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Our History
When we look at the history of women as it relates to men, we see that it has only been in the last 100 years that we were given rights. Before we had rights, women and children were the property of men. Men could do with us whatever they pleased, whenever they pleased. This ... Views: 1400
I’m in a bad way I have only just made it to the bathroom before throwing up; sitting there on my cold floor tiles I put my head between my knees just to keep upright. The room is spinning, rotating all around me like some never ending merry go round. I know that this is where I will sleep ... Views: 1400
Renee L Richardson, M.Ed.
Knowing the "Love" Within:
1/6/2017
So many times, we find ourselves sitting on the wayside of love, extremely disappointed, hurt and totally exhausted; simply because we failed to receive the love of which we have given. Were our expectations too high? Did we ... Views: 1399
My title is prompted by the oft repeated phrase: Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.
What is your experience of this? Is suffering optional? Is that even a desirable goal? Or are there experiences that automatically cause suffering? Is there a function to “suffering” or feeling one’s ... Views: 1398
When we were young, very young, we made decisions about ourselves and the world we live in that have lasted throughout our lives. These decisions, or agreements about life, were made before we had a rational mind or the perspective and experience of an adult. Most of our beliefs about the world ... Views: 1397
Are you familiar with any young people who have a domestic violence background? Would you be honored to instill in them a message that discourages inflicting harm against others, especially the ones they live with? You will learn methods you can use to mentor youth who have committed domestic ... Views: 1397
For so many years I walked around with an enormous Psychological and Sociological residue, firmly believed that there was no way back for me. I sit here today typing, in the knowledge that the battle within myself is almost over. This is by far the battle you struggle with; it’s so hard to make ... Views: 1397
It has been my experience that even when we feel the most alone, the most vulnerable or the most enraged, guidance and support surrounds us, if we only take time to notice.
A huge ice storm hit just before Christmas. Branches laden with ice brought down wires and utility poles, not to mention ... Views: 1396
I was fortunate to be with family, though far from my home in Los Angeles, when tragedy struck last week. An old friend pulled me aside at the end of that long day when we were raw with terror. "Do you know what I did this morning, after I saw the news, to cope?" asked Bonnie. "I turned off the ... Views: 1393
“It comes from saying No to 1000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do to much.” Steve Jobs
Are you beginning to see where we need our tools, ability to say No, ability to make requests, ability to speak our truth in order be a good leader, and in order to be able ... Views: 1389
I am sitting next to my mum holding her hand, just as I have been doing for the last thirty days. They have just turned off the life support; I watched her dying breath as it escaped her tiny body. She had gone to hospital with lower back pain, a complaint that should never have caused the loss ... Views: 1389
Each of us literally chooses, by his way of attending to things, what sort of universe he shall appear to himself to inhabit.
William James
Introduction
Anger is a natural response to being endangered or hurt. Challenges that commonly elicit anger include:
Being attacked verbally or ... Views: 1388
Have you ever come across an individual who knocks you down, tear you down over everything that you are about? S/he will criticize you, condemn you and basically let you know or feel that you are an idiot for even thinking what you are thinking or doing what you are doing. Then several ... Views: 1388
“My personality and entire lifestyle changed. I had to quit my active involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, could not call on my big corporate accounts with male clients, and was accused daily of having affairs. My long-time friends did not know the hell I was living through. I was so ... Views: 1386
I know what’s going on. I have at least become that self-aware in the last sixty-one years. I am practicing the art of avoidance. I know that I am going to have to write this sooner or later, but I am assiduously putting it off as long as possible.
We all have that tendency, don’t we, when it ... Views: 1385
Recently there was a very violent abduction/sexual assault in our city. While this is not surprising in a major city anywhere in North America, it is however sad that we rarely think twice about the impact this type of crime has on the victim and society after the headlines fade. I would like to ... Views: 1381
If you’ve ever packed up and moved from one house to another, you know something of what the subconscious is like.
I’m not talking about the kind of move where someone else comes in and packs up all your stuff, even down to the ashes in the ash trays. I’m talking about the kind of move where ... Views: 1380
If I wanted to ask my mother something when I was younger, I would often wait until there were guests around. The reason for this was that I knew that there was less chance of my mother raising her voice or losing her temper.
Through having other guests around or oven just one person, it ... Views: 1379
I remember being with a friend and doing some pad work; we were both taking turns to punch and kick the pad. After a while we both needed something to drink, so we headed over to the shop.
Interestingly, my friend said that if we waited a little while, his mother would be back and then we ... Views: 1378
This question used to be at the forefront of my mind, imbedded so deeply that there seemed to be no escaping the powerful emotions that it evoked. When did it start? Why was I born this way? How could I stop the terrible things going on all around me I was hurting so many people. Maybe the ... Views: 1378
Most of us believe in the circle of life it stands for reason because that makes sense. We are born we grow and then we leave this world. For each of us it’s a completely different path that we walk. We may enter into each other’s lives for many different reasons, each time our life’s are either ... Views: 1378
"Not again!" I screamed silently as my dad's footsteps careened him into the wall. . . slurring a curse, he stumbled. He was home and drunk - again.
"I hope. . . " I continued my silent plea, "I hope you just keep on going past me. No need to say anything."
The very large house I lived ... Views: 1376
Just as drug addiction has been on a steady rise throughout the United States, so has a steady growth in the number of drug abuse rehabilitation centers to help those struggle with drug addictions.
As long as people can get their hands on alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, ... Views: 1374
Violence against women is one of the primary health problems facing adults today. Many people are not aware that childhood maltreatment is a powerful risk factor for health problems in adulthood. Its victims can suffer lifelong health effects.
Maltreatment is best viewed as a risk factor ... Views: 1372
Trying to justify my resentment, anger and hatred was not worth the price of my health, nor is it worth yours.
