Coaching Through Chaos Podcast

Gottman couples training 4 horsemen (defensiveness, contempt, stonewalling, & criticism) VETS- Virtual Reality treatment for veterans as well as for anxiety / phobia Marriage Contracts – with expiration dates and non-compete clause Yelp for people – reviews of people on an app MJ addiction? Addiction to prescription pills heroin Addiction & Recovery Schizophrenia Stalked http://traffic.libsyn.com/quadfather/80_QuadCast_DrMullen.mp3

source: Coaching through Chaos.

There are many organizations coming up with new approaches to treating PTSD as we speak.  For this episode, I had the opportunity to interview Andrew Chang, one of 4 managing partners of the Eastern Foundry, a veteran-owned technology and innovation incubator. In their own words:  “Eastern Foundry is a first-of-its-kind marketplace where technologists, government contractors and agencies convene to exchange information and opportunities, find teaming partners and conduct business.”

If you start to follow along with the podcast, you may start to guess that I have very strong feelings about our country being ill-prepared for treating the emotional stress and post trauma emotional upheaval many of our troops face through the duties of their service. I think military PTSD will be the mental health field’s biggest problem for the next 20 years or longer. I know I am not the only one that feels this way.

The Foundry Cup Competition

Providing all of the resources of a modern technology incubator, Eastern Foundry offers physical workspace, services, trainings and information that are tailored to help large and small businesses achieve government contracting success”. I interviewed Andrew to introduce you to the Foundry Cup competition. This competition is designed to identify solutions to serve our veteran communities. The current competition is their inaugural event, setting off what is going to be a bi-annual forum for not only competition, but also for collaboration among innovators in their fields. The current competition brought together 14 innovation teams to pitch their solutions for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The teams present their ideas and technology to a panel of judges much like in the widely- watched Shark Tank television show.

This initial competition was geared towards innovations in PTSD, but each competition will have it’s own theme. I interviewed Andrew about a week before the winner was announced. I could tell how excited he and his team were at the turnout of innovations and that they were going to get to foster at least one of these new technologies to give them a more solid starting ground. The participants were selected prior to the actual 3- day competition. The participants ranged from a team developing smart phone technology helping veterans bypass the VA waiting lists to access clinicians remotely, to a company who focuses on social media postings for detection of PTSD, to previous Coaching Through Chaos Podcast Guest, the Virtual Reality Medical Center and their work helping treat combat trauma with virtual reality technology.

The winners were selected based on the following criteria:

1. Likelihood that the idea will yield positive outcomes,
2. How innovative the idea is,
3. State of development (e.g. is it at the idea, prototype/pilot, roll-out, or expansion phase),
4. Opportunities for collaboration during the program,
5. Ability to travel to offices in Crystal City, Virginia to attend workshops and events.

On June 20th the winner and runners’ up were announced.

The D.C.-based startup Qntfy was awarded the first place cash prize of $10,000.
They utilize social media data to detect PTSD,  The developers were driven to help immediate friends and family suffering from PTSD. The Qntfy team have created an algorithm that analyzes individuals’ social media posting frequency and content to look for indicators of their mental health statuses – data that can help clinicians prioritize care. In addition to the cash prize, Qntfy will also receive office space to develop their tech and utilize the resources of the Eastern Foundry, exposure to possibly funding avenues, education and training. You can find out more about Qntfy here.

The runner-up was San Antonia-based mobile IT company, Sound-Off. They received $5,000 as their prize. Sound-Off enables veterans to connect with and receive anonymous ongoing care from volunteer counselors and veterans, all from the touch of their smart phones.

The “People’s Choice” winner was Arlington-based military lifestyle application, Sandboxx, which enables military service members and veterans to connect with family members, friends and military units as well as send snail mail through the app’s Mailboxx feature.

I had the opportunity to correspond with Glen Coppersmith, Ph.D.  He is the founder and CEO of Qntfy (pronounced “quantify”), a small company working to scale clinical impact and empower mental health professionals via technology.  For the Foundry Cup, Glen and his team detailed some of their work that provides quantifiable, or measurable, information about mental health from data not traditionally examined by the medical domain – things like social media, movement and workout data. Their algorithms, based on peer-reviewed research, can extract thousands of bits of information, which on their own each weakly correlated with mental health. However, he points out that when taken together, like a braided rope, these weak signals provide a strong picture of a person’s mental health. This data can help clinicians prioritize care.  They are going to be able to provide such rich data points for clinicians in order to better attend to their clients' needs.  Great Innovation Qntfy!

The prize from the Foundry Cup was $10,000, but Glen said the biggest benefit came from coming together with other incredible, diverse, and passionate teams similarly motivated to make a dent in the treatment of PTSD. The Eastern Foundry also is providing them with free office-space, next to some of their fellow Foundry Cup Finalists. Glen feels the importance of this collaboration forum can't be overstated.  He said the "Eastern Foundry has effectively brought together some people that otherwise wouldn’t have met, and provided material support towards ongoing collaboration, in an area in which they all want to see progress made".

How to Get Involved in the Foundry Cup Competition

If you are interested in participating in the next Foundry Cup Competition, please check out their website FoundryCup.com. They will be announcing the next competition very soon, you’ll want to check it out right away to get the details and deadlines. If you go for it- -Good Luck!

Some information on Veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

(These statistics are taken from several websites – all are featured in the resource section of this article).

1 in 5 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are diagnosed with ptsd.
It is estimated that 30% of Vietnam vets have PTSD (all these years later, this is considered “chronic” in nature.
More than 40 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans responding to a recent survey said they did not seek mental health care because of a perceived negative impact on their careers. (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Member Survey 2012).
Health Care for Veterans with PTSD costs s 3.5 times more than for one without ptsd. ((facethefactsusa.org) - 22 service members per day are committing suicide.
In the general population, it is estimated that 7 or 8 people out of 100 develop ptsd at some point in their life. In contrast, when looking at our current troops serving in Operation enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqui Freedom, it is estimated that they will develop PTSD at a rate of 11-20 out of 100.
For troops suffering from combat trauma, 2 out of 3 of their marriages are failing. That’s over 200,000 military divorces.
1/3 of our nation’s homeless are veterans. This needs to change! We have a responsibility to them! They served for us and we, as a nation, need to be prepared to help them.

Where Does This Leave Us?

In a country with 21.8 million veterans and 1.3 million active service members we need to understand how they are doing and what they are exposed to.  We also need to be mindful of how the anxiety from the anticipation of what they could be exposed to impacts them. I am hoping through continuing to expose the need for services in this arena and highlighting concerning facts about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, we can get others to take notice and do something to help get our mental health professionals up to speed on, or involved in innovation and research in the arena of treatment modalities for this terrible epidemic that has been plaguing our nation’s veterans for decades. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing the work I do and will continue to highlight resources in this area of need.

