My Anxiety Story
Christine Korol, Ph.D., R.Psych.
No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't figure out how to get my emotions under "control."
I was born a worrier and things got progressively worse when I was a teenager and I began to have trouble sleeping because I would stay up all night worrying.
When I went away to university, I started having panic attacks and some really serious exam anxiety. And, of course, sleep became a distant memory. I was a nervous wreck!
I was determined to find a solution to my sleep and anxiety problems.
When I finished my BA in Psychology, I was sick of all the worry and stress that I knew that I was causing myself. From my reading, I was pretty sure that cognitive therapy would be the answer to my anxiety problem.
In graduate school, I learned everything that I could about cognitive therapy and began to notice things turn around. It was great to see the tools I had only read about not only work for me but for the clients who came to see me.
I also discovered Jon Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living and was introduced to mindfulness meditation. What I loved about mindfulness meditation is that you just don't get told that you should live in the present moment, you are actually shown how to do it! Since that time, there have been numerous research studies that have demonstrated the benefits of mindfulness for anxiety, depression, chronic pain, insomnia, headaches, stress in cancer patients and much, much more.
After I graduated, I had the opportunity to work in several hospitals helping people cope with really difficult circumstances and my private practice soon became busy with people who came to see me for help with anxiety and OCD. My own anxiety was almost nonexistent - for awhile.
Just when I thought my anxiety was gone...I had kids!
After I had my first daughter, I developed a case of post-partum obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD runs in my family and I guess I had the genetic predisposition.
I started to worry that my husband was in a car accident if he was five minutes late and I couldn't reach him, became a little perfectionistic about recycling (I was living in Vancouver at the time and we had to sort everything for pickup), started worrying about the end of the world - either by global warming or a world war and probably a few other things that I've forgotten now.
I was pretty lucky though because I knew what was happening to me (so many people just think that they are going crazy) and my initial reaction was, "This is so cool." Now I had the chance to really understand what OCD felt like firsthand and how tenacious it can be - even for someone who had helped hundreds of others conquer their own anxiety and OCD. I really learned the importance of patience and practice when it comes to OCD and how the effort is definitely worth it.
Things were great once again - for awhile. In the summer of 2006, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Any fear that I had ever experienced previously paled by comparison to the terror I felt at that time. At least I knew better than to try and "suck it up" and I just let myself accept the fact that I was terrified. I took some time off work to take care of myself and meditated, meditated and meditated.
I am happy to report that everything turned out fine (I lost my thyroid but they got all of the cancer) and although it really, really sucked at the time there were a few good things that I learned from the experience. I became a much better meditator, learned to stay calm in the face of a really big fear, changed a few priorities, and most importantly, used the experience to become a better therapist.
Don't get me wrong. I still worry from time to time. The difference is that today I have a "normal" level of anxiety - the occasional thing gets to me and I have the odd sleepless night but I know exactly what to do to get myself back on track. Mostly, if I do get anxious now, I can cope with it well and it doesn't bother me like it used to. I definitely have to practice what I preach at all times!
If you are suffering from anxiety, OCD or insomnia, I'd love to hear from you.
I know how scary and embarassing it can be to talk to someone about all of your fears and to ask for help. And I know how awful it feels to live with anxiety -- to listen to the ridiculous thoughts that you can't shake, heart pounding and gut wrenching panic and the sleepless nights.
I promise that I won't think you're weird or crazy because I've been there myself. In fact, if you think you are going crazy that is probably a good sign that you aren't!
I promise not to make you adopt some kind of new belief system or fit you into my theory of the world. I also won't do any lame "you can do it" cheerleading. My intention is to teach you concrete strategies to calm yourself down and fall asleep naturally. I would never, ever in a million years make you do or talk about anything that you are not ready for or feel uncomfortable about.
You will always be in charge and you will determine how fast you want to work on vanquishing your fears.
Please call me today if you would like to talk about your struggles and how I can help you at 403.561.6873. I can't wait to help you stop worrying and get the sleep you need!
Peacefully yours,
Christine
p.s.
If you are interested in reading more details about my background and experience (e.g., where I went to school, where I've worked, etc.), please feel free to have a peek at my resume below:
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology,1998-2001
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology (APA/CPA accredited), 1991-1998
UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Psychology, 1988-1990
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
Major in Psychology and English, 1986-1988
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
PRIVATE PRACTICE
Psychologist, 2001 to present
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT CLINIC, TOM BAKER CANCER CENTRE
Psychologist, 2007 to 2009
PEDIATRIC COMPLEX PAIN CLINIC/BURN UNIT, ALBERTA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Psychologist, 2006 to 2007
NEONATAL FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMME/NEUROPSYCHIATRY CLINIC, BRITISH COLUMBIA'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Psychologist, 2002 to 2006
CHILD AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH TEAM, MINISTRY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Psychologist, 2001 to 2002
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, OTTAWA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Predoctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology, 1994 to 1995
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION, RED DEER COLLEGE
Summer Series for the Arts, 2008 & 2009
Together with Dr. Kim van Walsum, I will be teaching the Contemplative Art for the Reduction of Stress (CAReS) program in the beautiful new visual arts studio at Red Deer College. For more information on series or to register please click here.
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Lecturer, 1999 to 2005
I have taught a number of courses at UBC including: Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, Personality, Infancy, Child Development, Adult Development, Aging and Child Assessment.
SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
Part-time Professor, 1996 to 1997
I taught Introductory Psychology and The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships to undergraduates at the University of Ottawa.
