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Reducing Your Significant Other’s PTSD
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Feb 25, 2021
Reducing Your Significant Other’s PTSD There are many ways to describe the stress and emotional pain that people go through being a caretaker. Physicians call it the caretaker’s syndrome, although it is not a medical disorder. It has other names like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Caretaker Stress Disorder, and even Caretaker Martyr Disorder, a rather…
Read More → Valentine’s Day Reconsidered
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Feb 11, 2021
Valentine’s Day Reconsidered It’s Valentine’s day, and so dating and falling in love is on everyone’s mind. Let’s exclude a dozen roses, chocolates, and a hallmark card crew that have the holiday all covered, or so they think. Being an amputee may make it harder to enjoy this holiday. When I started to research…
Read More → Post #20185
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Feb 11, 2021
Valentine’s Day Reconsidered It’s Valentine’s day, and so dating and falling in love is on everyone’s mind. Let’s exclude a dozen roses, chocolates, and a hallmark card crew that have the holiday all covered, or so they think. Being an amputee may make it harder to enjoy this holiday. When I started to research this…
Read More → Ending Cripple Thinking
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jan 29, 2021
Ending Cripple Thinking “One Thing You Can’t Hide Is When You’re Crippled Inside” John Lennon It has been almost three years since my below-knee amputation. I am looking out for ways that I can lead my life more like a normal person. While I was waiting for my stump to heal, I learned that…
Read More → How To Not Become Manic Depressive After Your Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jan 10, 2021
How Not to Become a Manic Depressive After Your Amputation So many amputees have such intense feelings after their amputations that they could be misdiagnosed as manic depression. Current psychiatric research has found that sixty-nine percent of patients are misdiagnosed with Manic Depression or Bipolar disorders. More than one-third stay misdiagnosed for over ten years.…
Read More → You Can Stop a Panic Attack After an Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jan 3, 2021
You Can Stop a Panic Attack After an Amputation You wake up in a hospital bed, not want to look at what is missing, but more importantly, you may not have had time to prepare for an amputation. Your anxiety may blow up into a panic attack as you struggle for control. Either you are…
Read More → On the Joy of Walking Again
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Nov 22, 2020
On The Joy of Walking Again The goal of any amputation recovery is to get back on your feetand walk again. Frederic Gros wrote a book that reinforced the joy of meandering by describing the way several inspiring philosophers expressed their appreciation of the psychological effects of walking: Thoreau, Nietzsche, and Kant. Gros explains…
Read More → Make Your Bodily Consciousness Grow a New Leg
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Aug 5, 2020
Make Your Bodily Consciousness Grow a New Leg Ask any amputee, and they all will tell you that you can’t grow a new one. The point of this article is that if you wear your prosthesis long enough, your consciousness will accept it as if it was a new leg. A prosthesis is simply a…
Read More → How To Be Sure An Amputation Is For You
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jul 27, 2020
How To Be Sure An Amputation Is For You Considerations Before You Get an Amputation How To Be Sure An Amputation Is For You. The loss of a limb can have a considerable psychological impact. The grief and bereavement people face after an amputation are equivalent to the death of a loved one. Ignoring the…
Read More → Is PTSD Inevitable after an Amputation?
