Recently, when I was making plans with a friend, I said that I would not be available on the afternoon of June 10 because I will be at the Stark Pride festival. My friend looked confused and replied, “But you’re straight! Why are you going to a Pride festival?” In a way, she’s right. I … Continued
At the start of each new year people traditionally make resolutions with the intention of improving their lives. By a few weeks into the year, many of those resolutions have already been forgotten, broken, or abandoned. This raises the question of how we can approach self-improvement goals in a more disciplined manner. What does that … Continued
Previous blog posts in this series have looked at ways that trauma can spread across groups and cultures and ways that trauma can be passed down through generations. Today we are going to take a look at biologically-based ways that trauma can be transmitted from parent to child. In Ultero Exposure When a … Continued
Multigenerational trauma is trauma that is passed down from one generation to the next. Often the people affected by multigenerational trauma aren’t even aware of it. They might describe their lives as difficult, but because it doesn’t fit the typical profile of trauma, they wouldn’t use the word trauma to describe what they’ve experienced. One … Continued
Trauma has occurred throughout human history. Awful things have happened to people that overwhelm the ability to cope and have effects that last for a long time. Most of the time when we talk about trauma the focus is on individuals – how individual persons experience and are affected by traumatic events. However, recent research … Continued
With so many stressful events happening in close succession over the past few years we have all heard reminders to make time for self-care. Some of these come in a paternalistic tone, like a concerned parent reminding a child to brush her teeth. Others come across more like a supportive friend who’s been there for … Continued
When we talk about suicide usually the discussion is about teens and young adults. In fact, many people believe that younger children aren’t capable of intentionally ending their own lives because they assume that children don’t really understand what it means to be dead. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is not only incorrect, but also … Continued
What is Juneteenth? Although it has been celebrated for over 150 years, many people are still not familiar with the holiday of Juneteenth. The name is a contraction that is short for “June nineteenth.” June 19, 1865 was the day that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned that the Civil War had ended and that … Continued
As is often the case when we are talking about children, self-care for children begins with their parents. To have the resources that they will need to properly care for their children, parents must remember to take care of their own needs and business. As the old adage goes, you can’t serve from an empty … Continued
When you’re little adults are supposed to take most of the responsibility for taking care of you. As you get older the responsibility shifts so that you are supposed to do more to care for yourself. Here are some important concepts that will be useful as you develop healthy self-care habits. Enough – Giving 110% … Continued