AWARDS
DR. RONALD MELZACK AWARD FOR PAIN RESEARCH
Post-doctoral fellowship awarded from ASTRA/CAS/CPS/MRC, 1998 to 2001
TEAGLE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
Award based on academic merit & brief autobiographical essay component, 1991 to 1996
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA MERIT SCHOLARSHIP
Award based on academic merit, 1991 to 1994
ST. THOMAS MORE HONOURS' SCHOLARSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
Award based on academic merit, 1989
IMPERIAL OIL LIMITED HIGHER EDUCATION AWARD
Award based on high school GPA, and renewed on basis of maintenance of grades during undergraduate program, 1986 to 1990
ALEXANDER RUTHERFORD SCHOLARSHIP
Award based on academic merit, 1986
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Korol, C. & von Baeyer, C.L. (1991). The effectiveness of imagery and birth visualization in prenatal education. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Calgary, June.
Korol, C. & von Baeyer, C.L. (1992). Effects of brief instruction in imagery and birth visualization in prenatal education.Journal of Mental Imagery, 16, 167-172.
Korol, C., Goodman, J.T., Gayton, J.E., & Hsu, E. (1992). The acceptability of paediatric pain interventions in a variety of settings. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Quebec, June.
Wilson, K.G., Greene, G., Crupi, C.D., Gaulin, B., Dehoux, E. & Korol, C.T. (1993, October). Providing rehabilitation services to rural areas: Consumer satisfaction with a mobile clinic. Presented at the First North American regional conference of Rehabilitation International, Partners for Independence: Models that Work, Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta '93 Conference Proceedings, 254-259.
Wilson, K.G., Mikail, S.F., D'Eon, J.L. & Korol, C.T. (1993). Depression in the context of pain: A survey of IASP members. Paper presented at the 7th World Congress on Pain, Paris, France, August.
Wilson, K.G., Mikail, S.F., D'Eon, J.L. & Korol, C.T. (1993). Depression in the context of pain. Rapport (Newsletter of the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology), 1 14-15.
Splinter, W., Hsu, E., Korol, C.T., Goodman, J.T., McCarthy, P., & Ellis, J. (1994). Conscious sedation in paediatric oncology patients: Propofol versus Midazolam. Clinical and Investigative Medicine, 17, B90, abstract.
Wilson, K.G., Greene, G., Dehoux, E., Crupi, C.D., Gaulin-Jones, B.& Korol, C.T. (1995). Consumer satisfaction with a rehabilitation out-reach program. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 76, 899-904.
DeGagne, T.A. & Korol, C.T. (1995). Confirmatory hierarchical factor analysis of the BDI on chronic pain patients. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Pain Society, Ottawa, Ontario, May
James-Tanner, S., MacCormack, T., Korol, C., & Lee, C.M. (1996). Using reflecting teams in training psychology students in systemic therapy. Journal of Systemic Therapies. 48 (2):139-149.
DeGagne, T.A. & Korol, C.T. (1996). Factorial validity and invariance of the Beck Depression Inventory across gender: A second order CFA model. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress on Pain, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. August 17-22, 1996.
Korol, C.T., Goodman, J.T., Lawrence, J., & Merchant, P. (1996). Contextual influences on the pain behaviour of preterm and full-term neonates. Paper presented at the 8th World Congress on Pain, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. August 17-22, 1996.
Korol, C., Craig, K.D., & Jenkins, L. (2000). Multidimensional Assessment of Pain in Neonates: Sensitivity and Specificity of Facial and Body Cues. International Forum on Pediatric Pain, White Point, Nova Scotia, October, 2000.
Korol, C.T., Craig, K.D. (2001). Pain from the perspectives of health psychology and culture. In D.Evans & S.Kazarian (Eds.). Handbook of Cultural Health psychology. San Diego: Academic Press. pp 241-265
Korol, C.T., Craig, K.D., & Firestone, P. (2002). Dissociative and somatoform disorders. In P. Firestone & W.L. Marshall (Eds.), Abnormal Psychology Perspectives. Toronto, Ont.: Prentice-Hall.
Craig, K.D., Korol, C.T., & Pillai, R.R. (2002). Challenges of judging pain in vulnerable infants. Clinics in Perinatology.
Nader, R., Korol, C., & Craig, K. (2005). Parental judgements of pain in infants 2, 4, 6, & 12 months exposed to routine immunization injections. Paper presented at the 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Boston, MA, April, 2005.
Korol, C.T., Petrie-Thomas, J., Whitfield, M., Grunau, R.E., & Synnes, A. (2005). Self-concept and behavior problems in formerly extremely low birthweight (<800 gms) adolescents. Paper presented at the 2005 Society for Pediatric Research annual meeting, May, 2005.
Petrie-Thomas, J., Grunau, R.E., Whitfield, M.F., Korol, C.T., & Synnes, A. (2005). Tactile sensitivity at age 3 years: A predictor of parent reported behavioural problems in late adolescence in preterm infants of <800 g birthweight. Paper presented at the 2005 Society for Pediatric Research annual meeting, May, 2005.
Craig, K.D. & Korol, C.T. (2008). Developmental issues in assessing, managing and treating pediatric pain.
RESEARCHGRANTS
Craig, K. & Korol, C.T., (2000-2003). Multidimensional Assessment of Infant Pain. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. $216,720.
Craig, K. & Korol, C.T. (1997). Pain in Neonates: Facial, Body, Cry and Physiological Cues. British Columbia Medical Services Foundation, $42, 000.
Splinter, W., Hsu, E., Korol, C.T., Goodman, J.T., McCarthy, P., & Ellis, J. (1993). Conscious sedation in paediatric oncology patients: Propofol versus Midazolam. Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, $13,320.
Korol, C.T., Goodman, J.T., & Lawrence, J. (1996). Contextual influences on the pain behaviour of preterm and full-term neonates. Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, $2,474.00.
Goodman, J.T., Korol, C.T., Lawrence, J. & Merchant, P. (1996). Contextual influences on pain behaviour in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, $19,631.00.