The Stress Doc Letter
Cybernotes from the Online Psychohumorist ™

FEB 03, Sec. I

Happy New Year!

Fight when you can
Take flight when you must
Flow like a dream
In the Phoenix we trust!

Table of Contents

Offerings:       Training Kit & Book; AOL Chat
Work Q & A:    Workplace Racism???
Shrink Rap:    Stress Doc Website:  A Window to My Soul, A Portal for the World
Main Essay:    Stress Doc's ™ Tips for Becoming a Healing Humorist
Readers:         Famous Sex Quotes, The Tell Tale Parrot, Bumper Stickers
Heads Up:       Book Review, Radio Interview, Hong Kong Civil Service Training and
                       Development Institute, Forty +
Valentine
Essay (Sec. II): Love Online:  Reality vs. Romantasy

A.  Offerings:

1. Training/Marketing Kit: Want to strengthen your ability to lead or market a stress workshop or any kind of speaking/training program?  Consider the Stress Doc Training/Marketing Kit, which includes both "how to" manual and articles and the opportunity for phone coaching.  For more info:   Training/Marketing Kit or email.

2.  Stress Doc Book:
From Stress Brakes and Shrink Rap to Safe Stress and Cool Moon Cats:
The Wit and Wisdom of the Stress Doc, Stress Doc Enterprises, 1995

A 90 page compilation of my former syndicated radio essays, pioneering songs in the field of psychologically humorous rap music - "Shrink Rap" Productions - a creative visualization poem and other humorous lyrics/poems. "Stress Brake" radio essays are short (300 words), fast-paced and witty, covering such topics as stress, burnout, anger and conflict resolution, time management, creativity, men's and women's issues, romantic relationships, codependency, etc. (They make excellent fillers for newsletters.)

Price: $20 (which covers priority postage and handling)

Make check payable to:  Mark Gorkin

Send check to:

Mark Gorkin
Stress Doc Enterprises
1616 18th Street, NW  #312
Washington, DC 20009-2542

3. Chat Group:
Stop by my AOL/Digital City Shrink Rap (TM) and Group Chat DC Support Chat, Tuesdays, 9:30-11pm EST DC Support Chat. It's a dynamic, lively, at times witty and always warm, thoughtful and supportive problem-solving group. We raise questions and share our ideas, hopes and experiences with each other.

Work Stress Q & A:

Subj: Workplace Racism???
From: fhegland@

I have a question.  I am the social worker for a small nonprofit.  Every time a white co worker sees a black co worker, she "complements" her wardrobe.  This complement is laced with nicknames like, "Miss Cleo, Gypsy, Cowboy, Devil with a blue dress on.  I know this embarrasses my fellow employee.  As an observer, I need advice on how or if I should address this issue.  I have tried to interject humor in an attempt to have her become more aware of her comments.  No success, only defensiveness.  Thank you!!!
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Shrink Rap:

Editor's Note:  This essay was written for The Bright Side www.the-bright-side.org, a multi-award winning resource for professionals and consumers concerned about mental/allied health issues, interventions and productive collaborations.  I am a member of the Advisory Board for TBS.

The Stress Doc Website:  A Window to My Soul, A Portal for the World

Okay, if I were totally honest I'd start this article thusly:  "Love Me, Love My Website!"  However, I'll try to resist my DSM-IV, 301.81 tendencies…you know, Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  But truly, the growth of my baby in seven years is directly responsible for an unimaginable expansion and visible presence of Stress Doc Enterprises in the US and across the globe.

Main Essay:

Reflecting on his evolving role as a humorist, "The Stress Doc" first captures the essence of healing humor.  Next he identifies a variety of skills and strategies that can enable you to inject harmonizing and healing humor into a variety of social/professional transactions.

Stress Doc's ™ Tips for Becoming a Healing Humorist

B.  Heads Up:  Media/Speaking Activity

1. Book Review

An uncommon book by a friend and collegue; a book that has been incubating for a lifetime.  Read on!

Sexual Waves and Currents
(What Women Wish Men Wouldn't Do)
By E.L. Pace

Click here: Tin Hare Productions:Fantasy Fiction, Children's Music, Inspirational Music, Screenplays & more! http://www.tinhareproductions.com/

Sexual Waves takes a passionate and provocative look at the visible, seemingly serene (from a distance) yet powerfully moving, if not churning, physical and physiological, psychological and socio-cultural forces that bring, if not throw, men and women together...whether they're ready or not to swim in tandem.  At the same time, the book explores the underlying conjugal currents and transitional tides that if not recognized and negotiated can:  a) have couples treading water, going nowhere, still breathing but barely, b) overtime erode the seemingly stable marital mooring or intimate relationship and c) violently overthrow and suck the mind-body-spiritual health if not air and life out of one or both parties.  And as the author vividly illustrates, women are the more endangered swimmers.  The book especially challenges us to take a clear-eyed look at the dysfunctional storms and destructive fury of men in a society still, too often, pushed and pulled by a mindless and relentless patriarchy.

Such a "cutting edge" book could only come from the head, heart and flailing arms of a true survivor of the marital "sturm und drang."  And not just a survivor:  Ms. Pace's roles range from singer-songwriter to mother, workshop leader and horse farmer.  With an ocean/battlefront perspective, Laurie delivers serious commentary and a playful, sometimes outrageous style of humor that helps us laugh at life's absurdities while surmounting its tragedies.  Consider this book and its "over the top" survival strategies your life jacket.  Sexual Waves will make waves; and it needs to become a smashing success!
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2. Stress Doc Internet Radio Interview

Listen through your computer to Mark Gorkin, "The Stress Doc",  on Jacqueline Marcell's Internet radio program, "Coping with Caregiving," discussing "Managing Stress with Humor."
Click here: wsRadio.com The World Wide Leader in Internet Talk
http://www.wsradio.com/copingwithcaregiving/
See: Recent Archives. (Listen via a free download: Windows Media Player, available at the bottom of the site.)
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3. Article Reprint in Hong Kong Civil Service Training and Development Institute

Dear Mark, I am writing to seek for your permission to post another article, Stress Doc's "Top Ten" Stress Tips, in our website.  We will have stress management as our main theme in the coming monthly update. I look forward to your favorable reply.  Thank you and wish you a prosperous new year!

Winnie
Miss Winnie Shiu
Training Officer, Senior Management Development Unit
Civil Service Training and Development Institute
5/F North Point Government Offices
333 Java Road, North Point
Hong Kong
Phone :   (852) 2231-4057
Fax      :  (852) 2572-0277
Website : www.info.gov.hk/cstdi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. Upcoming Program for Forty +

Click here: Speaker for Febrary 3, 2003

Stress Doc classic essay regarding love online:  the quest for discerning what's real, what's virtual?  To an adventurous Valentines.  Enjoy!

A Stress Doc Valentine

Love Online: Reality vs. "Romantasy"

In honor of Valentine's, I shall address a simple, yet provocative question: Can you have real love on-line?

Ground Rules: I will respond to this question as if the parties have never met in person, perhaps have talked on the phone, but their primary mode of communication are emails and IMs. And the issue is whether true intimate romantic love can evolve primarily online.