• eastern-foundry.com
• www.veteransandptsd.com/PTSD-statistics.html
• www.foundrycup.com/
• www.facethefactsusa.org/facts/the-true-price-of-war-in-human-terms
• www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp
• ptsdusa.org/what-is-ptsd/the-statistics/
• www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/PTSD-overview/ptsd-overview.asp
• www.mental-health-today.com/ptsd/dsm.htm

Disclaimer: The content of this article is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not meant to be, nor does it constitute mental health advice. If you are experiencing symptoms or situations contained in this article, please seek out a consult from a licensed mental health provider in your community who specializes in treating Post traumatic Stress Disorder.

*********************************************************************

If you are enjoying the podcast and want to support it without it costing you a dime, there are 3 ways:

1. Share an episode on your social media
2. Leave a great review wherever you love to listen to your podcasts
3. Use my Amazon Storefront Amazon.com/shop/drColleenMullen When you enter Amazon through my storefront. For every purchase you make for 24 hours, I will get a small portion of that sale. You were paying for it anyway, this way a small % of the sale goes to support your favorite podcast. While you're there, you can check out some of my favorite wellness-supporting products and apps! Enjoy!

If you want to interact with Colleen more personally or stay up-to-date on her other podcasts and happenings, you can follow or friend her on:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Listen to Shrink@Shrink to learn about love and life through the movies every month.

Ladies, Look for the upcoming Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast every month to get empowered and inspired by unique female stories of success!

You can buy the book: Stop Bitching, Just Lead! The 60-Day Plan for Embracing Your Inner Leader

If you want to work with Colleen for personal 1:1 coaching to help you conquer the chaos in your life, just reach out through CoachingThroughChaos.com click on the Contact page.

Thanks for listening!

The topic is codependency: what it is and what it is NOT; the difference between normal and codependent behaviors and what a person can do to help themselves.

Do you know someone who has

• a need to be perfect,
• low self-esteem,
• poor boundaries with others,
• a need to control their environment, and
• chronic dissatisfaction in relationships ?

If those descriptions ring a bell, you probably know someone who may be considered 'codependent'.

If you’re into self-help at all, you probably have heard the term codependency- it’s often talked about it in terms of one having a codependent personality.  I want to be clear that codependency is NOT a diagnosable condition, although it is talked about in those terms. You may also have been familiar with it, but have been unsure of a clear definition of it. That’s because there is not 1 universal definition of it. There is however, consensus that it is a cluster of behaviors in relationships which can be somewhat easily identified and very often problematic.

The history of the term dates back to the 1940s and early 1950s. Primarily it was identified in studying the behavior of an alcoholic within the context of their family experience. The behaviors identified as codependent appeared to be a pattern in these families. The use of the term seemed to explode though a few decades later. In the 1980s with the advent of a focus of family system dynamics, several books came out designed to help people break those dysfunctional behavior patterns. The most famous book that still is referenced today on the subject is Melody Beattie's "Codependent No More". During that time, everyone started studying the families of alcoholics and saw these behaviors but as the clusters of behaviors became more recognizable, so did the fact that so many other people exhibited the same behavior patters who did not come from alcoholic families. The term is now popularly used to generally describe a cluster of behaviors in relationships.

This article accompanies Episode 4 of The Coaching Through Chaos Podcast and focuses on behavior in relationships that have come to be identified as “codependent behavior”. We will explore the behavioral patterns that are identified as codependent, suspected causes of these behavioral patterns, some things a person can do to change their codependent behavior and some additional resources so you can learn more about the subject.

Darlene Lancer,JD, LMFT of Whatiscodependency.com and darlenelancer.com

My expert guest is Darlene Lancer, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Santa Monica, Ca. She has dedicated her career as a therapist to helping people work through and overcome their struggles with codependent behavior. She has several books published on the subject including “Shame and Codependency” and “Codependency for Dummies”.

Codependency is a term that came into popular psychology culture in the 1980’s, although it’s been around since the 1940s. With the advent of family systems psychology coming into its own in the 1970’s, the studies of family dynamics appears to have been a factor in the movement towards identifying codependent behavioral interactions in the 1980’s. For as much as it is widely used in popular psychological vernacular, it does not have a universal definition, but rather it is used to describe a common set of behavioral patterns. In the 1950’s, codependency was viewed as learned behavior in families of alcoholics or addicts. It was first used to describe the personality traits of people who were typically in relationships with alcoholics – this could be intimate relationships or in families with alcoholics.What researchers and therapists have discovered since then is that, although there is certainly a pattern of behaviors associated with those addict/alcoholic families, they are not all that different than some of the behaviors of families with other sorts of emotional struggles (we will discuss further in what causes codependency).  When it was first introduced, the term codependency was used as a shortcut to describe the codependent person’s need for approval from others and the self-sacrificing nature of their own emotional needs. When we (therapists) work with persons who are  codependent, the self-sacrificing and approval seeking are common themes.
When you read on and see the list of behaviors associated with codependency you will recognize that these behaviors are prevalent in the general population and are not necessarily reserved for those in addict/alcoholic families.    The term is now universally accepted as a description of a cluster of behaviors that dictate how a person acts in a a relationship.

What Codependency is NOT

Codependency, although discussed in terms of “symptoms” and a “condition” for which “treatment” can be provided is NOT actually a diagnosable psychiatric disorder such as anxiety or depression.  There were attempts at having it entered in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (the diagnostic text of the mental health profession), but it was not accepted as a clinical disorder. The cluster of behaviors is, however, considered to be emotionally stifling and resentment-breeding for both the person who is codependent and the person they love. The good news then, is that since it is not a “personality disorder”, which by definition is an ingrained and unchangeable part of us since it’s part of our personality, if you recognize yourself as orienting yourself in codependent ways, you can make changes to engage in ways which are more fulfilling and satisfying for you.

This article is not meant for you to find a reason to label yourself or anyone else, but it can be helpful to explore the behaviors that are considered, when clustered together, to represent what we know as a ‘codependent’ person. Most people can relate to some of these behaviors some of the time. If one is to consider themselves as orienting themselves in a codependent way, they should recognize their interactions as a prolonged, pervasive pattern of these behaviors which have left the person feeling unsatisfied and resentful in their relationships.

