The holiday season can be difficult for people suffering from trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder…better know as PTSD. During this time of year some people try to avoid situations that trigger memories of a traumatic event, or they avoid people they feel uncomfortable around. Sometimes family or friends are involved in a history of trauma, and seeing a specific person can be really challenging. The holidays are “supposed to be joyful” but some people feel alienated for not pretending to be happy. And sometimes a person doesn’t even realize why she’s feeling down around this time of year. It can be really helpful to understand some of the causes that are influencing your emotional state, and also what to do about it.
Guest:
Rachel Walker received a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she specialized in Expressive Arts Therapy. In the past she worked with people with chronic mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, with criminal offenders, and with people suffering from addictions. She has provided individual, couple, and family therapy to clients facing a wide range of clinical issues including: anxiety, trauma, addiction, divorce, grief, bi-polar, cultural and diversity issues, eating disorders and creative and professional blocks. She is trained in modern dance and contact improvisation and Authentic Movement. Rachel has also studied improvisational writing, theater, and voice. Currently she sees clients as an EMDR and Expressive Arts Therapist in Berkeley, California. She is a certified EMDR therapist and approved EMDR consultant. Go to http://rachelwalkermft.com/ to learn more about her work.
Being unhoused makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to access general health services. Poor health, addiction, mental illness, and violence are some things that lead to homelessness, and homelessness can make all of these things worse.
The majority of adults that experience homelessness have more than one health issue. They range from hypertension and diabetes to HIV and viral hepatitis, but the most significant reasons people go to emergency-rooms are mental illness and addiction. The sick and vulnerable become homeless, and the homeless become sicker and more vulnerable.
Guests:
Alejandro Soto-Vigil comes from a family of activists in the Bay Area. Last year he was re-elected to his second term on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board. After 8 years working in the City of Berkeley as a legislative aide, Alejandro now serves as the program manager for the Berkeley Drop-In Center, an organization that has served Berkeley’s homeless residents for over 25 years. Alejandro majored in political sciences at UC Berkeley.
Jeffrey Seal is the medical director and interim director of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless, as well as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. He has worked at the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. He completed his medical degree at Boston University, a psychiatry residency at UCSF, and a chief residency at San Francisco General Hospital. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, and currently lives in Oakland CA. He is a current California Health Care Foundation Leadership fellow and has special interests in public health systems, social determinants of health, re-entry populations, and trauma.
A stroke happens every 40 seconds in the U.S. and is the fifth leading cause of death, killing about 140,000 Americans each year.
The average person loses 1.9 million brain cells every minute a stroke goes untreated. Recovery from a stroke is a life long process, and there are many people, like my guest, Dr. Diane Barnes, who have a story to tell that might help you or a loved one with recovery and hope.
Common Stroke Warning Signs and Symptoms
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg—especially on one side of the body.
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following test:
F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.
Guests
Dr. Diane Barnes is a third generation physician. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Yale University School of Medicine, and is board certified in Diagnostic Radiology. She left the practice of medicine in 2010. After surviving the catastrophe that inspired her one-women show, My Stroke of Luck, Diane Barnes discovered improvisation. Now a Meisner-trained actor, she also completed the American Conservatory Theater’s Summer Training Congress, and studied with Anna Deavere Smith, Ann Randolph, Keith Johnstone, and the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. You can find out more about her show, presented November 2-December 9, at www.themarsh.org, or call The Marsh box office at 415-282-3055
Patricia Gill, MS, MFT, is the Executive Director at the Schurig Center.
She started there in 2006 as a Teacher/Counselor and transitioned to Programs Director in 2007, and then Executive Director in 2009. Patricia earned a BA and MS in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and has worked in research and clinical positions at UC Davis and UCSF. Other professional positions include management of an Alzheimer’s and Dementia residential program; administration of neuropsychological testing; teaching at the University of San Francisco; coordinating research projects at UCSF/USF; and providing psychotherapy services to individuals, couples, and groups. Patricia is passionate about providing services that enhance people’s lives and ability to meaningfully engage with the community.
Dementia is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills, severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia.
Josh Kornbluth, is currently engaged in a year-long residency as a scholar at the Global Brain Health Institute. He is spending his time with people who have dementia and their caregivers, as well as researchers, nurses, social workers, and others.
Described as a cross between Woody Allen and Spalding Gray, Josh Kornbluth has been performing autobiographical one-man shows since 1987. The San Francisco Chronicle declared, “Kornbluth takes a world we ignore, or barely observe, and brings it into brilliant comic relief.” He launched his career as a solo artist with Josh Kornbluth’s Daily World, in which he described his childhood as the son of communists in 1960s New York.He is currently working on a solo show based on his experiences as an artist-in-residence and volunteer at the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco. For two years he hosted an interview program, “The Josh Kornbluth Show,” on KQED TV. His latest feature film, Love & Taxes, ishis second in collaboration with his brother Jacob; in a review, Variety called him “a nerd for our time.” His first feature film, Haiku Tunnel, is currently on HBO. Check out his web site at http://joshkornbluth.com/
Dr. Jennifer Yokoyama is an Assistant Professor at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, where she is building an independent research program in neurogenetics of aging. More specifically, she is interested in how genomic variation influences brain anatomy, physiology, and cognitive behaviors in healthy older adults, and how genomic variation relates to vulnerability, as well as resilience, against neurodegenerative processes of aging. Dr. Yokoyama obtained her doctorate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics in 2010 at UCSF and completed her postdoctoral training in neuroimaging at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.
Do you recognize how the pressures of life impacts your health and relationships? And do you have ways to decompress?