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jul 25, 2020
Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Inevitable after Amputation? The major symptoms of PTSD are reliving the traumatic event in vivid nightmares, unwanted memories, and flashbacks. Heart palpitations and panic attacks occur as the trauma is relived. Patients report feeling wound up, unable to concentrate or sleep, and experience unprovoked intense anger. They are easily startled and…
Read More → Resolving Anger About Your Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jul 19, 2020
Resolving Anger About Your Amputation There is really a band calling themselves the “Angry Amputees” and have a Facebook page. Dalty, their lead vocalist is actually an amputee. He had lost both legs and fingers. He started the band to deal with his anger. His ability to resolve it and carry on should be an…
Read More → How to Grow Old Gracefully with Your Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jul 13, 2020
How to Grow Old Gracefully With Your Amputation Things Amputees Can Do To Extend Their Lives There are things amputees can do to extend their lives, This article will address now to grow old gracefully with your amputation. Ever notice you never hear anyone talk to you about amputations and aging? Though we don’t have…
Read More → Self-quarantine One Leg at a Time
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Jun 26, 2020
Self-quarantine One Leg at a Time We are at the beginning of what promises to be a long, pandemic summer. Coronavirus cases are still climbing in nineteen states. Second, to wearing a mask self-quarantining is one of the few ways we have of protecting ourselves and maintaining control of our lives. As an amputee,…
Read More → Top Advancements in Prostheses in 2020
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 14, 2020
Top Advancements in Prostheses in 2020 Consciously controlled limbs 3D printing See-through designs Bionic arms Nerve detectors Similar to bionic limbs, nerve detectors control the prosthetic, utilizing the user’s mind to think they are actually moving the limb. The technology behind it operates via spinal motor neurons, instead of just muscle, like a bionic arm.…
Read More → Journaling Improves Amputation Recovery
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 12, 2020
Journaling improves amputation recovery Journaling helps in amputation recovery. You don’t know what journaling can do for your amputation till you try it. It puts a progression to your thoughts. You see the change in much more detail. By reflecting on things you wrote in the past, you see how much things have changed. Journaling…
Read More → Beating Amputation Phantom Pain
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 11, 2020
Beating Phantom Pain Ask any amputee who has delt with phantom pain. All they want to do is beat Phantom pain.You know phantom pain when you feel it. It comes from where your limb used to be. The sensation starts as a discomfort. It is a real feeling coming from the missing limb. It might…
Read More → Unlocking the Secrets of Being an Amputee Spouse
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 10, 2020
Unlocking the Secrets of Being an Amputee Spouse For some time now I have felt a gentle nudge from the universe to write a book about our experience when my husband suffered a medical emergency that changed our lives forever. It has taken me nearly three years to get to a place where I…
Read More → Don’t Let your Amputation Become a Major Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 9, 2020
Don’t Let Your Amputation Become a Major Depression Dealing With Your Feelings Many people never see their recovery from their amputation stall. Don’t let your amputation become a major depression. Getting into an auto accident leaves us no chance to prepare for our amputation. As a result, many amputees have not resolved the emotional loss…
Read More → 15 Amputation Analytics That May Inspire You
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 8, 2020
Limb loss is much more common than many people realize, and the numbers are growing. By learning the facts about limb loss, we can start to be better advocates for our friends and family, feel less alone during our journey with limb loss, and raise awareness through meaningful, fact-based discussion. Amputation Analytics Start With Statistics There…
Read More → Reducing Amputee Stress
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 7, 2020
Reducing Amputee Stress Stress is what you feel when you can’t get out of a negative situation. It becomes paradoxical when you give up trying. Like an employee returning to work while being unable to be tested for Coronavirus because they are not “normal” according to the federal government, nor can they sue if they…
Read More → Six Steps to Have a Full and Active Recovery
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 7, 2020
Six Steps to Have a Full and Active Recovery There are six steps to have a full and active recovery. After much soul searching I attribute them to my success in quickly becoming a confident, active and fully independent single-leg amputee. Each of the five recommendations can be adjusted to fit any lifestyle the individual…
Read More → Amputee Skills Reduce Pandemic Fatigue Syndrome
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 7, 2020
Amputee Skills Reduce Pandemic Fatigue Syndrome Almost everyone is unusually anxious because of COVID-19. However, being in a constant state of anxiety and stress will not do you any good. After all, stress is known to affect our immune system. So, what should we do? We can try coping with anxiety and building mental resilience by…
Read More → How to Reduce Post-Amputation Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | May 1, 2020
How to Reduce Post-Amputation Depression You have a flood of different feelings right after your amputation. Shock and disbelief come when you see part of you missing. You feel frustrated when you realize you have a long recovery ahead of you. At some point, profound sadness and grief overtake you when issues like returning to…
Read More → Assessing Amputation Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 30, 2020
Assessing Amputation Depression You are recovering from an amputation and Know something is dragging you down. Assessing amputation depression is the next step. In a recent study, twenty percent of all amputees suffer from depression. After waking up in the hospital to realize you have had a foot or arm amputated can cause a psychological…
Read More → Stopping Amputee Self-Sabotage
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 29, 2020
Stopping Amputee Self-Sabotage Recognizing what triggers destructive amputation recovery self-sabotage is the major focus for anyone who lost a limb. You set a goal for yourself and somehow never reach it. You find yourself back in the same situation no matter how much planning, strategizing, or intention-setting you do. Self-sabotage is repeating these same patterns,…
Read More → What is Fall Prevention?
