Stumbling Through Enlightenment

Jason starts us off this week with a check in around his work with the family videos. He shares with us the effect it has had on his perceptions of growing up, and his insights into how it has affected his life. We talk in detail about the experience, both pro and con, and how he is processing with his therapist. Edward announces 2 new editions to his home. A friend of his is currently fostering a...

In keeping up with our Zodiac segments we delve into the watery world of Cancer. Cancer is the Cardinal water sign. Known as the for their nurturing and emotional ways, Cancers are the mothers of the Zodiac. Symbolized as the Crab, they can be hard to get to know, but on the inside they are soft and vulnerable. Join us as we look into the mysteries of Cancer.

Our Check-In this week, centers around Edward’s feelings of boredom and unfulfillment at work. Edward is trying to figure out what his boundaries are for life, especially when it comes to work. We discuss Edward’s past relationship with his job and how that effects his feelings on where he is now. The conversation takes a turn into Edward’s use of dreams and work have been a method of disconnectin...

This week we start off with Jason for our Check-In. Jason has shared with us in the past that he has a recurring nightmare. Every time he has had the nightmare it has been basically the same. This week Jason shares with us how his nightmare has changed. Instead of starring his wife it stars his biological mother. We talk about this breakthrough and what it means for him and the work he is doing ar...

Edward finds himself ready for the return of his House Manager. Edward talks about looking forward to time off, then returning to doing only his job. Edward explains to Jason where he is at using Spoon Theory. Spoon Theory is often used to describe the amount of energy or the ability to do a specific task when one has an autoimmune disorder. In this case Edward uses it to describe his brain activi...

Jason is getting ready to attend a wedding with his wife in this week’s Check-In. The only challenge is trying to find something to wear. Jason doesn’t often “dress up” so finding clothes appropriately for a wedding is a little difficult. This is compounded by the fact that Jason has a hard time committing to an outfit that might not be as comfortable as he needs it to be. Jason talks about his ne...

We are still on Summer Break, but we wanted to complete our analysis of Astrology signs through the rest of the summer. Gemini often gets a bad rap as a sign that is unstable, but as you'll hear this week, Gemini's are incredibly loyal, emotionally adept and incredibly fun to be around. This week we take a deeper look into what it means to have a Gemini in our lives and the benefits that c...

This week’s Episode starts out with a tale of two wills. Edward finds himself in a situation when he and someone he works with start to co-escalate. Hindsight is 20/20 and, in this case, quite funny and educational. Jason also shares a story of a similar situation in which he found himself. Laughs are had and lessons are learned in this Check-In. In our Deep Dive, this week Jason and Edward play a...

Our Check-In this week is our Season Finale. Jason and Edward sit down and share the highlights of what made this season special for them. This is the episode when we hear about favorite episodes, learning experiences, growth recaps, special moments, and of course plans and goals for next season. Join us as we celebrate three years of Stumbling Through Enlightenment! Our Deep Dive this week is als...

Edward shares with us more changes in his life and how he is experiencing them. Edward starts off speaking about taking on a temporary roommate whom he has known for several years. Edward discusses the change in his home environment and the change in the relationship with this person. Though a good space for growth, Edward is finding it challenging dealing with change in so many areas of his life....

Jason leads us off this week with a discussion about leaving a legacy. For Jason the podcast has been many things within his mental health journey. One of the parts that has recently come into his experience is that this podcast is part of a legacy to his family. Jason doesn’t speak much with his children about the depths of his abuse. Jason was not able to understand what happened from his parent...

This week’s episode is a little longer than typical, and a little different. Instead of starting with a check in, we will be starting out with our Deep Dive. When we listened to the recording of this week’s check in, Jason realized that there was an opportunity to add some content in the form of a deep dive. That information will be helpful in processing the conversation we have in our check in. I...

Edward starts us off this week with a check in about reaffirming boundaries. Edward has consistently had difficulties setting boundaries with his mother. Within the last week he had to do so on the phone in front of a friend who really likes is mother. Surprisingly his friend understood and encouraged the boundaries which Edward found to be a huge affirmation. Jason and Edward discuss some of the...

Jason shares with us some parental growth this week. His eldest son has been fired from his job for stealing. A perfect storm of circumstances come together to create the perfect environment for his son to steal from his job. Jason shares with us the circumstances, but also how he and Jessica are working through the parenting process. Jason and Edward also share some of their own experience from b...

Jason starts us off this week with a check in about the time change. Time changes can be difficult for any of us with mental health issues, especially depression. Jason realizes that the springtime change is good for him. We discuss legislation to end Daylight Savings Time falling through. Jason shares with us the challenges he finds in the winter as well as the lack of light. Jason talks about mo...

This week Edward starts us off by sharing with us some stories from his vacations starting with him losing his voice and being sick. As sometimes happens in our lives this setback created an opportunity for Edward to reconnect with a young man whom he had helped raise. Edward goes on to tell us the trials and tribulations of trying to get an instruction manual printed for a Reiki Class that he tau...

We start our episode with Edward processing news that he received that morning about one of his highest needs clients has passed away the day before. Edward and Jason discuss the loss and the combination of relief and grief that these situations bring up. Jason starts off on a tangent the stops himself, but Edward picks it up due to his own frustration with the care system in his area. This takes...

Jason starts us off this week with some news about an ongoing trauma. His wife Jessica is leaving for a weekend and Jason shares with us what working up to this event looks like. Jason discusses some of the coping skills he is building around the weekend, but also how he is using desensitizing practices to prepare himself. Jason and Edward discuss the practices and also how to use them in more day...

Edward Starts us off this week with a story about his week at work. On of his Clients is going through a rough time which has triggered some memories and trauma responses for Edward and his co-worker. The conversation works through the issues, but also looks at what PTSD is.  This week's Deep Dive is all about recovery and the maintenance around it. So many of us with mental health challenges...

We check in with Jason this week as he shares with us stories of parenting a young adult. Jason’s oldest has a license and car and within a year will be able to leave home. Jason again finds himself in a stage of life that he has only experienced in unhealthy ways. Jason is reading books, and listening to professional advice to learn what the transition looks like. His current struggle centers aro...

This week we start our episode checking in with Edward about some musical exploits. Edward shares that he recently has bought a new gaming computer. At first he thought about it only for gaming, but with all the computing power he thought about getting back into some composing. Edward discusses his use of MuseScore 4 with Jason, and the joy that it is bringing him. Edward also shares with us some...

Jason starts off this week’s episode with a story about a new intrusive thought. While in the shower one day, Jason thoughts turn to ideas that his oldest son isn’t his. As he starts ruminating, he catches himself and understands that these thoughts come from a recent therapy session. Jason goes one to discuss with us the way he compartmentalizes his traumatic past into ways that allow them to rem...

This week Edward starts talking about a realization that clicked for him about some of his behavior. Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, Edward was often described as being lazy by teachers and even his parents. To rectify this Edward worked even harder to the point of exhaustion. In the discussion Edward realizes that he takes so much on, especially at work but even in home life, because he still c...

Edward starts us off this week recounting the last couple of weeks and the realizations he’s had around timing. Edward relays to us a few stories of appointments that have come up amid some time crunches. When Edward usually finds himself in these circumstances, he tells us that he panics. These last couple of weeks he has found a way to “be ok” with where he finds himself. In addition Edward has...

We catch up with Jason about the light levels, now that we have past the longest night. Jason relays to us that he is feeling a little better, but also has hope due to a meme about how many days it will be until it is light at 7:30pm. Jason and Edward discuss Jason’s Christmas, including his son’s gift of a car. Jason also laments the end of hunting season as it was something that he was doing reg...