Third of a Lifetime

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@WisdomalaCarte “Your current safe boundaries
were once unknown frontiers.” ~ Anonymous

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@LillyAnn “You cannot save people. You can only love them.” ~ Anaïs Nin

@Tamavista “It is in retrospect that we realize the brevity of life. Knowing this, take a moment each day to live in the present.” ~ Kitamori

@Carlolight “The way you look at things is the most powerful force in shaping your life. In a vital sense, perception is reality.” ~ John O’Donohue

@WisdomalaCarte “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~ A Course in Miracles

@HealthyPlace “To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves — there lies the great, singular power of self-respect.”

@800273TALK “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” ~ John Wooden

Linked Tweets

@SafetyStar What’s Your Excuse [to not discuss child sexual abuse with your children]? “My Body Belongs to Me” (video about the book)
[SEO: This short but essential book provides a bridge by which parents can talk with their young children about a subject most parents would prefer having a root canal instead. If your children don't clearly understand about good touch/bad touch, they are vulnerable.]

@drludygreen Stunning article by actor Patrick Stewart on domestic violence.
[SEO: "As a child I witnessed [my father's] repeated violence against my mother, and the terror and misery he caused was such that, if I felt I could have succeeded, I would have killed him. If my mother had attempted it, I would have held him down. For those who struggle to comprehend these feelings in a child, imagine living in an environment of emotional unpredictability, danger and humiliation week after week, year after year, from the age of seven. My childish instinct was to protect my mother, but the man hurting her was my father, whom I respected, admired and feared.”]

@SoulHealr Learn about the connection between Depression, Trauma, and PTSD, as well as strategies for coping with them.
[SEO: This extensive resource offered by the National Center for PTSD pertains to both veterans and the general public. Be sure to peruse the links in the left column for other PTSD-related topics which can help anyone suffering with PTSD, regardless of the cause.]

@800273TALK Find a therapist with this tool from @psychtoday. If you need to talk to someone right now, call 1-800-273-8255.
[SEO: This therapist directory will show you results for psychiatrists (and psychotherapists), group therapy, treatment centers, or all of them. Both the therapist directory and the crisis 800 number are applicable in the US; the therapist directory also has listings in Canada.]

@ssanquist Dr. Deb: January is Stalking Awareness Month (via @Deborahserani)
[SEO: Information regarding research, statistics, and what to do if you are being stalked. Protect yourself, and be your own best advocate.]

@goodthingz 10 Life-Changing Facts About Anger (via @aflourishinglif)
[SEO: Good, useful considerations and strategies for looking at anger and its role in your life differently. Constructively. Perhaps even beneficially. Lots to think on if anger is an issue for you.]

@HealthyPlace In Recovering From Mental Illness, Patience is a Virtue
[SEO: It took 38+ years for me to fully understand the role of mental illness in my life, and then I wanted it done and over with yesterday. (Actually, I still do.) This post discusses why patience must be a factor in your mental wellness plan. "Work to understand that being patient, learning how to be patient, aids in your recovery."]

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@healingtrauma “Rowing harder
doesn’t help if the boat is headed
in the wrong direction.” ~ Kenichi Ohmae

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@WisdomalaCarte “An intention is a quality of consciousness that you bring to an action.” ~ Gary Zukav

@ArrInspirations “The only way to change the future is by inhabiting the present moment.” ~ Jon Kabat Zinn

@soulseedz “One of the reasons we struggle with endings is because we engage in mortal combat with time.”

@GabeBerman “Spirituality, then, is nothing more than giving up your resistance to what is.” ~ Annemarie Postma

@back2incomplete “When you deal with people, always consider whether you are spreading light and love, or whether you are limiting it.”

@DrAthenaStaik “Your presence in heart and mind is one of the most precious gifts of love you can give.”

Linked Tweets

Depression in the News

@SarahEOlson2009 [Low] Vitamin D Levels Linked to Depression Risk
[SEO: If you don't get out into the sun much, or drink milk, vitamin D supplements are not expensive. Doctors seldom test for vitamin D levels; ask your doctor to include that test in the next batch of basic blood tests you're given. And always ask your doctor before starting any kind of supplement. There may be contraindications from prescription meds you take.]

@SarahEOlson2009 Treatment Integration for Depression, Diabetes Increases Success for Both
[SEO: People with diabetes are at higher risk of becoming depressed, and people who are depressed have a higher risk of becoming diabetic. "In the end, 60.9 percent of subjects who received the integrated approach [of treating diabetes and depression as correlated, with a special program aimed at education and compliance] had improved blood sugar levels, compared to only 35.7 percent of patients who received only the usual primary care. Also, patients in the integrated care group were more likely to show fewer depression symptoms in comparison with patients in the usual care group (58.7 percent vs. 30.7 percent, respectively).”]

