Shibani Ray-Mazumder, ScD, PhD

05/17/2022

When Caring Does Not Feel Like Enough: Managing Caregiver Stress
Tuesday, May 24, 6:00 - 7:00 pm PST
Family and friends come into the role of a caregiver when the situation presents itself. This does not allow much preparedness to fulfill the role and can be a source of extreme stress. Managing this stress is important for both the well-being of caregiver and patient.
Join Dr. Shibani Ray-Mazumder, Director of California Health Psychology PC, for this workshop on caregiver distress. Dr. Ray-Mazumder i s a Health Psychologist who works with patients and families faced with the emotional impact of cancer. This talk will discuss issues that arise from the caregiver-patient relationship. It will also provide three steps the caregiver can practice to help them better manage their stress.
Register at: https://my.mtr.cool/musorywbzn

Family and friends come into the role of a caregiver when the situation presents itself. This does not allow much preparedness to fulfill the role and can be a source of extreme stress.Managing this stress is important for both the well-being of caregiver and patient. Join Dr. Shibani Ray-Mazumder,....

10/15/2021

The pandemic has had interesting effects on both mental health practitioners and their patients! Therapist self-care, advocacy for telehealth and needing psychologists at the decision making table for developing mental health policy and guidelines are among a few of the lessons learned from the Covid-19 experience!

01/14/2021

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/attachment-resilience-covid-dr-shibani-ray-mazumder

I just heard a talk from a Buddhist chaplain, where she explained that suffering is caused by the inability to let go of persons, things, and moments in our life. The attachment to these things is what she described as the source of our inability to move forward at times.

12/29/2020

FROZEN IN TIME

The year 2020 has been one of devastation, loss, fear and dread. It has also made us realize the importance of connection, relationships , love and resilience. Although the pandemic is not over, the presence of the vaccine provides hope and light at the end of the tunnel.

But during all of this, some of us may feel "frozen in time". We hear the daily number of increasing cases and deaths and lack of available ICU beds. We see the visions of the trucks parked near hospitals and feel dread in the pit of our stomachs as to what they represent. We are warned to stay away from loved ones and to keep ourselves safe by isolating ourselves in our household bubbles while also socially distancing and masking ourselves when we are outside.

Given all these warnings and admonishments, we freeze. We know what we need to accomplish , what we need to do to keep moving and achieve our goals. But something holds us back. We continue to watch the news on TV, check our social media for any latest developments among friends and family and we become seduced by our computers as we succumb to the hold that the pandemic seems to have upon us.

The holidays have been a challenge as well. We are shopping online for gifts that we have never touched or wrapped but we nevertheless send to our loved ones hoping to simulate the feelings of Christmas. At the same time we are also finding ways to give to those who are less fortunate. The number of people in need and the numerous causes keep growing and we try to tame the flames of devastation by donating as much as we can hoping to make some impact.

But be advised in all of this turmoil and isolation we have been subjected to the traumas of the pandemic. The effects of such pandemic trauma can be insidious and pervasive. We may think we are continuing our lives in regular fashion but somehow we find that we are having trouble sleeping or have issues with eating, we perseverate over worries that have no immediate solution, we focus on everything but our work, and feel both the frustrations and anguish of an unknown future. Particularly those who are going through this time alone may feel this even more deeply. Isolation and loneliness are elements of trauma that make individuals feel alone , forgotten and even invisible. The lack of human touch and warmth leads to sensory deprivation that is essential for quality of life.

So, what to do? What can shake us from feeling frozen? What can get our body and minds flowing so that we can feel energized and motivated? What do we need to get us back on our path to being healthy as well as productive?

The answers may feel elusive and are different for all of us. But if we give ourselves sometime to listen to our hearts and minds we may find a way to become unfrozen. The challenge will be for us to focus within and look to see what moves us . Brief moments of meditation and self-reflection can be a source of self-care . And the revelations that arise when we give ourselves a chance to feel our emotions and identify our thoughts may help us move forward.

One such revealing thought that I have as we approach the New Year 2021 is that of gratefulness. Gratefulness is powerful in that it acknowledges our losses and defeats but also reminds us that we are still alive and afloat. We will find our way through all of this chaos and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. We will do this by giving ourselves moments of self-care and mindfulness. We also do not have to do this alone and can reach out for help from mental health professionals.

