By Laura Medina
In light of the CORVID-19 Virus pandemic and the worldwide panic following in its foot steps, psychiatrist, Dr. John A. "Jay" Faber shines a light of reason and hope during dark times then offers how to get through this.
Before he lives and works in Los Angeles/Southern California at Amen Clinics, in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California, he used to work and live in Atlanta and Texas.
From his personal perspective and experience, the CORVID-19 is changing and testing Los Angeles' easy-going, cavalier attitude and lifestyle while it spotlights what LaLa Land needs and needs to learn from Deep South's "Hurricane Alley" in community support and coping skills when disaster does strike,..with grace. Grace through resilience.
With two perspectives, he explains how Hollywood operates and copes, the key traits of the folks who live in LaLa Land, and how they should cope in a natural disaster or a community wide panic.
Universally speaking, Dr. Faber emphasizes the front lobes in the brain and how they affect social behavior.
During this interview, Dr. Faber and this scribe discuss about our recent observations on the typical LA lifestyle and how it transforms overnight, due to pandemics.
Chatting about the recent hoarding panic and why it hits certain stores, a group of people, and where.
CORVID-19 Virus is challening Los Angeles' normal nonchalance culture and mentality into
something more primal, more basic, and more importance, "fight or flight" and the "fight of survivial" family attachment. The "ugly side" of basic human behavior and human evolution.
While working and living in the Deep South's "Hurricane Alley" he notices that it makes you prepare yet accepting of expected natural disaster that's part of the environment while living in the Deep South. There is a coping society and support system, during times of need. A communal "we'll get through this" emotional community support group that extends into support society, coping with grace. Coping with grace grows in a culture of comfort, leading to traditional Southern cuisine into it's world-wide known "comfort food," the well-loved manifestion of communal coping support.
Well, with this hoarding of toilet paper and basic essentials that supermarkets and big box stores are stripped bare, Dr. Faber's insights says that CORVID-19 virus spotlights the difference in how LaLa Land/Hollywood operates and lives-during normal times-and the "chink in one's armor" during an emergency.
"It's the Wild, Wild West" out here," Dr. Faber. Paraphasing his insights, he notices that the sense of individualism, personal freedom, and entitlement in a perfect climate, typical LA weather and lifestyle, of having what you want, whenever you want. During normal times, in LA, you live in the moment.
During emergencies and times of epidemics or pandemics, people tend to revert back to their ancestoral "fight or flight" mode and the sense of primal "family attachment unit" instincts.
He cited the finale in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," Quentin Tarantino's "what-if/Hero Saves Hollywood" fanasty.
In the finale, after the home invasion by Charles Manson's followers, the protagonist was rewarded for saving the day, by being invited to the next door neighbor's poolside cocktail party, behind their gated house. The next door neighbor happened to be the higher status, hotter Sharon Tate, reward by a party while moving on up the social ladder.
Dr. Faber comments that's how Hollywood copes and operates, you party; or go your own way.
But party-ing can only go so far. With Mayor Garcetti and Governor Newsome clumping down on bars, nightclubs and movie theaters to halt the virus' spread, Dr. Faber recommends that LA needs new ways to cope without physical socialization.
LA's newest fad of panic-shopping shines a light on the weak spot, the vulnerablity of Angelenos' own sense of protecting their own children, their sense of family attachment above all others, and "flight or fight," expressed through panic-shopping, without the South's coping community support system. This behavior can be down-right primitive.
Today's panic buying reminds him of 2008 Recession. Dr. Faber had never seen, until now, so much shopping at The Grove.
In how to cope when LA panics then how to cope when LA goes back to normal, Dr. Faber says there are four things that make certain people successful in Hollywood and how to sustain it, without the escapism of drugs and alcohol. Those are the successful ones...
First, he notice that you have to be an extrovert to entertain and make other people happy, remember Hollywood is the world's entertainment capital.
Second, he recommend that those extroverts need to be centered.
Third, he suggests find joy in both the external and the internal.
Fourth, those who have both and are centered, are the ones who are successful.
He recommends two books in how to be gracious, through resilience...
"The Way of the SEAL: Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed"
and
"Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed"
by George Everly,
When he's not telling people not to panic, Dr. Faber runs a rehabilitation clinic for NFL players suffering brain damage from head-butting concussions.
During MRI scanning, he and his colleagues notice that these football players are suffering brain surface damage, affecting blood flows.
Seeking less reliance on traditional drug therapy and surgery, he notices that football players' focus and memory vastly improved through Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
He mentioned Joe Namath uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Dr. Faber notices there is night and day, the pre-Hyperbaric oxygen therapy Joe Namath versus the new Hyperbaric oxygen therapy Joe Namath.
This storm, too, shall pass.
Dr. "Jay" Faber can help you cope, through real storms and social storms.