The Rest of the Best

@AshleyJudd More on why we must prevent child abuse: “You can modify behavior, but you can’t rewire disrupted brain circuits.”
[SEO: "'Toxic stress', or adversity, in early childhood can lead to a lifetime of mental and physical problems -- including disruption of the body’s metabolism or brain development -- and pediatricians should take a leading role in providing care that addresses the problem...." Includes several links to articles which discuss the research behind this conclusion.]

@NAMIMass Do you know the signs that you or someone you know are in an abusive relationship?
[SEO: "Noticing and acknowledging the warning signs and symptoms of domestic violence and abuse is the first step to ending it. No one should live in fear of the person they love." A comprehensive resource, this post includes signs of being in an abusive relationship; the relationship of financial or economic abuse to emotional abuse; tactics used by abusers; the cycle of violence in domestic abuse; and what to do if you or someone you know is caught in this situation.]

@MentalHealthV Picking a therapist
[SEO: If you are looking for a therapist, it's not as easy as picking a name out of the phone book. Be your own best advocate. It's in your interests to make an informed choice. This article provides an excellent primer in how to ensure that you find the right therapist for you.]

@DCoEPage Yoga: an alternative therapy for wounded warriors with PTSD (via @WarriorCare)
[SEO: Yoga: also not just for veterans. Yoga has been used for years in trauma care, regardless of what caused it. "Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D., a PTSD author, clinician, researcher and teacher since the 1970s, asserts that therapists treating psychological trauma need to work with the body as well as the mind. He states that yoga may provide a safe and gentle means of becoming reacquainted with the body and allowing people to confront their internal sensations."]

@Mindful_Living Mindfulness Over Mood: The Now Effect and Your Mental Health
[SEO: "Every moment of our lives our brains are rapidly taking in information and making snap judgments, interpretations and decisions based on what we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. Depending on how we’re feeling we’ll interpret it differently."

"Even though we believe our thoughts represent reality, the truth is, our thoughts are not facts. A lot of us live without an awareness of this, operating mostly from a state of auto-pilot, sleepwalking through life. The good news is we can train our minds to become more aware of this automaticity, get perspective and tune into what really matters."]

@Vdkeck Mental Illness as a Disability (via @Natasha_tracy)
[SEO: A thoughtful analysis of why mental illness can be considered a disability, and why resistance to the label may be misplaced. "I don’t have anything against people with a disability. Why would I? Being disabled means nothing about the individual, it simply indicates their situation. It would be like being against people with siblings. It would just be silly."

"Nevertheless, when considering my own bipolar disorder, I bristled against the word 'disability.' I know; this is hypocritical of me and a double standard. It’s OK for someone else to be disabled but not me? I’m embarrassed to even think it."]

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@CarePathways “♥ EXPRESS YOURSELF ♥ Write, speak,
draw, paint, sing, dance, laugh, create, share, celebrate!
The world needs YOUR unique brilliance.”

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@PemaQuotes “When we can recognize our own confusion with compassion, we can extend that compassion to others who are equally confused.”

@SpiritualNurse “Stress is not caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there’.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

@iamwun “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.” ~ Tao Te Ching

@HealthyPlace “I want to say I deserve better and mean it. I want to say I give up and believe it. I want to say I’m moving on and do it.”

@soulseedz “Trust yourself enough to let the masks slip, with people who recognize and love you just as you are.”

@DrSharonSays “The catch in emotional workouts is knowing how to use the weights wisely.”

Linked Tweets

In the News

@Tao23 To save money, Topeka repeals law against misdemeanor domestic battery
[SEO: This is disturbing on several levels. First, this won't be the only city that makes these kinds of choices in a distressed economy. Second, the article alludes to the idea that this is a game of chicken between the city and its county to see who will blink first and pay for what was cut. Politicians are using real live people -- who might not still be alive if/when they get this resolved -- to score points. (I'm not naive, it happens at every level of politics. It's just dismaying to see it so in-your-face.) Third, do you know where the line is drawn in your city between misdemeanor and felony domestic battery?]

@samhsagov America’s Mental Health, State By State (@SAMHSAgov report summarized on Huffington Post)
[SEO: "'Mental illnesses are treatable and people can recover to live full, productive lives. Unfortunately in the past year only 37.9 percent of adults with mental health problems received any type of care,' SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a statement. 'The chasm between need and care is costly both in terms of personal health because of missed opportunities to prevent disability and health care expenditures related to illness such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.'"

