Above Ground Podcast

PTSD is a condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event are common affects of the disorder. 

This week Will & Tim introduce you to the Four Horsemen of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Commonly called the four symptoms of PTSD. Their names are Intrusive Memories, Avoidance, Negative Change in Thinking & Mood and Changes In Physical & Emotional Reaction.

These symptoms rage harder than Hetfield and Ulrich during the Kill 'Em All days and louder than a Marshall cranked to eleven. They will kick your ass harder than a pit at a Slayer show. This is often a disabling condition. 

For more information visit the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Mayo Clinic or the National Institute for Mental Health. 

Tim mentions one of his latest favorite reads, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. 

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Be well, be safe, be ABOVE...

Covid-19 is proving how fragile our health care system is. A federal government blatantly not responding. States locked and broke with huge deficits. Hospitals over capacity with a workforce faced with immeasurable pain and loss. 

It is May and this is Mental Health Awareness Month. We are on the verge of another pandemic. The pandemic of a world wide mental health crisis. Yes, to us we don't need a month to bring awareness. For us it is a 24/7 battle, but so many of us don't give it a second thought. We will be staring this in the face and we aren't ready. 

This week's episode is named for the Black Flag song, Rise Above. We need empathy, kindness and nonviolent communication more now than ever. We aren't prepared for the fallout ahead. Our professionals will need help and care, but who will help the helpers? We need a better community focused answer.

Now is the time to answer the call to get into the mental health profession in what ever capacity you can. We need to help our neighbors, friends and family. It is up to us.

A great resource is, Psych Hub. A library of mental health education and resources. 

If you are in crisis please call your health care provider. If you are in danger of self harm please call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1(800)273-8255. Or text TALK to 741741. 

This week we are talking meditation. You know that thing you say you should start doing, but when you try, your mind is flooded with to dos, to nots, and any other crazy thought, that twisted monkey of yours throws in the banana bunch. Yes, that meditation. Sit, stand, lie or walk, open or close your eyes. It's time to get in touch with your SELF....The only thing you have to lose is suffering. 

This week Tim and Will discuss some stuff they are digging during this new normal. We can find strength in books, songs, movies, shows or anything that helps you get through. Escape at your risk.

So much time home. Might as well put it to good use. Check out some picks of ours for filling the space between your eyes and ears with good vibes. 

Another Zoom.us recorded show. Thank goodness for these platforms. Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit lead us into Rollerball, Stranger Things and more. 

We walk down memory lane and just how empty Tuesdays are now without new releases. 

Will talks about his new fave book, Reboot;Leadership and the Art of Growing Up. Jerry Colonna wrote this gem. He urges us to excavate the wrecks of our lives. Dive deep and rescue the treasure. Known the world over as the "CEO Whisperer". His words can be felt from the mail room to the corner office. Get it. 

As we navigate the world of social distancing and get used to a new view of the world and ourselves, we have a great awakening going on. It can be terrifying and feel lonely. The Distancing... doesn't have to. 

This week's title was inspired by the 1982 Bob Seger album entitled,  The Distance 

That album contains the track, "Roll Me Away", which I am certain so many of us would appreciate in this moment.

That's right. We can use social media and apps to connect to our family, friends and tribe. We used Zoom, and will continue, as long as we are under these new conditions. We want you to feel like we are still with you, because we are. That is what makes podcasting such a powerful force in our universe. That's why we listen to our faves and hope you will choose ours as one of your faves.

Remember we are all in this together. Let us see it as an equalizer and not a divider. We need one another. 

Gandhi is quoted with saying that the weak can never forgive, forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. Carrying the weight of holding on to past hurts, programs, habits and mistakes take their toll on your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. 

This week's episode is, you guessed it, about forgiveness. Breaking it down, it is for your benefit. It can help others, but it is really a necessary part of self love. 

PsychHub, the largest digital mental health education platform; have teamed up with; AFSP, NAMI, MHA, along with other organizations and insurance and health providers to provide vital mental health information during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

Take advantage of the digital tools at your fingertips. A great place I have found is  ZenLama.com

Sign up and receive some really cool bonus stuff. 

Be well, be safe, be Above

#covid19 #zenlama #NAMI #AFSP #MHA #psychhub #mentalhealth #abovegroundpodcast #willfoley #willfoleymusic

This week we are talking about the brain. Brainwaves to be exact. We talk about one of my favorite tools, binaural beats. Brainwave entrainment synchronizes your brain by using two separate frequencies which meet together and form the binaural frequency in the middle. 

"don't even know what I'll find I don't know what to pack, never been to a trip at the mind"

Screams Mike Muir in the Suicidal Tendencies song this episode is named after.  Our brains are amazing yet so many of us do nothing to maximize our temple of ideas. Brainwave entrainment and knowledge of this tool can help create new strong connections, help us leave bad habits behind, even help us study and remember what we study easier. 

 Zen Lama has a great site to learn more about the this amazing technology. 

Pandemics, natural disasters and grief affect our mental health in profound ways. Here in the great state of N.Y. we have been put on pause, because of Covid-19, or what some call the coronavirus. An invisible virus that you may not show symptoms for but carry, pass just by breathing and put a lot of people at risk.

We recorded this episode nearly two weeks ago just as the virus was beginning to hit harder than Mike Tyson and faster than a Hayabusa out running the cops. 

The CDC has made recommendations and is providing updates on this very fluid and constantly changing landscape. This has become our new normal, like reality tv and active shooter drills. Every day we are inundated with bad news. Self care, kindness and compassion is what we need, not to mention a health care system that works for us not the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. 

This week's episode is named after a song by NY band Anthrax.

Among the Living ,the title track of their 1987 release, came out on March 22nd of that year. Though I originally thought about their album Spreading the Disease at first, my personal fave. 

Please share with everyone and stay vigilant.

Be well, be safe, be Above....

Children's mental health issues are real. They need diagnosis, treatment, help and love. We need to be proactive and present. Folks listen up.....

Chaos (A)fter (D)iagnosis is our topic for this week. What happens after you experience a set back, relapse or just have a real shit day. We all have coping strategies, some are better than others, yet we all have them. Let's have a #RealConvo about it.

Chaos AD is not just a great metal album from Brazilian band Sepultura. Chaos can throw our recovery over the edge. It also has the means to bring great enlightenment if we have strategies and mechanisms in place to soothe the wild beast. 

Don't forget to sign up for the Ride for Mental Health  

June 27&28 in New Paltz, NY. 

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You can find Will Foley music on Spotify and iTunes