Healing Trauma

Healthy, Healing Kale Chips Recipes

kale chips | Dianna Bonny Photography

I had the misfortune of purchasing a bag of Kale chips at Whole Foods once — nacho cheese flavored, I believe. The whole family was disgusted. I don’t think kale stores very well, even in those super sonic, air-tight, space shuttle bags. As hearty as those leaves may seem, they are not meant for prolonged shelf life. I deposited kale…

Self Healing: A Few Things I Have Learned

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This is a repost that still feels as true as the day I wrote it nearly two years ago. My how times flies when you aren’t looking! If you have been thrown into the fire of loss, then you will know the feeling of treading upon the anniversary of these things with care. These days demand a certain kind of…

Unraveling The Aftermath Of Suicide And Healing

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the trials and tribulations of doing video work. Today, I learned that I needn’t have been so worried about it being perfect because apparently a highly skilled video editor can remove any and all imperfections. It made me laugh to think of how hard I tried to get the lighting, sound and actual…

Healing Trauma: What It Means To Heal

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This was originally a guest post over at Elin Stebbins Waldal’s beautiful blog and I wanted to share it here: Traumatic experiences can dramatically interrupt our lives, like a mighty ice storm, and instantly change the landscape. We then face the question of whether we are going to remain frozen in the position the storm left us, or smash the…

Simple, Good Food: Japanese Meatballs And Korean Slaw

I have been cooking simple, good food for a friend who is facing a health challenge. She hasn’t yet connected the dots between eating well and health, something I see as essential. Since I love cooking it seemed natural to try and entice her to see the importance with nutrient dense, clean food. While her inability to connect the food…

On Getting Out Of Your Own Way And Succeeding

I went to Santa Cruz for a visit with my Sophomore son last weekend. College doesn’t seem to have changed much since I was there a few many years ago, except everyone now has their nose in a Smartphone. The food in the pantry is a bit different and I don’t remember my house full of girls being quite as dirty…

Healing Trauma: First Aid for the Soul

holistic healing soul aid

I am traveling this week and thought this post was a good reminder to take care of ourselves, especially when traversing the aftermath of loss. I have a first aid kit tucked away in the bathroom cabinet for those minor emergencies, a preventative toolbox to ward off infections and avoid a costly visit to the doctor or ER. When my…

Dear Life-Changing Events of 2010:

Dear Live Changing Events of 2010: I wasn’t terribly fond of the way you entered my life a few years ago and unapologetically devastated everything without warning. Who gave you permission to do that, Life Changing Events of 2010? While my life wasn’t what I’d call perfect, I was fumbling my way through. I’ll admit I was too scared to…

Brain Health: Counter-Acting Chronic Stress After Loss

  I did not anticipate the stress that comes with adjusting to life after a traumatic loss. Loss throws us into a state of uncertainty, often evoking fear of the unknown, and unchecked fear can lead to the hormonal stress response, ultimately placing an extraordinary burden on the body and brain. I recently learned that once our bodies are hijacked,…

Expression Of Emotions Is The Key To Healing

I feel myself coming back to life over these past few weeks. It is as though my cells are peeking out from where they have been hibernating and hiding while I have been busy reconstructing my world. I have been moving furniture around. I had a sudden burst of inspiration to sell of many of my old belongings and embarked…