Tagged With "Heals"
Blog Post
Polyvagal Theory and Hope In Healing from Childhood Trauma
The Vagal Nerve is the longest cranial nerve controlling a human’s inner nerve center, the parasympathetic nervous system. It oversees a vast range of vital functions communicating sensory input from outside triggers to the rest of the body.
Polyvagal theory emphasizes the evolutionary development of two systems: the parasympathetic nervous system which is ultimately connected to the vagal nerve and the sympathetic nervous system.
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter June 2020
Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us. Thanks! Michael. The Surviving Spirit Newsletter June 2020 http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2020-06-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_June_2020.pdf Newsletter Contents : 1] I desperately miss human touch. Science may explain why. By...
Blog Post
Reassessing our Priorities and Healing during the Pandemic: A Resource
Recently a friend reached out to say they finally got to read through the "Healing Program" on Wrestling Ghosts' Website and how helpful it was. It made me reflect on how the pandemic, like most crises in our lives, can open up the opportunity to reassess our priorities and refocus on our and our families' wellbeing. Healing childhood trauma starts with understanding the impact of toxic stress in childhood. That understanding lifts our shame and self-blame. Then comes visualizing what...
Blog Post
Thoughts & Music to share
Thoughts & Music to share - “The final stage of healing is using what happens to you to help other people.” - Gloria Steinem “Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” – Sally Koch “Take care not to listen to anyone who tells you what you can and can’t be in life.” – Meg Medina
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter July 2020
Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us. FYI - The Surviving Spirit newsletter has been going out for many years. The idea behind the newsletter is to share news, resources and helpful information that could help any and all who have been impacted by the concerns of trauma, abuse or...
Blog Post
Healing Trauma Through Inner Child Work
So far, in this series on the inner child, we have discussed inner children, and how, when they are wounded, they can affect adult life. We learned that every person has an inner child that is part of our psyche, that is a childish self, inside all of us. There is a model of healing known as doing inner child work. In this article, we shall tackle this subject to understand how we can begin the healing process from having a wounded inner child. What is Inner Child Work? Inner child work is...
Blog Post
The Healing Place Podcast Interview
Hi Folks, I had the honor of appearing on Teri Wellbrock's, The Healing Place Podcast a few weeks ago. Teri is a gracious host and we had a lot of fun with this show, despite the seriousness of some of the topics. Who doesn't like to chat about the joys of dissociation? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMv9ZMAw_t4 A deep, yet smile-filled conversation with Michael Skinner, musician and trauma advocate. Please join us as we sit down to discuss: * his role as a musician and the importance of...
Blog Post
Surviving Spirit Newsletter August 2020
Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2020-08-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_August_2020.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us, Thanks! Michael.
Blog Post
Surviving Spirit Newsletter August 2020
Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2020-08-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_August_2020.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us, Thanks! Michael.
Comment
Re: The Healing Place Podcast Interview
Michael, It was such a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face (via Zoom!) and engage in a thought-provoking, heart-touching conversation. Thank you for joining me and sharing your wisdom, insights, and song. Beautiful all the way around. Peace, Teri
Comment
Re: Surviving Spirit Newsletter August 2020
I appreciate having all these great resources in one place. Thanks!
Blog Post
D J Jaffe and A Culture of Fear by Michael Skinner
Dear Pete, I read your blog post, “Influential Critic D. J. Jaffe Has Died: Remembered As “Bomb Thrower” Who Demanded Mental Illness Reforms” and thought of how he has done so much to hurt those of us labeled “mentally ill”. You considered him a friend, he was anything but for those of us struggling with the challenges of trauma, abuse and mental health concerns. These are some of my thoughts on D.J. Jaffe. He did not have the best interests of people struggling despite all of his rhetoric,...
Blog Post
Beyond physical wounds, healing Black male trauma [usatoday.com]
By John Rich, USA Today, August 30, 2020 As a primary care doctor in Boston in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I saw many young Black men who were injured by violence. But one young man stands out in my mind. The first time I saw him, he was lying in a hospital bed sweating and writhing in pain. Like many young men I saw as a doctor in an urban medical center, and despite what I – and many of my colleagues – might have assumed, this young man had done nothing to provoke the attack. Rather,...
Blog Post
Surviving Spirit Newsletter October 2020
Hi Folks, The October edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2020-10-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_October_2020.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us, Thanks! Michael. Newsletter Contents : 1] Beauty 2 The Streetz: This woman is beautifying Skid Row one makeover at a time by Alicia Lee 2]...
