Down Goes the Wall – creating secure attachments

Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down. Robert Frost The wall: the emotional barrier created for self-protection.  We need love like we need water. …

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Recovery is Freedom

Human beings have a natural tendency to crave pleasurable feelings and to avoid unpleasurable feelings. We want to feel joy, peace, and happiness while avoiding anxiety, vulnerability, and dissatisfaction.  We innocently grasp for things that will bring some relief to internal discomfort.  Eventually, the grasping and self-medicating begins to cause life unmanageability.  It is at this…

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Deepest Longing and Desire

What do you want? I want to be awake, fully awake. I want to notice the beauty in all things, not just the extravagant but the ordinary as well. I want to feel deep love and compassion for myself and others. I want to be present with the sorrows and sadness of this life, accepting…

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Seasons and Letting Go

Last night I dreamt that I was dying. Not a far in the future death, but a death that would occur in just a few hours. In my dream, I sat with a dear friend. We discussed life, death, and explored the possibilities of what might happen once I took my last breath. The dream…

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Trauma, Hope, and Healing

Human connection and intimacy are amongst the greatest things we can experience in this life.  Sadly, past hurts and trauma can lead to an inability to connect in a way that feels safe and nurturing.  Bessel van der Kolk in his book The Body Keeps the Score, states that “Trauma, whether it is the result…

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Recovery Is

Recovery, it is more than abstinence.  It is a conscious choice to walk the path of health.  A process of recognizing our feelings and needs.  It is an understanding of how our actions impact those around us.

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