Victoria Harrison
Victoria Harrison was fortunate to study with Dr. Murray Bowen at The
Family Center at Georgetown University Medical School after completing
her BA at Rice University, in Houston, Texas and a MA in Human
Communications at Antioch University in Baltimore, Maryland. The use
of biofeedback and neurofeedback instruments added the ability to
observe and regulate anxiety reactions associated with symptoms.
The real reason I contacted Dr. Bowen the first time in 1975 was for
myself, my own miserable situation. I was estranged from my family and
my daughter lived with her father in Europe where he had taken her after
a contentious custody suit. I was depressed and rather lost. I had
been in therapy with about every possible approach and none of them had
focused on what I needed to do to be more responsible for myself or to
be a more responsible family member. When I reached Murray Bowen on the
telephone at his office, he said ‘If you want to take responsibility for
your own miserable situation, I'll meet with you.' A few well-aimed
questions and I knew what I must do in my life and family. The initial
results were remarkable. I began to study family systems theory with Dr.
Bowen and his faculty the next year in the Postgraduate Training
Program.
I began to work with biofeedback in much the same way. I wanted to see
what difference I could make in asthma and anxiety I experienced
frequently. The results were gratifying and I began the formal study of
physiology using biofeedback to recognize and regulate reactions
associated with symptoms. Very quickly I realized what had convinced
Dr. Bowen to develop a biofeedback program at The Family Center. The
instruments made it possible to see reactivity more clearly and to study
the ways in which people regulate each other.
She completed postgraduate study in reproductive endocrinology which
provides a rich background for her work with symptoms that impact
fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth as well as menstrual and menopausal
health.
In 1980 I became fascinated with the study of how reactivity to
relationships between family members and stress reactions affected
reproductive hormones, menstruation, fertility, sperm count, pregnancy
and childbirth. It required a tremendous amount of reading in the
sciences and original studies of my own to identify some of the ways
that relationships in the family impact hormones and ovulation. I've
written about this work in "A Better Chance" a series of articles for
Family Systems Forum and in articles published by Fertility & Sterility
and Family Systems.
I worked closely with the Department of Ob/Gyn at Georgetown University
to see women with severe PMS, infertility, symptoms during pregnancy and
for childbirth preparation when anxiety was high. Psychotherapy with
biofeedback for self-regulation, based in Bowen family systems work,
proved particularly helpful in symptoms that are often difficult to
treat, such as pelvic pain and interstitial cystitis and endometriosis.
The work applies to the impact of stress and relationship reactions on
men as well. Reproduction and health in the family continue to be a
special area of focus for my practice.
Five years later, I began to apply what I had learned in dealing with
several miscarriages that occurred when my second husband and I
attempted to have a child. I was able to understand the obstacles,
attempt to overcome them, and make peace with a decision not to use
reproductive technology to override natural constraints.
Ms. Harrison moved back to Houston in 1991 and established Family Health
Services. She commutes to Washington, DC to serve on the faculty of
Bowen Center for the Study of the Family where she directs the
Postgraduate Training Program. She also directs Center for the Study of
Natural Systems and the Family for educational programs in Bowen Family
Systems Theory in Houston.
I returned to Houston to be more a part of my family when my daughter
began to have her children and my grandmother began her dying time. Now
I am able to spend more time with my parents, watch my grandchildren
grow into young adults, and get to know far more family members far
better than I was able to do when traveling from Maryland.
The move also allowed me to establish an office at Woman's Hospital of
Texas and work closely with reproductive endocrinologists and physicians
there. After 15 years in a medical setting, I decided to build an office
and classroom on our property in the Heights. People enjoy the quiet and
tranquil setting here and can begin to learn how to cultivate that state
of mind for themselves.
Ms. Harrison is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Texas and a
Licensed Social Worker in DC/MD. She holds certification from
Biofeedback Certification Institute of America with senior clinician,
training and supervisory status.
Her full CV provides history about her work with drug addiction, crisis
intervention, and women's health as well as a list of presentations and
publications.
To schedule an appointment or for information, contact Victoria Harrison
at 713-790-0226 or vaharrison@sbcglobal.net.
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