The COVID-19 crisis is a time of danger and great uncertainty. The threat of loss of health or life, often combined with a real loss of income, is creating a debilitating state of fear and dread. For people already carrying burdens of physical illness or traumatic emotional distress, the epidemic [...]
Bernstein Institute staff member Hilloah Levy shares her personal journey to becoming an empathic, loving caregiver. An abusive upbringing left Hilloah resistant to helping care for her dying mother, to her now deep regret. She has since worked through her pain to find a calling and purpose in caring for [...]
Caregivers and first responders absorb the emotional pain of those they help and serve during suffering and crisis. This absorbed pain negatively affects their minds and bodies, as well as their relationships, in ways which can be addressed and resolved. Healing is possible for caregivers and first responders willing to [...]
It is possible to create a loving relationship which lasts through good times and bad. Individuals can develop an awareness of the troubling issues and behavior patterns which they bring to their relationships, often from their past history of stress and trauma. Unresolved painful experiences can lead to triggering, reenactment, [...]
What does it take to create and sustain a loving relationship through good times and bad? What "basics" need to be in place and can they be learned? Couples can protect their relationships from life stresses - job, financial, health, accidents or other crises - and the personal stresses and [...]
First responders serve in challenging situations which can trigger painful emotions and memories from their own histories of trauma. To be an effective first responder requires a measure of hardiness in adversity. But being a "tough guy" can get in the way of expressing and resolving the buildup of negative [...]
First responders serve in stressful, sometimes traumatic situations which can impose heavy emotional burdens on themselves and their relationships. In addition, first responders usually have their own histories of pain and trauma which can be triggered by present-day, on-the-job experiences. By reacting in old, defensive or destructive patterns, first responders [...]
First responders serve in stressful, sometimes overwhelming situations which can impose heavy emotional burdens on themselves and their relationships. The first responder culture has tended to stigmatize the need for acknowledging these painful emotions and releasing them. First responders may feel that they must stay in control at all times [...]
First responders and caregivers serve others in stressful, sometimes overwhelming situations. To preserve themselves, these empathic professionals need to become aware of the emotional burdens of their work and release them. Through transparency and genuineness with themselves and with the support of their teammates, caregivers and first responders can use [...]
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.