Today I have not only survived, but thrived and I'll show you how I did it.
Resentment is a Latin word meaning to feel anger over and over. Like a poison, it shoots adrenalin into our ... Views: 1371
I remember sitting at the dinner table, after I had come back from school and having an argument with my mother. This soon came to an end, though, as she ended up leaving the table and going to her room.
I can’t remember exactly why we had this argument as it was a long time ago, but I think ... Views: 1371
I shoot up in bed sweat pouring from my body, the sheets clinging tightly all around me. I try to adjust my eyes to the light, while they are darting from one corner of the room to another. I know he is here I heard his footsteps on the stairs. He is coming closer and closer to me with ever step ... Views: 1370
Understanding what happens when a person verbally attacks is the key to knowing how to respond to them. The hardest situations are ones where there have been ongoing attacks for a long period of time. We all know this by its common name, verbal abuse. There are two sides that we need to look at ... Views: 1370
The Grand Jury file on reports filed against Sandusky in the Penn State Sex abuse scandal illustrates some of the most egregious rationalizing (right up there with the Catholic Church's sexual abuse of children) in our country. There are some people involved who attempted to do the right thing ... Views: 1367
When my sister and I were growing up, we had to do as we were told; if we didn’t, we would often end up being hit by my father. In a lot of cases, this would be something that our mother was behind.
So, while my father was physically stronger than my mother, it didn’t mean that he was in ... Views: 1367
If you are in an abusive relationship and are seeking to separate or divorce from your partner, your safety may be at risk and your ability to achieve a reasonable separation agreement may be compromised.
Abusive relationships are characterized by one party seeking power and control over the ... Views: 1366
September is coming. My life will be changing greatly in September as I seek employment and have less time to do the things which I love like writing, studying, meditating, and passing on words of inspiration. Yet again, I feel that things are happening as they should.
Today we are engaged ... Views: 1364
How do we change?
Change takes one tiny step, but to take that one step can require a journey of a thousand miles.
So many of us can dream of the life we want to have and the person we want to be. It can be especially frustrating when we get to the stage in our adventure where we ... Views: 1364
Are you one of those people who’s very confident, who makes new friends easily, who has no trouble asking someone for a date?
Or are you a person who lacks confidence, who fears rejection, who is constantly worried about whether other people really like him, or will reject him? Does your ... Views: 1362
How do you know if this is emotional abuse? How do you know if you are being abused emotionally? You know from the inside out.
Look closely at these three tell-tale signs of emotional abuse and let your awareness of your inner experience, relative to each, permeate your entire being.
1) Being ... Views: 1361
If you have ever been abused we all have them. Days that we either choose to push back into the recess of our mind, or we have completely lost all memory of them. To this very day I still recognize this trait within me. In truth the only difference is that I no longer feel the need to revisit ... Views: 1361
When a woman sees her husband is touched with tenderness toward her from Scripture and that he prays for God's blessing on their marriage, her heart is touched and she may even weep with love for God and him. This could be a secret wish or unidentified need of half the world's ... Views: 1361
When you think of dangerous substances that you could get addicted to, you might think about cocaine, heroin and other substances of the same nature. However, alcohol is among the top substances that are abused, and there are quite a few reasons why it's highly addictive.
Not only does alcohol ... Views: 1359
Sexual abuse runs rampant in today’s society, and it's effects can be devastating. Recent statistics show that 25% of all young women, and 20% of all young men, are sexually abused by the age of 18. And this, they say, only represents the reported/documented incidences. While you may not ... Views: 1357
This article comes from the experiences I had myself and workshops I have written to assist others in there "struggle with addiction".
First and foremost, what is addiction? It is only the result of abuse. To clarify this, I will break it down step by step.
Before any person gets to a stage of ... Views: 1356
Author: Jared Bryan Smith
ISBN: 9780984595501
Jared Bryan Smith with his hippopotamus sea; my viral sobriety transports his readers to a place that most would not dare to go, or wouldn't even think of going.
In excruciating detail, Smith's biographical account details the life of a tragic ... Views: 1356
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New autobiography recounts author’s determination in face of hardship
Up From the Ruins by Bruce Wayne Sullivan portrays a childhood marred by violence and lifelong commitment to hard work
BILOXI, Miss. – Up From the Ruins, an autobiography by Bruce Wayne ... Views: 1354
I was recently asked why I chose to write and publish a book about abuse and empowerment. Being a victim of child abuse by multiple people and reading everything I could about how to help myself I chose to start sharing with others how they too could benefit from what all I have learned, ... Views: 1353
Details about Michael Jackson’s passing are still fuzzy, but already people are drawing conclusions about the superstar’s premature demise. One media thread has him using prescription medications in what may have been a troubling way ... Views: 1350
When we make the empowered decision to take back control of our lives, there is another hard fact that we need to face up to. While going through the trauma that engulfed our life’s for so many years, there is always going to be a fall out. Mine was the peace and protection I thought I had ... Views: 1350
What value is there in keeping your past alive, especially when it wasn’t so great the first time around?
This may seem a ridiculous question but it is very true. When we allow ourselves to run in victim mode, we are keeping our past alive and prevent a future of happiness and ... Views: 1349
Communicate with Kids about Drugs
an excerpt from the book, Positive Discipline for Parenting in Recovery, by Jane Nelsen, Riki Intner, and Jane Nelsen
Recovering parents know first hand the realities and dangers of using drugs and alcohol. The last thing they want is for their kids to go ... Views: 1345
Constantly leaving and being persuaded back into the trap of an abusive relationship is a cycle that needs to stop, and you can stop right now. This cycle will not end until you completely end all contact with your partner. Do not under estimate the power they have over you, and stop ... Views: 1344