Third of a Lifetime

Fri 13 Apr 2012

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors (04/13/12)

Posted by Sarah Olson under Best Tweets For Trauma Survivors, Mental Illness Resources, Mental Wellness resources | Tags: 5 minutes to destress and relax, about Social Security Disability Insurance, antipsychotics and diabetes, anxiety, