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We're justifiably frightened to be battling an invisible virus, and overwhelmed to see, quite literally, the bodies piling up. This global pandemic is not just a public tragedy. It has upended all of our lives, forced us into isolation, devastated our economy, interfered with how our children learn, and changed how we celebrate holidays and bury our dead. Is it any wonder that our nerves are beyond frayed? Our frontline heroes — first responders, essential workers, and especi

The coronavirus pandemic is crazy-making. But we can't afford to make crazy decisions. Here's how wellness practices can help. Eyes wide shut. When faced with upsetting or painful circumstances, we put blinders on. It's especially easy, even temporarily comforting, to deny reality. But it's not a viable solution. In fact, with respect to the coronavirus, such denial is downright dangerous. Our world has been turned upside down and, understandably, we are confused by conflicti

When tragedy struck me — my wife was brutally stabbed to death by her eldest son — I wasn't prepared. And, for many years, I suffered with the debilitating effects of chronic and ongoing trauma. Rather than suffering as I did, why not try to prevent PTSD or, at the very least, catch it at an early stage? Preparedness is key. As a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, our already over-stressed healthcare system will face yet another crisis: a mental health crisis, with a

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach reveals personal lessons learned in the midst of tragic life experiences. Tragedy's silver lining. Does it sound preposterous, even disrespectful, to say "in the midst of tragedy, opportunities abound"? Well, it's true. There is nothing alright about losing precious lives. So where's the silver lining? The answer lies in what we can learn from experiencing life's tragic events. And, given the preponderance of tragedies, we better lear

An alcohol and drug addiction counselor examines why people take drugs, why they keep taking them, and what to do about it. Sure, people have free will when they make the decision to have their first sip of alcohol, first cigarette, or first puff of marijuana. Or do they? For some of us, hereditary genetic or epigenetic factors put us at increased risk. Others are influenced by the desire to be part of a social group. Still others make choices before their brains are fully de

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach reveals the power of self-love for surviving crisis and self-care for self-preservation. In my struggle to survive, heal, and grow after my wife was stabbed to death by her eldest son, here's what I've discovered. Acceptance. Now is the time to consider the wisdom of acceptance. That's the message of the Serenity Prayer: "Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to kn

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach reveals the 'how' and the 'why' of abstinence, recovery and renewal, without drugs or alcohol. Surviving tragedy & trauma. An unspeakable, unbearable tragedy shattered my world on July 2, 2011. As many trauma victims do, I had turned to drugs and alcohol to numb my pain. I thought that was the way to take the edge off. But, after many years, I became aware that numbing myself only prolonged my agony. Breaking bad habits. Bad habits di

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach reveals the hidden opportunities that may be discovered in starting over. Tragedy shattered my world. First, the murder of my wife — bludgeoned to death by her tormented older son. That, by itself, would have upended my entire world. But that was just the beginning. Over nearly a decade, I experienced multiple traumatic events — family betrayal, the suicide of my wife's younger son, unconscionable estate battles, and much more. For a

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach pleads: don't cave in to the pressures of self-interested citizens or corporations; instead, choose life, take action, and save the world! In the blink of an eye, my world shattered when my wife was bludgeoned to death by her tormented adult son; and I thought at that time, I could not survive. That's why I was deeply saddened to read heartbreaking stories about young peoples' decisions whether or not to have children because of clima

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach reveals the hidden opportunities that may be discovered in starting over. Tragedy shattered my world. First, a single horrid tragedy — the murder of my wife by her tormented older son. That, by itself, would have been enough to totally upend my entire world. But, that was just the beginning. Over nearly a decade, I experienced multiple traumatic events — family betrayal and the suicide of my wife's younger son; pilferage of my wife's

A trauma victim, survivor, and life coach discusses how gratitude saved his life and has the power to greatly improve yours. "How much would you pay for a miracle pill that would help you to feel more alive? Be happier and more fulfilled? Feel more optimistic about the future? Experience fewer symptoms of stress? Sleep better? Have a stronger immune system? Achieve more progress toward your personal goals? Live significantly longer?" These are the questions that I posed to an

Burton M. Fischler, MA, Certified Life Coach reveals lessons learned from his personal post-traumatic struggle: from victim to victor; from survivor to thriver. After taking a stroll in Central Park on a perfect summer's day, I was returning home to my pre-war classic co-op on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Then, quite unexpectedly, a detective approached me and informed me that my wife had been bludgeoned to death with a large chef's knife. For almost a decade, I struggled to

At the Eastern tip of Long Island's South Fork is Montauk Point. That's where my life partner's granddaughter, Kathryn, recently celebrated her 24th birthday. The weather forecast was rain. So, when I received Kathryn's text explaining that she had decided to follow in my spiritual footsteps by praying for sunshine at Council Rock, I was inspired to share yet another spiritual practice: rock stacking. And, since Kathryn's prayers had been answered with good weather, my sugges

Before the coronavirus pandemic, we busied ourselves with too much work, too many social activities, and too little self-care. Then, due to quarantining guidelines, most of us were suddenly forced to spend less time with others and more time with a person who had, somehow, become a stranger to us: our selves. Connection to Yourself. When you're truly connected to your authentic self, you'll never feel alone. But, without realizing it, many of us had spent a great deal of time

There are four basic dimensions to our lives: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. How do we choose to spend our time? Family, relationships, social, financial, career, civic, volunteer, relaxation, vacation? If we're concerned about our health and well-being, we'll want to find ways to keep our lives in balance. Our behavioral health depends on it! Balanced vs. Extreme Living. Balanced living may not sound as exciting as living life in the extremes. Admittedly, those

I recall my college professor discussing the scientific theory of evolution, as if it were yesterday. Actually, it was almost fifty years ago. He said that, sometimes, if a scientist discovers a beetle that doesn't "fit" the theory, he simply sweeps it under the rug! Ah, all of us have a tendency to push away unpleasant thoughts — feelings of not being enough, traumatic experiences, fears, worries about the future, laments about the past, and more. But, generally speaking, me

Published version — Newsday Opinion Letters, October 1, 2019. As a life coach with an education in psychology and trauma recovery, I am appalled to read insensitive criticisms of teens who only stood by or used video recorders instead of intervening to stop the stabbing death of Oceanside teen Khassen Morris. Others criticize students who heard about plans for the fight and failed to tell parents, teachers or police ["Teens should have told about fight plan," Letters, Sept. 2

By Burton M. Fischler, M.A., Certified Life Coach As I considered the CDC's suggestion to limit our Thanksgiving family gatherings, due to the high rate of coronavirus infection spread, several thoughts came to mind. First, with respect to finding a safe space in which to celebrate Thanksgiving, I'm reminded of one of my favorite Hilary B. Price "Rhymes with Orange" cartoons: The Quest. It depicts a Zen Center storefront with a sign that reads: "Seeking Enlightenment? Inquire

As appeared on Burton's Facebook post on September 11, 2019 It is reported that 30% of first responders to 9/11 develop behavioral health conditions, including PTSD, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Supplemental research bulletin that focuses on mental health and substance abuse concerns. Based upon my knowledge of trauma and PTSD, I believe that this estimate is far too low. Not due to SAMHSA's data reporting errors. Instead,

Submitted to Newsday & Oceanside Herald newspapers — Letter to the Editor As a trauma victim of unspeakable tragedy myself and now a life coach specializing in trauma recovery and personal development, I am appalled to read the insensitive and judgmental criticisms of those 50 teens who "stood by and did nothing" or "videotaped instead of helping" in reference to the horrid stabbing to death of Oceanside teen victim, Khaseen Morris. Others wage even broader criticisms against