Everyone keeps secrets, at least occasionally. That’s because we all have inner thoughts and feelings that either are not worth sharing with others or would hurt us or another person if they were revealed. But does keeping secrets come at a cost to our well-being? Researcher Michael Slepian, author of the new book The Secret Life of Secrets , explores this question in depth and comes up with some provocative answers. He uses an illustrative example from his own life—learning as an adult that...

Podcast - Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 1 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sOd1-EvpRI “Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” - Debasish Mridha 1] Songs For The Keys To Your Life 2] The 9:30 Train 3] The Silence That Separates Us 4] By My Side Michael Skinner Music - https://www.mskinnermusic.com/ “Music has the power to heal, transform and inspire and we have the power through deep listening to increase our...

Healing the Mind, Body & Spirit Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health “ Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”. Kahlil Gibran The Surviving Spirit Newsletter July 2022 “ By giving ourselves unconditional kindness and comfort while embracing the human experience, difficult as it is, we avoid destructive patterns of fear, negativity, and isolation.” -...

When young Tybre Faw read Rep. John Lewis's favorite poem, Invictus, at the civil rights icon's July 2020 funeral, he captivated everyone watching — including bestselling author Andrea Davis Pinkney. Now, Faw's unlikely friendship with the late Georgia representative is the subject of Pinkney's new children's book Because of You, John Lewis , which also explores Lewis's relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. Faw was 10 in 2018 when he drove seven hours with his grandmothers from his home...

“ Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” - Debasish Mridha The Impact of Trauma Upon Our Lives - Healing Childhood Trauma in Adulthood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx1k_oEZ4oc&t=15s 1] How Artists Can Turn Childhood Pain into Creativity - https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_artists_can_turn_childhood_pain_into_creativity Some performers are able to transform childhood trauma into intense creativity, suggests a new study. Whether their success was in...

By Alonzo l. Plough, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June 8, 2022 Engaging in honest dialogue about race sometimes means lowering our defenses and acknowledging our feelings so we can walk together toward racial equity. The opening of the Tops Friendly Market in East Buffalo was a triumph of community activism , a victory for residents who struggled for years against food apartheid . In a neighborhood that had long lacked a full-service supermarket, the store became a symbol of local...

Hi Folks, The June Surviving Spirit Newsletter – sharing Hope and Healing Resources for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health is posted at the website – http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php It can be read online or Subscribe via – http://ml.survivingspirit.com/dada/mail.cgi/archive/newsletter/20220613164651/ or this – http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2022-06-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_June_2022.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, sign up @ Website via Contact Us or...

Hi Folks, My latest sharing - I read my chapter from the book, " You Can Help - A Guide for Family & Friends of Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Assault " by Rebecca Street. Honored to be a part of this book along with the other 19 survivor/thriver contributors. I also share some words from Rythea Lee's book - " Trauma into Truth - Gutsy Healing and Why It's Worth It " - The healing thoughts and wisdom from both books are applicable to all survivors of trauma and abuse. How You Can Help -...

“ There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.” - Nelson Mandela “ Anything that has real and lasting value is always a gift from within.” - Franz Kafka “ Staying quiet about one’s struggles limits that person’s ability to seek proper help or treatment.” - Sarah Bregel Michael Skinner: "Brush Away Your Tears" - “BRUSH AWAY YOUR TEARS”© Michael Skinner Brush away the tears from your eyes my child The world don’t want to see you cry Brush...

Hi folks, Some more thoughts and resources to counter the hurtful phrase - Just Get Over It - Part 2 . Also address the maligning labels placed upon trauma and abuse survivors. Sorry for the technical glitch of the smaller screen. Will resolve to fix that going forward. Healing Childhood Trauma in Adulthood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EgIkkKgJoE&t=36s “ Healing doesn't mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives."”- Unknown “ There are wounds...

Hey folks, Please take a listen. I talk, share resources & a song about the hurtful statement too many trauma & abuse survivors hear & the impact of trauma & abuse upon the mind, body & spirit. Just Get Over It - Healing Childhood Trauma in Adulthood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKKraLrAwKo&t=2s “Get over it” is a cruel phrase. It means, “Not only do I not care about how you feel, if you were smarter, you wouldn’t care either.” “ Just get over it” places all of...

Please join us on June 28 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET for a virtual conversation with best-selling author Bruce Perry. Ingrid Cockhren , CEO of PACEs Connection; Mathew Portell , PACEs Connections’ director of communities, and Perry, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, will engage in a conversation concerning historical trauma and Perry’s best-selling book " What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing, " which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey. Please share this blog...