Blog Post
Five Steps to Protect Yourself from OPINION BULLIES
There has never been a time when thinking clearly, and thinking for yourself, have been more important than they are right now. With Childhood PTSD, it’s all too common that we end up losing ourselves around other people -- especially people with strong personalities and strong opinions. It’s OK that people have strong opinions. But with us, We get around that and we often feel we have to go along with those opinions, or we go silent, even when we disagree, or we lose track of what we...
Blog Post
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) Pod cast 10-22-20
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) Pod cast https://www.blogtalkradio.com/naasca/2020/10/22/stop-child-abuse-now-scan--2513 "Tonight's special guest is Michael Skinner , a returning NAASCA family member from New Hampshire. Michael is an award-winning advocate survivor. Michael's non-profit, ' The Surviving Spirit ', offers a monthly newsletter addressing the issues of trauma, abuse and mental health concerns, public speaking and his music. He notes that these cover a wide variety of issues."We want...
Blog Post
The Healing Place Podcast: Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum - Functional Medicine Coaching; Positive Psychology, & Alternative Medicine
A self-professed lifelong learner, Dr. Scheinbaum’s life’s work has been centered around education innovation since the very beginning. She began her career in 1972, teaching students with learning disabilities. Her drive to incorporate a more holistic perspective into her work led her to earn a PhD in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University, where she specialized in positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mind-body medicine.
Blog Post
Creating meaning in our choices as CPTSD survivors
There is a place that we get trapped in the choices that we make. I want to think that conflict happens when there is a collision of values between the person you were and the person you are becoming. In the moments of change in the healing process, we reach plateaus, not as in the end but as in a time to create a shift. When this happens, we are faced with making a choice: do we act according to the person we were or the person we have become and are moving in towards. We hit a wall in...
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter November 2020
Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php or PDF - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2020-11-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_November_2020.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us. Thank you & take care, Michael. Newsletter Contents : 1] People Constantly Underestimate How Much They Benefit From Being Kind...
Blog Post
A Safe Place For Men
Each day from Thanksgiving until Christmas, hear the voices of male survivors of childhood, adolescent or adult sexual abuse share their stories of hurt, pain, joy and triumph as they heal from the aftermath of betrayal and trauma. You are not alone https://www.safeplaceformen.com/30days Thank you Thomas! Honored to help kick this series off – gifts of healing. Take care, Michael Skinner https://safeplaceformen.podbean.com/ www.safeplaceformen.com #safeplaceformen #malesexualabuserecovery
Blog Post
Art and Trauma: Creativity As a Resiliency & Healing Factor
Art and Trauma: Creativity As a Resiliency & Healing Factor I have long believed that all of the creative arts are healing. I was drawn to music because it made me feel good, first just listening, then learning to play the drums and then performing in rock bands. Later in life, learning the guitar and singing along with songwriting. Sadly, trauma disconnects so many of us from our creative outlets...finding the ways to reconnect with our creative selves goes a long ways in healing the...
Blog Post
Art and Trauma: Creativity As a Resiliency & Healing Factor
Art and Trauma: Creativity As a Resiliency & Healing Factor I have long believed that all of the creative arts are healing. I was drawn to music because it made me feel good, first just listening, then learning to play the drums and then performing in rock bands. Later in life, learning the guitar and singing along with songwriting. Sadly, trauma disconnects so many of us from our creative outlets...finding the ways to reconnect with our creative selves goes a long ways in healing the...
Blog Post
Thoughts, a Song & a Book to Share
Thoughts - “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.” - Fred Rogers “ Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” - Desmond Tutu “ Everything that happens to you is a lesson. Everyone you...
Blog Post
Survivor Stories Online - Friday, December 11, 2020 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Survivor Stories Online - Friday, December 11, 2020 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM GET YOUR FREE TICKETS for this Zoom event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/survivor-stories-online-tickets-129044969979 Survivors of sexual abuse and assault are invited to read a poem, tell a story, sing a song, share in any way they see fit. Survivors of sexual abuse and assault are invited to read a poem, tell a story, sing a song, share in any way they see fit. Speakers and performers include: Musician, Advocate,...
