It is possible not only to survive during difficult times but to grow and emerge with greater meaning and purpose in life. First we must be willing to look closely at ourselves and face our shortcomings and limitations. We must accept our losses and recognize and decompress our intense emotions [...]
Resilience isn't a talent the lucky few are born with. Everyone who goes through adversity can become more resilient if they hold on to hope and a willingness to learn new skills. Difficult times - when life feels out of our control - call on us to feel our pain [...]
We continue in our "extraordinary reality" of the COVID-19 pandemic, the daily experience of possible death, illness, and financial uncertainty. How can we best deal with our fears? Will we give in to debilitating fear or will we channel our fear into healthy, self-preserving attitudes and activity? By being open and vulnerable [...]
Hope is essential for resilience. What does it mean to have real-world hope? How can we create and sustain a hopeful attitude during hard times? Dr. Peter Bernstein shares from his personal experience of holding on to hope through a lifetime of challenges. When situations are out of our control, [...]
Effective, resilient caregivers don't run away from the hard parts of life. Embracing adversity can shape us into the people we were meant to be. Painful experiences leave us with emotional burdens which must be felt, decompressed and resolved. Denying our hard times, or splitting off and disconnecting from them, [...]
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 [...]
A deeper discussion of four strategies for facing difficult challenges: examining our attitudes; understanding our emotional reactions; taking responsibility; and examining our relationship to control. We present US Airways pilot Capt. Chesley Sullenberger - "Sully" - as an exemplar of someone who responded to an overwhelming challenge with courage and [...]
Why is hope so important during difficult times? How do we find hope when we're frustrated, discouraged and overwhelmed? And - how can we get stronger even while life gets harder? Join us as we begin to outline the attitudes and steps necessary to find strength and hope in adversity. [...]
Hope can be hard to find and we may wonder, "Why me? Why now?" As we move through difficult times, it is possible to find hope and a sense of meaning and purpose in our struggles. Listen to podcast here
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.