Dear Dick
articles about wide ranging psychological issues
from "The Local Bulletin" (Brisbane Australia)
by Dick Rigby
©all articles are copyright 2006

November 2000
There is so much written nowadays about stress.  It gives me a headache just trying to keep up with it all.  Most of what is written is pretty common sense, but it is hard to know where to start.  I think that stress management come down three words; "Awareness", "Balance" and "Action".
Awareness is first.  In order to know how stressed you are, you need to be able to monitor your level of stress.  In order to reduce stress effectively, you need feedback from your body to know what your current level of stress is.  Some of the signs that you are suffering from too much stress are; difficulty getting to sleep, excessive muscle tension (particularly around the neck), headaches, feeling tired all the time, and not having the time to do enjoyable things. 
Some of us are too busy to even notice that we are stressed.
When we ignore the signs of stress, it can lead to big trouble  Our body can let us know with a whack.  Excessive stress will lower the immune system and can result in a serious illness that stops us in our tracks.  Learn to look for the signs.
The next word is balance.  For most people it is fine to be stressed for a while, but to be stressed all the time is dangerous to your health.  Balance is about finding enjoyable and non stressful things to do that are healthy for your mind and body.  Physical exercise is important.  Going for a jog, taking your dog or budgie a walk, playing sport, bedtime sport or whatever. Take some time to do enjoyable things.  These could be playing with your children, dancing, singing, meditating or reading a good book.
There should be some sort of balance between work, sleep and recreation.
The third word is action.  Stress management is an active process.  It takes planning and effort.  If you don't build stress free activities into your day, the chances are they won't happen.  Some of my clients plan their day so that there is time for 20 minutes meditation at the beginning of the day.
Last, but not least is, the recreation that you choose should be not stressful in itself.  Some people play sport so competitively or dangerously that it adds to their stress.  Others get driven to collect items.  The compulsion to collect becomes a stress in itself. 
General advice for stress reduction.  Have some fun!
 

Critical Incident debriefing

August 2003
Have you ever been faced with a serious trauma?  Many of us have.  It might have been a serious car accident or a bank hold up.  It can have a huge impact, particularly if you believed that you were going to die or be seriously injured.   It can be just as bad if you believed that a loved one was going to die or be seriously injured. 
Special things go on in the brain and body when people are exposed to serious trauma.  The trauma is stored in a very deep way.  People can suffer long term distressing symptoms long after any physical healing has taken place.  When people suffer long term symptoms, the condition is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The general wisdom seems to be that the earlier the condition is treated, the better the outcome.  I think that PTSD is a relatively easy condition to treat.  We often hear on the news that after a tragedy, the survivors are being counselled.  This is called Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD).  Psychologists trained in CISD are able to assist people make sense of the trauma and not become stuck.  Becoming stuck leads on to PTSD.
When I have helped people in this way I concentrate on three things.  The first is to allow a person to express their feelings such as anger, sadness, shock and fear.  The second is to give the person permission to go through a grieving process for what ever losses might have been involved.
The third thing is to allow the person to feel that they have regained their power.  So often, in such a trauma, the person feels powerless.  People can learn how to regain thier power.  For example, I was counselling Anne after a bank hold up.  She was the teller who faced the barrel of a gun.  Part of the re-empowerment, was for her to realize that she went through all the right protocols.  If she hadn’t done it this way, someone might have been shot.
After a serious trauma, some people try to tough it out, or get help from “Mr Johnny Walker”.  Most people need help working through the after effects.  If they don’t get help, they can suffer from depression, sleep disturbance, excessive anxiety, fear of certain things, increased irritability, breakdown of family relationships……. and the list goes on.
If you have been on the wrong end of serious trauma, get some help now.  It’s worth it.
 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

October 2001
Jack saw the car coming towards him.  He knew he was going to die.  Everything slowed down for a few seconds.  There were a thousand things he could have done but none of them would have stopped the other car from hitting his car.
Jack was badly injured, but survived.
A year later, he remembers this moment clearly.  When he remembers it, he sweats and shakes.  These “flashbacks” can happen at any time, but mostly when he is driving.   He also has nightmares and intrusive thoughts about the accident.  He doesn’t have the passion and enthusiasm for life he used to have.  He has sleep disturbance, difficulty concentrating and he is moody and irritable.  Jack is also very wary (hypervigilance) wherever he goes.
As a result of these changes to Jack, his marriage is in serious trouble.  He has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This condition results form a situation which threatens to seriously injure or kill the person or a loved one.  Jack should have gone for psychological treatment after the accident, but he is a “tough guy” and doesn’t need that sort of thing.
So many people in New York will be suffering from PTSD as a result of the awful recent events there.  There will be a lot of psychotherapists working with the survivors.  They will be doing Critical Incident Debriefing.  PTSD can be cured.  But if it is not properly treated, the symptoms may go on for years.  There are people still suffering from PTSD as a result of their experiences in Viet Nam.  The sooner treatment is started after the trauma, the better the chances of recovery.
If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a major trauma, here are a few do’s and don’ts;
Do’s: 
1. Seek professional therapy as soon after the event as possible.
2. Share your feelings with trusted others.
3. Express your grief and feel free to cry.
Don’t’s:
1. Don’t get drunk or use drugs, as this will interfere with the recovery process.
2. Don’t bottle up your feelings and just look after others.
3. Don’t try to sweep it under the carpet.
My experience of treating people suffering from PTSD is that it is often an easy condition to treat and most people make a quick recovery.  However, if it is not treated, it can really change your life and can lead on to major depression and alcohol and drug abuse.  PTSD can effect children as well as adults.

After tourture

July 2007
I watched the Four Corners program on 11 June about how the American’s are “outsourcing” torture for suspected terrorists. The week before, on SBS, there was also a program dealing with the same issue.  Torture has come into the public spotlight recently because of David Hicks and Guantanomo Bay among other things.
The Four Corners program dealt mainly with the torture of the Australian citizen Mandu Habib in Egypt.  The two issues that I want to share with you are the authorities attempts to redefine torture and the long term effects of torture on it’s victims.
Any fair minded person will be insulted by the American authorities attempts to redefine torture.  There are various procedures that are used on prisoners that involve severe psychological distress and moderate physical harm.  Among these procedures are; sleep deprivation, standing in one position for a long time, solitary confinement, sensory deprivation, cold temperatures, ongoing loud noises and humiliation.
I find it offensive that the authorities have tried to redefine these as reasonable treatment of prisoners.  They seem to be saying that the word torture only applies when you physically damage a person.  We all know that causing someone severe psychological distress is also torture.  Politicians have always tried to redefine the truth to suit their needs.  It’s our job to not let them get away with it.
Four Corners also talked about the long term effects of torture.  We have so many people in Australia who have been tortured in the country they came from.  People from Central and South America, from Central Europe and the list goes on.  And so does their pain.
Some of you will know about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  This condition comes about when a person is in a situation where they believe that they, or someone close to them will be killed or seriously injured.  The torture victim is nearly always led to believe that they are about to die or be seriously injured and experience fear, helplessness or horror.
It leaves it’s mark.  Victims of torture are likely to suffer PTSD for a very long time.  Even with expert treatment, the victim may continue to have nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive distressing thoughts, bouts of depression, heightened anxiety and so on.
As Australians we must do all we can to try and stop torture happening and also recognise that victims of torture need a lot of help to rehabilitate.