In a recent high profile case, a Canadian woman was convicted of assault and ignoring flight attendant instructions in an air rage case that lit the media and blogosphere on fire because of the connection of the incident to menopause.

Colleen Walsh, who was convicted of slapping another passenger and ignoring flight attendant instructions, blamed her behavior on “menopause exhaustion” caused by a combination of her hormone replacement medication, wine, a sleeping pill, and the lack of sleep. Media and blog commentaries criticized Walsh for fabricating excuses, and accused her of casting a bad light on women in general, and women of menopause age, in particular.

While menopause is not an excuse for Walsh’s “air rage,” it actually could be the cause of her erratic and irresponsible behavior, according to Mia Lundin, a hormone and brain chemistry expert in Santa Barbara, CA. In her book, “Female Brain Gone Insane,” Lundin explains the connection between menopause and brain chemistry imbalances that can cause women to experience what looks and feels like insanity.

“The typical patients that I see cannot sleep, they feel wired and tired, they can’t stand the way they’re acting, and they feel like they’re going insane,” Lundin says. “There are millions of women who are suffering from this imbalance.”

The incident with Colleen Walsh actually seems to be an example of biochemistry gone amok, which is a condition that is more common in women than most people realize, according to Lundin. Perimenopausal and menopausal women who are depleted of estrogen are also depleted of the chemical serotonin, which is an inhibitor of anger and aggression. Without enough serotonin, women find themselves lashing out, seemingly without control, because they don’t have enough of the chemical that gives them the control over their anger in their system.

According to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health, low serotonin can cause a condition called “intermittent explosive disorder,” which is linked to road rage, rage outbursts and even spousal abuse. While most people believe this type of behavior is the result of bad choices or a bad attitude, this study concluded that uncontrolled rage is actually a result of bad brain chemistry for an estimated 16 million Americans.

Low serotonin in perimenopausal and menopausal women is a current epidemic, according to Lundin, but the condition can wreak havoc for post partum and premenstrual women as well. “Serotonin imbalance is one of the most common contributors to female mood problems in the U.S.,” Lundin says.

People who have no personal experience feeling completely out of control due to brain chemistry imbalances tend to discount these symptoms as exaggerated or invalid, according to Lundin. “Too many women are told ‘Your emotional suffering is all in your head,’” Lundin says in her book. But having experienced her own bout with brain chemistry induced “insanity,” Lundin knows firsthand that it is all too real.

Lundin writes about her own hormonal trauma in “Female Brain Gone Insane.” Two decades ago after the birth of her second child, she suddenly felt like she was drowning in anxiety, fear, and panic. “I felt like I was spinning out of control. I had no idea where this was coming from, and I was convinced I was going insane,” Lundin writes.

It was the research she did to cure her own “insanity” that led Lundin to discover the vital connection between hormone balance and brain chemistry in women. After the successful treatment of her own condition she became motivated to start her specialized female health practice. It is her twenty years of experience in that practice treating hormone and brain chemistry imbalances that leads Lundin to believe Colleen Walsh’s claim that her behavior had a hormonal connection.

Only medical tests could have determined if, in fact, Walsh was suffering from low serotonin at the time of the air rage incident. But interestingly enough, low serotonin has been proven to cause both insomnia and cravings for alcohol. From an outside perspective, Lundin sees that the pieces of the brain chemistry imbalance puzzle seem to fit together for Walsh.

Rather than hold Walsh in disdain, Lundin hopes that women will see this incident as a cautionary tale. “Millions of women who feel out of control are really just out of balance,” Lundin says. “These women feel like they are ‘losing it’ and that is real.” Ignoring imbalances has serious consequences, according to Lundin, and the Colleen Walsh air rage incident is just one demonstration of how serious those consequences can be.

• More about “Female Brain Gone Insane”
• Low Serotonin Epidemic
• Mia Lundin Video Interview

At first glance, one might think that Therapy Revolution: Find Help, Get Better, and Move On without Wasting Time or Money is slamming the psychotherapy field. However, upon closer inspection of his book, Therapy Revolution, you will learn that Zwolinski, a nationally and internationally licensed psychotherapist and addiction specialist, is suggesting that, as with any field, there are legitimate, competent players who follow best practices for therapists, as well as unethical persons who prey on persons who already are struggling with emotional issues.

In his book, the author encourages clients to empower themselves, by learning how to find help, get better and move on with their lives without getting caught up in “therapy addiction.” According to Zwolinski, many clients are trapped in bad therapeutic situations that not only aren’t helping them get better, but may actually be doing them more damage both emotionally and financially.

Zwolinski says that successful therapy must include five “fundamental ingredients.”
1. The therapist must be a motivated, experienced professional.
2. The therapist must use evidence-based treatments; that is, proven methods and techniques.
3. Therapy must be carried out in a reasonable treatment time frame.
4. The therapist’s hourly fee and the entire cost of the course of treatment must be fair and reasonable.
5. The patient must be a motivated patient.

