Healing through Pain

Tracking down a therapist can be intimidating. Listen to some tips and helpful hints about how to engage the process of finding a helper. Also, there's some thoughts about what therapy entails! Take a listen.

If you speak against mental health services, you are potentially spreading a damaging message to those who see it or need it as a resource! If you use these services and see their value, say something! Collectively we can combat the stigma around mental health services.

When we understand love as conditional, we can be treated poorly, treat others poorly, and treat ourselves poorly. These actions can contribute to mental health distress. Learning unconditional love, then, is a solution that can bring incredible healing.

When we decide to engage a healing journey, it is important to realize that there is not a finish line. Because this is true, we can (and need to) work on healing while still moving forward, living life. Take a listen.

When we are hijacked and our emotions have overwhelmed us, there are strategies that help get us back online. We need to not only practice this but help our kids engage this same process! Trauma affects our abilities to stay online at times - so grace, patience, and new strategies are imperative!

When trauma enters our stories, and there is not someone to walk with us through it, emotional immaturity can be a very natural consequence. If we acknowledge this as a part of our story, we can learn to skill build, manage anxiety, and heal - but seeing the immaturity for what it is will be key!

When trauma is a part of our story, our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are all affected. When healing is a part of our journey, those same pieces, through time and intentional effort, will experience relief. But it's a lengthy journey! Dive into my personal narrative about how trauma permeates so many things. Also, there is a bonus tech snafu to keep listeners entertained! #alwaysabeginner

Anger is going to show up for every one of us because life involves pain and hard stuff happens. The question we have to ask ourselves is how can we both acknowledge our anger and use it for growth. It is possible. Tune in to find out more.

Just because we are walking towards health does not mean that others are cheering us on. There may be a cost to us to bettering ourselves - and sometimes it is a steep price to pay. But the pain of change does not mean we are on the wrong track.

Sometimes, we let ourselves off the hook too easily. Other times, we let those we love off the hook. Neither action helps develop character. Bold, honest engagement with self and others will help us cultivate character that influences others well.

There are so many divisive issues surrounding us right now. Perhaps we are still developing our point of view, but we should also be developing our character. We have to love well, even when the topic is controversial.

There are some questions that can yield painful understanding about our lives and what we tolerate. However, not asking the tough questions may also lead to pain. Listen to hear why can't vs. won't are important answers to chase down and ask about those with whom we engage.

Word choice matters. Culturally, the terms crisis and trauma have been co-opted to talk about minor inconveniences or things that make us uncomfortable. Lets dive into what these words really mean and why we should use them correctly!

We need to acknowledge that the past has happened, work through the tough stuff, and move forward into our present and future as intentionally as possible. Change is possible. Healing is possible.

If sexual abuse happens, kids will create stories about why it happened to them. If there is not an adult to walk with them through it, the stories become inaccurate very quickly. There's brain science to explain why. That's why loyalty to children who have been abused is vital.

The statistics on childhood sexual abuse are staggering. One key contributor to abuse is the environment in which one is raised. Listen to hear key environmental shifts to help proactively protect children from abuse.

The lens we look through is a matter of choice. When we choose a lens of victimhood, there is a cost. When we choose a lens of agency, there are benefits. Listen to hear more about why choice matters so much!

It can be hard to come alongside of someone when they are in grief. It can also be a challenge to ask for help. Here are some thoughts about how to give well and receive well during tough seasons.

Although grief is unique for each person, there are predictable stages to crises and predictable cycles of grief that take place. If you are going through a tough season or know someone in grief, take a listen and learn what to expect

Grief has a way of feeling all-consuming. Here is an intentional strategy to draw some parameters around grief so that shifts and changes can be noticed as one moves forward through their story.

Judgement seems to flow so easily from us, but perhaps when that happens, it is a reflection of us and our issues. Addiction and mental health struggles are no place for judgement. Listen about how humility is key when we intersect with difficult stories.

Ever have big reactions that confuse you? Me too. Learn about the bite threshold and how Pitbulls tangling helps explain human behaviors.

We often have urgency to change behaviors and become an expert. The good news is that consistency over time and practice will get us there; we have to be willing to put in the work

Afraid to take the next step? Me too. This delves into some actual strategies that may help.

Understand how some foundational choices - sleep, movement, and nutrition - are paramount for both proactive health and as reactive measures when stress and anxiety show up.