We will get through this together. We need to apply self care so that we can better manage the impact that the pandemic trauma has had upon our lives. Self-care includes patience, self-acceptance and willingness to seek professional care when needed so that we can become "unfrozen" and navigate our way to resilience, health and productivity.

Grateful for all of my friends, family and followers. Feeling hopeful for the upcoming New Year.
Wishing everyone a Healthy and Happy 2021.

08/24/2020

NY Women's Telehealth Resilience Support Group: NY Wellness Psychology invites you to join the upcoming weekly women's support group that covers topics of interest including developing resilience and managing stress, loneliness, isolation , fear, sadness and anxiety during this Covid-19 pandemic.

Duration: 5 weekly one hour sessions
Cost: $40 per session, payable through Zelle, or Paypal

INTRODUCTION SESSION: Sept. 1, 2020 - FREE
Time: 4-5 pm EST. via Zoom

Minimum participant requirement: Must be NY residents
The support group requires commitment of a minimum of
5 members to continue with weekly sessions.

If you are interested, please contact: psychologygroupny@gmail.com for a Zoom invite

Hope to see you there! Stay well and be safe,
Best, Dr. Ray-Mazumder

05/07/2020

04/29/2020

RESILIENCE IN THE TIME OF CORONA

The world seems to have stopped short and yet there are those that heroically and with great determination carry on. When will the next wave hit and how will we survive?

When the first news of Covid-19 arrived, it felt faraway,
in China , in Europe. It was hard to think that the same effect would be felt in the U.S. Afterall, we are among the top in medical science and public health. Probably ,we reason, that Corona hit first in areas that are not as well equipped to handle such a crisis as we are in the U.S.

And then Corona rapidly came closer and closer to home. Now the U.S has 30% of worldwide corona cases. And slowly but surely it has taken names that are close and dear to our hearts. It has forced us to be separated from our loved ones and worst of all it has kept us from being there when they have suffered and even breathed their last breath.

Who will be next? Who will survive? How do we deal with this threat? Yes, we need to take responsibility and make sure that we follow the public health guidelines of hand washing, social distancing and wearing of masks.

But beyond the physical control is the emotional crises that occurs as many of us have to deal with the loss of our friends and family not only in terms of death but also in separation at a time that we need to be with each other. As we sit and wait to see the latest trends of the virus in the news, a lot of us are feeling the tugs of depression and anxiety. How do we manage not to succumb to feelings of fear, helplessness, and loneliness? How do we conquer these sinking feelings and replace them with resilience?

Resilience requires us to be OK with having feelings that make us want to crawl back into bed. Resilience also gives us permission to feel moments of joy and happiness even in the midst of tremendous sorrow and hardship. The trick to resilience is to reach a balance. Much like a rubber band , it helps to be able to go to both ends of our spectrum of emotions but then return to the center where we are grounded.

So, if we are having a difficult day, finding that we are able to accomplish very little, feeling paralyzed yet feeling the dreaded tug of sadness, loneliness, grief and pain in our hearts that is the time to do self-care. What does that mean? Accept ourselves in the moment, reach out to what soothes our hearts, whether it be music, gardening, eating a piece of chocolate cake or pulling the covers over our heads. This moment can be raw and distressing, it may bring tears and anguish. But know that one needs to ride through these emotions, and let them land . Remind ourselves that this time will pass because we are not only made up of these raw emotions. This is only a part of us. So we stay safe, we focus on not harming but caring for ourselves, and we find things that help us feel loved and comforted.

Resilience however helps us pull out of this end of the spectrum and creates momentum to do so. This is the hardest part because when we sink we can go low. That is when our inner strength and core self is called upon. That is when to do self- speak and lovingly accept that today was hard but tomorrow has to be better.

We cannot depend on others to make it better and instead we are responsible for our own happiness. So once we have given us some time to feel the emptiness and the grief, we create a pull to bring ourselves to center. How do we do this? We breathe, we see ourselves as strong, we see ourselves as survivors, and we get out of bed. We step outside, we look up to the sky and marvel at the vastness of the universe and we look for being grateful.

Being grateful for still being here, for still managing to live, for still having love for others or having loving souls, for knowing that we matter even if it is just to ourselves. It is upto us to bring meaning into our lives. It is upto us to decide how that will look. And so with that momentum we pull ourselves back to center. We take deep breaths because now we need to be grounded. There will be moments of joy and happiness and of cautious optimism.