In the interest of ensuring the client has control over his or her own therapeutic experience, the author has included several checklists throughout the book that can be used by the client in all stages of the therapeutic process – from selecting a therapist to determining when it is a time to move on. The author also includes a number of case studies that assist the client in recognizing what is considered good and acceptable therapeutic treatment, and identifying “red flag” situations where violations and ethical breaches have occurred.

These “red flag” situations are discussed in greater detail in the chapter, “Experienced, Ethical, Competent, and Caring – or Not.” Some are more obvious than others – the therapist is constantly late, has no empathy, behaves unprofessionally or blames the client. Some “red flag” situations are a bit more insidious, and thus, may not be easy for the patient to recognize right away. For instance, the author warns clients of therapists who are manipulative or dishonest, stating, “If a therapist tries to cover up failings or errors, especially if he says his failings or errors are actually “part of your therapy,” this shows he lacks foundational morals.”

Zwolinski also explains that while a client should be able to trust his or her therapist, this does not give the therapist license to use “emotional blackmail” to control his clients, who already are vulnerable:
“By the use of emotional blackmail, a person aims to control another and/or force another to do what the perpetrator wants by subtly or overtly threatening consequences, such as inducing overwhelming guilt in the victim.”

Another “red flag” situation is when the therapist begins to blur the boundaries of what is considered an ethical client/therapist relationships.

“When a therapist’s and patient’s lives intersect in some kind of relationship outside of therapy . . . this is a no-no. Having a professional or interpersonal relationship with a therapist is confusing, at best, and can possibly cause severe emotional suffering.”

Therapy Revolution is a book that is intended to help clients learn to advocate for themselves, establish ethical client therapist relationships and take responsibility for their therapeutic experiences, according to Zwolinski, who states, “By being a savvy consumer of therapy, you have learned how to actively be involved in healing yourself. Now that’s good therapy.”

Richard M. Zwolinski, LMHC, is a nationally and internationally licensed psychotherapist and addiction specialist, who has been practicing therapy for more than twenty years. He is a New York State-licensed mental health counselor.

For Information on Therapy Revolution
For More Information on a list of Counseling Centers

In the aftermath of a Haiti disaster, Miracle on the Hudson survivors will still commemorate the one-year anniversary of the day that 155 people took a swim in the Hudson River along with a commercial airbus, two life rafts, and a whole lot of plastic inflatable life vests “stowed underneath your seat in case of a water landing.”

That’s what was happening on January 15, 2009. What’s happening in the days surrounding January 15, 2010 is very different. The attention of the world is focused on Haiti, and the human drama that is playing out there. But that shouldn’t dim the celebration that is still legitimately joyful, and filled with book signings, reunions, celebrations, speaking engagements, and lots and lots of media attention for 155 Hudson crash survivors.

We need to remember things like the Miracle on the Hudson during tragedies like the Haiti earthquake because we can only make it through the disasters by keeping focused on the hope of a better future. Hope is what the Miracle on the Hudson made us all feel, and that’s what we can legitimately allow ourselves to feel again one year later.

This one-year anniversary is an important and meaningful time for everyone who played an integral part in creating a real-life miracle. In a different way, it is equally important and meaningful to everyone else who watched with awe as the drama unfolded before the eyes of the world, as if it was the ultimate reality show. In great contrast to the Haiti earthquake disaster, the Miracle on the Hudson was a disaster avoided. And it’s important to remember what that feels like.

Those who felt renewed in their faith can remember and feel that faith again. Those who were filled with appreciation for how precious life is can remember and feel that appreciation again. Those who were reassured that there are still heroes – like Captain Sully Sullenberger, Jeff Skiles, New York Waterway boat crews, first responders, firefighters, police officers, EMT’s and Red Cross volunteers – can remember and feel reassured again. Those who were filled with awe about breath-taking moments that shouldn’t happen – but somehow do – can remember and be filled with awe again.

Those who want to feel uplifted will be lifting a glass during the official toast at the crash site. Those who have an insatiable fascination for near death experiences and second chance lives will be standing in lines to meet the survivors who wrote their own stories for the Miracle on the Hudson anniversary book, “Brace For Impact.” Those who want to feel inspired again started the week watching the “Brace For Impact” documentary on TLC, and will be listening intently to the interviews and speeches that are happening all week. Those who have lost interest will probably ignore everything and miss a rare opportunity to participate once again in something extraordinary.

Some anniversaries – like September 11, and now the Haiti earthquake – are thrust involuntarily upon us. But most anniversaries are commemorated by choice because of the positive feelings they help us recall. The Miracle on the Hudson will be an anniversary celebration of choice for millions of people for many years to come. It represents the best of the human spirit, the highest form of fate, and the fairy tale ending that we want to believe can happen for us all. It reminds us that even the devastating collapse of physical structures in Haiti cannot collapse the structure of the human spirit.

Happy anniversary to a miracle! And many happy returns.

More on the Miracle on the Hudson Anniversary:

Miracle on the Hudson Anniversary Book
Brace for Impact Second Chances Writing Contest