Health and Healing Dealing with Trauma and Addictions

Anxiety can trigger depression and other behavioral, physical, and mental health issues. It is especially hard if you are dealing with other personal, work, relationship, or family-related issues. Please be aware that it is okay to ask for help. 

Anxiety can trigger depression and other behavioral, physical, and mental health issues. It is especially hard if you are dealing with other personal, work, relationship, or family-related issues. Please be aware that it is okay to ask for help. 

The name Viola may not ring a bell in circles you reside in; however, the name Viola Ford-Fletcher is a common name, one not to be forgotten. Ms. Fletcher, affectionately known as "Mother Fletcher," was one of the last survivors of the 1921 horrific tragedies committed by an all-white mob in Tulsa, Oklahoma.   Known as the "Black Wall Street" massacre, a lie was published in th...

Oh, it may not be sexy to talk about history or religious history, but I think you'll enjoy the information here. There is the era of constructive theology, where Black thinkers, pastors, and activists reimagine what Christianity can be even as they engage Islam, Judaism, Afro-Caribbean religions, and Buddhism.  Their work suggests and insists that theology cannot stop at the boundaries of th...

Many theologians consider scripture as their primary reference, while philosophy, history, archaeology, and other sources are secondary. Psychology utilizes reason, observation of nature, and experiment. Also, they rely on philosophical sources.  There are two models of conversation regarding psychology and theology. Models of integration: Explicit integration and implicit integration.  Both expli...

Have you or someone you've known asked the question, "Why?" or "Why me?"  These massive topics are too big and complex for us to be under any illusions. Psychology classifies guilt as an emotion; moral emotions are classified as such because they presumably play a key role in fostering moral behavior.  Guilt is something we feel—shame attacks our identity.  Theologians are...

Latahsa Harlins was a 15-year-old slain in the city of Los Angeles, California. At the time, the most viewed and talked-about incident was that of the killing of Rodney King. Latasha was killed a few weeks later.   The teen was in a store attempting to purchase a drink for $1.79. The store owner thought she was stealing the beverage as she mistakenly placed the beverage in her backpack while holdi...

Being alone can be a source of strength, creativity, and personal growth for those who embrace it. It's not for everyone, but the personality traits are beneficial to all. In discovering the unique qualities of enjoyment of being alone, keep an open mind to how you too can find pleasure in being alone. Being alone is not isolation! I explored some of the traits; they are as follows: Independe...

A gradual relationship decline prior to one person having an affair—and a once-or-twice affair happens—a new study has identified a pattern. Very rarely does a healthy relationship occur afterward. The study hoped to offer insight into whether relationship problems actually precede affairs or whether they mostly happen afterward.  Are cheaters destined to keep repeating the same pattern forever? O...

"Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."     Amos 5:24 Listening is not only a personal practice; it can and must be shaped in our organizations. Our everyday systems, schools, government, congregations, and organizations. What is true for individuals is also true for institutions.  But when systems stop listening and telling untruths, the conseq...

As we journey through life, it's natural to experience changes in behavior. Some changes aren't all bad, as we have been told. Many of the changes we encounter as we age are positive.  Yes, some aspects allow aging people to observe how seniors display behaviors that seem to transport them back to their youth or earlier stages of life. Here's what nobody tells you about aging: every...

The trouble with boys. They're kinetic, maddening, and failing at school; all is a result of emotions that start as boys.  This issue is twofold: 1st critically and 2nd the research.  Men's emotions are given less importance. They are expected not to cry when they feel hurt or vulnerable because of their gender. 30% of men experienced depression at some point in their lives, and 9% are f...

It was a typical night for a teen who was visiting with his dad and bonus mom when he decided to go to the store to grab a snack. Returning home on the phone with his girlfriend, he was abruptly approached by a man that was patrolling the neighborhood.  The kid and the man got into an altercation only after the man called the non-emergency police. Dispatch on the other side informed the man NOT to...

Trauma and crisis are two terms that are often used interchangeably, yet they possess distinct differences. Exploring their impact on mental health, a traumatic event can trigger a crisis situation, and a crisis situation can potentially lead to lasting trauma.  "Trauma" refers to the lasting emotional and psychological effects of a distressing or disturbing event. "Crisis" den...

The "flakka drug," or "flakka zombie drug," is an artificial stimulant that falls under the category of synthetic cathinone, commonly referred to as "bath salts." Law enforcement agencies and health care providers have expressed significant concerns about the widespread use of flakka. Various instances of " Man on Flakka " have been captured in videos on new...

A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger. You may experience a complete loss of control, feeling as though you're on the verge of collapse.  Panic disorder often begins in late teen years or early adulthood. Women are more prone to panic attacks than men. What causes panic attacks? Rechearse says it's unclear...

The Black Seminoles are one of the prominent Black American tribes whose history has been overlooked and suppressed, alongside other indigenous groups like the Gullah/Geechee and the Washitaw Nations.  The Black Seminoles are descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped plantations and allied with the Seminole Nation in Florida. They played a significant role in resisting slavery and fought in the...

Anxiety and depression are like two sides of the same coin. Your nervous system is just doing what it can with the stress, trauma history, and pressure it's carrying. A lot of people live quietly with both anxiety and depression at the same time.  Why Do They Show Up Together? Because your body comes equipped with a built-in alarm. Anxiety is the "fight or flight." Depression can lo...

How New Year's Resolutions Can Be a Dilemma. (Proverbs 3:4-6) The most common New Year's resolutions are usually concerning career advancement, fitness goals, learning new skills, and weight loss. Many of us make New Year's resolutions, setting big goals as we're filled with excitement and anticipation.  What is New Year's resolution stress? It's when we put pressure...

Why Highly Sensitive People React So Strongly to Criticism.  Criticism is inevitable.  Those with HSP reactions are wired deeply in their brains. The emotional brain is where their databank of triggers and past emotional memories are stored.  For sensitive people, even when they logically know that criticism is invalid, they still need to process their emotions that arise.  If you’re highly sensit...

In 1842 deep in the heart of Georgia’s cotton empire, a widow chose the unthinkable; she desired to continue a bloodline that she thought was a chosen bloodline from God. Due to the fact, her late husband didn't leave her with a son to carry on the bloodline, she decided to develop a twisted plot so the Whitfield's name and legacy would continue.  As the story continues, does God make mi...

Are you getting a good night's sleep?  Good sleep is paramount to the healthy functioning of our brains and bodies. As sleep plays an important role in the physical and mental health of individuals, studies are thought to uncover the causal relationship and mechanisms between sleep quality and aggressive behavior to raise public awareness of the importance of sleep.  Some researchers have sug...

Many are unaware that Project Coast was the successor to a limited post-war Chemical Biological Weapon CBW program that mainly produced the lethal agents CX powder and mustard gas, as well as non-lethal tear gas for riot control purposes. This is also why a great deal of money was spent developing new forms of tear gas and investigating whether street drugs could be used to ‘calm’ crowds. Today in...

 "The Massacre," or "The Slaughter," was a period of anti-Mexican violence in Texas, including massacres and lynching, between 1910 and 1920 in the midst of tensions between the United States and Mexico during the Mexican Revolution.  La Matanza Many Mexican Americans know this story.  Mexican refugees, looking to escape the violence of the revolution, began migrating to Texas,...

Few things compare to the pain of losing someone you love. While there’s no way to avoid intense feelings of grief, there are healthier ways to come to terms with your loss.  Bereavement is the grief and mourning experience following the death of someone important to you.  Death is an inevitable part of life, something that virtually all of us go through at some point—losing someone you love can b...