Attending and graduating from the “School of Hard Knocks” plays a key role in how a person learns to be resilient. Studies show that kids who grew up in adverse living conditions seem to demonstrate a richer depth of resilience in adulthood. Continue reading
Tag Archives: trauma
Mothers Know Compassion as the Purest Form of Love
Compassion is very dear, greatly valued and becoming so increasingly rare; people would pay high hourly rates to mental health professionals just to get some. Continue reading
Bin Laden a Has-Been in a Culture of Trauma
Justice may have been done and we may have fought the good fight; but according to the news, Bin Laden is already a has-been and we will need to brace ourselves for whatever comes next. Continue reading
Reality TV Triggers Form of Second-Hand Shock
This study truly strengthens the perspective that those in the business of using their compassion and empathy to help others are affected; not only in their minds, but physiologically in their brains and in their bodies. Continue reading
Signs of Addiction Can Be Subtle Among Professional Helpers
An interesting article appeared online regarding the more subtle signs of addiction. The author, Ms. Melanie Haiken claims that knowing whether someone you love has a problem with drugs or alcohol is not always as obvious as you might think. People tend to stereotype the typical alcoholic as someone staggering around with a bottle in … Continue reading
9/11 Second-Hand Shock Still an Issue a Decade Later.
Can you imagine that helping professionals are still suffering trauma responses a decade after the 9/11 tragedy? That certainly speaks to how insidious the effects of vicarious trauma can be! Continue reading
Expressing Emotions Increasing in Popularity
I have long proclaimed that if you don’t have your feelings, they will have you. Sure enough, research demonstrates that suppressing emotions can have serious health consequences, both physically and psychologically. Continue reading
Does Divorce Qualify as a Traumatic Event?
It appears that because divorce is such a frequent occurrence, many couples are simply opting out of marriage. Are some of these couples avoiding divorce because it is considered to be traumatizing? Can a commonplace occurrence such as divorce even be considered to be traumatic event? Continue reading
Devastation in Japan Traumatizes the World
Let’s also send loving and supportive energy to all the helpers who are assisting the victims of the tsunami. They may be experiencing their own Second-Hand Shock as they work to provide relief while controlling their empathic responses. Continue reading
Second-Hand Shock Impacts a Generation
I attended a sobering 60th birthday party yesterday evening. It was a large room full of aging baby-boomers: the most disappointed generation. While everyone seemed to be having a good enough time, there was an unmistakable malaise in the air. We baby boomers have had a tough pill or two to swallow. Having been born … Continue reading
