Art as Therapy: Curative Powers of Creative Endeavors March 5, 2014 • 1 Comment Over these last few of years, things have become rather neutral in my life. My wardrobe reduced to uniform status: black and white t-shirts, jeans and ballet flats. My house now a boring palette of beige, brown and, sadly, more beige. None of this was a conscious choice. It sort of happened without my looking, until one day a couple…
Emotional Wounds: The Secret to Your Why March 3, 2014 • 2 Comments It is no secret that my kids are the inspiration behind what I do. They are my why. It has been this way since becoming a mother, but when our lives changed that fateful day in 2010, my why shifted to another kind of why, much bigger, and more definitive. This deeply passionate and devoted why was ignited by a man…
Fermented Foods: On Kombucha and Enlightenment February 19, 2014 • 2 Comments I am a big fan of G.T. Dave’s Kombucha. I discovered it years ago and became addicted and started buying it by the case (it’s a lot cheaper that way). Then, Lindsay Lohan claimed it made her drunk in a car accident and – poof – they removed it from the shelves. For months, loyal devotees would visit the empty…
Are We There Yet? Three Essentials for Healing Trauma February 17, 2014 • 4 Comments When I was growing up we did a lot of road trips. We’d pack up our hideous sky blue & wood-paneled Mercury Montego station wagon and set off for the adventure at hand, primarily skiing. Sans the electronics of today, Mad Libs, I Spy, books and backgammon provided the entertainment. These games often had a short life span and always…
Parent Suicide Resources: When Children Grieve February 12, 2014 • 5 Comments In the aftermath of my husband’s death, I pursued every resource I could find to aid in my children’s recovery. They were not particularly fond of their brief foray into therapy because they found talking to a stranger about such an intimate experience “weird.” One of them attended a Survivors of Suicide support group but had a hard time finding…
Healing Emotional Pain: The Safety of the Other Shore February 7, 2014 • 0 Comments The other night my son and I watched The Other Shore, a fabulous documentary about one of my heroes, legendary ocean swimmer, Diana Nyad. I am somewhat obsessed with her because although I love the ocean, I am equally terrified by it. One of my biggest fears is falling off a cruise ship, which is ridiculous because I have never been…
Healing Techniques: Embracing the Healing Powers Within February 5, 2014 • 2 Comments Last week I had one of those days where everything seemed shrouded in darkness, which went hand in hand with the restless night that preceded it. I am particularly vulnerable when I don’t sleep well, my brain becomes sieve-like, incapable of fending off scary thoughts. Mental exhaustion was common in the beginning, but with the river of adrenaline coursing through…
How to Talk to Children About Suicide: The Power of Conversation January 27, 2014 • 8 Comments When I dreamt of becoming a mother, I never imagined that one day I would look into the eyes of my children to begin a discussion about their father’s choice to end his life. But that is exactly what happened. As I searched their faces for clues during those first few days, I realized I was going to have to…
Dealing with Grief and Gracefully Disengaging from Blame January 20, 2014 • 7 Comments I originally posted this a year ago but I recently read an article on the Huffington Post discussing the issue of blame and thought I would repost since it seems to be an ongoing problem. I have had some interesting and difficult conversations over the last two years. I thought I would share this one in particular, in case you…
The Illuminating Journey of Self Healing January 13, 2014 • 2 Comments A few months ago I was honored to be asked to guest post on the fabulous TalkProject.net. I am a big fan of sharing stories and I adore Tracie Nichols’ work. I hope you will explore the site. This is a re-post of what I shared and because I hope 2014 is the year we can all lay ourselves out…