Dealing with the psychological fallout

Having a health crisis deeply affects the mind as well as the body. In my case, I seemed to shut off emotionally for the first few months, and was then suddenly hit with wave after wave of anxiety and depression. It was frightening and hard to cope with all the emotions while trying to be a consistent and positive presence for my children. After two very difficult months I found my way back to normalcy with the help of the key support people in my life and some important outside resources. I did not use anti-depressants but I would have if my situation had not improved.

The resources I found most valuable were:

1. The CD "Pyschosomatic Wellness: An Antidote to Stress" by Dr. Candace Pert, which was recommended by a friend I met in one of the online support groups (thank you Kelly!). Dr. Pert is a Georgetown University scientist who studies the connection between the mind and body. I listened to the CD several times a day for a few weeks and it helped tremendously. For more about Dr. Pert, see www.candacepert.com

2. The book "The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety and Depression without Drugs and without Talk Therapy" by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber. See more about this book at: http://www.amazon.com/Instinct-Heal-Anxiety-Depression-Without/dp/1579549020

3. EMDR therapy. EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Believe me, I thought this sounded really off the wall until I did it and found my anxiety and depression melting away. This modality is used by the Department of Defense to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and it really works. For more information, see /www.emdr.com/index.htm