"Click through the slideshow to see, from lowest to highest, how many people in each state experienced a mental illness (according to 2008 and 2009 data that included 68,936 adults)." The results might surprise you!

World Mental Health Day Blog Party -- October 10, 2011

@unsuicide International Suicide Prevention Wiki -- hotlines and more
[SEO: "The International Suicide Prevention Wiki (ISP Wiki) is a worldwide directory of suicide prevention hotlines, text-lines, and resources. The ISP Wiki is open source to be used by any individual or organization. This directory was created for the PostSecret App and may be used freely in other apps to instantly connect people in need to crisis centers near them." A great resource! You never know who you might meet online who needs this info.]

@TimetoChange If you can do one thing to help end stigma on World Mental Health Day, why not start a conversation about mental health?
[SEO: Video and links to help you start the conversation.]

ChangeCompanies “There is no health without mental health.” Building mental health wellness in our children.
[SEO: Discusses study findings that people with undiagnosed mental illness cost health care systems far more than those with a diagnosis. "'And it wasn't through suicide; it was through things like diabetes, cancer, heart disease,' says Wilkes."

"'Angry, unhappy kids become angry, unhappy adults. Mental-health issues cost our society billions of dollars, not just in terms of health, but in terms of education services, justice and prisons. Where do you think these problems come from? Most of them start in childhood.'"]

@ALosAngelesLove Painfully beautiful, heart-wrenching, important post from @annaandthering for World Mental Health Day
[SEO: Anna departs from her usual weddings-oriented blog to talk about depression, generally, and then more personally about her own battle with it. "I hid my sadness well because I knew if someone saw me smile they would not believe I was truly broken. I wanted to hurt myself to have some physical sign that I was not faking. I don't want you to have to feel the same. I want you to seek help before you think you need physical scars to prove that you are unwell. The mental scars are enough."]

@DrKathleenYoung World Mental Health Day: Advocating for Yourself
[SEO: "Before you can begin advocating for yourself, you really have to understand the problem as you see it, what kinds of things happened in your life to bring you to where you are today (whether or not they are directly related to the problem), and figuring out where to go from here. Then you need to understand your treatment options, and how to get the type of treatment you want. It’s not always easy, and sometimes it can be especially challenging to advocate for yourself when you’re in the throes of mental illness."

This post discusses the following topics: Learn About Your Treatment Options; Be Patient, But Settle for Nothing Less than Improvement; Know When It's Time to Change or Call It Quits; Advocating For Yourself Can Be Challenging -- But Don't Give Up!]

@psychcentral World Mental Health Day Roundup 2011
[SEO: 80 bloggers contributed to the World Mental Health Day Blog Party. At this link, see some of these posts designated by category, and also a link to a list of all 80 blogs.]

The Rest of the Best

@fromtracie Blog Against Child Abuse — September 2011 Change Edition
[SEO: September 2011 edition of the Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse. Theme is Change. See also posts in the following categories: Healing and Therapy; Advocacy and Awareness; and Poetry.]

@HealthyPlace Have You Learned to Trust Your Doctor, Psychiatrist?
[SEO: "Start small with a doctor. As my friend would say, trust but verify. Take the doctor at his word, but check on what he’s saying. Look information up on the internet. Ask questions. Do not blindly walk wherever he tells you to. Take baby steps. ... And if you feel the trust has already been broken be open about it. He can’t express his viewpoint or explain why he behaved the way he did if you don’t give him the chance. And the doctor may not know you feel the trust has been broken and he can’t work to fix something he doesn’t know isn’t working."

@NAMIMass Mindfulness And Remembering To Actually Live Your Life
[SEO: "That’s the thing about mindfulness. It’s nothing 'special.' Yet it’s immensely potent. It can reconnect you to a sense of the sacred even in the middle of the mundane. It’s something you can tap into at any moment you like. And it can add untold fathoms of depth to even the flattest of days. How? ... "

"By lifting you free of the myth of “the daily grind” and letting you experience how this breath, this breeze, this sound, this moment – this day – is different from all others. Different, and worth walking into… rather than sort of forgetting or overlooking or blocking out. And it only takes a second to remember all this. To reconnect with it. To reunite yourself with your life, in a way."

