~ BIOGRAPHY
~ Dean Shrock, Ph.D. ~
Dean Shrock, Ph.D. was born in Central Pennsylvania, but
soon moved to Pittsburgh, Pa. where he graduated from
high school in 1963. He attended Cleveland State
University, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology in
1968.
In 1977 Dr. Shrock began
training to be a lecturer in a self-help program with
its founder, Ken McCaulley. Shrock returned to college
in 1980, graduating from the University of Akron in
Akron, Ohio with a master’s in Community and College
Counseling in 1983, and completing his doctorate in
Counseling Psychology in 1986. His doctoral dissertation
was titled, Relaxation, Guided Imagery, and Wellness.
In 1986 Dr. Shrock
completed a post-doctoral internship where he developed
a research proposal for the Cleveland Clinic to test the
effectiveness of guided imagery with cancer patients. In
1987 he interned as a staff psychologist with the
Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital in State College,
Pa. While there he also interned with Dr. Carl Simonton
at the Simonton Cancer Center where he initiated his
research with psychological approaches to cancer care.
In 1988 Dr. Shrock was
hired by a physician management group to provide
psychological services for their cancer centers. Here he
developed a wellness program whose primary purpose was
to instill a greater “will to live”. While bringing more
joy and meaning into life surely could affect a
patient’s quality of life, Dr. Shrock’s research
published in 1999 found that it extended their length of
life. He concluded they lived longer because they felt
listened to, cared for, and supported. His experience
and expertise led to his being invited to co-author the
chapter on Mind-Body Medicine in what is regarded as
“the definitive source in the field” for healthcare
providers, the textbook, Integrative Oncology.
Dr. Shrock wrote a book in
2000 about the wellness program he taught and the
insights he gained. This book,
Doctor’s
Order’s: Go Fishing, is not about cancer, as
much as it is about life. Readers can use the
information to get well or stay well. People who are
busy doing what they like to do not only tend to forget
their aches and pains, but experience a positive effect
on their quality and length of life.
However, Dr. Shrock was
very intrigued by his finding that feeling loved and
cared for could extend survival with cancer. This
culminated in his 2009 bestselling book,
Why Love Heals. He now resides in Eagle Point,
Oregon and lectures regularly about his “Going Fishing”
approach to life, and how to find true joy, peace of
mind, great health, and self-love.
|