Some of the key characteristics of a codependent person are:

• Low Self-Esteem: We’ve all heard the term. It’s when someone just doesn’t think too much of themselves. They usually don’t think they deserve as good as everyone else. This trait on its own can lead people to make poor judgment calls in their relationships – typically they pick people who can’t or won’t fully love them. They might engage in relationships with people who are emotionally unavailable (i.e. married or otherwise involved with someone else, addicted to drugs or alcohol, or a workaholic). They have a tendency to stick with an unsatisfying relationship long past recognizing that it is such.
• Poor Boundaries with others: This can present itself in different ways. Most typically it’s a person who is over-involved in others’ lives. Often, this is an unwelcome over-involvement, as with the case of the spouse of an addict. Because they may not trust their addicted partner (due to the addict behaviors) they have a tendency to “need to know everything”. They will also share with everyone. The “town gossip” has poor boundaries. That person is easier to see because we usually have a visceral reaction when someone tells us something we shouldn’t know about someone else. As a couple’s therapist I hear stories all the time of over-involved in-laws or siblings. It’s the person who has something to say about everyone’s relationship. Poor boundaries also cross-over with people pleasing traits.  A person with poor boundaries will also take on everyone else’s problems, volunteer to help when they have their own needs to tend to that go over-looked, and generally have a difficult time saying “no” to others. Their motivation is NOT malicious. It falls in line with the people pleasing motivation – that they are afraid if they say “no” to someone, they won’t be liked or loved anymore.  It’s usually easy to teach a person to set healthier boundaries in relationships once this gets identified.
• People Pleasing: One of the behaviors that breeds the most resentment in a codependent relationship is that the codependent person has a pervasive desire to be liked by everyone. The codependent person will set aside their needs for everyone else’s. They do it under the guise of “being nice” or “being a good person”, but they end up resenting the people they are trying to please when they feel they are not getting the same self-sacrificing behavior in return. The previously-mentioned low self esteem drives them to give much more in a relationship that they ever expect, received or think they deserve. They often give much more of themselves even at the beginning of new relationships. When you see someone taking on their new partner’s problems right at the beginning of the relationship (i.e. lending money, letting them move in right away, getting involved in their family problems, etc.) you are most likely witnessing a codependent person in action.
• Care taking: The codependent person has a need to care take for others that far exceeds any sense of expected behavior. They are naturally nurturing, but the often “care too much”. This can be exhibited in behavior that appears to be over-doing for others. While everyone likes have a friend or a partner that is nurturing, the level the codependent person takes it to is suggestive of controlling through their care taking.  The motivation for this appears to be two-fold: 1. their partner can’t let them down by not attending to their needs and 2. They have control of that environment (keep reading to see more about the need for control).
• Reactive: The codependent person typically feels their emotions deeply and are often overly sensitive and can perceive themselves as being criticized by others, particularly their partner, which leads to reactions that appear out of sync with the situation.
• Controlling: As mentioned in the people pleasing section, the codependent person has a need to control their environment and their relationship. This appears to be out of a need for safety- if they control their environment, they convince themselves that they can trust it. We know that is not an accurate perception as when dealing with 2 people in a relationship we can never fully control what the   other person thinks, feels, or does. The codependent person convinces themselves into a false sense of security which allows them to move forward in relationships that often have stresses, or “red flags” that go unnoticed or denied.
• Dependent: The codependent person is not necessarily dependent on their partner for financial or other stability factors, but rather, they are dependent on the relationship usually out of a fear of being alone. They attach strongly to their partners and become helpless to express their own emotional needs out of a fear of abandonment.
• Engages in Denial: This is usually pretty easy to see as an outsider looking in on a relationship between a codependent and their partner. As the concept of “red flags” was introduced earlier, they are often ignored or otherwise overlooked by a codependent person in order for them to maintain congruence between what they believe their relationship to be and what it actually is. This is a tough factor and this is usually very strong when the codependent has become involved with someone with addiction issues. They can often overlook the substance abuse problem for a long time. It is not unusual for a codependent person to engage in making excuses for their partner’s behavior, for instance, “Oh she wasn’t drunk – he was on migraine medicine from her doctor”.

In exploring this list, I should note that codependency should be viewed through a contextual and cultural lens.
There are definitely cultures I can think of in which the matriarchs over-function and care-take for the family, they get in everyone’s business (poor boundaries), they live to please their family and they are seemingly so dependent on their family it appears they would not be able to survive without them. In some cultures, we call that person “Grandma”. So please remember, this is meant to inform you, rather than diagnose or label anyone.
After viewing these behaviors within your contextual environment, if you recognize them in yourself, there are ways to modify your behavior so that you don’t feel driven to meet other people’s needs before your own leading you to feel more fulfilled in your relationships.

In addition to the focus on the codependent behavior being born out of families in which addiction was present, there are theories around the origins of codependent behavior developing in families in which the codependent person was raised by a narcissistic parent. We know that although they may love their children,  when sick with the disease of addiction, addicted parents are emotionally unavailable to them.  With narcissists the crux of the disorder is they do not notice, or care about, other people’s needs or how their behavior affects others (APA, 2012). Consequently, a narcissistic parent would not be mindful of their child’s emotional needs. Darlene Lancer theorizes that codependency is born out of dysfunction and pain in the family of origin. This certainly can be the emotional make-up of a person raised by either a narcissist or an addict.

This lack of emotional engagement by the parents can lead a child to “over-function”, making excuses for the emotional unavailability of the parent (“I’m sure mommy loves me in her own way”) and controlling their environment out of a need for safety.

A child being raised by an emotionally unavailable parent does not typically learn appropriate reactions to stress or other uncomfortable emotions.  Such children can certainly develop into emotionally reactive adults out of those circumstances. This leads to them over reacting, or conversely under reacting and good at exhibiting the associated denial of problems.

There’s been an explosion in recent years in the field of psychology focusing on emotional intelligence. This could be a counter-reaction to realizing that there are so many people that relate to some codependent behavior traits. It is important for our own wellness to be able to understand, feel and express our emotions accurately and effectively.  A movement towards more awareness in this area feels appropriate.

Codependent behavior doesn’t happen only within the bubble of intimate relationships.
Ms. Lancer points out that codependency speaks of how a person orients themselves in the world behaviorally and relationally. She reminds us that we are the same person, but may act differently in different relationships. Therefore if someone is codependent at home, they may exhibit some codependent behaviors in other areas of their life such as work and friendships.

She also points out that we often think of codependent people as passive, but that may not always be the case. As already mentioned, one of the “symptoms” is that the person is controlling. Sometimes this is done in passive ways. Other times, they are very demanding of others.
The codependent person still may not get their emotional needs met, but they believe they are cared for when their partner does what they command.