@thebalancedmind Mental llness -- You Have to Ask for, and Accept, Help
[SEO: "You have to want to get better. You have to be willing to do the work. You have to be willing to take the steps. Because I cannot spoon-feed you back your life. I cannot wrap a treatment in pretty paper and leave it on your doorstep to be opened at your leisure. I cannot reach through your computer and fix the chemicals in your brain. The cold, hard truth of it is this: No matter how sick you are, if you don’t actively work at getting better, you never will." Includes basic links to hotlines and how to find help, particularly in North America.]

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@soulseedz “Hug everyone you meet,
even if just in your mind.
Start with yourself.”

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@HealthyPlace “And we put a fake smile to hide the pain, yet we wish someone would look closely enough and see how broken we really are inside.” [unknown]

@PemaQuotes “In cultivating loving-kindness, we train first to be honest, loving, and compassionate toward ourselves.”

@zebraspolkadots “Knowing is the first step to changing. We must know where we are. Where we want to go and the path that will take us there.”

@soulseedz “There are things you can’t control, but you always retain your ability to reframe, reposition and respond from your highest perspective.”

@GuruQuotes “We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

@CarePathways “Today may you look inside if there is fear and decide to face it, and live your life knowing you are not the fear.”

Linked Tweets

In the News

@DrKathleenYoung October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
[SEO: Post links to a list of activities happening this month, and also includes links to Dr. Young's previous posts dealing with various aspects of domestic violence.]

@HealthyPlace Mental Illness Awareness Week — Your Help Matters.
[SEO: A terrific round-up post with numerous links and ways in which you can help to raise awareness of mental illness.]

The Rest of the Best

@psychcentral 9 Myths and Facts About Therapy
[SEO: "Unfortunately, therapy still remains a shrouded subject, and many myths persist. The problem? These misunderstandings can prevent people from seeking help and getting better — and gives something valuable a bad name."

When I first began therapy that was actually helping me, I had relatives who claimed (1) that my therapist was just trying to get my money, and (2) that my Psy.D therapist must be giving me drugs that were creating my "wild stories" about my childhood. Ignorance abounds! What's important is that you don't carry around these myths to avoid getting therapy when you need it.]

@mjdub Your Meds May Be Giving You Nightmares
[SEO: "If you're taking ADHD drugs like Ritalin, antidepressants like Paxil and Prozac, or sleeping pills like Ambien -- and a host of antibiotics, blood-pressure medications, antihistamines, and statins in between -- that prescription could be giving you nightmares." This post links to the original story in the Wall Street Journal. While PTSD often comes with its own nightmares, look first (with your prescribing doctor's help) to identify -- and possibly eliminate -- any drugs that could be exacerbating your symptoms.]

@ssanquist Handling Depression at Work
[SEO: "With the right treatment plan, you probably will be able to manage working while undergoing depression treatment, and maybe even look forward to it." Good advice on what to do while at work, and considerations about whether you need to tell co-workers about your depression.]

@DrCarlHindy How You Can Overcome Intrusive Thoughts
[SEO: "...[W]hen we try not to think of something part of the brain avoids the thought, but another part ‘checks in’ to make sure the thought is not coming up. Ironically, this ‘checking in’ to make sure the thought is not coming up, brings it to mind.” Describes five techniques to use “to suppress thoughts that intrude even when you are trying not to think them.”]

@HealthyPlace Making a Relationship Work When You Have Mental Illness (post and video)
[SEO: Discusses in depth (in the video) what this blogger believes are most important in any relationship: (1) educate your significant other about your particular mental illness; and (2) take responsibility for your own recovery and well-being.]

@thereseborchard 15 Ways To Alleviate Your Anxiety
[SEO: This blog's focus is eating disorders, but this collection of strategies and links to help alleviate anxiety is good for anyone who deals with anxiety. "While anxiety seems incredibly overwhelming when you’re caught in its clutches, you can do so many things to minimize your anxiety. It’s a matter of learning some skills."]

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@MindfulBoston “Life is made out of moments.
How many of your moments are spent
planning for other moments
rather than being fully lived?”

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@karenkmmonroy “Illusions of the world lead to illusions of self, which lead to illusions of the world…. Know self, dissipate the illusions.”

@soulseedz “When you numb the dark, you also numb the light. As you take the edge off pain, you also take the edge off joy.”

@ilawton “Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” ~ Mark Twain

@Tamavista “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” ~ Maya Angelou

@AlwaysWellWithn “vulnerability + personal power = authenticity”

@dailysquotes “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis.” ~ Margaret Bonnano

Linked Tweets

@mdvagov At VA, every week is Suicide Prevention Week. Vets and families can call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, 24/7, 365 days a year.
[SEO: If you are a vet who is having trouble coping, or if you know one, the VA has resources to help you. As the linked article says, “You have something unique to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.”]

