I got to speak at Westmont College earlier this month! I shared my trauma story as well as two of the things that helped me be available for joy in the midst of pain. It’s been through the deeper pain that I’ve been able to experience greater joy. The two things that I shared are:…
Tag: mentalhealthmatters
Indelibly both/and
Pain and joy oftentimes live right next to each other. And that’s my experience of the month of August: August is the month where I endured the most pain and trauma that I’ve ever experienced in my life. And it’s also the month where I’ve grown to stand in awe of how much healing and…
Grow in Being Less Reactive: Guided Inspiration
Imagine being way below the ocean’s surface, peering up (especially on a hot day like today!). The oceans’s surface could be still and serene, like this feature image. However, it could very well be choppy and wild– depending on all sorts of reasons. But from the depths of the ocean, you’re unaware and unaffected by…
Relearning to Walk
Come with me to the carpeted hallway of my parents’ house, 13 years ago. It’s honestly amazing that I can’t remember if I was wearing my pink eye patch or whether I’d already graduated to “prism” glasses (because I had felt so embarrassed for wearing an eye patch and having a crossed eye). Though there…
Make Room for the Possibility of Light–Join Me!!
Where do you see light? Could be sprinkles of light or an outpouring of metaphorical sunshine and delight. I’m fully aware that depending on all sorts of things, it can be easier or harder for us to see light alongside the darkness. So my new idea is this!: I’m gonna post where I see light…
Celebrate When We Make Effort to Take Care of Ourselves
I exclaimed to my husband one night, “Way to take care of yourself!” And, though I was hoping he would laugh a little, I was also genuinely joyful in my praise of his effort to take care of himself. (For those of you who know me well, you can probably envision my wide-open eyes, outstretched…
Evaluate Doing “More” This Holiday Season
I was flipping through one of my past journals and noticed an entry reflecting on my accident and all the ways I’d been changed because of it: I was journalling that before my traumatic brain injury etc, I could do a lot more than I could do now [the date that I wrote this entry]….
I am More Than Enough
In my recovery and post-recovery from traumatic brain injury, there’ve been numerous times when I’ve believed the lie that I’m less than. In my recovery, this feeling was mostly related to the mental and physical limitations I was experiencing. And in my post-recovery, this feeling has been related to some residual accident limitations but mostly…
Invite Jesus into Doubt, Limited Capacity and Hopelessness
Today, August 10th, when I remember my trauma and healing story— and the amazing possibilities and hope that can come from seemingly hopeless situations– I’d like to share with you a sermon I preached earlier this summer on similar themes. While most of you know that I am a Marriage and Family therapist, some of…
Identify What Can Wait
As I’m writing this, I’m looking at toys strewn across my living room floor as well as a laundry basket overflowing with clean clothes. This mess … can wait. (And for that matter, whatever else might be vying for my attention… can wait.) Those things—while in some moments, take priority— in this moment, they don’t….