In order to change behavior, one needs to first recognize that the behavior is problematic to themselves and their relationships. This can be tough to do. Many people seeking help for codependency usually present at a therapist’s office or a self-help group complaining of bad relationship choices.
“Why do I keep picking the wrong guy/gal?”
It is sometimes only after exploring the behavior the person describes in their relationships that the codependency is discovered. If you have related to what’s been presented in this article and podcast you are already becoming more self-aware.

Darlene Lancer describes the behavior changes as “healing” from codependency.
She divides the healing process into two sections: healing yourself and healing your relationships with others.

Some steps involved in healing yourself are:

1. Seek help and support
2. Learn to have patience with yourself
3. Understand where your codependent nature comes from
4. Heal old wounds, losses and traumas
5. Get to know yourself better
6. Build self-esteem and self-love
7. Find pleasure

Some steps involved in healing your relationships with others are:

1. Take responsibility for yourself
2. Accept the reality of your situation
3. Decrease your own reactivity
4. Learn to communicate effectively
5. Set boundaries with others
6. Conflict management
7. Learning to make changes in your relationship with families and friends around how you relate to them

“Codependency for Dummies” is replete with chapters on how to accomplish all these changes through exercises, self-assessments and instructions.

Making and maintaining behavioral changes can be difficult. For those that have taken steps to make the changes and are still having difficulty, seeking out a therapist who specializes in codependency can help. In addition to 1:1 therapy, peer run self-help groups also exist. Darlene Lancer, LMFT’s writings on codependency, along with her contact information and books can be found at whatiscodependency.com.

Codependency for Dummies can be found on amazon.com

Codependency for Dummies by Darlene Lancer LMFT (2013).
This book is a start-to-finish guide on identifying, understanding and healing from codependent behaviors.

Codependents Anonymous (CODA) – This is a fellowship of men and women whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships.
This is a nationwide 12-step program. In addition to the groups, their website is full of valuable and helpful information.

Codependent no More by Melody Beattie (1986)
This book has been the long-touted handbook of identifying and recognizing codependency. Ms. Beattie was a pioneer in the field of codependent literature.

The Human Magnet Syndrome  Ross Rosenberg, M. Ed., LCPC, CADC, CSAT.  He is another expert in the field of codependency.  There are links to books, articles and more on the subject of codependency.

PsychCentral.com article by Darlene Lancer focuses on how to help a codependent person get over a break up.

**************************************************

If you are enjoying the podcast and want to support it without it costing you a dime, there are 3 ways:

1. Share an episode on your social media
2. Leave a great review wherever you love to listen to your podcasts
3. Use my Amazon Storefront Amazon.com/shop/drColleenMullen When you enter Amazon through my storefront. For every purchase you make for 24 hours, I will get a small portion of that sale. You were paying for it anyway, this way a small % of the sale goes to support your favorite podcast. While you're there, you can check out some of my favorite wellness-supporting products and apps! Enjoy!

If you want to interact with Colleen more personally or stay up-to-date on her other podcasts and happenings, you can follow or friend her on:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Listen to Shrink@Shrink to learn about love and life through the movies every month.

Ladies, Look for the upcoming Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast every month to get empowered and inspired by unique female stories of success!

You can buy the book: Stop Bitching, Just Lead! The 60-Day Plan for Embracing Your Inner Leader

If you want to work with Colleen for personal 1:1 coaching to help you conquer the chaos in your life, just reach out through CoachingThroughChaos.com click on the Contact page.

Thanks for listening!

Dr. Colleen Mullen speaks with retired Detective Mike Proctor, author of ‘Antidote for a Stalker‘.
In this fascinating interview, you will find out about the mindset of stalkers and how to protect yourself from them. You will also hear about the evolution of the anti-stalking laws in the United States and the protection they now afford all of us. The Law is there to protect you, and Mike Proctor’s book will show you how to deal with a stalker.

"Stalking is a growing concern throughout the world, not just in North America. More and more countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan are experiencing an upsurge of stalking throughout their communities. College campuses have become a breeding ground for the stalker. Workplace violence oftentimes revolves around a stalking scenario that has either evolved within the confines of the workplace, or enters into the workplace from a stalking that was initiated away from that workplace.Awareness, stricter laws, and a more focused multi-disciplinary law enforcement approach are the keys to defeating this dangerous problem. "
- DetectiveMikeProctor.com

We all have heard stories of someone who was stalked. There are of course, the stories of celebrity stalkers – their stalkers are primarily unknown to their target. Then there are the stories of the friend who had an ex that just wouldn’t leave them alone. There’s definitely a difference between someone who is just having trouble accepting a break up and someone who is being stalked. As you’ll hear in the podcast episode that accompanies this article, I have a personal story of being stalked by someone unknown to me. In this article, I’ll present you with some relevant facts and figures on the history and prevalence of stalking, how to find out what the laws are in your state, some of the types and psychological profiles of stalkers and some ways to protect yourself and get help if you are the target of a stalker.

A brief history of stalking legislation

talking has been around as long as people have been having relationships, but the laws protecting those targeted have only been around since the early 1990’s. According to the National Institute of Justice, stalking is defined as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that involves repeated (two or more occasions) visual or physical proximity, non-consensual communication, or verbal, written, or implied threats, or a combination thereof, that would cause a reasonable person fear”.
California was the first state to enact stalking legislation. In 1990, California Legislators developed Penal Code 646.9 as a result of a series of murders that took place in situations of domestic violence in which restraining orders were already on the books. The law was enacted to provide target persons with more legal recourse when restraining orders were disobeyed.
Right around that time, there were also 2 widely publicized celebrity stalking cases – one lead to the death of a young actress and the other left another actress the victim of a violent stabbing attack. The murdered actress was Rebecca Schaeffer – her stalker obtained her address from a private investigator. She was killed by her stalker in 1989.
Prior to that, Theresa Saldana was pursued and violently stabbed in front of her home in 1982. Saldana subsequently became a stalking victim advocate. She founded an advocacy organization in the late 1980s, “Victims for Victims” and told her story through a TV movie. Her advocacy also led to the 1994 Driver’s Privacy Protection Act which was a result of her attack. This legislation prevents the disclosure of personal information by the DMV to persons other than as designated by the holder of the information. This sounds to be akin to what we currently hold as Protected Health Information in the healthcare industry.

After California, the rest of the states followed suit.Whilst the guidelines may be similar, each state may have different provisions regarding status of a restraining order, age and electronic stalking criteria.
You can find your the laws pertinent to your state at the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC).
Also on the NCVC site is a wealth of information including resources if you are, or think you are, being stalked: how to get help and even a log sheet so that you can keep good records of the unwanted contact.
All 50 states have stalking laws on the books.

