With special guest Mimi Amaral, we explore the experience of caregiving as a painful but valuable process to discover our essential humanity. Disease, disability and mortality in the lives of those we care for brings adversity into our own lives. This adversity can be an opportunity for us to grow [...]
Struggles and difficulties come into the lives of every person. How do we find value in the experience of suffering? When pain enters our lives, rather than avoid or deny, we can face it and begin the process of accepting that we have no control, letting go, and grieving our [...]
How do we become the person we were meant to be? Essential parts of this life journey include being willing to face and grow through adversity, develop the discipline of transformative resilience, and accept the challenge of providing compassionate care to someone who needs us. This process is neither simple [...]
Pushing the "pause button" after being emotionally triggered helps everyone - including caregivers - stop reacting negatively to themselves and those they care for. Developing an awareness of triggered emotions such as anger, fear or sadness, makes it possible to "push the pause button" and then return, when the time [...]
Triggering is an out-of-proportion emotional reaction to difficulties in the present. It happens to everyone, particularly when we're tired or stressed. It indicates the presence of an unhealed wound from our past. In order to resolve and recover from a triggering event, it is essential to develop an awareness of [...]
Triggering - or getting your buttons pushed - happens to everyone. This out-of-proportion reaction to difficulties in the present can lead to hurtful or destructive reactions toward ourselves and others. Old troubling emotions from the past - such as anger, sadness, or fear - are particularly close to the surface [...]
Caregiver resiliency depends on developing an awareness of the emotional burdens and fatigue that accompany the role of caregiving. On-the-job stress - for both professional caregivers and family or loved-ones providing care - can too easily turn into compassion fatigue and burnout. Self-care, effective boundaries, and maintaining emotional balance are [...]
Caregivers serve their clients or loved ones in some of the most difficult circumstances of life. To avoid burnout, caregivers need to continually find new ways to cope and new sources of hope. Pitfalls can derail this process: trying to deny the situation, avoid or run away, or get back [...]
The caregiving profession calls for sacrificial giving in difficult, painful circumstances. Caregivers are stressed by their caring duties, which can trigger their own pain from the past. Staying aware of the emotions that arise within is essential for caregivers in order to stay effective and resilient. They have an important [...]
Warriors set aside their needs to meet the challenges they face. After the battle is over, warriors need time to heal to preserve themselves and their relationships. Caregivers also must diligently practice self-care to preserve themselves and prevent burnout. Stress and negative energy buildup can be dealt with and transformed [...]
Peter M. Bernstein, PhD is a coach, mentor, educator and trainer with over 47 years of experience providing strategies for enhanced performance and relief from trauma. An Army infantry veteran who served stateside during the Vietnam War era, he feels a deep commitment to meeting the needs of veterans and their loved ones and caregivers. Peter’s approach utilizes a combination of coaching, mentoring and bodywork to offer hope and healing through transformative resilience.