Rachel on Recovery

Susan O'millionillion is a lawyer, author, speaker, and advocate for ending violence against women. I wrote three books about moving out of abuse and thriving after trauma. Step one is finding out what businesses are out there that could be a good fit for your goals. We still don't have a good understanding of how to deal with trauma, which is why it's important for us to continue to learn more about it. The seven steps to thriving after abuse are: see your journey, quiet the negative voice in your head, overcome your fears, set new goals, and finally, thrive.

Susan Omilian is an attorney, author, motivational speaker, and nationally recognized expert who has worked to end violence against women for the last forty years. In the 1970s, she founded a rape crisis center and, in the early 1980s, represented battered women in divorce proceedings. She also litigated sex discrimination cases, including helping to articulate the legal concept that made sexual harassment illegal in the 1990s.

Her passion and enthusiasm for this work became more personal and immediate with the violent death of her niece Maggie, killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1999. Driven by a desire to help women move on after abuse as Maggie could not, Susan developed and has facilitated 2001 her My Avenging Angel WorkshopsTM, based on the idea that “living well is the best revenge.” These workshops have helped hundreds of women journey from victim to survivor to thriver.

Her novel, Awaken: The Awakening of the Human Spirit on a Healing Journey, was published in 2017 as part of The Best Revenge SeriesTM and was inspired by the true event of her niece’s death. In Awaken, the reader sees, in a story-telling format, how the warning signs of abuse work in a relationship as well as how the journey to thriving can inspire a new start in life. In Emerge: The Opening of the Human Heart to the Power of Love, a sequel to Awaken and the second book in The Best Revenge SeriesTM, the story continues with an exploration of how the power of unconditional love can create in the human heart a sense of home, togetherness, and possibility. The final book in the Series, Thrive, will be published in 2022.

Susan is also the author of several books on sex discrimination law and her articles have appeared in newspapers and journals including “Moving Beyond Abuse in Our Lives” in The Voice: The Journal of the Battered Women’s Movement

, published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). Articles about Susan and her innovative, groundbreaking work have also appeared in publications in the state where she lives, The Connecticut Law Tribune and New Britain Herald

As an editor and writing coach who teaches fiction and non-fiction memoir writing classes, Susan oversees her own production company, Butterfly Bliss Productions LLC, which is the publisher of her books.  Susan holds a law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit and a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.

Her novel, Awaken: The Awakening of the Human Spirit on a Healing Journey, was published in 2017 as part of The Best Revenge SeriesTM and was inspired by the actual event of her niece’s death. In Awaken, the reader sees, in a story-telling format, how the warning signs of abuse work in a relationship as well as how the journey to thriving can inspire a new start in life. In Emerge: The Opening of the Human Heart to the Power of Love, a sequel to Awaken and the second book in The Best Revenge SeriesTM, the story continues with an exploration of how the power of unconditional love can create in the human heart a sense of home, togetherness, and possibility. The final book in the Series, Thrive, will be published in 2022.

Susan is also the author of several books on sex discrimination law and her articles have appeared in newspapers and journals including “Moving Beyond Abuse in Our Lives” in The Voice: The Journal of the Battered Women’s Movement

, published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). Articles about Susan and her innovative, groundbreaking work have also appeared in publications in the state where she lives, including The Connecticut Law Tribune

 and New Britain Herald

.

As an editor and writing coach who teaches fiction and non-fiction memoir writing classes, Susan oversees her own production company, Butterfly Bliss Productions LLC, which is the publisher of her books.  Susan holds a law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit and a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.

For people with conditioned responses that are so powerful, what do you do about it?You slowly work on the desensitization program. - Insomnia is caused by problematic behaviors, and if you want to get more sleep, you need to change your behavior. : Sleep doctors can be educated about other approaches to treating sleep problems, such as devices and sleep studies, if they're open to hearing about them. - Rachel shared her experience of working with individuals who have PTSD and said that working with them has enriched her faith. She also recommended self care measures including getting good sleep, exercising, and eating healthy.: Nightmares can be reduced or eliminated with IRT, which is an easy to learn technique. Sleep apnea is often a co-occurring problem, and CPAP therapy can help reduce the number and intensity of nightmares. People can benefit from therapy to improve their sleep, and some people can help others learn how to better use a PAP machine. Insurance may not cover some forms of therapy, but there are providers who accept insurance. Psychosomatic medicine is the understanding that how the emotion is process can impact the health of the body. Faith has been impacted by witnessing the healing power of trauma recovery.