Some stalking facts according to the National Center for Victims of crime:

• 7.5 Million people are stalked each year in the United States
• 15% of women and 6% of men have experienced stalking in which they were fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
• 61% of female victims and 44% of male victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner.
• About half of the victims report their stalking happening before age 25.
• 78% of stalkers use more than one means of approach (i.e. calling, texting, emailing, following).
• Weapons are used to harm or threaten victims in 1 out of 5 cases.
• Almost 1/3 of stalkers have stalked before.
• 46% of stalking victims are fearful from not knowing what will happen next.
• 20% of victims fear the stalking will never stop.
• 1 in 7 victims move as a result of their victimization.
• The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than the general population, especially if the stalking involved being followed or having one’s property destroyed.
• 76% of intimate partner female homicide (femicide) victims have been stalked by their intimate partner.
• 67% were physically abused previously by the partner.
• 89% of femicide victims who had been physically assaulted had also been stalked in the 12 months prior to their murder.
• 54% of femicide victims reported stalking to police before they were killed by their stalkers.
• Less than 1/3 of states classify stalking as a felony upon first offense.
• More than ½ the states classify stalking as a felony upon second or subsequent offenses or when the crime involves “aggregating factors”

The Coaching Through Chaos Podcast guest expert on this subject, Retired Detective Mike Proctor is one of the foremost experts on profiling and protecting oneself from stalkers. He spent over 30 years on the job as a law enforcement officer and was involved in one of the first documented stalking cases. He was a principal in developing a stalking protocol for law enforcement agencies and has spent his days profiling the mindset and behaviors of stalkers. Though an expert through all his on the job experience, he remains modest. He differentiates himself as a hands-on expert noting that he has participated in over a hundred stalking cases over the years, but has not clinically studied stalkers the way psychologists do at various research institutions. His books are written to help law enforcement, stalking victims and advocates to understand the mind of the stalker and to better protect themselves. Proctor’s most recent book is “Antidote for a Stalker” (2013). If you ever wanted to know anything and everything about stalkers, that book is the one to read.

Type of Stalkers (Proctor, 2013)

• The Domestic Violence Stalker (DV): most prevalent group, starts in intimate relationship that is subjected to DV
• The Acquaintance Stalker (AS): non-intimate knowledge of the stalker by the target – this can be someone they know well who may have been a friend, or it can be someone they met just once or twice.
• The Stranger Stalker (SS): considered the most frightening type because of the lack of knowledge of who they are which leads to a fear of what they are capable of doing. The podcast episode that accompanies this article tells the story of my experience with a Stranger Stalker.

Proctor then details subsets of types of stalkers. These are meant to help understand the behavior a bit more closely by signaling additional patterns of behavior.

Catherine Zeta-Jones

• The Triangle Stalker (TS): This is an example of when there is a target person who is in the way of the stalker (i.e stalking the wife to get at the husband as in the cast of the stalking of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. Zeta-Jones was targeted to get her out of the way for the female stalker to go after Micheal Douglas).
• The Predator Stalker (PS): This is exemplified by stalkers that stalk their victim for a period of time before they inflict violence on them.  The most infamous example of this is the BTK (bind, torture, kill) killer. He stalked his victims before he eventually killed them.
• The Third Party Stalker (TPS): This is rare, but it is when the actual stalker brings in an accomplice to help him/her stalk their intended victim or inflict violence on them or their property to instill fear (i.e. Proctor details the story of an abusive husband who hires someone to damage his wife’s personal property on several occasions after she left him).
• The Retribution Stalker (TRS):This is exactly as it sounds – this stalker believes they need to get back at, or get retribution for harm they perceived was done to them. This is common in workplace settings (i.e. a laid off worker may stalk the former boss and enact a scenario of revenge on them).
• The Neighborhood Stalker (TNS): In this case the stalker and the stalking victim are neighbors. These have typically been difficult for law enforcement. These can be erotic-type stalking (i.e being obsessed with someone with love fantasies, or it can be the typical “bad-neighbor” scenario – stalking them with malicious intent with hatred and distrust fueling the interactions). Both have the potential to be very dangerous.
• Juvenile Stalkers: Minors who engage in stalking behavior- very often these are “love-based” in their origins – either its’ gone bad or gone unrequited. These are becoming more and more prevalent in recent years.
• Campus Stalkers: These are their own subset so that they are on the radar of campus police, instructors and officials. They can be very dangerous and there is a marked increase in these incidents over the last decade.

There are, of course, psychological disorders that are commonly associated with stalking behaviors. An entire chapter is dedicated to the personality types most associated with stalking behavior. Det. Proctor details case studies of all these types and subsets in “Antidote for a Stalker”. He provides an inside look at what these look like and gives true case examples of them. If you are as fascinated with true crime stories and psychological profiling as I am, you’ll really find the book an exciting read.

The Stalkers Bag of Tricks

Antidote for a Stalker on Amazon.com

Det. Proctor dedicates a chapter to what he calls the “Stalker’s Bag of Tricks”. These are all the ways a stalker can get to their victim. Among other things, he cites: vandalism, surveillance, targeting their animals, court harassment, identity theft, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and workplace violence stalking. This is when I think if anyone is wondering if they are being stalked, it becomes very clear by way of the means through which the stalker initiates contact with the intended.

What to do if you are being stalked

Det. Proctor stresses the importance of the following

• Get law enforcement involved.
• Document everything.
• Notify your workplace,
• Get your family and friends up to speed on what’s going on – definitely don’t keep it a secret. There are times when someone thinks they may have given a stalker the wrong signal – please don’t worry about that. Once stalking has commenced, it is dangerous and you have a right to be protected by the law.
• Stop all contact with the stalker. This may seem live a no brainer, but, as in the case of acquaintance stalking, one can believe that if they are nice and polite enough to their stalker, they may get the point and leave them alone. Don’t try this. A stalker is someone who is potentially dangerous and is most likely aware that you do not wish to be pursued. I say “most likely” because they could have an erotomanic delusion convincing them that you are in love with them – these can be highly dangerous.
• Develop a safety plan
• Review your home for safety measures
• Get a restraining order if you qualify
• Utilize your Neighborhood Watch program if it is available
• There are times when, depending on their ages, it can be important to tell your kids what is going on for their protection and yours.

There is so much information packed into “Antidote for Stalker”. I encourage you to check it out for yourself.  Retired Detective Mike Proctor can be found at his website detectivemikeproctor.com. He is available for teaching and speaking engagements on this subject.