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 28, 2020
What is Fall Prevention? What is Fall Prevention? you ask. Identifying places and behaviors that can easily result in a loss of balance is called fall prevention. The more you take control of this process, the more confident you feel about returning to your-pre amputation lifestyle. If you haven’t been taught and warned about the…
Read More → Defeating Amputee Helplessness
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 26, 2020
Defeating Amputee Helplessness Defeating amputee helplessness sounds easy but you must understand what causes it and how to stop it in its tracts. Every amputee must face the feelings of helplessness at some point in their recovery. For amputees who wake in the ER after a car wreck, it maybe sooner. Your first reaction is…
Read More → Pre-amputation Assessment
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 26, 2020
Pre-amputation Assessment I found this article on assessment after my amputation. I was struggling with the raw feelings of never having my foot again. I felt like I was waking up from a dream where everything is in chaos, and regrets are not resolved. I wake up to people trying to be logical and not…
Read More → How to Reduce Your Amputee Anxiety
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 16, 2020
How to Reduce Your Amputee Anxiety What Causes Amputee Anxiety Sixty-four percent of recent amputees suffer from anxiety. Many of them find they are overwhelmed by that fear. There are some specific triggers that the newly amputated face that is unique. Amputation Anxiety starts with the realization that your body will drastically change, and your…
Read More → Using Your Amputee Skills to Coping with the Pandemic
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 15, 2020
Using your Amputee Skills to Cope with the Pandemic These days, we all have to accept the anxiety inherent in living with the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19. If there were a way to dispel all anxious feelings, I’d tell you, but there isn’t. The one exception might be someone who could summon such a degree…
Read More → Amputee Store Teleprosthetics
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 6, 2020
Amputee Store Teleprosthetics During this global pandemic, telehealth is emerging as an effective and sustainable solution to stem the spread of COVID-19. We’re here to address your immediate prosthetic concerns from the comfort and safety of your home. Depending upon where you live in the world, getting your prosthetic concerns answered may be difficult. Amputee…
Read More → Amputees Skills Help Deal with a Pandemic
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Apr 2, 2020
Amputees Skills Help Deal with a Pandemic The Coronavirus has left people in social isolation. They are housebound, and their movement is restricted. People are panicking because their lives are out of their control. They can no longer go to work and don’t have a clear idea when things will be back to normal. Their children are…
Read More → Why Do You Call Yourself Disabled?
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Aug 17, 2019
Why Do You Call Yourself Disabled? Able or Disable You must do two things before you can honestly answer that question. You must realize the difference between disabled and abled. Not a silly distinction but it is a concrete distinction. Are you disabled because you feel safe in your wheelchair? Do you obsess on things…
Read More → Consultation Calendar
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Aug 16, 2019
CONSULTATIONS CALENDAR KEVIN KAPPLER, PH.D. Contact Dr. Kappler Consultations & Messages You can schedule an appointment with Dr. Kappler by using the frorm below, or you can click this button to send a message. Send Message SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION INITIAL CONSULTATIONS FOR NEW CLIENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE
Read More → Necessary Things To Do Before an Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Aug 14, 2019
NecessaryThings to do Before an Amputation Two Ways To Get There Necessary things to do before an amputation. You are facing an amputation. Here is a checklist of things you have to do before you get your amputation. How you got here is either the result of a medical condition in your limb that…
Read More → Home
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. | Aug 13, 2019
You Can Lead a Happy Life! Let Me Show You How! Yes, You Can! KEVIN KAPPLER, PH.D. AMPUTEE LIFECOACH As a fellow amputee, I know the psychological difficulties people face after losing a limb. I have helped people on the phone and texting for the last ten years as a Life Coach with these…
Read More → Resources
By Mystic River | Jun 30, 2019
RESOURCES COMMON QUESTIONS & CONCERNS What to Expect Once You Face an Amputation If your amputation was like mine no one talked to you about what to expect psychologically. If you start a conversation discussing your psychological apprehension it will briefly be acknowledged but quickly steered to physical therapy only. I was told by the…
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