@healingtrauma 50 Best Blogs on Bullying
[SEO: Arranged in the following categories: General Blogs on Bullying; Workplace Bullying; Reporting Bullying; Professional Blogs on Bullying; and Forums on Bullying.]

@HealthyPlace Importance of Psychiatric Crisis Planning. New Mental Health for the Digital Generation vlog (post and video)
[SEO: Excellent resource. "A few years ago, I was hospitalized and I don’t feel that I was given the proper care by the hospital and I was certainly not in any state to take care of myself. If I had a crisis plan in place, my family could have worked with my doctor to make sure that I received the proper treatment and care at the hospital and that I had a plan in place for after I was discharged."

"Here are the links to a sample crisis plan (PDF) and a blank crisis plan (PDF) for you to fill out. Be sure to fill it out when you are doing well and can think clearly. Give a copy of your plan to everyone in your support network - like your close family and friends, your psychiatrist and your therapist." Watch the video for more details of what to include in your crisis plan.]

@thereseborchard 21 Ways to Overcome Disappointment
[SEO: "Disappointments leave us with the unpleasant task of squashing, crushing, and pinching lemons to extract any and all juice." A helpful, albeit sometimes snarky, look at ways to deal with disappointment. (Sometimes snark qualifies as a coping mechanism! ]

@Mindful_Living 5 Keys to Preparing for Fall and Winter Blues
[SEO: "When it comes to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or just being negatively affected by less light or shorter days, this is a great opportunity to get your ducks in a row to stave off a depressive slide." Post discusses: mindfulness training; exercise; light therapy; gratitude list; and connect. "This is about nurturing your life, it’s about creating resiliency and most of all about getting in touch with what really matters."]

@SarahEOlson2009 Who Do You Let In? Defining Your Boundaries And Staying Safe But Not Isolated
[SEO: Using the metaphor of keys, post discusses how boundaries are defined, and why it's good to periodically assess who has the keys to your inside self -- or doesn't -- and why. Including yourself. "Are there perhaps places no-one holds the keys to? Places you maybe even keep locked away from yourself? Places that seem too dark, too cold, too overwhelming to enter, so you’ve locked them up, boarded them up and maybe even been tempted to throw the keys away? What might it take to make those spaces feel safe enough for you?"]

@NAMIMass Why Don’t Psychiatrists Like To Show Patients Their Notes?
[SEO: "Why don't psychiatrists like to show patients their notes? Are they really going to 'harm' the patient?" Contains a bullet list of possible reasons why a psychiatrist may not wish to share notes with a patient. See also the comments by several patients about their attempts to obtain their doctor's notes, and others who state why they don't want or need to see their doctor's notes.]

@HealthyPlace Post-Abuse Issues With Children
[SEO: Written by a woman who left her abusive spouse, she writes with aching honesty of how being in an abusive relationship impacts her children, even nearly two years away from it. It's a cliche that kids are resilient; in fact, they also tend to take in abusive damage quite deeply.

Ignoring it does not make it go away, it can just make children feel more alone. "They’ve both described their childhood as incredibly lonely. That breaks my heart because I was a stay-at-home mom. I was with them every day, every minute. Yet they were lonely because I was unable to truly connect with them. The words 'I love you' become meaningless when they’re not backed by actions. My children grew up feeling alone and anxious with no one to go to for help."]

@psychcentral Finding Meaning to Cope with Life Struggles
[SEO: "When we go through a demanding and trying time, it can be tough to cope and stay self-assured. Going through emotionally demanding experiences like loss and trauma often leads to negative emotions such as grief, anger, fear and shame. It can be difficult to overcome this negativity and work through the pain when there is no apparent reason for what occurred. If we don’t work to heal and reproach our negative perspective, it becomes very difficult to move beyond the anger and grief that engulfs our day to day life." ...

"Meaning comes from moving beyond ourselves and connecting with something bigger and more profound than our immediate reality. When we experience loss or trauma we can use this sense of purpose to piece our life back together, and use the emotional energy to make a positive impact."

@tlomauro The Upside of a Panic Attack
[SEO: "New research aims to debunk another myth: Panic attacks occur completely out of the blue. Though those who panic don't realize it, their attacks are in fact foreshadowed by minute physiological signals, according to a study led by Southern Methodist University's Alicia Meuret in the journal Biological Psychiatry. 'The hour before panic onset was marked by subtle but significant waves of changes in patient's breathing and cardiac activity, not just the moment of onset of the attack or even during the attack,' she says." See also the next post below about anxiety from the patient's point of view.]