*************************************************************

If you are enjoying the podcast and want to support it without it costing you a dime, there are 3 ways:

1. Share an episode on your social media
2. Leave a great review wherever you love to listen to your podcasts
3. Use my Amazon Storefront Amazon.com/shop/drColleenMullen When you enter Amazon through my storefront. For every purchase you make for 24 hours, I will get a small portion of that sale. You were paying for it anyway, this way a small % of the sale goes to support your favorite podcast. While you're there, you can check out some of my favorite wellness-supporting products and apps! Enjoy!

If you want to interact with Colleen more personally or stay up-to-date on her other podcasts and happenings, you can follow or friend her on:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Listen to Shrink@Shrink to learn about love and life through the movies every month.

Ladies, Look for the upcoming Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast every month to get empowered and inspired by unique female stories of success!

You can buy the book: Stop Bitching, Just Lead! The 60-Day Plan for Embracing Your Inner Leader

If you want to work with Colleen for personal 1:1 coaching to help you conquer the chaos in your life, just reach out through CoachingThroughChaos.com click on the Contact page.

Thanks for listening!

Episode #2 of The Coaching Through Chaos Podcast on PriceofBusiness.com had me on the phone with Dr. Harry Haroutunian. Known simply as “Dr. Harry”, he is the Physician Director of The Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He is a “rock star” of addiction medicine to the rock stars and anyone else who comes through their doors. This article will cover information regarding the prevalence of addiction problems in the United States, my tour of the Betty Ford Center prior to this interview, information gathered from my interview with Dr. Harry and resources for addiction support.

Addiction is a terrorist of the worst kind because it does not discriminate. No one is safe from it and once addiction attacks, recovery and rebuilding from the aftermath can take years. The person affected, and their relationship to themselves and their loved ones, is never the same.

SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. The following are some highlights from  the SAMHSA 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health  (published September 2014).

• In 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older (12% of the population) were current illicit drug users. Current in this survey means they have used illicit drugs within the past 30 days. Illicit drugs include “marijuana/hashish, cocaine (all forms), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or prescription-type psychotherapeutics (pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers, sedatives) used non-medically”.
• Marijuana was the most commonly used drug in 2013. It was used by 80% of the illicit drug users at the time of this survey.
• The numbers for overall use of illicit drugs have stayed relatively the same over recent years but are slightly higher regarding almost all the illicit drugs from 2005-2009.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the following statistics:

• Approximately 30 people die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes.
• The annual cost associated with crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers is $59 billion dollars.
• Excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2006 (most recent data reported) were estimated at $223.5 billion.
• Every day, 44 people in the U.S. die from overdose of prescription painkillers, and many more become addicted.
• From 2001 to 2013 there was a 2.5-fold increase in the total number of deaths from misuse or overdose of prescription medications.

Those are outrageous numbers!  Statistics can be overwhelming, so I won’t fill you up with more. The above were featured to give you a basic frame of reference for how pervasive this problem is.  You can find some links to help you educate yourself further abut the data collected by both the CDC and SAMHSA in the resource section at the end of this article.

Prevalence of Addiction Problems in the United States

My Tour of Betty Ford Center 

Prior to our phone interview, I had the privilege of participating in The Betty Ford Center’s invite-only “Visiting Professionals Day”. The campus is the size of a community college campus and is in a lovely setting behind a larger medical facility. We were accompanied on the tour by program heads and other staff educating us about all the programs The Betty Ford Center has to offer. These include a state-of-the art Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation Program, a Professionals Program, a Residential Rehabilitation Program, Sober Living homes and a summer program to train medical professionals in addiction. In addition they also have a world-famous Family Program and Children’s Program.

Yes, the Betty Ford Center also has a Children’s Program.
No, this is not for children who are addicted, although through their recent merger with the Hazelden Foundation, treatment programs for adolescents are available.
The Children’s Program is for the children of addicts and alcoholics. Children can attend even if their parents are not patients of the Center. It is a 4-day program in which they can get help to unload the burden of the emotions and secrets they carry when they have an addicted family member. The program is designed to help the children adopt a language for their emotions and to help them understand addiction in terms they can understand. Several of the children attend on scholarship. The Center takes pride that “no child has ever been turned down for financial reasons”.

My Interview with Dr. Harry

As the Physician Director of the Betty Ford Center, Dr. Harry has been a central figure in the development of a variety of programs at Betty Ford Center including the Extended Care Program, the Licensed Professionals Program and the Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation Program. He is an internationally known speaker in the addiction field. He has a Recovery Lecture Series and is the author of “Being Sober: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting To, Getting Through and Living in Recovery” (2013).

During the podcast interview, Dr. Harry speaks of the Licensed Professionals Program and the Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation Program (CDEP). The CDEP is one of the most comprehensive assessment programs I have ever heard of. It is designed to determine if a person does in fact have a substance use problem. This is done through a 5 day interview and assessment process with the substance user. In addition to contact with the person in question, they interview pretty much anyone the prospective patient has contact with: friends, relatives, old roommates, etc. (Of course, the prospective patient has given permission for this to happen.)
Blood, hair and urine samples are collected and if necessary polygraph testing can also be administered.
You may wonder why someone would go through all this. If they are at the doors of the Betty Ford Center don’t they already know they have a problem? Well, sometimes it’s not so clear or they are not seeking treatment of their own volition. For example, they may be a pilot or a medical doctor referred by their employer after receiving a DUI. This Clinical Diagnostic Evaluation can also help a person accept that they do, in fact, have a problem. If it is determined they do not have a problem, appropriate referrals can be made if there are other factors causing the person to appear in need of help (i.e. sometimes a medical condition can cause symptoms which mimic intoxication – disorientation, slurred words, etc.). If a person is diagnosed with a Substance Use Disorder and chooses to stay and accept treatment at Betty Ford Center, the cost of the evaluation is absorbed into the cost of treatment. That can be a helpful fact to know when factoring in the cost of treatment.

Recovery Resources

Of course, you can seek help at Better Ford Center or at one of their affiliated  Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation programs or call 866-831-5700.

Dr. Harry’s book: Being Sober: A Step-by-Step guide for Getting To, Getting Through and Living in Recovery

There are many resources to support patients in recovery or for support when you love someone who is struggling with addiction. The following is just a short list to serve as a launching point.