We will be resilient and find ways to connect with others . We will be part of the solution and not be the problem. It is upto us to find ways to feel like we are making a difference. And in doing this we learn to be resilient during these tough times.

02/06/2019

RESILIENCE is important for all of us as we go through the lifespan but becomes even more needed as we get older.

This will be particularly true for Baby Boomers who are approaching age with a vim and vigor that is different from their parents' experience. Baby Boomers have different expectations of how they want to grow old but may find that institutions, nursing homes and policies related to the elderly are lagging behind in developing more innovative approaches of care. Some Boomers are continuing to work well beyond the traditional age of retirement either by choice or due to financial need. As Boomers live longer than their parents or grandparents, they find that they need to deal with chronic or serious illness and loneliness due to outliving their partner.

Despite these many challenges, there will be individuals who will perceive there aging as positive. These individuals are RESILIENT. However, to be resilient in aging one needs more than just personality. There are perspectives and challenges that need to be addressed for resilience in aging.

Towards this goal, I along with my colleague, Dr. Julie Shaw have co-edited the 2018 New York State Psychologist, where there are articles on Resilience and Aging. We have both contributed articles in this journal as well.

I invite you to read this journal (please see below) where you will gain theoretical, sociocultural, institutional, clinical and personal perspectives and become aware of the challenges regarding resilience and aging.

https://thinkgraphtech.com/digital_media/NYS_Psychological/WInter-2018/index.html

Wishing you the best always, Dr. Ray-Mazumder

07/10/2018

TELEPSYCHOLOGY...what is it and why use it?

So, the good news is that I am expanding my practice to telepsychology. What this means is that I can reach out to you via a HIPAA protected website and have psychotherapy sessions through video conferencing. What is good about this is that you can be in the comfort of your own home, office or space in New York and have a therapy session. You don't need to fight traffic, walk in bad weather , or be distracted by other patients in the waiting room when you see me.

For those of you who have challenges related to chronic or severe illness, this provides a window of opportunity of having psychotherapy sessions within your home or hospital room. For caregivers and other family members who often are unable to leave the home for therapy, telepsychology is a wonderful mechanism by which they too can receive support and care.

The technology may appear to be daunting for some of you, but if you can use a computer and have WIFI you will be surprised to see how seamless and easy it is. The process is that first we schedule an appointment, you turn on your computer, and you enter a virtual waiting room. I then see you via computer, we can see each other and hear each other. If you are having any difficulties , there is support to help you through the technical issues.

Telepsychology is opening up opportunities for providing mental health care to a wider group of individuals who may not have been interested in accessing traditional office care for various reasons.

I encourage you to find out more about Telepsychology on my website: www.nywellnesspsychology.com.

I am available to speak with you about my telepsychology practice if you reside in New York. Telepsychology sessions are based on private pay or if you have United Health Care.

Taking charge of your mental health is an important step towards self care and will improve your quality of life.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Wishing you the very best always,

Dr. Shibani Ray-Mazumder
NYS licensed Clinical Psychologist
NY WellnessPsychology-Telepsychology
646-860-9452

WEBSITE: nywellnesspsychology.com

11/09/2017

PREPARE YOURSELF FROM THOSE HOLIDAY BLUES.

I just got off the phone from a new patient who very wisely asked to see me because she knew that the holidays are coming up soon and she suffers from increased anxiety and depression during these periods. This is something that happens to a lot of individuals, particularly those who are struggling with life challenges that lead them to feeling alone on regular days. Loneliness is one of the greatest factors associated with anxiety and depression.

In some cases, we feel lonely even if we are among family and friends. There might be a sense of feeling disconnected from the celebration or a sense of loss from others not being present. Either kind of loneliness can often lead to our compensating by withdrawing from the group, or indulging in food and alcohol as an escape which leads to added anxiety and depression. The question is what to do?

Prior to the holidays, individuals can come to some plan for themselves. For example, they can be actively aware that when they begin to feel the tugs of loneliness, they can resort to addressing this to themselves in self-talk. For example, automatic thoughts of , "I am feeling sad, or so out of it", can be re-examined, "I have made the positive effort of being with family and friends", "I need to help family and friends feel comfortable with me", " The more I take part in my environment the easier I will feel to be a part of it". This reframing of thoughts can be translated into positive behaviors such as: " I can be part of the group by making conversation, engaging with the group, making myself helpful". "I am the one who can take the first positive step".