@HealthyPlace Anxiety. Does It Have to Be Like This?
[SEO: "Anxiety is not relieved by the sublime because it is preoccupation, so reassurance sounds like fantasy, misdirection. It is that pre-condition which needs treating if anxiety is to be overcome. It is not enough to comfort, or explain. Anxiety must be met with ingenuity. Whether we consider ourselves creative or not."]

@goodthingz 27 Healthy Habits of Happiness
[SEO: I admit that I neglect posts on "happiness". I often think the "happiness gurus" engage in a lot of magical thinking that's entirely not relevant to my own life and situation. Although this post is labeled "happiness", I like it because it fits neatly with a Theory of Anyway. These healthy habits may or may not make you happy, but they are good to cultivate anyway. The benefits may not be immediately apparent, but do it anyway. Increased awareness, empathy, compassion, accountability, and authenticity doesn't have to equate to "happiness", but they are all worthy goals. Why not just do it anyway?]

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@CarePathways “The most difficult phase of life
is not when no one understands you:
it is when you don’t understand yourself.”

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@TQ_Project “Worry gives a small thing a big shadow” ~ Swedish Proverb

@Quotes4Writers “When do we figure out that trust is a necessary risk?… Risk is an everyday occurrence and a life without risk is no life at all.” ~ T. Coyle

@zebraspolkadots “Learning to live an empowered life was challenging but not near as challenging as living life believing I had no power.”

@CarePathways “As you contemplate your life there is an invisible you that you cannot see. It hides within awaiting expression of your total and complete potential.”

@lizstrauss “Our spirit has a hunger. If we don’t share authentic moments, we start collapsing. Our soul gets lonely.”

@AnnTran_ “Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else’s life forever.” ~ Cho

Linked Tweets

In the News

@DrMelanieG The Casey Anthony Trial — Media frenzy, family dysfunction, injustice. Is this a sign of the times? I hope not.
[SEO: "The troubling aspect of this case is that Casey’s lies may have helped her escape justice for her role in the death of her daughter. Because of the lies, there was a delay in finding Caylee’s remains. ... The forensics could not tell us if Caylee died by homicide or accident. Although the prosecution does not actually have a burden to determine the cause of death, the jurors who spoke to the media said that this lack of certainty was a key factor in their 'Not Guilty' verdict. The law is not designed to reward potential perpetrators for covering up evidence and misleading investigators, yet this is what seemed to have happened."

This post looks at the role of the media, and the Anthony family dysfunctions, which added to the confusion about this case. So many questions left unresolved. Rest in peace, Caylee.]

@SarahEOlson2009 Jaycee Lee Dugard, Kidnapped at Age 11 | Complete interview (ABC News)
[SEO: Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped at age 11 on her way to school, held captive in handcuffs for much of the next 19 years, repeatedly raped, and gave birth to the first of two children in a backyard shed at age 14. She exhibits poise, confidence, and hope for her future. She is inspiring. (For a different take on the Dugard interview, see next story below.)

Jaycee Dugard and the Feel-Good Imperative (L.A. Times opinion piece)
[SEO: I'd have tweeted this if I'd seen it earlier, because it makes important points for any trauma survivor. It suggests that the media has created a narrative of redemption, whereby well-known survivors Jaycee Lee Dugard and Elizabeth Smart overcame the effects of heinous abuse relatively quickly, and we (the public) can breathe a collective sigh of relief that their torment is "over".

The article's skepticism is not that their pain was less than described, but that they could recover from nightmarish sustained trauma so quickly, and seemingly completely. (I've certainly been doing hard work for years now, and I don't consider myself to be "wallowing in it", as ignorant post comments suggest. Perhaps each of these women coming from a much-loved family environment prior to their abductions is the key difference? I don't know.) Another point made: this media-hyped model of "feel-good" redemption is why the Casey Anthony verdict struck such a nerve. "The survivor was anything but a hero. No lessons were learned."

The media bias described makes for a great made-for-TV movie, but does trauma survivors who still struggle in dark places daily a disservice -- and perhaps to Dugard and Smart as well. "Dugard and Smart seem to have successfully made the transition to survivor, but to turn them into generic symbols of hope or, worse, to saddle them with the job of being publicly loving, forgiving and grateful despite what they endured minimizes their trauma and panders to audiences by creating a false sense of closure." What are your thoughts on all of this?]