Barry Krakow, MD is a board certified sleep medicine specialist practicing in Savannah, Georgia following a 30 year career in conducting research in psychiatric patients with sleep disorders and treating these individuals with evidence-based pioneering techniques to optimize care. His new practice involves an innovative sleep health coaching program. Dr. Krakow’s career in sleep medicine started in 1988 when he joined the Department of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and collaborated on the first randomized controlled trial on the innovative nightmare treatment protocol, Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT). His subsequent research team at the Sleep & Human Health Institute has published extensively on IRT in the form of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and landmark training manual, Turning Nightmares into Dreams, the most widely used resource for patients and providers to learn the IRT methodology. Dr. Krakow’s additional research and clinical practice on sleep disorders has again led to extensive peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the independent co-morbid nature of sleep disorders in mental health patients in general and PTSD patients in particular. His pioneering efforts in evaluating and treating PTSD patients led the way in the recognition of the unexpectedly high prevalence of sleep apnea in PTSD patients. As a result, his research team and clinical practice models have established various techniques and technologies to effectively treat these disorders in ways not customarily applied at traditional sleep medical centers. Finally, since 2008 Dr. Krakow has conducted numerous training workshops on IRT as well as on sleep disorders practice models for mental health patients. Programs have been conducted at more than 25 military bases and Veteran’s medical centers as well as 25 civilian mental health institutions. The most extensive program effort occurred through AMEDD C&S in 2012-2014 at 10 different military bases. Last, Dr. Krakow helped to initiate the first Nightmare Treatment Symposium in July, 2016 involving the world’s leading nightmare treatment researchers and specialists. His latest book on sleep and mental health published this year is Life Saving Sleep: New Horizons in Mental Health Treatment.

IRT is an easy technique to learn and has a lot of power in fixing nightmares. Nightmares may linger because they become learned. imagery rehearsal therapy can help to unlearn them. Insomnia is a huge problem and the psychological issue of not being able to go back to sleep is a huge deal. People need to learn how to overcome it by changing a few behaviors and making their bedroom and bed sanctified. There are various methods of treating nasal congestion, and conservatives are usually nasal sprays and nasal strips. If you have conditioned sleeping responses that are making it difficult to fall asleep, gradually working on desensitization is key. Also, seeing if there are other factors that may be affecting your sleep, such as temperature, budget, or bedroom environment. There are many common symptoms of sleep disordered breathing that vary depending on the individual, and some treatments, such as nasal saline, are simple and inexpensive.

Barry Krakow, MD is a board certified sleep medicine specialist practicing in Savannah,
Georgia following a 30 year career in conducting research in psychiatric patients with
sleep disorders and treating these individuals with evidence-based pioneering techniques
to optimize care. His new practice involves an innovative sleep health coaching program.
Dr. Krakow’s career in sleep medicine started in 1988 when he joined the Department of
Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and collaborated on the
first randomized controlled trial on the innovative nightmare treatment protocol, Imagery
Rehearsal Therapy (IRT). His subsequent research team at the Sleep & Human Health
Institute has published extensively on IRT in the form of peer-reviewed articles, book
chapters, and landmark training manual, Turning Nightmares into Dreams, the most
widely used resource for patients and providers to learn the IRT methodology. Dr.
Krakow’s additional research and clinical practice on sleep disorders has again led to
extensive peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the independent co-morbid nature of
sleep disorders in mental health patients in general and PTSD patients in particular. His
pioneering efforts in evaluating and treating PTSD patients led the way in the recognition
of the unexpectedly high prevalence of sleep apnea in PTSD patients. As a result, his
research team and clinical practice models have established various techniques and
technologies to effectively treat these disorders in ways not customarily applied at
traditional sleep medical centers. Finally, since 2008 Dr. Krakow has conducted
numerous training workshops on IRT as well as on sleep disorders practice models for
mental health patients. Programs have been conducted at more than 25 military bases
and Veteran’s medical centers as well as 25 civilian mental health institutions. The most
extensive program effort occurred through AMEDD C&S in 2012-2014 at 10 different
military bases. Last, Dr. Krakow helped to initiate the first Nightmare Treatment
Symposium in July, 2016 involving the world’s leading nightmare treatment researchers
and specialists. His latest book on sleep and mental health published this year is Life
Saving Sleep: New Horizons in Mental Health Treatment.

