The Only Way Out is Through

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The Thing About Struggle courage healing struggle Feb 07, 2025

"You will never forget a person who came to you with a torch in the dark."  M. Rose

 

The thing about Struggle is that everybody has it, everyone can see it and most people would rather run away fro...

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The Art of Survivor and the Reality of Courage changing behaviors courage growing forward healing hearing triggers Oct 15, 2024

"When The Going gets tough, the tough get going."

This phrase came about as a motivational technique to entice athletes to overcome the hardship of competition.  It is meant to encourage those athlet...

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Living Life By the Drop changing behaviors courage creativity for healing growing forward healing hearing triggers the dance of growth understanding resilience Sep 10, 2024

"No wasted time, we're alive today

Churning up the past, there's no easier way

Time's been between us, a means to an end

God it's good to be here walking together my friend"

Stevie Ray Vaughan


To...

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Keep Calm and Swim On: Resilience Techniques for the Win changing behaviors courage growing forward healing resilience understanding resilience your healing journey Sep 10, 2024

"I visualize to the point that I know exactly what I want to do: dive, glide, stroke, flip, reach the wall, hit the split time to the hundredth, than swim back and forth as many times as I need to fin...

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Two Steps Forward and One Step Back: A Dance of Growth changing behaviors courage growing forward healing hearing triggers the dance of growth trauma Sep 10, 2024

"I am not okay

I'm barely gettin' by

I'm losing track of days

And losin' sleep at night"

Jellyroll

 

If there ever was a theme song that describes the life of a trauma survivor, this is it. I ha...

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Flying Monkeys and My Journey Through a Legacy of Narcissistic abuse. changing behaviors courage growing forward healing hearing triggers scapegoat understanding resilience your healing journey Sep 10, 2024

We have entered rainy season at the lake. Today is day six of rain and swarms of fish flies creating a loud buzz in the dark skies. It feels like a scene from a horror movie when walking out to the ga...

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When Yoda Speaks: Overcoming Barriers to Healing changing behaviors courage growing forward healing trauma understanding resilience Sep 10, 2024

"Do or do not, there is no try."

Yoda

 

After much internal conflict I took a week off and dug myself a few garden trenches. I placed seed, fertilized lawns and sat outside just listening to the bi...

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The Act of Growing Resilience changing behaviors growing forward healing resilience survivor understanding resilience Sep 10, 2024

"Our ability to grow resilient in the face of adversity

spreads to others and helps them grow resilient as well"

 

I am in my garden today getting ready for the new season of tending, weeding and h...

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Sankofa: Finding Gifts in our Trauma changing behaviors courage growing forward healing hearing triggers resilience trauma Sep 10, 2024

Life changes fast. Life changes in an instant.

You can sit down to dinner and life as you know it changes"

Joan Didion


This week I have been overly triggered. It started when I was working outside ...

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Mean Girls and Breaking Plans to See you Next Tuesday changing behaviors courage growing forward healing resilience self acceptance trauma Sep 10, 2024

"Who you were, who you are and who you will be are three different people"

 

Yesterday was cleaning closet day at Casa Anastasia with the goal of clearing out anything that was no longer of value in...

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The Weight of Unhealed Trauma changing behaviors courage growing forward healing hearing triggers survivor trauma Sep 10, 2024

"Trauma comes back as a Reaction not a memory"

Bessel van der Kolk

 

A childhood filled with never knowing when the temperature was going to turn to rage - 200 blocks
Raised in a home lacking Empath...

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Dancing With the One that Brought You changing behaviors courage growing forward healing hearing triggers trauma Sep 10, 2024

"Stay with me,

Let's just breathe

Practiced on my sins, never gonna let you win, uh-huh

Under everything, just another human being, uh-huh

I don't want to hurt

There's so much in this world to ma...

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