Sleep Dynamic Therapy

Heather Hauswirth KUAM
Guam – In 1969 former U.S. Army sergeant Frances H. Wolford received a Purple Heart for his bravery. He was wounded in combat in Vietnam, and to this day he has flashbacks. “I was wounded in the forehead. That’s why I don’t feel like enjoying Christmas,” he described.

The holidays are especially hard for Wolford, who has yet to be treated for his condition, but about 2,500 veterans receive treatment at the Guam Vets Center annually. 65% of them have undergone treatment specifically for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Local Guam yoga therapist Debbie Purcell says she uses yoga as a form of therapy to treat patients with PTSD, and that she’s had great success with vets by getting them to focus on the breath.

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by Barry Krakow, MD | IMCJ | Read more

Too much debate and discussion on health care reform ignores a singularly important fact about the advent of alternative medicine; namely, it was not fostered by the government, insurance carriers, the pharmaceutical industry, or trial lawyers. Its exponential growth is largely due to the actions of people (both patients and practitioners) living in a land of liberty and opportunity who were looking for new choices to better health. It is without caveat one of the finest examples of the free enterprise system in the United States—a place where the market worked its magic by offering that which is now perceived by much of the public as an affordable, safe, and potentially higher-quality service or product than that provided through conventional fields of medicine.

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A new sleep clinic opened in Albuquerque Friday with the sole aim of helping people who suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Most people with PTSD have insomnia and nightmares. It’s almost a given,” said Dr. Barry Krakow of the Maimonides Sleep Center.

The effects are devastating for them and others.

“Parasomnia conditions, very disruptive sleep” are common, said Krakow. “They could actually act out their dreams and move around and hurt somebody.”

Krakow said he’s been treating people with sleeping problems for years, helping them with their nightmares. Recently he’s seen a growing problem.

“There clearly is a rise, or at least an awareness of PTSD that’s growing in the community,” Krakow said.

Friday he unveiled a new PTSD sleep clinic.

“We’re trying to emphasize for the PTSD patient,” said Krakow. “We’re going to work on all their sleep problems.”

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by Angela Carone, Maureen Cavanaugh of KPBS

When Do Nightmares Become A Sleep Disorder?

One in 20 adults in the US complain of disturbing dreams, and more than twice that many children and adolescents also experience frequent nightmares, yet few chronic nightmare sufferers imagine that it is a treatable problem. We’ll talk about nightmares with leading sleep disorder specialist Dr. Barry Krakow.

Listen to the Interview

Dr. Barry Krakow answers a question about split-night sleeping schedules.
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