Featured Guest: Helaina Hovitz is an editor, writer, content strategist, speaker, and author of the memoir After 9/11. She has written for and worked with 50 publications including The New York Times, Salon, Glamour, Reader’s Digest, Forbes, Women’s Health, Newsweek, The Fix, and Teen Vogue. She is a mental health advocate, nonprofit enthusiast, rescue dog lover and, at 28, has dined at approximately 50 million billion restaurants. Helaina talks with Dr. Huber about about mental health issues affecting people this month and all year long.

www.HelainaHovitz.com
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Helaina Hovitz was 12-years-old and in middle school three blocks from the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Her memoir encapsulates the journey of a girl growing up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after living through the events of 9/11 firsthand, chronicling its effects on a young girl at the outset of adolescence and following her as she spirals into addiction and rebellion, through loss, chaos, and confusion.

Anyone who has survived a horrific event knows that just because a body remains in motion does not mean everything will simply “go back to normal.” The chemistry of the brain and the body changes, impacting our relationships, our choices, and how we experience the world around us. Yet, we rarely find out what actually happens to people as they try to move on from a life-threatening experience—especially children, who are just beginning to develop an understanding of the world around them.

The NYPD’s Lone Ranger always sits tall in the saddle in his kemosabe’s memories. Retired Det. Lou Telano can’t help but grin when he recalls all the adventures he had with his late partner John Sepe in the 1960s and ’70s — when the weapons the two plainclothes investigators had ranged from their trusty revolvers and street smarts to, when necessary, long skirts and high heels.

“We weren’t the first cops to do undercover work, but we definitely paved the way,” said Telano, also 76, who still proudly refers to himself as Sepe’s “Tonto” as he regales listeners to his radio show on WGBB.

The two cowboy cops — the inspiration for the ’70s TV show “Starsky and Hutch” — made an art form out of “decoy work,” in which cops dressed like potential victims to draw out criminals in high crime areas, according to Telano. And their costumes got more and more elaborate each year.

1. Always act as if you are in total control.

There’s a quote often credited to Ignatius: “Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you.” (Cool quote.)

The same premise applies to luck. Many people feel luck has a lot to do with success or failure. If they succeed, luck favored them, and if they fail, luck was against them.

2. Put aside things you have no ability to impact.

Mental strength is like muscle strength–no one has an unlimited supply. So why waste your power on things you can’t control?

3. See the past as valuable training and nothing more.

The past is valuable. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others.

Then let it go.

4. Celebrate the success of others.

Many people–I guarantee you know at least a few–see success as a zero-sum game: There’s only so much to go around. When someone else shines, they think that diminishes the light from their stars.

The five stages of grief

Experts used to talk about grief and closure, but it’s now better acknowledged that grieving continues but changes, and there’s a continuing bond with the person who has gone, says Cantwell-Bartl. However, according to the Mental Health Information Service, there are still five main stages.

How to help someone who is grieving

Be patient. Stay in regular contact and organise simple activities that will give the person an opportunity to talk – coffee, lunch or even a phone call.

Be available to listen to the same story over and over – this helps with the feeling of disbelief that comes with loss.

There will be times when grief is particularly intense – for example, on anniversaries and birthdays. Contact at this time can be especially supportive.

Be aware that different cultures have rituals and ways of behaving after a bereavement.

Death ends a life, not a relationship. Don’t change the subject if the deceased’s name comes up.

Avoid well-meaning remarks such as: “She’s lucky to have lived to such a ripe old age”, or “It was God’s will.”

Offer practical help such as doing household tasks or preparing meals.

How can we still achieve our dreams despite experiencing a traumatic, life changing event? Today our featured guest will discuss and share her insight on how you can process & manage pain & post traumatic stress disorder. Our featured guest can also discuss what you can do if you have been the victim of sexual harassment.

Dr. Tiffany D. Sanders, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist.  She is founder of Sanders & Associates, a private mental health practice. Dr. Tiffany specializes in treatment of depression, anxiety, trauma and other mental health challenges. She is the Author of “My Purpose Is For Real: 7 Simple Steps to Get Back on Track to Achieve Your Dreams”.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

What are three things indications that a person has PTSD?