• Alcoholics Anonymous : AA is an “international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem”. It is a group of self-supporting people seeking to stop drinking. It is open to anyone of any age, gender, race, or education level.
• Narcotics Anonymous : NA is the same as AA but it is an option for people seeking to stop using drugs (both street and prescription drugs).
• SMART Recovery : The mission (from their website) “is to support individuals who have chosen to abstain, or are considering abstinence from any type of addictive behaviors (substances or activities), by teaching how to change self-defeating thinking, emotions, and actions; and to work towards long-term satisfactions and quality of life”.
• 211.org or call 211. 211 is a free, confidential referral and information helpline designed to help connect people to social service resources in their communities. It is available 24/7. They cover all manner of need-based referrals including addiction prevention and rehabilitation services.
• SOLACE: Surviving Our Loss and Continuing Every Day. This an Ohio-based support program for parents who have lost a child to drug abuse. There appears to be ways to network even if one is not in Ohio. If you are interested in this support forum, I would encourage you to check out their website and reach out to them.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): This site can be helpful for educating yourself about the prevalence of drug and alcohol problems.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) : This site is great for statistical references on drugs and alcohol as well as governmental sponsored educational materials on the topic.
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357): (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) is a confidential, free, 24/7, information service, in English and Spanish. It is for individuals and family members facing mental health and/or substance. This helpline can provide referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.
• Meth Helpline sponsored by drugfree.org : 1-855-DRUG FREE (1-855-378-4373)This hotline is for parents who have concerns about their kids using meth. It is staffed by licensed social workers who are available from Mon-Fri 10:00AM-6:00PM EST in English & Spanish. They can make referrals to appropriate facilities make appropriate referrals. The website also has links to information sources on meth use and treatment locators.

Codependent No More by Melanie Beattie : A classic book for helping those that have typically found themselves in relationships with addicts or alcoholics.

Rational Recovery:The New Cure for Substance Addiction: This is yet another self-help model for recovery.  It  offers an aggressive self-help program to take charge of one’s behavior immediately. It is not spiritual or group-based.  It is focused on getting the individual to make changes on their own.
If you or a loved one are dealing with an addiction, know that resources are available to help you overcome it. I wish you success in your journey.

Disclaimer: Dr. Mullen has not received any compensation from any of the aforementioned resources, the listing of which does not constitute an endorsement. Furthermore, Dr. Mullen cannot be held responsible for information obtained from any of these help lines, websites or support groups.

**************************************************

If you are enjoying the podcast and want to support it without it costing you a dime, there are 3 ways:

1. Share an episode on your social media
2. Leave a gret review wherever you love to listen to your podcasts
3. Use my Amazon Storefront Amazon.com/shop/drColleenMullen When you enter Amazon through my storefront. For every purchase you make for 24 hours, I will get a small portion of that sale. You were paying for it anyway, this way a small % of the sale goes to support your favorite podcast. While you're there, you can check out some of my favorite wellness-supporting products and apps! Enjoy!

If you want to interact with Colleen more personally or stay up-to-date on her other podcasts and happenings, you can follow or friend her on:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Listen to Shrink@Shrink to learn about love and life through the movies every month.

Ladies, Look for the upcoming Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast  The Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast every month to get empowered and inspired by unique female stories of success!

You can buy the book: Stop Bitching, Just Lead! The 60-Day Plan for Embracing Your Inner Leader

If you want to work with Colleen for personal 1:1 coaching to help you conquer the chaos in your life, just reach out through CoachingThroughChaos.com click on the Contact page.

Thanks for listening!

Dr. Mark Wiederhold is the President of the Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC).  The VRMC has locations in San Diego, Los Angeles, Coronado and internationally Qing Dao, China and  Brussels, Belgium.  Dr. Wiederhold and his team, co-headed by his wife, Dr. Brenda Wiederhold, originally developed Virtual Reality (VR) protocols to treat phobias, specifically fear of driving, fear of flying and fear of public speaking.  Many of us can relate to the fear of public speaking, right? No matter how good at it one is now, there was probably a time when they had to psych themselves up in order to go confidently in front of their audience.  Well, Drs. Wiederhold and team have technology that can immerse a person in a 360 degree experience to better aid them in overcoming their fears.  Their work  in the anxiety and phobia arena has expanded over the last 20 years to also include treatment for fear of closed spaces, heights, needles and blood, open spaces, spiders, thunderstorms, school phobia, social phobia, ADHD, panic disorder, flying anticipatory anxiety, general anxiety disorders and for pain distraction.  They are now even using VR therapy to treat Wounded Warriors with combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  How you may ask? Let’s find out!

What is Virtual Reality Therapy and how is it Delivered?

Drs. Wiederhold and their team at The VRMC have been around for about 20 years.  Computers were very different back then, which is a pretty interesting bit of information pertaining to virtual reality therapy. Although the virtual reality treatment protocols have advanced with our technical capabilities, surprisingly, the mode of the experience delivery is still very similar to what it was back then.  So, what is virtual reality technology? It is essentially a headset comprised of glasses which house a computer screen in its lenses and a set of headphones.  A client will wear the headset, watching a scene indicative of a 360 degree experience they fear (i.e. the taking off of an airplane) on the computer screen, while also wearing the headphones which deliver the sound of the actual feared experience. When a client presents for therapy at the VRMC, they will initially go through a 90-minute to 2-hour initial assessment with a licensed therapist.  There will be no VR used in that session and it will probably feel like most any other initial assessment at a therapist’s office.  What happens next is where it veers from traditional therapy.  Since the treatment is to get a person exposed to their feared situation, the first few sessions are comprised of stress-response skill building.  Examples of this are relaxation strategies and deep breathing techniques.  The client will be encouraged to practice this in between sessions in order to prep them for their 360 degree immersive sessions.  After that, the Virtual Reality fun really begins! The VR sessions are 20-minutes of exposure to the feared stimulus wearing the VR headset.  While the client is in their immersive experience, the clinician in the room is monitoring the client’s physiological responses through heart and breathing monitors.  The session does not seek to “flood” the client with fear (as some phobia treatment protocols do), but rather, the supervising clinician will provide the client with “just enough” stimulation each time to raise their anxiety little by little until they can handle a full immersive experience from start to finish.
 

 This is a Virtual Reality system that uses a smart phone as a display

Virtual Reality Re-Training of Combat Veterans

The Virtual Reality Medical Center has very high rates of success- upwards of over 90% for certain phobias.  This is a tremendous number in the world of treatment statistics.  After focusing on treating phobias for so many years, Drs. Wiederhold and their team have branched out over the past 10 years to expanding their treatment protocols to treating combat veterans/Wounded Warriors with Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The VRMC’s work with combat trauma clients was born out of their work with survivors of Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs) with PTSD.  When they realized they were effective with treating the trauma of the MVA survivors, they began to run research trials on developing initial protocols and treating combat trauma survivors.  Combat trauma survivors have high rates of what’s called co-morbid, or co-occurring struggles.  Most commonly, the co-morbid problems are traumatic brain injuries, substance use disorders (drugs or alcohol), and domestic violence/anger management problems.  Treating the PTSD successfully can vastly decrease or even eliminate the incidents of these very serious co-morbid problems.  The well-known problem with treating the veteran population from the civilian world has consistently been retention in treatment.   The unique nature of the military experience and the combat-centered life has traditionally posed struggles in trusting the civilian therapist.  The thinking has been that the civilian therapists “don’t know what it’s like” and the experience of being in theater is not an experience that’s even close to being easy to relate to.  The nature of the structure of the VRMC’s protocol is such that the presenting Veteran doesn’t have to worry about having to “re-tell” his war stories.  He/she knows that after the initial assessment session, they will be taught skills, and then be exposed to the stimulus scene.  Dr. Wiederhold pointed out that since the current veterans are predominantly of the age of the video game generation, for as much as VR re-training is not a video game, it is helpful that the method of  re-training delivery is similar to that of a video game.  The retention rate has been over 90% and the “re-training” success rate has been about 80%.  This is an outstanding statistic no matter what population one is treating, but to have it as the statistic for treating a population that has had such a historically difficult time staying engaged in treatment is really something to take notice of!

