You know those memes that talk about a dad’s protectiveness of his daughter? How he’ll hunt you down and kill you if you hurt his little girl? Let’s have more of that, please. Don’t get me wrong – the women in my life don’t need my protection or for me to advocate on their behalf. […]
Current favorite Facebook Meme: If you never heal from what hurt you, you’ll bleed on people who didn’t cut you.” The rest of that story: No one heals alone. You’re gonna need some kindred spirits to help you put together the pieces of yourself. It’s tough to believe there are others like you…but I promise […]
Twenty minutes ago, I walked my brother into a local Emergency Department. We’re not biologically related. We claim each other. I love my brother. My brother has a horrible disease. His disease is trying to kill him. It will succeed if he does not receive the medical attention he needs immediately. My brother is equally […]
I just got off the phone with an old friend. Up until today, he was one of the kindest, most sensitive, generous, and saddest people I’ve ever known. Today he got closure on a battle that waged within him for over thirty years. Imagine letting go of a burden you’ve always carried… Today he has […]
Gabor Mate is an expert on overcoming the long-term effects of trauma. I recently came across a quote of his that explains the intersection between emotional and physical illness brilliantly: When you shut down emotion, you’re also affecting your immune system, your nervous system. So, the repression of emotion, which is a survival strategy, then […]
When it came across my Facebook page that Governor LePage has asked the Supreme Court to allow employers to discriminate based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, I heard the band Bright Eyes singing in my head, “I’m not surprised, but I never feel quite prepared…” I have this simultaneous urge to both […]
It’s a rare person that will give you their truth (more than simply an opinion) in no uncertain terms. I’ve learned that the best service I can provide to people like me is to point out self-deception (denial, rationalizations, justifications and minimizations). I don’t profess that my truth is THE truth. As someone who has […]
Anxiety is something nearly everyone struggles with in addiction recovery. Seeing the wreckage our lives became is enough to cause anxiety. In truth, most of us lived with it long before we took the first drink or drug. “What we lived with, we learned. What we learned, we became.” Growing up afraid means learning self-control […]
I have a compelling story and urgent opportunities for you. Please indulge me: I’ve learned that no one is in recovery from just one thing. Folks in recovery from addiction are also in recovery from trauma. Folks recovering from eating disorders or self-harm are also in recovery from mental illness. I want to tell you […]
To those who abuse, assault, and otherwise, harm for personal gain or pleasure, I’m thinking about you today because I am tired. It’s a good kind of tired. I’ve been busy serving your children, your former partners, those you bullied. Helping them fix themselves and grieve I’ve been doing it for a long time. This […]
