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Why is it that some people see the light, while others are constantly reminded of the darkness? The intriguing anatomy and processes of our brains produce bouts of fear, anxiety, worry, obsessions, compulsions, the impulse to take flight or fight as well as joy and love.
In Paradise Lost, John Milton may have summed up this scenario very well when he wrote, “The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” We have known for some time that two parts of the brain called the amygdala and the hippocampus act together when emotion meets memory. The amygdala and hippocampus can cause an immediate and overwhelming emotional response out of proportion to the stimulus which triggered the reaction. All kinds of stored memories from the threatening to the sublime, from our early childhood to present day can revisit us and cause symptoms. Finding ways to release these emotions and memories and helping patients to move on is what Dr. Grabau, owner of Dr. Grabau Therapy and OPG, has been doing for over 35 years.
Dr. David Grabau, Psychologist
Dr. Grabau explains, “I think of my work as a way of helping patients make friends with themselves. I believe that we torture ourselves by holding onto memories that are painful. We play endless ‘tape recordings’ in our minds that create anxiety, depression or compulsive behaviors.
We repeat destructive patterns in our relationships, which lead to isolation, shame, regret, and guilt. Our choices in life become narrow and limited. Keeping unpleasant feelings at bay becomes our priority thus sapping us of energy. With the release of that energy, prosperity can develop in all areas of life. A future begins to take shape, which could include intimacy, stability, and even financial prosperity.
I specialize in treating depression, anxiety disorders, behavioral excesses and deficiencies, relationship problems, and chronic emotional disorders; loss, grief, and trauma; mood disorders.
I offer consultation to families and adult children with aging parents as well as young adolescents, late adolescents, adults, couples, and seniors. I work in the realm of language and thus help people examine what they think and how they feel before they act. I help patients to examine their fear of sharing personal information; once they remove their resistance to talking they move forward.
By keeping ideas in the verbal realm, impulsiveness can be reduced and may be prevented; a careful examination of impulses can reveal significant emotional underpinnings. My 35 years of experience has enriched my clinical skills significantly.
I have worked with people as young as three to as old as 107. I encourage people to tell their story by sharing thoughts and feelings they have held onto all of their lives. Sometimes what is shared has never been told to anyone before.”
OPG is offering a unique workshop series designed as opportunities to explore one-self in relation to others as self-help courses. These courses are open for enrollment, and each class consists of five sessions.
Relationship Series
• Repetition Compulsion: Ground Hog Day Revisited
Why do we seem to create the same type of situation in our lives repeatedly?
• Narcissistic Relationships: When a Partner or Parent Doesn’t Respond
• Helping Pre-Teens become Teens: Shifting into the “age of negotiation”. (For elementary, middle school, and high school parents)
Research Development & Treatment Series
• Alzheimer’s and Dementia related disorders
A review of up to date research and treatment methods.
• Management and Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Side Effects and Benefits of Using Psychiatric medications
Self-Development Series
• Tranquility Meditation, and Stress Related Illnesses
• Music and your Mind I
• Guided Imagery and Music II
• Reducing Anxiety with Imagery III
• Lifestyle Weight Loss
• Working with Dreams
Society & Culture Series
• The Importance of Belonging and the Experience of Being Different
• The Marginal Individual: Cross Cultural Identity Issues
The office of Dr. Grabau Therapy and OPG
To find out more about the series or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Grabau, please contact him today.
Dr. Grabau Therapy
14802 North Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 304
Tampa, Florida 33618
813-728-5449
