Category Archives: Healing

Trying to Connect with Traumatized Baby

Read Erica what I had written.  She thought it was powerful.  We talked about the flavor of the writing. Notes from the session with my therapist on November 21: What I wrote was written from a “neutral/wisdom stance,” not from a … Continue reading

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Gretchen Schmelzer: The Wisdom of Respite

From Gretchen Schmelzer’s blog for August 23, 2023: The Wisdom of Respite. Gretchen is a trauma survivor and a therapist for people suffering from trauma. Respite is noted to be a break from something difficult. And it’s true that we feel … Continue reading

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1995: Sullen Angry 8-yr-old

From my journal for November 28, 1995 Well, let’s see if she is here, that sullen angry hurt child.  I have a hit of her age as being 8 or 9, and of Mother as a hurt angry sullen child … Continue reading

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Obstreperous Child

The Daily Good today  (10/22/23) was an essay by Francis Weller on grief. When I first heard about his work from my therapist, I went to a retreat on the west coast. But I have been struggling with a lot … Continue reading

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“I gave my life energy to sacred meaning”

From my journal for October 18 Feeling weird.  Woke up feeling weird.  Not sure I can describe it.  I don’t think I have a fever, I found my thermometer, but will have to wait, because I already had a drink. At the thought … Continue reading

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Reclaiming my Creativity

On Tuesday, August 22, I had an extraordinary session with Erica. I told her I was having trouble doing adult type things, especially if they involved dealing with bureaucracy, and at first I was scared that I was getting senile. … Continue reading

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1976: “Feel Good About Myself”

It’s both interesting and painful to read this. At that time I failed to connect my fear about sharing my enthusiasm with Mother’s frequent remark “Don’t think you’re so great.” But that’s what did it. I suppose feeling good about … Continue reading

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The Importance of Meaning in One’s Life

I’ve been reading Viktor Frankl‘s book about his experience of concentration camps, and then his conclusions about what helped him survive. Dr. Frankl was a psychiatrist. He said that Freud thought that what motivated human beings was pleasure, Adler thought … Continue reading

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1995: “The Whole Thing”

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 1995    Sometime in the early ’90s I followed the program described in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. “Morning pages” is one of the exercises in Julia Cameron’s program. Nika is the Artist part of me, I … Continue reading

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1995: Art as Medicine

Back in 1995, I did a couple of retreats with Shaun McNiff, who wrote the book Art as Medicine.  I don’t remember the instructions, I think the painting process was very improvisational. From my journal for June 1995: FRIDAY JUNE … Continue reading

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