I don't know where I originally saw this or who said it. If you know, please enlighten me so I can give them proper credit. Whoever said it, I think it is truly beautiful.
Continue reading ""Grief is Love's Unwillingness to Let Go"" »
Survivors of trauma, especially childhood abuse, often use numbing as a technique for dealing with strong or painful emotions.
Continue reading "Trauma and Numbing" »
It seems most Americans like to think of themselves as thinking beings who happen to feel. But research into the human brain shows that we are instead feeling beings who are able to think. I believe our failure to recognize this causes untold frustration and the current epidemic of people being diagnosed with depression.
Continue reading "Are We Thinking Beings Which Feel or Feeling Beings Which Think?" »
My video collection is inexplicable, unless you understand its purpose. The only movies I actually purchase to keep are those which are safe and make me laugh. I know no one dies, there is no violence, no animals are killed or harmed in the viewing of this movie and it makes me laugh.
Continue reading "Laughter Really is the Best Medicine" »
Once again I watched as an 8 year boy (with a 10 year old sister and a 6 year old brother) was told he was now "the man of the house" and "you have to look out for your mom, brother and sister now". His father and mother have divorced and this advice was coming for a seemingly well-intentioned adult, but it made my hair curl. Why?
Continue reading "The Man of the House" »
She's about to come out of her skin. She attributes this to her period and/or her psychiatric medications. She says that she doesn't know what is wrong, but she just feels like crying. Some days, counseling is not rocket science. It's just reallllly simple. "So cry!" I tell her. If you feel like crying, cry. It really is that simple.
Continue reading "Just Feel Your Feelings" »
This article is a response to a question posted on Intent.com, "How do We Help the Helpless?" Since I work with homeless families in a homeless shelter everyday, this question raised strong emotions for me. The word "helpless" hit me right between the eyes. Why?
Continue reading "Helping the "Helpless"" »
A client, who recently lost a brother, asked me how she could help her mother who was still grieving the loss of her son. It was an excellent question. American culture does not teach us how to grieve. A not-so-uncommon approach is to go to the doctor and get an antidepressant to avoid feeling the pain. But this only delays the inevitable. It does not help you to grieve. And it does not help the person you care about to grieve and move on. How do you help another person grieve in a healthy way?
Continue reading "How to Help Someone Grieve" »