Rev. Dr. Peter Abas has his Doctorate of Counseling and Human Development in Gerontological Counseling from the University of Rochester, New York.  He is pastor, licensed and registered mental health counselor and geriatric consultant. He practices counseling at Rhythmic Tranquility Counseling center. He worked as a clinical chaplain and geriatric consultant at the Home for the elderly of the Sisters of Mercy Americas in Rochester. He practiced for two years as a mental health counselor at the Pastoral Counseling and Family Therapy Center in Rochester, New York. Beside this, he also had taught graduate courses in the University of Rochester at the Warner School of Counseling and Human Development.       

Greetings again

Unfortunately I was unable to blog for few months, it was due to my computer problem. I do hope by this time I am able to blog frequently.
Peace

I attended this Workshop conducted by Robert Lawrence Friedman
The Healing Power of the Drum – Workshop Outline

This full day workshop Singapore (17th October, 20110) will run from 9:00am to 4:30pm with morning, lunch and afternoon breaks.

Please note that meals are not included in the workshop registration fee.

Seminar Objectives
Use rhythm-based exercises to improve communication, listening skills and intimacy of various populations;
Examine specific populations in regard to effects of rhythm-based therapy;
Provide tools and techniques for releasing anger and stress;
Explore non-verbal and verbal rhythmic exercises for boosting self-esteem;
Use Rhythmic Entrainment as a vehicle to both relax and energize;
Use Guided Visualization as a method to deepen the state of relaxation.
In addition, the program will focus on :
Drumming for Specific Populations and Disorders

§ Alzheimer’s Disease
§ Parkinson’s Disease
 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
 Unresolved Grief Anger Management
 Autism
 Disabled Children Exercises

Drum Set Vocalizations
The Scat Orchestra Entrainment Exercises I and II.
Drumming Meditation
Releasing Emotions Into the Drum
Drumming to Feel Your Power
Affirmations and Drumming
The African Village
Music Therapy Techniques

A state of Emotional Pain

A State of Emotional Pain


My heart is still longing for him (her late husband). Loneliness is sad and emotionally unpleasant. - Josephine-

A feeling of sadness. Participants in this study repeatedly stated that many of their lonely times included times of sadness as well. “Feelings of sadness” is a phrase that has never been used in the UCLA Loneliness scale. Rather, it is reported in this way: “I am unhappy being so withdrawn.” For the purpose of this study, I am assuming that the UCLA concept of ‘unhappiness’ is equivalent to the sadness, observed in the participants in this study.

Unhappiness caused by the frustration of loneliness, unhappiness caused by the absence of others, or still yet so many other emotions could automatically and knowingly occur while trying to cope with each passing day. According to my study, sadness quickly intensifies. It passes through stages of anger, rage, defiance, frustration, even self-pity but very often, the end result is a deep seated sadness that easily evolves into, in the worst case scenario, profound sadness that has proved to be a characteristic of the loneliness experience by the participants in this study.

Rubenstein and Shavers (1982) mentioned that sadness is a feeling that goes with loneliness. Another study also affirmed that in general, persons who reported loneliness were more depressed, anxious, and hopeless, and were more likely to report sadness and anhedonia, than individuals who did not report loneliness. (Barg, Ashomre, Wittink, Murray, Bogner and Gallo (2006).

Gaev (1976) explains that emotional loneliness describes a general feeling of sadness and longing when the need for genuine emotional closeness, affection or meaningful conversation with significant others is frustrated, even if in a relationship. Gaev (1976) uses the term social loneliness to identify the feeling of sadness stemming from the unsatisfied need to belong or have a place in the social world and she likens it to the sociological term of alienation.

Loneliness, then, sounds like an unpleasant state of emotional pain and negative self-image that people fear, attempt to avoid, and struggle to escape. Buchholz and Catton (1999) describe loneliness as a negative state most often coupled with feelings of sadness and hopelessness. So, it can be easily deduced that sadness is the effect after many other emotions take precedence that is the multi-causal ignition that causes the feeling to erupt and to be maintained.

