Remembering Dr. Serafina Corsello and how I came to work in her World Famous Medical Center-
Funny, how one thing can lead to another...
I learned about the death of a beloved friend when I read her obit in a friends email, after returning from teaching in Vancouver (Copied below:)
In thinking about my friend, I was reminded how a little twist of fate led to my becoming the Medical Hypnotist in her world famous Medical Center in NYC in 2005-
It started when Jeff Morrison, MD became the medical director of her Medical Center and suggested that Dr Corsello hire me as her Center's Medical Hypnotist. Dr Corsello told him that the center already had a staff cognitive psychologist, who was using hypnosis and guided imagery. I later learned that she only invited me in for lunch and an interview as a courtesy and had no intention of adding me to her staff.
As fate, would have it, one of the Center's receptionists asked me if hypnosis could help her pass her driving test as I was leaving the Center... The receptionist had worked with the staff psychologist-- but it didn't relieve her intense anxiety --
We had a quick (Like 10 minute session), she passed her road test a week later and I became the Corsello Medical Center's staff hypnotist... Funny how life unfolds...
--
Serafina Corsello (1933-2009)
Dr. Serafina Corsello, 75, died Friday, February 20 in her New York City home. She was deeply loved and respected by her family, friends, colleagues and patients. She will be remembered for her boundless energy, her devotion to the art of healing, and her generous ability to love. Born in Palermo, Italy on May 13, 1933, she was raised and educated in Rome. She was an early practitioner of medical care that integrated mainstream and complementary and alternative treatments, which the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), began to study only in 1997. Dr. Corsello was among 25 physicians in the US selected to serve on an advisory committee to the Office of Alternative Medicine, created by Congress in 1992 (expanded by Congress in 1997 into NCCAM). She was an internationally respected clinician, lecturer and the co-founder of the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine (FAIM). Her book, The Ageless Woman, published in 1999, focused on anti-aging medicine and bio-identical hormone replacement. She is survived by her daughter Paola, son-in-law Robert, and adored granddaughter, Sofia Grazia. She leaves also her brother Piero and her extended family in Rome and Palermo. Family will re ceive Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Frank E. Campbell (Madison at 81st Street). Funeral Mass, Saturday 10:00 am, The Church of Saint Paul the Apostle.
RIP Dr. C.!
There is no right or wrong way to grieve — but there are healthy ways to cope with the pain. Everyone can get through it! Grief that is expressed and experienced has a potential for healing that eventually can strengthen and enrich life.Grief is simply a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one – and this type of loss does often cause the most intense grief.
The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief. However, even subtle losses can lead to grief. For example, you might experience grief after moving away from home, graduating from college, changing jobs, selling your family home, or retiring from a career you loved.
Everyone grieves differently.
Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried – and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold.
All my best,
-Giamo
An excellent free resource for helping all of us and/or your patients is
How to Survive the Loss of a Love by Colgrove, Bloomfield and McWilliams
You can download it here:
http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/books/sur/