Tagged With "hope"
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Re: Defining Resilience Series: Step 5 - Healthy Habit Formation
Thank you for the positive feedback! I just read one of your "Ten Tools for Trauma Survivors" blog and felt the same about it . . . I could tell you were sharing your truth as you've lived it and healed from it. Excellent! As an EMDR fan (98 sessions over a 4 year period for complex trauma), I love reading about others' experiences with it. Thank you. Peace, Teri
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Re: Defining Resilience Series: Step 5 - Healthy Habit Formation
Teri, I'm glad you enjoyed the "Ten Tools for Trauma Survivors" post, but I did not write it, I was just sharing it here! The only attribution I could find on the blog where it was posted was "Abuse Survivor". I hope there was nothing about the post that led anyone to believe that I was taking credit for it. I would never want to do that. (I do have an anonymous blog, but this is not from that blog and I did not write it.)
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Re: Defining Resilience Series: Step 5 - Healthy Habit Formation
Oh my gosh! I totally looked for an author name on the blog, but did not see one. My bad for assuming it was yours. Thanks for clarifying.
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Re: Defining Resilience Series: Step 6 - Find a Guiding Hand to Hold
Great post, Teri! Every one of these steps is about connecting -- if not in person, then with information and resources that will help us along as we develop resilience. Then, of course, there are the ACTUAL connections, with therapists, with life coaches, and with friends and likeminded folks. I especially like the life coach suggestion -- I think one common long-term effect of childhood trauma is just getting thrown off track, right from the get-go, whether in our educational pursuits,...
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Re: Defining Resilience Series: Step 6 - Find a Guiding Hand to Hold
I love it . . . I am right there with you, needing to find ALL the answers! I never really knew much about the concept of coaching until I started interviewing ACEs champions and found so many beautiful souls offering their coaching services to others. Like you said, "working with a life coach to get back on track can be a solid way to reclaim one's life." Agreed! Thanks for the feedback. Peace, Teri
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Re: Seven Benefits of Working with a Therapy Animal from a Handler's Perspective
Teri... such beautiful work you do. Your big heart—and Sammie's—help heal so many hearts. ❤️
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Re: Seven Benefits of Working with a Therapy Animal from a Handler's Perspective
There's so much to like about this "love letter" to working with a therapy animal, if I may. Two bits that stand out, though, are "Do I approach with a 'wagging tail' and welcoming aura?" -- definitely goals for which to strive. I know that in my decades-long habitual self-guarding and hypervigilance, I can unintentionally come off as aloof. I'm now inspired to try to wag my figurative tail when approached or approaching others. And this whole piece just sings with the fact that you and...
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Re: Seven Benefits of Working with a Therapy Animal from a Handler's Perspective
Thank you for this. You made my big heart smile big I was away visiting my son in Colorado and had to leave Sammie for a week. She's still not speaking to me. Ha! I'm excited for school to start back up so this dog can begin helping kiddos again.
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Re: Seven Benefits of Working with a Therapy Animal from a Handler's Perspective
Oh, I so relate to what you wrote about the hypervigilance bit and coming off as aloof. I lived in a guarded state for decades. Once I started the healing journey I began shining a light from within and found myself smiling without even realizing I was doing so as I would notice others smiling back at me or stating, "You must be having a great day based upon that grin!" And, yes, yes, yes . . . I find joy in watching Sammie help children find their smiles which naturally brings me to a place...
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Re: Thoughts to share
Excellent reminders for us all and a unique idea for a post, too. Thanks, Michael.
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
Great list, Teri! I'll add another: Knitting. It's my portable therapy. I tend to get anxious when there's turbulence on a plane flight so I always take a knitting project with me when I fly. It's meditative and soothing. Here's some information and research about the health benefits of knitting: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com...enefits-of-knitting/ Thanks again for your great and useful post!
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
Wonderful! Thanks for the knitting suggestion. I have a friend who swears by knitting when she flies, as well.
