Trauma Recovery

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

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 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

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

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

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