Many people go at a fast pace, eat on the run, work long hours, and are sleep deprived on a regular basis. Without taking time to tune in to what you’re feeling and what your body needs, you may not realize that you are regularly depleted. Some people get sick, irritable, anxious, or become dependent on substances like caffeine, pain pills, and the internet.
On Monday, June 19th from 2-3PM, on KPFA.org, 94.1FM. My guest Peter Wright discussed the fast-paced lives most people live, and it’s effect on well-being and health.
Peter Wright, MFT, is a Somatic Psychotherapist in private practice in Berkeley and San Francisco. He is also Adjunct Faculty in the Somatics program at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS), Clinical Supervisor for the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy in San Francisco, and a consultant to clinicians and social service agencies throughout the Bay Area. Many years of personal and professional studies with the founder of Formative Psychology®, Stanley Keleman, has deepened his understanding of Formative Principles, providing the primary frame for his work. Peter has practiced the art of Aikido for over 20 years, a practice that informs his understanding of transition, growth, and relationships.
Is it possible to use psychoactive substances in a clinical setting for anxiety or depression related to a terminal illness, or to treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
Psilocybin (active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”) is a powerful medicine that is being researched in therapeutic settings. Researches caution against recreational use of psilocybin because of potential adverse psychological reactions. New research suggests it has great potential as a treatment for severe anxiety caused by a serious illness, or terminal diagnosis. Other psychoactive substances are being researched for PTSD, depression, and drug abuse.
Guests:
Adam Strauss is a writer and performer based in New York City. His show, TheMushroom Cure, is playing at the Marsh Theatre in San Francisco for its West Coast Premiere. His show is inspired by a scientific study showing that hallucinogenic mushrooms may cure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Adam won the Leffe Craft Your Character Storytelling Competition and the New York Fringe Festival’s Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance. He is also a stand-up comedian who performs throughout the US and the UK. Adam received his BA in psychology from Brown University. For more information about the show go to https://themarsh.org
Alicia Danforth, Ph.D. has worked in clinical research with psychedelic medicines since 2004 at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She has collaborated with Dr. Charles Grob on pilot studies of psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential anxiety reactive to late-stage cancer and MDMA-assisted therapy for social anxiety in autistic adults. She currently is a licensed psychologist in private practice in the Silicon Valley and is beginning new research on psilocybin-assisted therapy for long-term survivors of HIV in San Francisco. Alicia co-taught the first graduate course for clinicians and researchers in training, entitled, “Psychedelics: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications.”
If you missed the show on @KPFA 94.1FM on Christmas Day (12/25/17) you can listen now: https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=275452
Rachel Walker received a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she specialized in Expressive Arts Therapy. In the past she worked with people with chronic mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, with criminal offenders, and with people suffering from addictions. She has provided individual, couple, and family therapy to clients facing a wide range of clinical issues including: anxiety, trauma, addiction, divorce, grief, bi-polar, cultural and diversity issues, eating disorders and creative and professional blocks. She is trained in modern dance and contact improvisation and Authentic Movement. Rachel has also studied improvisational writing, theater, and voice. Currently she sees clients as an EMDR and Expressive Arts Therapist in Berkeley, California. She is a certified EMDR therapist and approved EMDR consultant. Go to http://rachelwalkermft.com/ to learn more about her work.
Alejandro Soto-Vigil comes from a family of activists in the Bay Area. Last year he was re-elected to his second term on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board. After 8 years working in the City of Berkeley as a legislative aide, Alejandro now serves as the program manager for the Berkeley Drop-In Center, an organization that has served Berkeley’s homeless residents for over 25 years. Alejandro
Jeffrey Seal is the medical director and interim director of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless, as well as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. He has worked at the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. He completed his medical degree at Boston University, a psychiatry residency at UCSF, and a chief residency at San Francisco General Hospital. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, and currently lives in Oakland CA. He is a current California Health Care Foundation Leadership fellow and has special interests in public health systems, social determinants of health, re-entry populations, and trauma.
Dr. Diane Barnes is a third generation physician. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Yale University School of Medicine, and is board certified in Diagnostic Radiology. She left the practice of medicine in 2010. After surviving the catastrophe that inspired her one-women show, 
She started there in 2006 as a Teacher/Counselor and transitioned to Programs Director in 2007, and then Executive Director in 2009. Patricia earned a BA and MS in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and has worked in research and clinical positions at UC Davis and UCSF. Other professional positions include management of an Alzheimer’s and Dementia residential program; administration of neuropsychological testing; teaching at the University of San Francisco; coordinating research projects at UCSF/USF; and providing psychotherapy services to individuals, couples, and groups. Patricia is passionate about providing services that enhance people’s lives and ability to meaningfully engage with the community.
Dr. Jennifer Yokoyama is an Assistant Professor at the UCSF 
Do you recognize how the pressures of life impacts your health and relationships? And do you have ways to decompress?
Somatic Psychotherapist in private practice in Berkeley and San Francisco. He is also Adjunct Faculty in the Somatics program at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS), Clinical Supervisor for the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy in San Francisco, and a consultant to clinicians and social service agencies throughout the Bay Area. Many years of personal and professional studies with the founder of Formative Psychology®, Stanley Keleman, has deepened his understanding of Formative Principles, providing the primary frame for his work. Peter has practiced the art of Aikido for over 20 years, a practice that informs his understanding of transition, growth, and relationships.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
rancisco for its West Coast Premiere. His show is inspired by a scientific study showing that hallucinogenic mushrooms may cure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Adam won the Leffe Craft Your Character Storytelling Competition and the New York Fringe Festival’s Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance. He is also a stand-up comedian who performs throughout the US and the UK. Adam received his BA in psychology from Brown University. For more information about the show go to 