Dr. Chloe Carmichael

Dr. Chloe Carmichael Provides Advice for Dealing with Strong Feelings in Wake of Terrorist Attack

Renowned psychologist talks about managing emotions in times of worldwide strife

 

New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/17/2015 --Dr. Chloe Carmichael, a clinical psychologist with a private practice on Park Avenue in New York, recently provided tips and resources to help people manage their strong emotions in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

It is natural for people to experience anger, grief and other strong emotions after such horrific events occur. However, many people manage these emotions in unhealthy and inappropriate ways. Dr. Carmichael encourages people to take appropriate action when they experience these feelings, rather than bottling them up.

"While action can sometimes be dangerous and offensive to some people, I would suggest inaction can sometimes be dangerous and offensive, too," said Dr. Carmichael. "I, for one, tend to keep my political views private out of a sense of 'politeness.' But when it comes to things like this, I'm horrified at how silent we are about politics. We need to risk disagreement and speak up. The motivation to do this can be found by being mindful about our reactions to terrorism."

According to Carmichael, anger management clients often need to learn techniques to help them experience feelings of anger without acting on them, because people with anger management issues often have inappropriate reactions to anger. However, she says it is also important to note that anger can also mobilize people to take actions that are appropriate. She encourages people to not hide their reactions to terrorism, but instead to let those feelings compel them to take appropriate action according to their own views.

She offers the following five-step process to help people determine what action they feel is appropriate through analyzing their feelings:

1. Be mindful and self-observant to notice your thoughts without judgment
2. Create a list of action ideas, set it aside and review them the next day
3. Review your list with family and friends
4. Choose whatever action feels best and most appropriate to you
5. Continue using mindfulness and self-observation to see how the action feels, and choose a different action of need be

Carmichael has written a blog post on this subject at her website, which goes into each tip in greater detail. For more information about Dr. Carmichael and her practice, or to contact her to speak about your feelings and responses to this recent tragedy, visit her website at http://www.drchloe.com.