The Rest of the Best

@SarahEOlson2009 FYI Win 6 Months of Free Therapy (up to $2,400) — Good Therapy Foundation Therapy Award Contest [I am not affiliated]
[SEO: What I like about how this contest is structured is that your "entry" reply goes private. "Submissions will not be published" -- which I take to mean "forever". Read the detailed contest rules carefully for all requirements; you must respond to their questions with a minimum of 150 words, no maximum. Entries must be received before 5:00 p.m. PDT, July 31, 2011. I know how tough it is to find money for therapy; I'm hoping this helps someone in major need.]

@SeattleCounsel Smart phones are probably not a smart choice for Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims
[SEO: "When it comes to security for a domestic abuse victim, making sure that your I's are dotted and T's crossed is of the utmost importance. That being the case, how will you ensure that you cannot be found out if you seek help or leave your abusive partner? You should be cognizant of how your mobile device might be used for monitoring and tracking your activities."]

@micheletrauma Trauma Caregivers: what are the signs that you are suffering from burnout?
[SEO: "Compassion fatigue occurs when a caregiver neglects their own self-care in favor of putting most of their effort and focus on caring for their loved one. To learn more about compassion fatigue, read on and consider this valuable resource as well: Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project." Includes signs of burnout and coping strategies. If you are a trauma survivor, give this article to your loved ones.]

@anngatty Recognize your inner fears and turn off your inner voice of self doubt
[SEO: Guys, don't let the website name, Stress Management 4 Women, deter you from reading this thoughtful post. I think men have that inner voice every bit as much as women do. "No one can attain life goals when inner fears act as emotional triggers, causing you to give up on your dreams. What are you afraid of?"]

@goodthingz 21 Simple Ways to Live an Exceptional Life
[SEO: Simple, but not necessarily easy! "It can be tough to get clear on what you want, and you won’t always be perfectly clear, but the goal isn’t to be clear, the goal is to move forward and explore."]

@soulseedz 7 Strategies to saying a positive NO
[SEO: An in-depth look at how yes and no are (or should be) considered as a pair. Discusses the book Power of a Positive No by William Ury, including the following quote: "Yes without No is appeasement, whereas No without Yes is war. Yes without No destroys one’s own satisfaction, whereas No without Yes destroys one’s relationship with others. We need both Yes and No together. For Yes is the key word of community, No the key word of individuality. Yes is the key word of connection, No the key word of protection. Yes is the key word of peace, No the key word of justice. The great art is to learn to integrate the two—to marry Yes and No. That is the secret to standing up for yourself and what you need without destroying valuable agreements and precious relationships." Includes strategies for putting this into practice.]

@psychcentral 5 Easy Steps to Start a Mindfulness Practice
[SEO: "Mindfulness practice can have both mental and physical health benefits. Like many healthy habits, getting started can be the hardest part." Five easy steps, starting with your breathing.]

@thereseborchard Do You Hate Summer? You’re Not Alone: Who would have known that there are so many summer haters out there?
[SEO: While much of this post is rather tongue-in-cheek, Therese Borchard makes the case that for her, it's the lack of structured time in summer that can lead to a fear of unpredictability and feeling out of control. I've always hated summer, which has everything to do with the fact that most of my childhood abuse occurred during the summers. Excessive heat nauseates me, and the bugs that accompany it trigger me. It's kind of a relief to learn that I'm not the only one who hates summer. Do you?]

Best Tweets for Trauma Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please add your candidates for Best Tweets For Trauma Survivors in the comments.

Standalone Tweets

@CarePathways “Today, if you had a magic wand, what would you wish for? What do you really want? Feel it. See it. Allow it.”

@twitertwotter “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”

@empowermentguru “You will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did … sail away from the safe harbor!” ~ Mark Twain

@BeyondMeds ‎”Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” ~ Meg Cabot (via @dedangelo)

@psychotherapi “People who successfully navigate change know that every challenging emotion they feel is not going to stop them.”

@zebraspolkadots “When my focus became where I wanted to go vs where I hated being — I arrived at my destination.” ~ zebism

@2morrowknight “Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.” ~ Bill Cosby (via @OprahBooklist)

@NoSocialAnxiety “Aspiring to perfection will get in your way” ~ Gillian Riley

@rcinstitute “WisdomWednesday: wisdom is knowing yourself and not judging yourself for who you are, but striving to do better.”

@Tamavista “Treat people as if they were what they should be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.” ~ Goethe

@pinwheelgirl “Conquer your complacency. Show up for yourself. Make the changes you are dreaming about.”

@soulseedz “Set your standard to the highest level of love, generosity, compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.”

Linked Tweets

Personal and Child Safety Issues

@WomensLaw Man finds ex-wife and children hiding in MO domestic violence shelter through GPS. E-stalking a growing problem
[SEO: Does your phone have a GPS? Does your car? Things to take into very serious consideration if you, or someone you know, are in a domestic violence situation.]