Planning ahead, being aware of triggers that set of your anxiety and depression and having a plan of action to help you through the day will make you feel better in control of managing your anxiety and depression.

Start small , practice even before the holidays in small group settings. The more sense of awareness and control you bring to yourself the more relief you will feel. Self-acceptance and active behavioral strategies will put you in a better place.

07/26/2017

PALLIATIVE CARE PSYCHOLOGY

Receiving a diagnosis of a serious or advanced illness impacts our sense of well-being. Our world as we know it changes with having to figure out what the next steps are in regard to treatment as well as its impact on ourselves and our family.

Palliative Care is often confused with End of Life Care (EOL). Although EOL care is one component, the main focus of palliative care is to “palliate” symptoms such as pain, nausea, insomnia, constipation, and other physical symptoms from early diagnosis. The other goal is to help support the patient and family as they deal with the emotional challenge of a chronic or advanced illness. The sooner this symptom and emotional support is provided to the patient the more relief they feel and they can focus on their quality of life. So Palliative Care can occur through out the spectrum of health.

Dr. Ray-Mazumder served as the Clinical Psychologist on the Inpatient Palliative Care Team and the Outpatient Geriatric Palliative Care Clinic at NYU Langone in recent years.

She can collaborate with your Palliative Care physician and help you and your family navigate and cope with the different challenges that bring on psychoemotional distress when dealing with serious illness. She uses cognitive behavioral therapy as well as mindfulness therapy to help with the management of pain, nausea, insomnia, anxiety and depression. For further details, please refer to her website: nywellnesspsychology.com

04/08/2017

PAIN TAKES PLACE IN MANY FORMS....

It can be from an emotional source as well as a physical source or both. Pain and emotion become cyclical, one following the other, in no particular sequence. But both need to be addressed for success.

Often patients are seeing a pain management specialist who helps them with pain medications. Because of the cyclical nature of emotion and pain, addressing the physical pain is often only part of the solution. Management of emotion when in pain or anticipating pain is another area that needs attention.

Dr. Ray-Mazumder has spent 5 years as the clinical psychologist on the NYU Langone Inpatient Palliative Care Team. She has successfully practiced non-pharmacological pain management techniques with patients who are dealing with emotional distress as well as physical pain. Dr. Ray-Mazumder also has special training and received her certification in Clinical Guided Imagery and Mindfulness training from the Huntington Psychosynthesis Institute. These management techniques include mindfulness meditation, visualization as well as clinical guided imagery.

Dr. Ray-Mazumder will work with you and your pain management physician to create a whole person approach to pain management.

03/22/2017

01/23/2017

Resilience Building- Customized 8 session Package for 2017
LIMITED SPACES LEFT!!

When faced with adverse moments there are some people who are able to continue their lives while others find themselves almost paralyzed with fear, anxiety , depression, anger or feelings of hopelessness . What is it about those who seem to be able to take things in stride despite being challenged by major stressors in their lives ? Were some people just “born” that way?

The GOOD news is that there are coping skills that can be learned and practiced to build and develop resilience among all of us. We increase our awareness of how events impact our life, what attitudes and beliefs keep us from rising to the occasion, and how to manage these thoughts so that we can exhibit resilient behavior. What is resilient behavior? Managing to keep moving forward by creating energy from within that generates momentum and spirit.

This three part resilience building program is customized for your specific needs and challenges. This is a PRIVATE PAY PROGRAM dedicated to YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS.

Check further details on
our website: nywellnesspsychology.com and call to make an appointment soon. There are a limited number of spaces left.

12/15/2016

Resilience building is a practice that helps individuals move on with their lives even in the presence of life challenges. Keep an eye out for my upcoming premium packages for resilience building in the New Year.

These packages provide a customized approach to resilience building based on your specific needs and challenges. They incorporate evidence based therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy as well as mindfulness therapy into a toolkit that helps you (1) better understand your emotions and (2) provides skills that can help you better cope with your life challenges so that you can enjoy quality of life.

Packages to be announced in January 2017.