Text 4758, 79 rader
Skriven 2004-11-09 17:00:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Asylums
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I told you to keep a sharp eye out for this...

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http://www.bocanews.com/index.php?src=news&prid=10127&category=Local%20N
ews%20%20&PHPSESSID=dbedc967e0ac261e440983dcdc5d7660

Kerry supporters seek therapy in South Florida 
Boca Raton trauma specialist has treated 15 patients 
  
Published Tuesday, November 9, 2004 
by Sean Salai


More than a dozen traumatized John Kerry supporters have sought and 
received therapy from a licensed Florida psychologist since their 
candidate lost to President Bush, the Boca Raton News learned Monday.
Boca Raton trauma specialist Douglas Schooler said he has treated 15 
clients and friends with “intense hypnotherapyö since the Democratic 
nominee conceded last Wednesday.
“I had one friend tell me he’s never been so depressed and angry in his 
life,ö Schooler said. “I observed patients threatening to leave the 
country or staring listlessly into space. They were emotionally 
paralyzed, shocked and devastated.ö
Schooler’s disclosure comes after the weekend discovery of a Kerry 
volunteer’s corpse at Ground Zero in New York City. Georgia resident 
Andrew Veal, 25, reportedly killed himself with a shotgun blast to the 
head due to Kerry’s loss and a girlfriend problem.
Some mental health professionals in South Florida said Monday they have 
already developed a new category for the Kerry-related stress reactions. 
Because Palm Beach County voted heavily for Kerry, the therapists said, 
many residents hurt themselves by so anxiously expecting the 
Massachusetts senator to win – especially those who maintained 
unrealistic recount hopes after their candidate’s concession.
“We’re calling it ‘post-election selection trauma’ and we’re working to 
develop a counseling program for it,ö said Rob Gordon, the Boca-based 
executive director of the American Health Association. “It’s like post-
traumatic stress syndrome, but it’s a short-term shock rather than a 
childhood trauma.ö
Gordon, the first American Red Cross psychotherapist sent to Ground Zero 
after the 9/11 terror attacks, said therapists’ main concern is to 
prevent the recurrence of Kerry-related suicides like the one in New 
York City.
“There are definitely people depressed by John Kerry’s loss, and this 
can easily lead to suicides like the one we saw up in New York this 
weekend,ö Gordon said. “Luckily, it can be treated if people seek help. 
We’re urging people to call us immediately if they feel depressed or 
know anyone who is seriously stressed out.ö
Also in Boca, at least one counseling center and an emotional support 
group were preparing for an influx of Kerry supporters at their first 
post-election meetings today.
“We’ll let the Kerry voters talk about it and let off some steam, and by 
listening to other people’s stories, we’ll help them refocus and 
surrender to the things in their life which they can’t possibly change,ö 
said a spokeswoman for Emotions Anonymous, a recovery group meeting 
tonight at Glades Presbyterian Church.
“We’re referring people with election-related stress to the Democratic 
National Committee,ö said Karen Jacobs of the Center for Group 
Counseling. “We’ll do what we can for anyone who shows up for our 
support group programs this week, but we haven’t implemented a specific 
program for Kerry-related trauma.ö
Schooler, practicing in Boca since 1984, said he treated his 15 patients 
last week with hypnosis-based rapid response trauma therapy. This week, 
he is charging a sliding fee to non-clients who feel they need the one-
time “election therapyö session. South Floridians can contact him at 561-
395-3033.
“A lot of Kerry voters don’t know what to do with their anger, because 
there was no recount, so they’ve kept it bottled up,ö said Schooler, who 
also is a certified sex therapist. “I help them transform the anger into 
more positive emotions.ö
Asked to describe symptoms of the post-election trauma, Schooler said, 
“They include feelings of extreme anger, despair, hopelessness, 
powerlessness, a failure to function behaviorally, a sense of 
disillusionment, of not wanting to vote anymore – that sort of thing. 
We’re talking about a deep, unhealthy personal suffering that can best 
be remedied by intensive short-term therapy.ö

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