Frank J DiMaio DC, MS
About me
I was born and raised in Rhode Island, and growing up in the restaurant business engendered a strong work ethic and a love of food, so a good portion, if not all, of my fiction writing has eating scenes. A recipe for deer shoulder earned me a spot on a local cooking show when my wife and I lived in Virginia. Now leaning toward vegetarianism, I am obsessed with kale. I do enjoy an occasional slab of prime rib.
After enjoying a successful practice as a chiropractic physician for more than a decade, a freak accident forced me to give up my practice. Changing my career path eventually led to sculpting. My art is in private collections in the US and Canada. I have received honorable mention awards for photography and was a member of a barbershop chorus.
To support my art, I worked on tugboats, as an aide with autistic children, at an airport, and as a line cook and assistant kitchen manager for a large steak house chain. I have been a restless soul with “sand in my shoes,” I always found it hard to sit still and have lived in several states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, and Canada, for ten years. Currently, Florida is my home.
My second book, A Promise Made A Promise Kept, A Husband's Journey Through Journaling To Heal The Loss of His Spouse. Outlines my and my wife's rollercoaster ride through breast cancer treatment and her eventual passing in 2004. The depth of sorrow and elements of my emotional decline, while beset with grief, are strong points of my journaling. The process of healing took a long time and, in later years, provided peace and acceptance for my spiritual and personal forgiveness.
The power of healing words from my journey is the backbone of my next book, The Psychology of Healing, The Subconscious Connection which is based on my years in practice and the journaling discussed in my book. It has been a work in progress since 2013 with multiple rewrites and research into the correlation and importance negative emotions have on the nervous system, body, and emotional balance.
My college degree is a BA in Psychology from Providence College, a Doctorate from New York Chiropractic College, and participated in postgraduate diplomate studies in Neurology while in practice. I also hold a Master of Science degree from Troy State University. While in Canada, I learned a soft tissue technique called Bowenwork, integrating it with my chiropractic and knowledge of neurology to care for people with acute or chronic pain. Following my early desire to work with special needs children and adults, I traveled to Scotland to incorporate the teaching of fascia work developed by Howard Plummer with great success. I am also a peer support group facilitator with The Gatehouse in Ontario, Canada. I received this training while in their counseling program. During which i began my research into the power of words and their affect on our health and well-being. I continue to facilitate with groups via Zoom when possible.
The journaling process has opened opportunities, using positive reinforcing vocabulary to offset the depressing influence of negative emotions on the body's biochemistry. This stacking of emotional or physical moments of primal defense can cause ill health. This creates memory pathways, overstimulation of the brain, and stress on the immune system. My experience using positive words, journaling, meditation/prayer, diet, and exercise eventually helped me move forward with my loss and trauma from grief. The tools I incorporated may help other husbands understand survivors' grief and take control of their health.
I have contributed my life experiences in articles to Authority Magazine, hosted on Medium.com. They are listed below..
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/masters-of-the-turnaround-author-frank-j-dimaio-d3f58a8cfd01