Blog Post
Award-Winning Musician and Advocate, Michael Skinner - Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse - YouTube
Award-Winning Musician and Advocate, Michael Skinner - Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEVZG4-81ZM Welcome to the Ms. Texas Show where we showcase life in Texas and highlight Amazing survivors of traumatic events, family violence, sex trafficking, sexual abuse and Community Leaders to share community resources. Today's guest is Michael Skinner, award-winning advocate, educator, writer and critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist, addressing...
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter December 2020
Healing the Heart Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health “ Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”. Kahlil Gibran The Surviving Spirit Newsletter December 2020 Hi Folks, Hoping this finds you well and safe. Wow, coming to the end of a very challenging year...I do hope that 2021 brings forth healing and hope for all of us. Life can be hard, a pandemic...
Blog Post
RUMBLE - The Indians Who Rocked the World - Independent Lens
Hey folks, A powerful music documentary. Well worth watching to learn the back story on some great musicians and music. I saw this a few years ago, glad I watched it again. Talk about overcoming trauma, racism and stigma....these folks exemplify the courage and the perseverance of the human spirit. Take care, Michael. - RUMBLE | The Indians Who Rocked the World | Independent Lens | PBS - https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/rumble/
Blog Post
Your Healing Narrative: Write-to-Heal With Neural Re-Narrating
Happy 2021! 2020 was a year unlike any other. But it also brought home for many of us what matters most, including the importance of nurturing and harnessing the power of our nervous system and brain toward equanimity so that we can flourish even in the face of adversity. Your Healing Narrative: Write-to-Heal With Neural Re-Narrating i s my 2021 offering for individuals, parents, teachers, social workers, therapists, and health care professionals, to help ease a little bit of the anxiety,...
Blog Post
Mindfulness: Panacea or Hucksterism?
Psychology and spirituality are viewed as separate disciplines, but they shouldn't be. Healing is grounded in the place where they meet.
Blog Post
Discovering the Need for Reflection
My son often complains that he can hear my footsteps throughout the house when he’s trying to sleep. He says it sounds like I’m running. ‘Why don’t you slow down,’ he asks. When I think about it I guess I am rushing around to do this and do that, get things accomplished, and finish tasks. In fact, I take pride in my productivity, sometimes patting myself on the back at what I have accomplished by 9:00 a.m.! After my youngest son Jesse died, I started a foundation and began to travel almost...
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter January 2021
Healing the Heart Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health “ Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”. Kahlil Gibran The Surviving Spirit Newsletter January 2021 “ May 2021 bring everyone Joy - Peace - Hope - Love - Good Health - Renewed Faith - Inclusiveness - Empathy - Understanding - Kindness - Acceptance - in a Safer World. May we spend more time &...
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...
Blog Post
List of Books, Therapies & Resources for Healing Chronic Illness and Other Effects of Trauma (Free Downloadable PDF)
These are the books, therapies and resources I wish I'd known about when I was a family doctor and when I first started getting sick with what would turn out to be a disabling chronic illness. This compilation includes the most helpful resources I’ve found over the past 20 years of learning about the science of adversity, why it's not psychological and how to heal the effects of trauma.
Blog Post
Hope, Healing & Help - The Surviving Spirit Newsletter February 2021
“ Our fingerprints don't fade from the lives we touch.” - Judy Blume Hope, healing & help for trauma, abuse & mental health. The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php & here's the PDF - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2021-02-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_February_2021.pdf “ Our brains developed along with music and singing as a survival mechanism.” - Tania De Jong To sign up for...
Blog Post
I know Valentine's Day has passed, but will you be my Valentine?
Hello, It's Sunita here. You are precious to me every day. Including Valentine's Day. But more importantly, I treasure you every day. I love you. I adore you. I put you above all others. Most times, I only want to be with you. I can't bear to be away from you. So, I keep you close to me, even when I am far from you. When I don't get enough alone time with you, I get irritable and cranky. I don't think right, and I can't see things clearly. It has taken a lot of courage and work to put you...
Comment
Re: Healing the Hidden Wounds from Childhood: The Promise of Healing, Part II (Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D., Lt. Col., USAR, Ret.)
Beautifully put and described - this is what I came to learn only after leaving my career as a family doctor and retraining as a somatic trauma therapist specializing in chronic illness. May this work of increasing awareness and becoming trauma informed spread throughout the health sciences and beyond. Thank you for this and it's nice to know of your work and workbooks
Blog Post
Healing the Hidden Wounds from Childhood: The Promise of Healing, Part II (Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D., Lt. Col., USAR, Ret.)
