Even though this is me as a toddler, I can’t even get close to imagining how much pain was going on in my little brain. I feel shivers up my back and a big hole in my heart.

Steve Sparks, Author, Blogger, Mental Health Advocate A Lifetime of Emotional Pain Healing came very late to me. Like so many of my peers from the post WWII generation, we were born to trauma from our fathers who served during WWII and Korean War. As a result, too many of us left home early with scars from profoundly dysfunctional homes. So, we marched head on into the Vietnam era in the 60s early 70s, already morally injured living with chaos as children of warriors. Sadly, for too many...

“I waited. And waited… And then…I waited some more.”

Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults from NYC Health…City of New York… “Mental illness and aging can often be a double stigma. According to the National Council on Aging, the number of Americans 85 and older will triple by the year 2050. Older adults and care partners are less likely to identify a problem as a symptom of a mental health disorder. Furthermore, older adults have high rates of late onset mental health disorders (anxiety/depression) and low rates of identification and...

The initial interaction with a person suffering from religous abuse, like me, is to feel shivers up the spine, and look for the nearest fire exit when someone in the crowd cries out, “Jesus loves you!”

How we care for the most vulnerable citizens in our community is a reflection of who we are…

"Without this kind of unconditional love, a person affected by addiction and mental illness with lifetime recovery implications, I would not be here today at age 73."

"The reality of my own “adverse childhood experiences” is just catching up with me at age 73. My guess is I’m not alone."

Mental Health First Aid USA... ALGEE Bear...Assess, Listen, Give, Encourage, and Encourage... learn more... Dear Kindred Spirits: As an author, blogger, child advocate, and mental health champion, my great passion in life during these most valueable retirement years is to help stop the stigma connected with mental health. This goal is especially critical as it relates to the painful tragedy of children growing up in toxic homes where parents suffer with post traumatic stress. Kids inhale the...

On The Brink! As an 18 year old young man in the US Navy in 1965, I was very lucky! Click here … Thanks to the excellent care by US Navy mental health professionals, I'm here today at age 73. I struggle with lifelong symptoms of agitated depression , but with loving support from family, friends and effective clinical therapy, I feel a peace of mind that everything is going to be okay. I know now from receiving my medical records from that time that traumatic experiences from childhood years...

USS Coucal ASR8 1963 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii click here . Most folks know that writing has been a critical source of healing for me. I started writing this blog in April 2011 on the encouragement of my dear friend and best buddy Byron Lewis. Byron passed away in October 2018 after a long battle with cancer. I miss Byron everyday, but he still taps me on the shoulder to help me get back on the right track. Byron encouraged me to keep writing before he passed. I honor my ol’ surf dude pal, Byron,...

"Everytime I talk to a person suffering from PTSD, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health challenges, I try to find out what happened, not what is wrong. "

Steve Sparks , Author, Blogger, Community Building Consultant, Mental Health Advocate… Hello again dear friends and followers, It has been awhile since I have written a blog post, one from my heart and soul that is… It has been an amazing year so far, mostly living a happy and healthy life with my loving wife, Judy, and Simba, our aging kitty. Most importantly, we are growing as senior citizens in a highly active community on the central coast of Oregon near Depoe Bay. We love living at the...

by Commissioner Bill Hall, Lincoln County Oregon I want to tell you about a young man whose story touches so many things that are important to me--honoring veterans, helping the homeless, treating addictions. He's a Lincoln County native who came from the most loving, supportive family you could imagine. Did well in school. Honorably served in Afghanistan. He was riding in a Humvee like this that ran over an IED that went off. Complained of back pain. Was given opioid pain killers and sent...

"Saving your children, family and loved ones from intergenerational Post Trauma Stress (PTS)…" “Let’s raise children who won’t have to recover from their childhoods.” ~ Pam Leo Following is an excerpt from my new book released for the 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII... Chapters The Wrath of Stigma Local Community, Partnerships, and Responsibility Parents, Teachers, and Mentors Teaching Kids Empathy & Compassion…The dangers of emotional numbness & denial… How Does Moral Injury...

I write in my most recent book, My Journey of Healing in Life After Trauma, Part 2, how children can be saved from the emotional damage of growing up in a toxic home.

Saving your children, family and loved ones from inter-generational post-traumatic stress... Following is an excerpt from my latest book, My Journey of Healing in Life After Trauma, Part 2. "Extensive research has shown babies will pick up on toxic circumstances and behaviors and demonstrate post trauma stress symptoms as they become older. The goal of My Journey of Healing, Part 2 is to specifically help parents with stress triggers to save their kids from becoming emotionally damaged...