Trauma & PTSD Treatment
Denim Day: Make a social statement with your fashion statement
This year, Denim Day is Wednesday, April 26. Grab your denim and help support the sexual violence prevention education campaign. Why denim you ask? Denim Day grew out of an Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. The Italian Supreme Court claimed that because the victim was wearing…
Read MoreEveryday Ways to Combat Stress (April is Stress Awareness Month!)
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths”—Etty Hillesum Stress can be a terrible thing. We live in a world full of it; from money issues to school deadlines to social obligations, it seems that stress is following us into all avenues of our lives.…
Read MorePast Trauma, Current Problems (Don’t Suffer in Silence)
People tend to associate PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) exclusively with war veterans. While this group is very susceptible to PTSD, they are not the only group. Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event may find it difficult to function now as a result from trauma-related memories and other symptoms. This could be…
Read MoreTraumaDrama: An Effective Approach in Therapeutic Treatment Programs
In 2013, clinical therapist Kim Jensen, LMFT, brought his 10-week experiential TraumaDrama program to OPI and OPI Intensive participants, as announced in this July 2013 article. Here, Jensen explains more about why this creative approach to healing from past trauma can be so highly effective. TraumaDrama is an experiential-based treatment group that explores the participant’s…
Read MoreThrough TraumaDrama, OPI Participants Heal Past Experiences and Develop New Narratives for Their Lives
TraumaDrama is a 10-week experiential group for OPI and OPI Intensive participants who have struggled with trauma at some point in their past. Facilitated by clinical therapist Kim Jensen, LMFT, TraumaDrama utilizes structured psychodrama interventions, improvisation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), drama narrative, Fitzmaurice Voice and somatic bodywork to help participants process “life wounds” associated with…
Read MoreEmpowerment Group at OPI Helps Participants Leave Behind Trauma & Start Anew
Each year we honor the “Women’s Self-Empowerment Week,” but it’s a regular topic of interest that we approach on a daily basis. Here within all our OPI Living Programs, we have various group therapy options in which participants are given a safe environment to use their voice, express themselves, and share their experiences and thoughts…
Read MoreRemembering 9/11 and the Effects of Trauma and PTSD
It is impossible to forget the images and sounds witnessed the morning of September 11, 2001. The images will likely stay with us for years to come. Many of us are able to continue on in our normal everyday lives and every now and then take a moment to reflect on the terror that occurred…
Read MoreThe Colorado Shooting: Struggling With Despondency In An “Out-Of-Balance” World
As a child and adolescent psychiatrist for more than 30 years I am, like everyone, shocked and saddened by the recent violent actions of James Eagan Holmes in a Colorado movie theater. Certainly, I cannot speak to the complex and multi-focal factors that drove him to this tragic end nor have I worked with young…
Read MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder
Trauma, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), has been found to commonly co-occur with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Many young men or women have experienced early interpersonal trauma. PTSD is triggered by these traumatic experiences, and can develop at any stage of life. Since BPD typically begins to develop in childhood, the frequency with which…
Read More