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A workshop to reclaim your birthright of freedom and joy

May 7, 2012 By

A three-day workshop combining yoga and psychology will be presented at the Khalsa Healing Arts Center, 1 South Main Street, Yardley, on Friday, May 18th from 6:00-9:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday, May 19th and 20th from 1:00-4:00pm. Cost is $150 for early registration

Dr. Pamela Zamel, a Licensed Psychologist and Swarandeep Kaur, a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher, will present a workshop on dealing more effectively with the fears that rob us of our true potential. Together they will offer Eastern and Western techniques for living more fully, authentically and abundantly.

Fear is a universal emotion and the fight-flight-freeze response is designed to protect us. However, dwelling in a continual state of alert will compromise our health, deplete our joy and limit our ability for growth and connection. Dr. Zamel will examine how the brain, nervous system and neurological pathways recognize and respond to fear.

Participants will have the opportunity to examine their personal fear responses in a safe and supportive environment while incorporating new patterns of behavior.

Swarandeep Kaur will offer Yogic technologies designed to strengthen the nervous system and to remain present and centered in anxious circumstances. These include Mantras for elevation, Meditation for courage, Kriyas for balance and Yoga Nidra for deep relaxation.

In a culture where stress and anxiety are epidemic, Dr. Pamela Zamel and Swarandeep Kaur offer this workshop as an opportunity to move beyond the self-protective strategies of the ego. Bring a notebook and come dressed for yoga.

Call 215-321-0305 to register.

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Filed Under: Yardley Voice Events Tagged With: , , , , ,

New Hope psychiatrist is the one to ask when you’re ready for help

February 21, 2012 By

Dr. Laurie Schray by June Portnoy

Dr. Laurie Schray is a board certified psychiatrist who offers more than 25 years of experience and expertise in a broad range of treatment modalities at her private New Hope psychiatry practice. Compassionate, comprehensive mental health care, along with customized treatment developed in collaboration with her patients, are a few of the core values that Dr. Schray brings to her practice. She completed her training in Philadelphia and after fulfilling her National Health Service Corp. obligation, returned to Bucks County. 

She was in private practice and had offices in Ambler and Langhorne. Her career then began to expand, encompassing many new areas. She became involved in corporate America and earned a degree as a Certified Physician Executive while working for a national healthcare organization in the Midwest. 

Over time the pull of the East Coast grew stronger and she moved to New Jersey where she served as a Medical Director in correctional healthcare and later as Medical Director for a county government agency. She has since returned to Bucks County and has opened her new private practice that incorporates her broad range of experience and knowledge into the care of her patients. 

Dr. Schray’s career has provided her with diverse experiences in caring for patients with many different problems, ranging from the expected challenges of living our lives to facing the challenges of having a severe mental illness. Having taken on many different roles as a physician, Dr. Schray has come to appreciate the challenges associated with change. 

“Change can be both an exciting and stressful time for people whether eagerly anticipated or totally unexpected,” says Dr. Schray. “Regardless, change is an essential part of life, yet frequently we can have trouble dealing with the transitions and need help when things become overwhelming.”  

For example, in a more recent position, Dr. Schray worked with adolescents and young adults with ongoing Attention Deficit Disorders (ADHD) accompanied by drug addiction and legal issues. According to Dr. Schray, getting the help one needs when struggling with the fairly common triad of addiction, legal issues and ADHD is especially difficult if the symptoms of ADHD have not been recognized or treated.

Unfortunately, many adolescents go on to struggle with symptoms of ADHD beyond high school and into adulthood and never get the treatment necessary to cope with change and transitions in their lives.

“Patients usually seek treatment when they are at some crisis in their lives, and being able to trust that someone will really listen is paramount,” says Dr. Schray. 

[Read more...]

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Filed Under: New Hope News Business Profiles Tagged With: , , ,

Express yourself

November 1, 2011 By

submitted by Tobias Cabral, Psy.D.

On the short list of things I ask my clients when they start seeing me for therapy is whether they do anything creative. Do they write? Sing? Play an instrument? Paint? Create modules for video games?

It might seem an odd question for a psychologist to ask, but it really does make a difference. There’s nothing quite like a creative activity to provide insights into one’s underlying thoughts and feelings. Clients have often reported to me that, in the process of creating something, they stumble across a recurring theme which echoes what we are working on in therapy. In this sense, it is kind of like a waking dream that reveals the issues and conflicts that have been operating behind the scenes, and in turn, can suggest possible paths toward solutions. As if the value of self-knowledge weren’t enough in itself, though, we also have entered an era in which it has become easier than ever for people to put their creations out there for others to appreciate, thanks to the many tools available through the Internet.

You can start a blog (for example at www.blogger.com, or www.wordpress.com), where you can post your writings, pictures, music, or whatever. You can post videos of your performances on YouTube (which can be edited and produced in very polished, professional-looking form, using free or inexpensive software). Authors can even self-publish their stories, books, poems, etc. for reading devices like Amazon’s Kindle (https://kdp.amazon.com), or Barnes & Noble’s Nook (http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/), as well as for the free apps that can be installed on computers, tablets, and smartphones even if people don’t actually own a Kindle or a Nook.

I speak from personal experience when I say that the process is relatively straightforward, since I’ve published a short science fiction novel (“Night Music”) on the Kindle platform. It probably won’t make you rich (trust me!), but it can be a real self-esteem booster to see your book go live on the Amazon or B&N site! And you just might learn something about yourself along the way.

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Filed Under: Langhorne Ledger Columnists Tagged With: , , ,