Having found the answer to the question posed by her
book, “Who Would I be If I weren’t so Afraid”, Ginger Grancagnolo Ed. D.
teaches us how to do the same thing ourselves. The author describes seemingly
endless years that she has spent struggling with paralyzing fear to help others
comfort our own insecurities and anxieties. Through comprehensive analyses of
the different kinds of relationships in which we engage and of the various
models through which we define ourselves, she emphasizes that even the most
fearful among us can escape from the psychological obstacles that prevent us
from leading healthy lives. The simple exercises that she provides enable us to
regain our self worth and to discover the tools we need in facing intimidating
environments. A truly enlightening book, “Who Would I be If I weren’t so
Afraid?” is a MUST-READ for anyone who knows what it is like to be a victim
of fear.
Ginger Grancagnolo Ed. D. has created a dynamic
approach to real personal growth and problem solving. Her extensive training
and professional experience has developed an easy access for releasing inner
confidence and self direction. Ginger believes that our differences make us
special, unique! She believes within this individuality that there is talent,
power, creativity and purpose. The goal of every human being must be to release
these inner gifts. “This inner wisdom is always available to us”, says Ginger.
“If we are willing to seek it, change opinions of ourselves, and then create
constructive strategies through positive and proper thinking skills”. Dr Ginger
has been developing and teaching such skilled programs for almost thirty years.
Her credentials include: B.A. English Secondary Education; M.A. in Guidance
Counseling; M.A. in Theology with a specialty in eastern spirituality; license
certification for Teacher of the Handicapped, Teacher of Gifted and Talented;
Learning Disabilities Diagnostician; Ph D. in Psychorientology; Ed. D. with
specialty cultural and community studies. Dr. Ginger has also appeared as a
guest expert on the Ricki Lake Show, Sally Jesse Raphael Show, Montel Williams
Show and many others. Through her dedication to serving humanity, Ginger urges
of us to make this world a better place to live, NOW!
What Happened To Me
The worst of it, as far as I can recall, was in 1975
when in my own way I thought I had lost a sense of perspective or reality. I
thought I had lost a sense of who I really was. In fact, I was so riveted in
fear I could no longer focus on any one point or thought or feeling for more
than a minute at a time. I lived in fear that racked my body, that gave me
chest pains, stomach distress, difficulty in swallowing, and headaches that
finally ended in a migraine that lasted for almost three weeks. I was ashen to
look at, weak, without rest, unable to eat, and I got to a point where I
thought the only alternative was simply to not live. I lost the focus of where
anything was right or wrong, where there was power, where there was a sense of
self that could bring me back to reality. I felt totally disconnected from
everything and everyone around me. Perhaps the sharpest irony is that I
continued to function...quite normally, according to everyone else...as a high-school
English teacher in an inner-city school in Newark called Barringer High School.
I remember in between classes having to go into the ladies’ room, wash my hands
and face, and look in the mirror and say, “You’re going to make it. Just two
more classes. Just one more class, then you can go home and hide.” I’d rinse my
face with cold water just so that I could have the sense of touch, so I could
know that my body was real and I was not just a thought. I’d take a deep
breath, not knowing if I could exhale. I’d walk out into the hall, face thirty
to thirty-five kids, and begin to try to explain the parts of speech.