Lives in Balance: Aftermath of a Shooting
Nancy Bohl, a psychologist trained to deal with the aftermath of traumatic events, recounts the scene in Riverside, CA, the site of a major shooting at City Hall. She and members of her counseling team debriefed survivors and staff members, as a gro...
Lives in Balance: People Who Respond Positively to Stress
Why is it that some people seem to deal with stress more effectively than others? In conducting a longitudinal study of this phenomenon with workers whose jobs were threatened by the break up of A T & T, Dr. Salvatore Maddi found that some people fa...
Lives in Balance: Developing Positive Stress Response Techniques
The Hardiness Institute, founded in the early 1980s, is helping people develop qualities that will allow them to deal with stress. In addition to such techniques, some people find it helpful to use meditation or prayer and regular physical activity ...
Lives in Balance: Physical and Behavioral Reactions to Stress
When faced with a stressful situation, chronic or acute, the body mobilizes to respond in a flight or fight reaction. If nothing is done to ameliorate the situation, the body may experience wear and tear diseases that result from prolonged strain. P...
Lives in Balance: How Traumatic Events Change the Lives of Survivors
Two survivors of the Riverside, California city hall shootings in 1998 talk about how the event changed their lives, from feelings of vulnerability to increased gratitude for life and the love of friends and family.
Lives in Balance: Memories of Traumatic Events
Survivors of traumatic events often complain about the insensitivity of the news media in covering crises. Although the passage of time will lessen the intensity of an event, it doesn't erase it. Anniversary dates unleash memories of what happened, ...
Lives in Balance: Stress--A Necessary Part of Life
Stress is not only a part of everyday life, it is necessary for life. It is only when stress becomes chronic that it becomes a problem, particularly if nothing is done about it. The more chronic stress you have, the less stress it takes to push you ...
Lives in Balance: Under Attack: Critical Incident Stress
Critical incidents that threaten the life or safety of a loved one are sources of stress that cannot be unanticipated. For several city officials in Riverside, California October 6, 1998 is a date they will never forget. A gunmen entered City Counci...