When a person is experiencing a flash back of a horrible memory, what can they do to pull themselves out of it?

How do you recommend helping a friend with PTSD?

If a person has been victimized, how can they rebuild their image & self esteem?

Kevin Spacey, Charlie Rose, Jeremy Piven and several other celebrities have been accused of sexual harrassment & assault. Which ones appear to be telling the truth? Which accused celebrties actually appear to be innocent? Three top psychologists weigh in.

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Texas Based – Dr. John Huber (www.mainstreammentalhealth.org) is the Chairman for Mainstream Mental Health, a non-profit organization that brings lasting g and positive change to the lives of individuals that suffer from mental health issues.  A mental health professional for over twenty years, Dr. Huber is a Clinical Forensic Psychologist, and he is a practitioner with privileges at two long term acute care hospitals.  In addition, Dr. John Huber is a professor and teaches undergraduate and graduate psychology at Texas State University. 

Gayani DeSilva, MD., is the author of A Psychiatrist’s Guide: Helping Parents Reach Their Depressed Tween. Gayani dedicates her psychiatric practice to improving children’s health and wellness. Straight talk and practical expertise are her tools of the trade to address the mental health needs of children and their families. She wields not just her expert medical opinion; she advocates to achieve wellness for the entire family.

Ever since A Course in Miracles transformed the self-study / self-awareness arena from a niche market into a multi-million dollar industry, people have searched for guides, gimmicks and gurus to help them achieve spiritual transformation. Rob Moore, author of THE CONSCIOUSNESS PAPERS and the companion workbook SELECT WISDOM, spent decades on the search himself, never imagining that one day he would be called to deliver messages to help guide others to the knowledge that was being revealed through him.

The Consciousness PapersFollowing a near-death experience in which Rob left the body and learned that everything beyond this life is going to be fine, he was able to embrace a new perspective on his existence here in the present armed with the knowledge that things were “as they should be.” This escalated his internal desire to reach higher levels of truth, but meant deep changes like ending a long-time dependence on smoking, which he successfully overcame.

Less than a month later, Rob perceived his first words from a higher place. As messages came down the pike, it rapidly became apparent that what was happening was beyond anything his brain could possibly produce; entire concepts were delivered to him that were beyond anything he had put conscious study into. He wrote them down and kept coming back to these pages again and again. As days passed into weeks and eventually years, the words became Rob’s reality and, more profoundly, they illustrated levels of reality beyond his ability to cognitively formulate into sentences. After ruminating on these words for ten years, he felt compelled to publish THE CONSCIOUSNESS PAPERS: 90 Days of Consideration and its companion piece, SELECT WISDOM. Together they represent the organizing of these ideas into a simple, twice a day meditation on ‘being’ that will add up to a more fulfilling, rich and conscious life.

Charles Heller wears many hats.  Charles is one of 4 co-founders of The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AZCDL), and serves as media coordinator for that organization.  Charles is also the former executive director of Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO), and serves as media coordinator. Charles has been an Arizona concealed weapons instructor for 22 years.

Says Charles, “I am an avid naval history buff with a specialty in undersea warfare.  I’ve visited 25 of the 28 submarines on display in the U.S., and 2 which are not on display, and worked on one as a kid.  And I a dog lover”.

Benefits of Teaching Children to Hunt 

Gun safety

Knowing how to safely shoot and handle firearms is an essential skill for people to learn.  By teaching your children to hunt, you’ll be teaching them skills that will teach them to respect guns, not fear them.  

Gaining confidence

Learning about wild game their patterns and habits (natural science), taking that knowledge applying it, adding shooting skills and patience, all the things that must come together to get that first buck.  That amount of empowerment and accomplishment is not easily duplicated.  Teaching life skills about preparation, hard work and determination.

Responsibility

Hunting teaches respect for laws as they gain knowledge about game and land management. Establishing a strong character to make a good citizen. I will never forget watching my 11-year old daughter watching a beautiful 14 point buck walk within 40 feet of her as she watched that buck through her night scope.  Listening to her ask if she could take the shot then watching her just focus on that animal as it walked away.  It was still before first light and I told her that she had to wait.