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
Teri... and here's another one: Jigsaw puzzles. I can get absorbed in a puzzle for hours. While not portable like knitting, jigsaw puzzles are meditative and relaxing. I always have one going on a table in my home. I'm a psychotherapist and will pass on your suggestions and post to my clients and followers. Thanks again!
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
Yes!!! I am a fan of jigsaw puzzles, as well. Great reminder! Thank you. And thanks for passing along my post. I have a website that has links to resources regarding ACEs, trauma, hope and healing . . . including my podcast. Many ACEs Connection members have joined me on air to discuss the healing work they are doing and/or their own healing journeys. If you'd ever like to join me, please reach out at info@teriwellbrock.com . I am now booking into August and beyond (on summer hiatus to...
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
Love it! Another fellow jigsaw puzzler! Thank you for the information about your website and podcast and also for your invitation. I am interested and will be in touch! Blessings, Diane
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
What a lovely collection of ways to calm yourself while away from home (or in general). Just looking at your coloring projects, your photos, and Sammie help me feel calmer. Your coloring and photos are just stunning, Teri. I second Diane's suggestion of knitting while flying. It helps distract me from my anxiety even if I have to "frog it" (rip it back) afterward because I made so many mistakes .
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Re: Seven Strategies I Use To Reregulate As Anxiety Symptoms Surface
Aw! Thank you, Laura! You made me heart smile with that. My dad and sister were/are phenomenal artists and I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler. LOL! But, coloring and photography and writing . . . THOSE I can do. For years I told myself I wasn't artistic because I couldn't draw or create magnificent artwork like them. So glad I found my own creative outlets. Now I admire and applaud their work while being appreciative of my own. I may have to give knitting a whirl. Who knows,...
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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.
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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...
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Why I Promote the Science of Hope over Resilience
I said then what I believe even more strongly now: "Hope is the belief that your future can be brighter and better than your past and that you actually have a role to play in making it better."
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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...
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The Disconnect of Trauma and the Lies We Follow
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" “ Go to where the silence is and say something.” - Amy Goodman Survivor Stories- Michael Skinner - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehkz2kkkIa4&t=40s Take care and share as you wish...Michael Skinner A diagnosis is not a destiny “ Our lives begin to...
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Mother Nature’s Buffer Against Adverse Childhood Experiences
Earth Day has blossomed into a month-long celebration in April focusing on getting outdoors, appreciating nature and coming together as a community all of which are important in our work as ACEs Aware grantees. Recently, “spending time in nature” was added to the list of ways to practice self-care in relation to Adverse Childhood Experiences. The idea behind the self-care practices is to regulate an overactive stress response which can be heightened due to exposure to ACEs and lead to toxic...
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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.”
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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.
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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...
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Connect All - Infographic
Our individual self-care framework which leads to realizing our global need.
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The Powerful Connection Of Music With Michael Skinner - Cybertrap 60
The Powerful Connection Of Music With Michael Skinner - Cybertrap 60 Published on July 20, 2021 Here's the latest episode of "The Cybertraps Podcast," co-hosted by Frederick Lane and Jethro Jones. Michael Skinner is an award-winning advocate, educator, writer and critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist, addressing the issues of trauma, abuse and mental health concerns through public speaking, writing and his music. He has spoken at the National Press Club, was a keynote presenter...
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Re: The Powerful Connection Of Music With Michael Skinner - Cybertrap 60
Thank you Dianne for listening and your thoughtful words. Take care, Michael
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Re: The Powerful Connection Of Music With Michael Skinner - Cybertrap 60
This podcast is a must listen, especially for educators. Thanks, Michael.
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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
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Ethical Self-Care, Cross-system training, Dec 29th.
Hi, since my last post, we've had even more CEUs approved. And again, regardless of the need for CEUs, everyone is invited. Please attend, donate, or/and share! Take care, Gwen Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrf-GrrTkrHNdOmLXM5cRpUZ49YqeLBzSQ
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The Problem Is Awareness - Healing Childhood Trauma in Adulthood
Hi folks, I am a musician, writer and an advocate addressing the impact of trauma, abuse and mental health challenges & injuries. I believe there is Hope, Healing & Help for all of us who have been affected. My aim is to share resources and lessons I have learned of how trauma, abuse and the challenges of mental health have consequences for not only us as individuals but our families, friends, colleagues and society. I am not a doctor or a therapist - but I have the lived experience...