It (loneliness) is a feeling of hurt when you do not have that person (his late wife) with you any longer. -Adrian-

 
Extract taken from a doctoral Dissertation, (Abas, 2007)

Happy Birthday to Santo

A joyful day for Mr. Santo Castello who celebrated his 95th birthday on Oct, 1st 2011. Santo has been a great friend when I was still in Rochester, NY.
Many more years for your Santo to be the witness of the Lord.

A State of Being Overwhelmed with Work and Emotion


I feel overwhelmed and realize my limits when doing something which I am incapable of doing. – Sonia-

A feeling of being overwhelmed. Feeling overwhelmed encompasses many emotions including the typical feelings of despair and anxiety. These participants described being physically overwhelmed (with work) while at the same time, their minds were filled to capacity with a feeling of having nowhere to turn. Anger and resentment set in quickly when overwhelmed feelings came to the forefront. All in all, persons feeling overwhelmed claim to feel that there is nowhere to turn; nowhere to achieve a productive or rewarding sense of self-worth.

The word “overwhelmed” came into play quite frequently during these interviews. Some of the participants in this study stressed their feelings of being overwhelmed and at the same time reported feeling anger and sadness along with being overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed was always reported as being associated with other types of pain, as well. No research in the literature about being overwhelmed was found. The situation of being overwhelmed is much too broad of a topic to reference. The situation does not stand alone, especially as evidenced in these participants’ interviews.

Summing up, being overwhelmed encompasses two basic situations: Overwhelmed with responsibility and overwhelmed with emotion. Not all participants who felt overwhelmed were overwhelmed with responsibility. They were all however, overwhelmed with emotion in their own way. Above all, becoming overwhelmed along with being lonely made coping even more difficult.

The feeling of helplessness occurs because of the inability to handle the emotion of living alone. –Andrew-

A feeling of being helpless. My anecdotal experience in clinical settings suggests that the transition to helplessness from feeling overwhelmed involves retreat when the psyche can no longer contain anxiety or fear anymore. Rubenstein & Shaver (1982) have put being helpless as one factor of feeling lonely that involves desperation. The word “helplessness” was used by study participants in a manner reminiscent of Von Witzleben (1958) who distinguished between two types of loneliness, one accompanied by loss of an object in the real world, and the other the “loneliness of one’s self,” (the feeling of being alone and helpless in this world). This latter type of loneliness, which is commonly experienced, is what he terms primary loneliness. For him, it was independent of the loss of an object. Loneliness can include an experience of anxiety, which is vague and pervasive, in which one feels panicked and helpless. One does not know how to cope with it and fears that it may overwhelm one (Gaev, 1976).

Taking this concept to the next step, the overwhelmed participants were all grounded in one commonality of emotion. They all tended to agree that loneliness set in only after their own filled psyches resisted any more responsibilities. But, the situation that changed them from overwhelmed to helpless was only felt because, during attempts, they could not devise a plan to rectify their overwhelming feelings. Therefore, “no plan” then led to the feeling of helplessness because they finally realized that not only could they not achieve success in their endeavors, but that only solution was to seek the help of others, enabling the frustration, the guilt, and the fear to become the main characteristics of helplessness.

Extract taken from Doctoral Dissertation, Abas 2007.

BORNEO HOME OF HOPE

1. Geriatric Workshop Programs

a) To draw a Logo for the proposed Borneo Research Aging Center

b) To draft the Vision & Mission of “BRAC”

c) To produce and print program brochures

2. Rhythmic Tranquility Programs

a) To draw a Logo for Rhythmic Tranquility Program “RTP”

b) To draft the Objective of Rhythmic Tranquility

c) To produce and print program brochures

3. Topics of Professional Development Courses

a) Counseling “A Process View”

b) Basic Helping Skills and Counseling as a New Experience

c) Adult Life Span

d) Counseling Skills

e) A Pastoral Response to Domestic against Violence