may begin to avoid situations where they fear another attack may occure. This avoidance may eventually develop into agoraphobia,which is an inability to go beyond known and safe surroundings because of intense fear and anxiety. Fortunately, effective treatments have been developed to help people with panic disorder.

How Common Is Panic Disorder?

• About 1.7% of the adult U.S. population ages 18 to 54 - approximately 2.4 million Americans - has panic disorder in a given year.
• Women are twice as likely as men to develop panic disorder.
• Panic disorder typically strikes in young adulthood. Roughly half of all people who have panic disorder develop the condition before age 24.

What Causes Panic Disorder?
Heredity, other biological factors, stressful life events, and thinking in a way that exaggerates relatively normal bodily reactions are all believed to play a role in the onset of panic disorder. The exact cause or causes of panic disorder are unknown and are the subject of intense scientific investigation.

What Treatments Are Available for Panic Disorder?
Treatment for panic disorder often includes medications and a type of psychotherapy known as cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches people how to view panic attacks differently and demonstrates ways to reduce anxiety. NIMH is conducting a large-scale study to evaluate the effectiveness of combining these treatments. Appropriate treatment by an experienced professional can reduce or prevent panic attacks in 70% to 90% of people with panic disorder. Most patients show significant progress after a few weeks of therapy. Relapses may occur, but they can often be effectively treated just like the initial episode.Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR has also proven to be an effective treatment for Panic Disorder. 

Can People With Panic Disorder Also Have Other Illnesses?
Research shows that panic disorder can coexist with other disorders, most often depression and substance abuse. About 30% of people with panic disorder abuse alcohol and 17% abuse drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana, in unsuccessful attempts to alleviate the anguish and distress caused by their condition. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of other disorders such as substance abuse or depression are important to successfully treat panic disorder.

If you were the victim of a crime that occured in Florida, you may be eligible for free counseling and other financial compensation from the State.

The funds can be used for the following services if they are directly related to trauma from the crime.
Medical/Dental treatment
Mental Health counseling
Lost wages/ income
Lost support to eligible family members
Domestic Violence Relocation
Funeral/Burial
The most commonly covered crimes are:
Assault with deadly weapon
Battery
Child abuse/Molest (including from family members)
Domestic violence
Driving under the influence
Hit and run
Vehicular manslaughter
Murder
Robbery
Sexual assault ( including from family member)
other violent crimes as defined by the fl. statute.
Application are availible at the sheriffs dept. or click on the link http://www.myfloridalegal.com .

Do you often wonder what happen to the man or woman you first met? Has your relationship changed and become something less then what you bargained for? Maybe one of you has decided to find solace from someone outside the relationship? Maybe one of you is the partner that has been betrayed? Have you fallen in love with a drug rather then your partner? I can help you discover your relationship again.
Most couples therapies include a focus on communication issues, however one of the hallmarks of excellent relationship therapy is that there will be strong emphasis on how partners can meet each others emotional needs and avoid behaviors that destroy their desired romance. With professional guidance, you will discover how to go beyond the communication issues and build an atmosphere of enjoyable affection, sensuality, and commitment.

Emotional needs for couples
affection 
sexual fulfillment
conversation
recreational companionship
honesty and openness
physical attractiveness
financial partnership 
domestic support
family commitment
admiration
spirituality

Love Blockers
selfish demands
disrespecful judgements
angry outburst
annoying behavior
overly independant behavior
dishonesty

 Recovery from sexual abuse can take place immediately after the child reports the abuse or years later when the adult can no longer bury the truth and depth of their pain. Sexual abuse is any act that is sexual in nature between a child and an adult or older child/teen.It can be direct contact or exposure to sexual material such as pornography etc... In any form, it usually begins by eroding the emotional and physical boundaries of a normal child needy for attention and affection.It can appear as someone harmlessly taking a special interest in a child. We call this process grooming. Over time contact can begin with indecent exposure, intruding into the child's room or bathroom and sexual comments, progressing to include fondling, touching sexual parts of the child and encouraging/forcing the child to touch the offending adult. 
Today we do a much better job of educating children about sexual abuse and its effects; but if you were abused in your past there are many reasons why as a child, you did not or have not dealt with the abuse like feelings of shame, disbelief, and self blame. Offenders may threaten or bribe children into not speaking up, convincing the child that it is their fault, and that they will never be believed.Today I want you to know that it was not your fault and you will be believed! However, if you never face abuse and deal with it in a therapeutic and healing setting, the effects may continue to haunt your life and undermine you forever. Surviving child abuse doesn't ruin your life,but remaining a victim to it can.

If you have been the victim of sexual, physical or emotional abuse I would like to help you overcome your fears and memories. Avoiding these can lead to physical/medical problems, emotional instability, drug and alcohol abuse and more.