Standing there was my brother with one of my mother’s cooking pots sitting on our picnic table. It was full of water. My brother was standing over the pot with a knife in his hand. His other hand was holding some kind of skin. —My Courage to Tell Breaking the Silence: Why Minimizing Abuse Keeps […]

One person is chosen to bear the brunt of any psychological discomfort experienced by the family as a whole. —Sarah Swenson, MA, LMHC The scapegoat carries the burdens of the family. Are you the scapegoat in your family? The word scapegoat comes from an ancient story in the Old Testament, Leviticus 16. In it, two […]

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. —Frederick Douglass Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN): The Invisible Wound When we think of childhood abuse, we often picture something visible—yelling, hitting, or outright cruelty. But there is another kind of abuse, one that leaves no bruises, yet cuts just as deep: Childhood Emotional […]

“TICKLE TORTURE!” he screamed, diving on me without warning. I struggled, but he was stronger, older, angrier. He pinned my arms above my head with one hand while the other attacked my ribs. I was laughing—my body’s involuntary response—but also screaming, begging him to stop. “Say I’m the greatest,” he demanded, his eyes bright with […]

If you don’t know how to say no, your body will say it for you through physical illnesses. —Dr. Gabor Maté The long-term effects of ACES Life experiences in childhood that are lost in time and then further protected by shame and by secrecy and by social taboos against inquiry into certain realms into human […]

With insecure attachments, a child unwittingly memorizes the precise lesson of that troubled relationship: that love is suffocation, that anger is terrifying, that dependence is humiliating, or one of a million crippling variations. —Peg Streep Denying the truth doesn’t change the facts I am sitting having my coffee listening to my Reiki healing music. The […]

A healthy family system has clear separation between adults and children.” When there is no separation, an emotionally toxic relationship forms. —Dr. Patricia Love Emotional/Covert Incest There no diagnosis for Emotional Incest Syndrome Not often talked about, Emotional/Covert Incest has long-lasting effects. When a parent lacks boundaries, they can rely on a child to fulfill […]

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. wikipedia Gaslighting is Simply Evil. So many people ask me what Gaslighting is. I recently tweeted back to the […]

Upon my arrival, the nurse in emergency took my blood pressure. I was immediately admitted and brought into a hospital room. It was chaotic. Doctors were concerned I might have had an aneurysm. They pulled James aside. “If that’s happened, it’s fifty-fifty,” the doctor said. My husband couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I was […]

Share This! Leave your dog home on hot days. For a dog, left in a hot car – in just a short time – it can be harmful, and even life-threatening. Dogs are not able to release heat by sweating, like a human does, so their internal body temperature rises more quickly. Remember: Even in […]

Behaviorally, we show that the extent to which participants engage in self-serving dishonesty increases with repetition. LIES. When someone deliberately lies to hurt… Science! Brain scans! Dishonesty begins early. This is all is very interesting to me. Studies now show how lying begins early and I get that! I was a victim of “lies” upon “lies” […]

Healing your inner child, the injured child takes courage. We can begin to heal once we validate the child within that awaits our embrace. —Laura Corbeth Truth and Courage Win over Fear A little story: “How are you doing today?” True Self asked. “I’m doing okay, I think,” Fear replied. “So, why do you have […]

Bo—our 5th rescue dog. This story didn’t make it to the book as we rescued him after it was published. —Laura Corbeth Rescue in New York Going to bed. Thousand kisses. Waking up. Thousand kisses. Bo, our latest rescue, is very grateful for his new life. When our rescue cat passed away suddenly a few […]

I tried to explain how hurt I was. Just like when we were kids, I was trying to get my mother to hear me. She refused to listen to me. Refused to empathize with me. Here I was, a grown-up woman, and the same thing was happening. No reply. Silence. —My Courage to Tell The […]

Angels are there. All you have to do is ask. —Laura Corbeth Connecting with Angels I am very grateful that I have had so much support on this journey to of healing. Don Shetterly has become my friend. He was one of the first people to read my book and support me. His blog posts show […]

Volunteering to help abused dogs has been one of my biggest accomplishments in my life. —Laura Corbeth Volunteering in dog rescue—Shellie I have been blessed to work in different roles for a rescue organization. It is not about ego for me. It is about seeing neglected and abused animals come into the hands of wonderful […]

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ Eleanor Roosevelt Crying I recently watched Real Time with Bill Maher and Bill’s last guest […]

Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you. —Princess Diana Be Kind in an Unkind World On one of the many visits to my lawyer, I brought in some forms that required a lawyer’s stamp and notarization. […]

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. —Desmond Tutu A poem to lift you up! So, for anyone who is struggling, I want to send you a poem. It was written by John McLeod. He was disabled since he was a child. John began writing poetry to help […]

“I remember hearing a woman talk about her near-death experience. She had been fixated on her looks and had abused her body with diet pills. When she had her experience, she was given a very important message. All the little things she had done over the years – all the random acts of kindness – […]