Resiliency is the essence of a global positive framework…

Resiliency is not gender-, age-, or intellectually specific…

Boundaries are, in simple terms, the recognition of personal space.

This time I read the title of the painting: Girl Interrupted at Her Music. Interrupted at her music: as my life had been, interrupted in the music of being seventeen, as her life had been,...

Trauma does not have to occur by abuse alone…

Hope drowned in shadowsemerges fiercely splendid––boldly angelic.

As I let it out, layer by layer, Dr. Driscoll helped with the bumps and valleys. He knew just how much to draw out of me and how much I could handle. He is such...

Many of the habits of dysfunctional families use are not from the lack of love but are the result of fear. Knowing the love-limiting habits and behaviors of dysfunctional families is a wonderful beginning to...

Acceptance is the most beautiful word in any language; this beautiful concept can only exist when you allow other people to be who they are and do not imprison them with your definition of what...

Do not wait and hope to be discovered…make yourself so you cannot be denied!

I lived to be forgotten because I’d forgotten how to live

At its heart, Codependency is a set of behaviors developed to manage the anxiety that comes when our primary attachments are formed with people who are inconsistent or unavailable in their response to us. Our...

Eating disorders are prevalent among women who were sexually abused as children. They seem to have components of other symptoms such as obsessions, compulsions, avoidance of food, and anxiety, and they primarily include a distorted...

There is a certain kind of darkness that seeps into our lives if we are not actively engaged in creating light.

Recovery does not refer to an absence of pain or struggle. Rather, recovery is marked by the transition from anguish to suffering. In anguish the paralyzed man and I lived without hope. We experienced anguish...

So many people fail to realise that the greatest journey one can ever take is the journey to the very centre of one’s being.

I walked to Mairangi Bay beach, day after day, seeking companionship in the roar of the ocean, and contemplating the shipwreck of my life. There, in that isolated wilderness, amidst the screaming gulls, and consistent...

Suddenly, she doesn’t want to die. She has no real reason not to, no sudden revelation, except that it’s equally pointless to die as not to die. Why doesn’t she die? She lives because she’s...

Listen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the doctor who mends it, but also the father who wipes away the tears.

When life beats us down, we often do not feel worthwhile to ourselves nor to anyone else. Often, we try to hide our feelings of inadequacy in pursuit of perfection, which develops into self-loathing. If...

The more dysfunctional, the more some family members seek to control the behavior of others.

Love yourself unconditionally.Do what you love to do.Be grateful for what you do have.Happiness is an attitude of gratitude.Love all of life.

I was always asking myself why. Why am I feeling this? Thinking that if I knew the cause I could find the cure. But of course there was no reasonable why, at least not in...

Connect with supportive people who empower you. The more you jump into your life, the further away from Ed you can get. Don’t have a backup plan for living. Live today. […] Trust in God....

I’m learning how to taste everything.

Compulsive behavior occurs when the urge to act out is greater than our will to say no. Recovery then, is the process of reversing that equation.

only the survivor” can truly define justice. – Kirkus Review

I pawned the remote to my misery,trading it in for liquor that was cheap;screwdrivers for my vitamin c,and a little bloodstream to my IV,helping to soothe my lunacy

You were born a child of light’s wonderful secret— you return to the beauty you have always been.

I realized that I was okay with myself. I was quirky and withdrawn and loud, but I liked that. I smiled at strangers without thinking they were going to attack me and drag me into...

Never underestimate the grace of bouncing back from a fallen heart.

We know that you don’t want to be a drunk and you don’t want to be hooked on addictive drugs. You do it because you can’t cope with your life without some sort of support,...

Consider letting go of the barriers between yourself and others, let go of the definition our culture has inflicted upon us and allow the best part of ourselves to connect with the wondrous parts of...

Making amends is not only saying the words but also being willing to listen to how your behavior caused another’s pain, and then the really hard part…changing behavior.

Given love and opportunity, every child and adult can recover. All who know this and have the capacity to help others should assist as they can.

One of the greatest evils is the foolishness of a good man. For the giving man to withhold helping someone in order to first assure personal fortification is not selfish, but to elude needless self-destruction;...

Food is something I am going to have to face at least three times a day for the rest of my life. And I am not perfect. But one really bad day does not mean...

Guilt is a destructive and ultimately pointless emotion

Recovery is most often associated with some type of illness, addiction or mental health issue. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the struggle of getting back to where you were before the sound...

My definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger” – Billy Connolly

The word ‘survivor’ carries a weight of remembrance that has broken the minds and bodies of more than a few men and women. It also contains a humbling light of recognition that compels many to...

Hope in the beginning feels like such a violation of the loss, and yet without it we couldn’t survive.

There are two ways of thinking. One is living life based on fear. The other is trusting. Letting go and allowing trust to control our lives takes mental gymnastics.

Everyone needs a place to be honest.

You don’t have to make it big, but you do have to make a big impact.

We are in this together. None of us truly walk in isolation, even when we cannot sense the presence of another for miles upon miles. Even in the worst of our desolation. Even during our...

And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart:Your seeds shall live in my body,And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart,And your fragrance shall be...

What they don’t tell you when you get sober is that if you manage to stay that way, you will bury your friends. Not everyone gets to have a whole new shiny-but-messy life like I...

You really don’t have to burn any bridges to let go… You don’t have to destroy anything. You can just decide to cross over and move on.

Recovery is the urge, the wrestle, and the resurrection.