Tagged With "Connection"

When I first started therapy, every time I heard the words "inner child" I wanted to puke. First of all, the only memories I have from my childhood aren't really memories. They are home videos. I have no idea how I felt as a child, and I certainly didn't care to do so. I wanted to put all of that in the past. After all, could my so-called "inner child" really play that big of a role in my life today? Well, as it turns out, she does. Sometimes, my inner child takes over, and I become an...

It’s super common for those of us who grew up with abuse and neglect when we were small, to feel as adults that we are on the outside somehow. When we're in groups we feel as if we are only partly in it, and never really included . Or we start as a full participant but pull away over time. We un-include ourselves. But it feel like other people are keeping us out. The telltale sign that being on the outside could be a personal choice, even when it doesn’t feel like it, is that we’re almost...

For those of us who grew up with abuse and neglect at home, it can be hard to know how to ACT in social situations. Here's an example.... Have you ever been to a hotel where there is a person who is there to carry your bags, and even though you didn’t ask, they carry your bags to the room and it’s totally awkward, and you think “I’m supposed to give them a tip, right? I’ve, like seen this on TV. But you don’t have cash, and they’re just standing there ," and you think, "What do I do? What do...

Our mission at Grandfamily Today always centers around connection and ending isolation for Grandfamilies. Join me free for 5 weeks of Self-Care Empowerment. You can set your own schedule to connect-share-feel empowered! This is interactive! Join us! We will be using email and Marco Polo. If you’ve never used Marco Polo, don’t worry it’s easy and free! It was designed by a married couple to stay in touch with family around the globe. It is video based, but short videos and our group will be...

How quickly the outside world has influenced our inner world and changed our thoughts, patterns, and triggers. Life is definitely coming in waves. We feel a sense of safety if we can be in a healthy home, fear and worry if we have to venture out for food, calm returns after we practice something that soothes and regulates us, and anxiety builds when we hear news and the impact the virus has on the whole world. We are beginning to expect and accept many unpredictable and unknown...

Very encouraging post. I'm not sure anyone who's experienced childhood trauma can recover from its effects without connecting with their inner child, and I suspect that getting to know one's inner child is helpful even for those with no history of childhood trauma. Our childhood experiences -- good, bad, indifferent, and everything in between -- really do lay the foundation for all else to come. I think too that when we connect with our inner child, it's easier for us to cultivate...

Thank you for sharing! I connected to much of what you wrote. Particularly in the first paragraph when you wrote about childhood memories as being "home videos". Oh so true. But, through EMDR therapy I was finally able to see my life and past through my own eyes in lieu of the dissociated state of watching something horrible happen to a little girl (me) as if I was watching a movie. I wish you (and your inner child) continued growth, healing, empowerment, and peace. Teri

I'm going to send this to someone I dearly love--had a conversation with her about this just last night!

Haley, I connected with your article in so many ways. I too felt that my opinion as a child did not matter and took that into adulthood,I too had to get sober ,finally at age 35 and through meetings,therapy,self help groups,seminars,courses and socialization with sober friends finally in my 40s I grew up emotionally and was able to mend relationships with my children,stand up for myself and mover forward socially and in business. I had put it all behind me,meaning the seemingly "bad things"...

Great post. The thing I like about your blog posts/videos, Anna, is that they often address those otherwise "sidelined" effects of childhood trauma -- the ones that don't often make the clinical "symptoms of childhood trauma" lists. They're also the ones that those of us who've experienced childhood trauma suspect, in our perhaps not-always accurate (because they've been thrown off-kilter by the trauma) guts and hearts that this everyday problem that we can't quite put our finger on is yet...

Bingo, again. It can take a lot out of a person to put themselves "out there", especially when, as you say, "we’re just working so hard to just deal." For introverts, the uphill battle is on an even steeper incline. But of course the irony here is that pushing ourselves to do what for so many reasons we resist is one of the very things that will help us become whole. Thank you, Anna, for sharing your blog posts and videos here.

By Alison Aubrey, National Public Radio, May 10, 2020 We are social creatures. So it's no surprise that quarantine fatigue has begun to set in. "Humans are wired to come together physically," says psychologist Judith Moskowitz of Northwestern University. But, loneliness has become widespread in modern life. And, social distancing has just exacerbated the problem, Moskowitz says. Social connection is essential to our well-being, since prolonged isolation can increase the risk of depression...

As we are all living under the mandate of social distancing we find almost everyone struggling with the ethos of our current stressful environment. As human beings, we were created to connect with one another. Our brains have mirror neurons that help us socialize and communicate by reading the expressions of others. The famous evolutionist Charles Darwin concluded that it would be those who were most ‘sympathetic’ to each other, in other words generous, altruistic, and compassionate, that...

What is Possible? By Scarlett Lewis I love reading stories about victory! It seems we all have had something in our lives to overcome, to some degree, and learning and growing from the struggle can benefit others. Courage and perseverance are two of the most powerful ways that can be taught to get through and grow from difficulties, and sometimes the best way is by example. However, one thing is for certain -- we need each other. It has been fascinating to me to witness how we rise to the...

What a wonderful article, I have no idea what you have had to personally go through to get where you are today, but I am grateful you posted this, for me, for us. Thank you Scarlett

I have always loved horses. When I was a young girl I collected plastic Breyer model horses, read books about horses, and even watched television shows that had an equine theme. I think it is their exquisite beauty, their inherent wild nature, and the vulnerable and trusting relationship between horse and rider that is the attraction. I purchased my first horse when I was twelve, spending a year cutting lawns, weeding, and babysitting, eventually raising enough money along with my parents’...

I need the most safety and hopeful possibilities for myself and who I am attached to. Then, having the ability for emotional connection, I both want to positively and don’t want to negatively, tell the children and innocents of the world, “Here is what I was doing this moment when you needed me.”

Also, let me highlight, while Connect All has lots of aspects, it includes, Five through the Filter: an individual self-care framework, which leads to realizing our global need.

Five through the Filter is: An individual (within functionality) self-care framework, which leads to realizing our global need. 'Five through the Filter' was assembled to achieve the Connect All initiative’s one goal and two motivations. One goal: To address all that can be addressed in existence for the most safety and hopeful possibilities. Two motivations: – I need the most safety and hopeful possibilities for myself and (if applicable) who I am attached to. – I both want to positively...

Our individual self-care framework which leads to realizing our global need.

Hi, Have a new video available to intro the core elements to Connect All. https://youtu.be/DhbPfzUh2YA Take care, Gwen

In early May, the Community Resilience Coalition of Guelph & Wellington launched the “Building Connections for Resilient Kids” campaign about the importance of connections during childhood. Connections with adults help children develop resilience to face life’s challenges. These connections can be small actions that adults don’t realize have a big impact on a child’s wellbeing. The Coalition released a series of 8 short videos illustrating stories from community members about adults who...

In this episode of Transforming Trauma, Emily is joined by Philip Tedeschi, clinical professor and Founder of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection where he studies and teaches about the intricate relationship between people, domestic and wild animals, and the natural world. His focus in bio-affiliation - our connection to the living world - has led Philip to be globally recognized for expertise in the clinical methods of animal-assisted interventions, as well as human-animal interaction...