@2morrowknight Keeping Kids Safe Online (via Huffington Post)
[SEO: Lots of good tips here.]

@KissesFromDolce Learn the 7 Steps to protecting children from child sexual abuse (via Darkness2Light.org)

@NDVH Patricia Evans, author of The Verbally Abusive Relationship, has verbal abuse FAQ on her website

@wcsap Obtaining a Protection Order, a survivor’s guidebook through the court process
[SEO: A 71 page .PDF file pertains specifically to Washington state, but includes information that can help you understand the general process, and what the legal terms mean.]

The Rest of the Best

@akvet Excellent paper about the connection between PTSD and other diseases
[SEO: The population studied here is veterans, but anyone subject to PTSD from any cause needs to be aware of the increased risks and incidence of various physical ailments due to the toll of PTSD. The premise is that early treatment of PTSD could avoid much of the subsequent illnesses. Consider the implications of that statement for children traumatized by abuse who don't receive help for PTSD until well into adulthood.]

@HealingPTSD 28 podcasts on military sexual trauma (“MST”) for active duty, veterans, friends and family

@unsuicide Can’t sleep? Video gives free, effective relief with progressive muscle relaxation

@805Therapy Depression vs. Sadness
[SEO: This is an entire Squidoo lens site devoted to various aspects of depression vs. sadness. Lots to explore!]

@arttherapynews Top 50 blogs for learning about medical art therapy
[SEO: This is a great resource! Categories include: general art therapy, blogs that offer art therapy ideas, blogs from organizations, blogs by art therapists, and blogs by those in recovery.]

@goodthingZ 7 Tips for Effective Communication
[SEO: Article pertains to both business and personal communications, but the lessons are pretty much the same. In an age of information overload, how can you be truly heard?]

@SoulHealr Do you forget to breathe when stressed?

@drcmblake How to Find Peace of Mind (in Under 500 Words) (Via Tiny Buddha)
[SEO: Even peace of mind takes practice and patience.]

@StaceyCurnow Connecting With Your Empowered Self (article by @TracyLiebmann)
[SEO: What does your authentic self look like? Simple thought/writing exercises to connect with your authentic self, and to be empowered by it. Don't stress: there is no "right" answer -- other than your own.]

This is a disturbing story from last week that I keep coming back to. A Michigan father marched his 15 year old son to a vacant lot, made him strip naked, and shot him execution style upon learning the son had confessed to his mother about having sexual contact with his three year old half-sister.

No second chances.

The boy had told his mother that he knew it was wrong to touch the girl, but stated he had not taken his clothes off. His mother didn’t want to “sweep this under a rug”, so she called her husband to come home for a talk. He came home with a gun. The three year old was later examined at a hospital, and no evidence of rape or physical trauma was found.

But three year olds remember a lot. The mental trauma of molestation may not be visible, but it was registered somewhere inside. She may not have the words now to voice what happened, but beyond the fact of the molestation, at the very least she will grow up with more than a suspicion that both her brother and father left her life over something to do with her. Even if her family tries to shelter her from what happened, it’s received so much publicity that she is bound to hear about it at school someday, if not sooner.

The 15 year old, of course, should have never touched his half-sister, but he tried to do the right thing by telling his mother. She tried to do the right thing by telling her husband. The father broke that chain. I understand in some limited way why he did it, but I cannot condone it.

Over the years, I fantasized that someone somehow had stepped in and taken my primary abuser out long before he created my childhood nightmare. How many other children would have been spared by this one person’s non-existence? How would my life and my sister’s have been different? Would we have thrived? Would we have felt loved? Would my mother have been so punitive and disinterested in her younger children if she’d never met him? She had lots of issues all her own; he just magnified them.

It’s that little girl magical wish that I could just do it all over again, as if he never existed. If only.

Knowing what I know now, not only would it have done the world a noble service to rid itself of my abuser early on, but I would not have flinched or mourned if I’d learned later that he finally picked a fight with someone who could fight back and win. Hindsight provides that clarity. But we don’t know enough about this 15 year old boy to conclude that he merited death.

Even though this father permanently removed a perceived threat from his daughter’s life, and in his own way tried to protect her, his actions will haunt his family — and her — for the rest of their lives. I hope this little girl and her step mother (? I’m not sure if that’s the relationship) are able to adequately work through these issues over time with professional help. (Lots of time.) The boy’s actions were not going to be swept under the rug, and neither must the aftermath of this violence be swept away.

It’s sad, no matter how I look at it.