Tag Archives: PTSD

Sully: Miracle on the Hudson

This post is in anticipation of Clint Eastwood’s new thriller – starring Tom Hanks as “Sully” – that opens this weekend. It’s a plane-crash drama with a happy ending. Lately we haven’t had enough happy endings. And who doesn’t want to feel hopeful again? On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley Sullenberger made an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River after US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese. All 155 passengers and crew survived the ordeal, and Sully became a national hero. With what’s going on in the world today, … Continue reading

Posted in stress, well-being, your self | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sully: Miracle on the Hudson

The Emotional Pain of Refugees

The Syrian migrant crisis has triggered the worst humanitarian emergency since the 1940s. The tragedy was felt worldwide in the photo of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose body washed up on the shore in Bodrum, Turkey. Since the early days of the Syrian conflict, Non-government Organizations and the International Medical Corps have worked with families along the Turkish, Jordanian and Lebanese borders. Mass displacement, economic despair, daily violence and the death of loved ones have led to a mental health epidemic. As the political, financial and social issues are multi-faceted and complicated, there’s … Continue reading

Posted in stress, well-being, your self | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Breaking the Chains of Domestic Violence

Earlier this year, running back Ray Rice knocked his then fiancé now wife, Janay Palmer, unconscious. And he received a two game suspension. Much after the fact, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell commented that failure to adequately address domestic violence should never be repeated. But I’m not holding my breath, because the language of violence has become commonplace in our society. If it’s possible to change the cultural dialogue, the first step is to bring a problem that thrives in secrecy to public attention. Surveillance tools, mobile devices and social media … Continue reading

Posted in intimate partner, parenting kids, stress, well-being, your self | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We Remember 9/11

Whereas it was 12 years ago, that horrifying and heartbreaking day is still clearly etched in our collective memory. The national psyche changed forever on September 11, 2001. Today, once again, the New York anniversary ceremony took on the familiarity of ritual. There were family members reading the names of those who lost their lives, time to reflect, moments of silence. I can picture the collapsing towers and hand-held flyers with with smiling faces of loved ones. What powerful images of despair, suffering and staggering loss. But I also recall so … Continue reading

Posted in stress, well-being, your self | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment