Tagged With "connect-share-feel"
Blog Post
The Emptiness You Feel is Trying to Tell You Something
I read a short story last week that was about emptiness and love. That funny thing that happens sometimes, happened, and three different people wrote to me within about 24 hours about… emptiness and love. They were feeling -- and I think a lot of us are feeling it -- a harsh, empty, loveless feeling that keeps swooping into their consciousness during this quarantined period, sounding the alarm that something HUGE is missing from our lives. One woman even said “I know you’ll think I’m crazy...
Blog Post
The Importance of Connecting with Your Inner Child
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...
Blog Post
To Heal From Trauma, You Have to Feel Your Feelings [psychologytoday.com]
At any age, in any life stage, you can change. Whether you’re 77 years old or 17, you can learn, grow, adopt new habits, and make new choices to create a life you truly love. It may not always feel that way, though. When childhood emotional wounds tether you to the past, it can feel like you’re being swept away by a fast-moving current; although there are branches on either side of the riverbank to grab onto, something is mentally blocking you from reaching out. That “something” is a tether...
Blog Post
When Hidden Grief Gets Triggered During COVID-19 Confinement
first published by The Meadows 4/15/20 Our sense of loss during the current COVID-19 crisis can trigger hidden emotions from when we experienced a sense of loss before. Whatever early losses you have had in your life — whether they be your own divorce, your parents, or both, or the abandonment of one parent, a childhood or parental illness or death, financial upheaval, constant moving around, or growing up with parental addiction or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — they are likely to...
Blog Post
Calming Your Anxious Mind Through Rhythmic Movement
5 Rhythmic Movement Practices That Can Calm Our Anxious Mind
Blog Post
Childhood PTSD and Avoidance: Learning to Be OK in Groups (Resilience Series)
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...
Blog Post
CPTSD and Social Awkwardness: Another Source of Isolation
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...
Blog Post
Put down the self-help books. Resilience is not a DIY endeavour (theglobeandmail.com)
The science of resilience is clear: The social, political and natural environments in which we live are far more important to our health, fitness, finances and time management than our individual thoughts, feelings or behaviors. When it comes to maintaining well-being and finding success, environments matter.
Blog Post
Self-Care Empowerment
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...
Blog Post
Settling In While Feeling Unsettled
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...
Comment
Re: To Heal From Trauma, You Have to Feel Your Feelings [psychologytoday.com]
Getting a great share response to this article after sharing it on my podcast Facebook page. Thanks for sharing here!
Comment
Re: Put down the self-help books. Resilience is not a DIY endeavour (theglobeandmail.com)
This notion that resilience requires community and social support beyond what we can do individually seems to be getting a lot more press lately. While it seems that ACEs are at the root of so many social and physical ills, it's often lack of social and community support for all people that is at the root of ACEs. Thanks for sharing this, Cheryl.
Comment
Re: Put down the self-help books. Resilience is not a DIY endeavour (theglobeandmail.com)
Thanks, Laura, this is so true in my case. Now that my son is an adult and is supporting me, I am healing at a phenomenal rate. Love and support is the healing balm. But then if we had that in our childhoods, there wouldn't be any mental illness - at least not at the level, we have now.
Comment
Re: Put down the self-help books. Resilience is not a DIY endeavour (theglobeandmail.com)
Cheryl, I'm so happy to hear that your son is giving you the support you've needed for so long. I also believe that childhood trauma is the cause of most if not all mental illness -- and that's ANOTHER idea that is getting a lot of press lately. It seems the tide is turning favorably. Let us brace ourselves for the inevitable backlash .
Comment
Re: Calming Your Anxious Mind Through Rhythmic Movement
Joanna, such great solutions to the problem of wanting to meditate but being emotionally uncomfortable or triggered by trying to sit too long. It's possible to have the best of both worlds -- the benefits of mindfulness meditation AND mindful movement in one. Thank you for sharing your own experience and good ideas with so many of us who can use an alternative to traditional seated meditation. This may encourage some who were hesitant to meditate because of the potential for anxiety to go...
Comment
Re: The Importance of Connecting with Your Inner Child
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...
Comment
Re: The Importance of Connecting with Your Inner Child
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
Comment
Re: The Importance of Connecting with Your Inner Child
I'm going to send this to someone I dearly love--had a conversation with her about this just last night!
Comment
Re: The Importance of Connecting with Your Inner Child
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"...
Comment
Re: CPTSD and Social Awkwardness: Another Source of Isolation
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...
Comment
Re: Childhood PTSD and Avoidance: Learning to Be OK in Groups (Resilience Series)
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.
Comment
Re: Resilience for Children & Families 8: Tough Feelings during Covid-19
These are great tips! Thank you for sharing!
Blog Post
Resilience for Children & Families 8: Tough Feelings during Covid-19
This week we explore and address the difficult feelings children and youths are having right now as they hear so much confusing information. They may now start being personally affected not only by quarantine, but people getting sick. We hope these resilience briefs help the children and youths in your practice and lives.
Blog Post
Too Much Alone Time? Tips To Connect And Find Joy While Social Distancing [npr.org]
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...
Blog Post
Join us for Choose Love Awareness Month for Hope, Healing, and Connection
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...
Comment
Re: Meditation Techniques for Managing Emotions
There are many different types of Meditation, a person may have to try 2 or 3 different types to get a sense of what they are comfortable with. One important thing to remember is a person does not have to buy clothing, magazines, trips or books to meditate. Meditation is sitting with yourself and then watching what thoughts arise and how often certain thoughts continually show up in your mind. We do not try to banish or stop thinking, we recognize our thoughts and then just let them move on.
Blog Post
Meditation Techniques for Managing Emotions
Are you emotional about a certain situation? Or feeling "too much,"? Well, you are not alone in this, and it is not entirely a bad thing to feel this way. However, our emotions shape the way we perceive certain events and might even cloud our judgment regarding people and incidents. At the same time, it is also important to understand that emotions are part of life, and they complete us. It is part of human nature to feel certain things, and one cannot simply escape this reality. What we can...
Comment
Re: The Method For Receiving Infinite Support and The Power of Gratitude and Appreciation
Thanks for presenting this perspective on our place in the universe.
Blog Post
The Method For Receiving Infinite Support and The Power of Gratitude and Appreciation
Those who struggle with ACE’s have a tendency to focus on the negative as a means of self-protection. We fear opening our hearts because of the brutality we experienced in early childhood when our hearts were already open. It takes a tremendous amount of inner work to free our energy from continuing to produce the false barrier of protection, which constitutes our barrier to experiencing all of the love and joy and support that we long for. In this article I offer an alternative view that...
Blog Post
What is Possible?
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...
Comment
Re: What is Possible?
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
Blog Post
Horses Teach Us How to Connect on a Human Level
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’...
Blog Post
The Most Safety and Hopeful Possibilities
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.”
Blog Post
CONNECT ALL GUIDE
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.
Blog Post
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...
Blog Post
Connect All - Infographic
Our individual self-care framework which leads to realizing our global need.
Blog Post
Core Elements of Connect All - video intro
Hi, Have a new video available to intro the core elements to Connect All. https://youtu.be/DhbPfzUh2YA Take care, Gwen
Blog Post
Healing anxiety: An inner journey from your anxious self to blissful self
“Healing anxiety is a journey of inner exploration, where you don’t run away from your fears but embrace them and listen to what they have to say.” - Unknown If you experience anxiety and you have heard that it isn’t possible to heal and you have to manage your anxiety, believe me, what you have heard isn’t true. If it had been true, people like famous spiritual master- Eckhart Tolle and certified NACBT Life Coach Dennis Simsek wouldn’t be healing people across the world today. Both Eckhart...
Comment
Re: To Heal From Trauma, You Have to Feel Your Feelings [psychologytoday.com]
Thanks for sharing this. This is such great and helpful in healing from trauma. Is their any way to deal and overcome with dent in head issue then guide me about it. I'll be very thankful to you.
Blog Post
Survivor Stories with Michael Skinner – Music & Sharing
Hey folks, A little blast from the past, but still relevant today - Honored to be part of the Survivor Stories event hosted by Michael Broussard of Ask a Survivor. Performing two songs of mine and sharing the back story to their creation - "Songs For The Keys To Your Life" and "When Your Heart Follows A Lie" The songs encapsulate some of the many feelings, thoughts and lessons learned about the impact of trauma, abuse and mental health injuries which I get to talk about in the Q & A.
Blog Post
Building Connections for Resilient Kids
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...
Blog Post
Wonder Wednesday
Mi Mundo. Today, Mariela Herrera tells us about the value of rules and how that helps us treat one another, and how rules help to make us all feel safe and well in our world. #WonderWednesday https://youtu.be/mEOOg00jmQ8
Blog Post
What Good Are Feelings?
Emotions are not some kind of cosmic error. They exist for our benefit. Emotions tell us (sometimes before our brains get there) to move away or towards people, situations, and ideas. They are a kind of compass for our lives. But only when we allow them to be so. Curious about how that works?
Comment
Re: Dare To Share Your Untold Story: Trauma Accumulated, Misperception of Illness and Finding his way to be Impactful
Healing is Possible... https://youtu.be/bx6_H_KRa-k
Blog Post
Dare To Share Your Untold Story: Trauma Accumulated, Misperception of Illness and Finding his way to be Impactful
Dare To Share Your Untold Story: Episode 58: Michael Skinner - Trauma Accumulated, Misperception of Illness and Finding his way to be Impactful - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dare-to-share-your-untold-story/id1550712085 or Dare To Share Your Untold Story: Episode 58: Trauma Accumulated, Misperception of Illness and Finding his way to be Impactful - https://daretoshare.libsyn.com/episode-58-trauma-accumulated-misperception-of-illness-amp-finding-his-way-to-be-impactful ‘Dare To Share...
Blog Post
Happy Relationships through Honest Sharing
A wonderful guide has been published recently which explains on how to establish contacts which really nourishes the deep need for connection. https://honest-sharing-local-groups-gopal.org/Happy-Relationships-through-Honest-Sharing-Guide.pdf This guide brings the Polyvagal Theory and the results of the ACEs study into real practice. You can also check out the following blog to get a connection to people allover the world practicing Honest Sharing already:...
Blog Post
New Transforming Trauma Episode: Enhancing our Well-Being Through the Human-Animal Connection with Philip Tedeschi
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...