So many people are struggling with unhealed, hidden wounds from toxic childhood stress. For some the pain is obvious. Others might look outwardly strong, capable, and in control. However, unhealed inner wounds cause needless suffering and can lead to a dizzying array of psychological, medical, and functional problems. This three-part blog discusses the road to recovery. Part I explained “The Principles of Healing.” This part explains why traditional treatments are not usually the best...
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter March 2021
Healing the Heart Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health “ Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”. Kahlil Gibran The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php or here's the PDF -...
Blog Post
"Brush Away Your Tears" - to all the survivors of childhood abuse-past and present
Hi folks, April is National Child Abuse, Sexual Assault Awareness and Childhood Sexual Abuse Prevention Month. This is a song of mine I wrote many years ago to all the survivors of childhood abuse-past and present. You deserve healing and support. Take care, Michael. "Brush Away Your Tears" - YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SpYYc6tl4s&t=4s The song was also used in the film documentary - Boys & Men Healing Healing From Child Sexual Abuse -...
Comment
Re: "Brush Away Your Tears" - to all the survivors of childhood abuse-past and present
Thank you so much Michael. I listened to you on the YouTube link, you have a wonderful caring voice and I am sure you have helped many people since you began to Help Heal Trauma MM
Blog Post
Jennifer Maurer - Out with the OLD, In with the BOLD; 5 Steps to Freedom from Fear; & Passion Principles
Jennifer is an established Certified Life Coach and author of "5 Steps to Freedom From Fear," a simple guide to removing the obstacles that prevent us from realizing our fullest potential.
Blog Post
The Surviving Spirit Newsletter April 2021
Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php Once again I've tried to create a mix of articles, videos, music, books, podcasts, resources, etc, that offer Hope, Healing & Help. As the saying goes, “ Take what you like and leave the rest. ” or here's the PDF - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2021-04-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_April_2021.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please...
Blog Post
Healing Is Never a Solo Journey
Developing intimate connection with even one other person can create fertile soil for social transformation.
Comment
Re: The Surviving Spirit Newsletter April 2021
Hello Mary, Aah yes, the power of synchronicity. & you are welcome for the newsletter...I am always grateful when someone takes the time to read it-thank you. Take care, Michael
Comment
Re: The Surviving Spirit Newsletter April 2021
Hi Michael, I just finished a comment on a Blog and this popped up in my Alerts. It is Exactly what I was needing tonight. And if anyone does not know about the power of synchronicity, the being there when the lesson is desired and needed, it can be a very powerful lesson I am going to read the newsletter and Thank You Michael MM
Comment
Re: Healing Is Never a Solo Journey
I am the eldest of 9 children, and not the first of us to experience abuse. I have been in therapy but I have also had long periods of time without therapy at all. I knew there were problems in my family of origin, but I kept my eyes tight on my plans, on my own journey lest I would fall off the edge and become a train wreck that I would never be able to fully heal. I am older now and my brothers and sisters are aging along with me, some have passed away and some don't live near me anymore,...
Comment
Re: Healing Is Never a Solo Journey
Mary, I am very grateful for your response. I kept myself out the piece, but I also have deeply conflicted feelings about my own family. This makes "belonging" in general a difficult issue for me. Being with my husband's Very Nice Family can leave me feeling like I'm swimming in swill! One of the most difficult things can be the apparent craziness of our own reactions to current situations that aren't on the surface problematic. AND YET. Our reactions are not crazy. Our lives make sense,...
Comment
Re: Healing Is Never a Solo Journey
Thank you so much Helen, not just for the words, but for allowing your strength to even make a comment here in a public space. I write alot, not just here, but in other groups and blogs, and very very rarely get a reply. And not because people are not reading the Blogs or comments, but we have learned through the years to keep quiet, not to ruffle feathers, keep the stream clear and running with its sweet fresh water that is untainted with perhaps bits of flowing sewage that we can look away...
Blog Post
Adversities. Resilience. Gratitude.
Adversity can be a powerful word especially when you are a Trauma Counsellor aware of ACEs. This revolutionary study on the impact of our Adverse Childhood Experiences has provided us with so many answers as to why we are the way we are. At least it did for me and the people I work with every day. It has also raised many important questions. One being, how can one build resilience through past adversities? How did I do it? Having done the ACE test and getting a maximum score of 10 on it, I...