Barry Krakow, MD is a board certified sleep medicine specialist practicing in Savannah,
Georgia following a 30 year career in conducting research in psychiatric patients with
sleep disorders and treating these individuals with evidence-based pioneering techniques
to optimize care. His new practice involves an innovative sleep health coaching program.
Dr. Krakow’s career in sleep medicine started in 1988 when he joined the Department of
Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and collaborated on the
first randomized controlled trial on the innovative nightmare treatment protocol, Imagery
Rehearsal Therapy (IRT). His subsequent research team at the Sleep & Human Health
Institute has published extensively on IRT in the form of peer-reviewed articles, book
chapters, and landmark training manual, Turning Nightmares into Dreams, the most
widely used resource for patients and providers to learn the IRT methodology. Dr.
Krakow’s additional research and clinical practice on sleep disorders has again led to
extensive peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the independent co-morbid nature of
sleep disorders in mental health patients in general and PTSD patients in particular. His
pioneering efforts in evaluating and treating PTSD patients led the way in the recognition
of the unexpectedly high prevalence of sleep apnea in PTSD patients. As a result, his
research team and clinical practice models have established various techniques and
technologies to effectively treat these disorders in ways not customarily applied at
traditional sleep medical centers. Finally, since 2008 Dr. Krakow has conducted
numerous training workshops on IRT as well as on sleep disorders practice models for
mental health patients. Programs have been conducted at more than 25 military bases
and Veteran’s medical centers as well as 25 civilian mental health institutions. The most
extensive program effort occurred through AMEDD C&S in 2012-2014 at 10 different
military bases. Last, Dr. Krakow helped to initiate the first Nightmare Treatment
Symposium in July, 2016 involving the world’s leading nightmare treatment researchers
and specialists. His latest book on sleep and mental health published this year is Life
Saving Sleep: New Horizons in Mental Health Treatment.

Nasal hygiene is one of the simplest, most effective, and earliest conservative treatments for PTSD, anxiety, and depression.: You can treat sleep disordered breathing with therapy and lifestyle changes, or using a machine called a CPAP.: Nightmares and insomnia are often a result of chronic PTSD, and can worsen PTSD symptoms. Sleep studies can help determine if the PTSD is causing the sleep problems.: The best sleep device is the PAP machine and it's a phenomenal way to sleep. delta and REM sleep are important in emotional processing and memory, so it's great for improving those things. Tune in next week to learn more about sleep with Dr. Barry Krakow. If you have any questions, I'm a sleep medicine doctor, and my subspecialty is treating PTSD and sleep disturbances in patients who have that condition. I've found that treating PTSD and sleep disturbances is a very effective way to improve mental health, and I'm excited to share some of the methods we use with my listeners today.

Do a little genealogy research to better understand the personal things that are passed down through your lineage, and work to change the negative energy in your home and life. decluttering is really a way for us to feel some control and to manage our emotions.Hoarding specifically is a rare disorder and more related to difficulty with letting go of things, releasing our emotions, and managing our sentimentality. Stacey Scott is an inner child healer, feng shui practitioner, and occupational therapist. She is on a mission to educate the public about the idea that decluttering and being messy does not have to do with being unorganized or dirty. She believes that taking a step back and understanding one's inner child is key to healing from trauma.

Rerun Rachel on Recovery is taking a break for the 4th. Please enjoy the best of Rachel on Recovery. Boz is an Attorney that help victims of Sexual Abuse Attorney. He is the founder of Grace (Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environment)  https://bozlawpa.com/ https://www.netgrace.org/

Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Advanced Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Practitioner, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator.  Brooke specializes in treating adults, couples, and groups with depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, and trauma.  She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University’s School of Social Work.  Brooke’s passions include facilitating Daring Greatly ™ weekend intensive workshops and helping patients heal from trauma using Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART).  Brooke has maintained a private practice in Bethesda, Maryland for 19 years and is the mother of two amazing daughters.

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