But What Does Virtual Reality Therapy Feel Like?

After the formal recorded interview was over, Dr. Wiederhold let me explore the clinic and the equipment.  I got to experience an introduction virtual reality experiential session.  I was led into an office that looked like a regular generic office – lots of computers on the table top, but nothing that screamed, “You are about to enter a combat zone!” But that’s exactly what I did.  I was strapped into the head piece.  It was rather comfortable – it felt like what I imagine watching a movie on the lenses of my sunglasses would feel like with the surround sound coming through the headphones.  Dr. Wiederhold set up my scene and adjusted my lens for me. Next thing I knew, I was a passenger in a Humvee with my driver and my gunner standing behind me.  I didn’t know what to expect as we drove through the village.  About 7 or 8 minutes in, I felt my anxiety rise and said to Dr. Wiederhold, “I’m worried that I’m going to miss the blast if I look away”.  I was concerned I was watching a potential “real combat” scene.  The good doctor assured me he didn’t set me up in a trauma scene – I would not be blown up or shot at.  He explained that the voyage I was on was part of a 20-minute Stress Inoculation Scene.  This is one of the scenes they are now just beginning to use to get soldiers ready for going to a war zone (I’ll explain more about that in the next section). What I witnessed was driving through an Iraqi town outskirts, and then through a small village.  There were people milling about and if I turned my head in any direction, I got a full 360 degree experience- even saw what my feet would look like all geared-up! I really can say that I could see the benefit of getting used to the new scenery before someone is sent there.  It is anxiety provoking due to all the unknowns.  Getting desensitized to the environment would allow a soldier to possibly be able to more effectively stay present and focused on the potential threats in the area versus having to be aware of every little bit of new stimuli.  I was definitely sold on the experience!

I’d love on a return visit to try out a phobia scene – I’ve pretty much conquered a long-time fear of heights, but I’d love to experience that scene.  Reason #10 to definitely convince Dr. Wiederhold to let me interview him some more!

I’m getting ready for my VR experience

The Future Possibilities for Virtual Reality Re-Training of other Veteran Populations

The Virtual Reality Medical Center seems to be constantly engaging in research to expand their treatment capabilities.  As I mentioned in my experience with the goggles on, they are now doing research in the area of what’s called Stress Inoculation Therapy.  According to MentalHelp.net, Stress Inoculation Therapy (SIT) is “a psychotherapy method intended to help patients prepare themselves in advance to handle stressful events successfully and with a minimum of upset. The use of the term “inoculation” in SIT is based on the idea that a therapist is inoculating or preparing patients to become resistant to the effects of stressors in a manner similar to how a vaccination works to make patients resistant to the effects of particular diseases”.  The VRMC is not only utilizing this therapy to prepare active-duty troops, but they are also using it to prepare the combat-zone medical professionals.  The medics going to our war zones may be used to seeing blood and bodily trauma, but because of potential sheer volume and severity of the traumas they could be subjected to on a regular basis, they have implemented SIT training for the medic staff. (I’ve posted a couple of pics of the training materials).  They use fake wounds and blood to desensitize these doctors and better prepare them to stay focused on their tasks at hand.

The VRMC is utilizing the Stress Inoculation Therapy protocol to prepare troops for entering the combat zones.  The work the VRMC is doing is focused on coming up with strategies that seek to decrease the risk of PTSD even happening.  Wouldn’t that be amazing! 

But wait! They’re not stopping there! They have already had the opportunity to send VR equipment to Fallujah and treat troops on base.  Established research on treating trauma-related symptoms has demonstrated that the earlier a trauma survivor receives treatment, the better the results of that treatment.  With the VRMC being able to equip the war-zone medical centers with the virtual reality technology, there’s no telling how many troops could be spared some really intrusive emotional repercussions.  I’ll look forward to finding out at our next meeting what they’ve been able to implement as far as protocols in combat-zone bases.

And there’s more!! When I was prepping for this interview, someone asked me if the VRMC treats Vietnam War veterans.  I asked that question to Dr Wiederhold.  They are, in fact, beginning to design those protocols.  Treating this population would pose different obstacles to overcome: the time removed from the trauma incident, their possible lack of comfort with using the technology, and, of course, getting funding form the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to provide such treatment.  In order to get that sort of finding, they will need to conduct research, which also means having access to that population, which certainly is not as readily available as our current veterans.  However, after learning about all that they do, I’m sure if the Drs. Wiederhold and their team believe they have a protocol that can help heal this population, they will do everything possible to find a way to deliver it to them.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to spend this time at the Virtual Reality Medical Center and with Dr. Wiederhold.  Thank you!

If you are enjoying the podcast and want to support it without it costing you a dime, there are 3 ways:

1. Share an episode on your social media
2. Leave a gret review wherever you love to listen to your podcasts
3. Use my Amazon Storefront Amazon.com/shop/drColleenMullen When you enter Amazon through my storefront. For every purchase you make for 24 hours, I will get a small portion of that sale. You were paying for it anyway, this way a small % of the sale goes to support your favorite podcast. While you're there, you can check out some of my favorite wellness-supporting products and apps! Enjoy!

If you want to interact with Colleen more personally or stay up-to-date on her other podcasts and happenings, you can follow or friend her on:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Listen to Shrink@Shrink to learn about love and life through the movies every month.

Ladies, Look for the upcoming Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast  The Embrace Your Inner Leader Podcast every month to get empowered and inspired by unique female stories of success!

You can buy the book: Stop Bitching, Just Lead! The 60-Day Plan for Embracing Your Inner Leader

If you want to work with Colleen for personal 1:1 coaching to help you conquer the chaos in your life, just reach out through CoachingThroughChaos.com click on the Contact page.

Thanks for listening!