Anyone who has been to a meeting of a 12-Step Program has heard the saying “Let Go and Let God.” Its roots are in the Bible—“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding,” reads Proverbs 3:5; “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths”—but a more proximate source is…
We all know stress can be harmful, but to a trauma survivor it can be excruciating, even life-threatening. Not everyone who lives through an extreme emotional trauma develops post-traumatic stress disorder, but millions do. An estimated 8% of the U.S. population—about 24.4 million people—have PTSD at any given time. PTSD is difficult to diagnose, in large part because its symptoms…
I once knew a woman who blew out the engine on her car without even leaving her parking space. Audré was extremely impatient, a highly competent perfectionist, and stress was her normal state. It was winter. Her car wasn’t warming up fast enough, so she whaled on the gas pedal. Pop went the weasel—in this case, a six-cylinder gasoline-powered engine.…
The merits of acupuncture for pain relief and treatment of other conditions have been well documented, as well as challenged by naysayers. For me, those tiny needles have always hit the right spots. I’ve had close to a dozen acupuncture sessions over the years, and always walked away with my comfort restored. But during one treatment, I received much more…
I always think of summer as a time to relax and unwind, maybe not have back-to-back meetings every day of every week. Spend fewer hours in the office and more by the beach, perhaps watching the waves crash against the sandy shore. Then (in no particular order): RING! (phone), BUZZ! (BlackBerry), MOM! (kids). Right. Time to wake up and smell…
Have you ever wondered why your plans to lose weight, set better boundaries, or spend more quality time with friends often fail? Have you ever been troubled by the fact that despite your best intentions, your inspired aims to make a change become, at best, distant reminders of yet another botched attempt to achieve goals that you know would be…