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Just Get Over It - Healing Childhood Trauma in Adulthood
Hey folks, Please take a listen. I talk, share resources & a song about the hurtful statement too many trauma & abuse survivors hear & the impact of trauma & abuse upon the mind, body & spirit. Just Get Over It - Healing Childhood Trauma in Adulthood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKKraLrAwKo&t=2s “Get over it” is a cruel phrase. It means, “Not only do I not care about how you feel, if you were smarter, you wouldn’t care either.” “ Just get over it” places all of...
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Free Resource: Tools for Hope
Tools for Hope will show you how to put your focus and energy where you have control and power— yourself! You will learn how to change your physical, emotional, perceptual and behavioral reactions into intentional efficient responses conducted inside a comfortable body. Sounds like magic? Well, it’s not. The resiliency skills you will learn are grounded in good science and are evidence-based. With these videos you will: Identify the true causes of stress in your personal and professional...
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Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 1 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries
Podcast - Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 1 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sOd1-EvpRI “Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” - Debasish Mridha 1] Songs For The Keys To Your Life 2] The 9:30 Train 3] The Silence That Separates Us 4] By My Side Michael Skinner Music - https://www.mskinnermusic.com/ “Music has the power to heal, transform and inspire and we have the power through deep listening to increase our...
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Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 2 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries
Songs of Life, Love, Loss & Hope - Set 2 - Healing Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health Injuries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc0GLP91vWE&t=6s “A diagnosis is not a destiny” - Unknown “There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” - Laurell K. Hamilton 1] Sorrow 2] Brush Away Your Tears 3] When Your Heart Follows A Lie 4] Joy “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.
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Growth through trauma
There is growth through trauma. Hard as it is, there IS growth through trauma. Very often, we do not see it at the time. It is not until we reflect on what happened and find possible reasons why we faced a flashback or responded so badly to a trigger. I have been forcing myself to attend the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearings because I wanted to discover WHY professionals working in our State institutions would cause harm to children and youth. I wanted to discover WHY they...
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How Hope is Different From Optimism
Hope is different than optimism. It’s better. If you’ve been following my posts lately, I’ve been discussing how hope (as measured using the Adult Hope Scale) acts a personal resource against burnout, low job satisfaction, and PTSD, for example. For most people, the science of hope is a new concept. We use hope as if it were a wish - “I hope it doesn’t rain” or “I hope you’re feeling better.” Nice sentiments, but not much else because you don’t have control over a wish. In essence, you’re...
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How Hope is Different from Resilience
Hope is different than resilience. It’s better. In the last of my three posts on why hope is different from other positive traits, today I want to talk about resilience. I’ve exhibited a little hubris when it comes to hope. I’ve said it’s better than optimism, self-efficacy, and, now, resilience. I admit I’m a little biased, but I’m confident the science behind Snyder’s Hope Theory is solid. I’m less certain about resilience. The problem with resilience is a lack of uniformity in how it is...
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Keeping Hope Alive Through Leadership
“The first and last task of a leader is to keep hope alive.” You might be familiar with that saying from John W. Gardner which was first published in No Easy Victories (1968) and repeated in his popular book, On Leadership (1993). As someone who promotes Hope-Centered Leadership, I gotta say, I really like that quote! But would Gardner agree with how I view Hope-Centered Leadership? I think so; allow me to explain. Dr. Rick Snyder, the father of Hope Theory, defined hope as a positive...
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The Gift of Grief: Ecological Grief in an Era of Loss and Damage with Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo
We need not carry our planetary pain and sorrow in isolation; instead, we can mobilize our grief for collective-building, for activism, and for personal and planetary healing.
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The Surviving Spirit Newsletter December 2022
“ Hope is being able to see the light despite all the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu “ Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.” - Rachel Naomi Remen The latest Surviving Spirit Newsletter - Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health is out - It can be read online via this & you can also subscribe -...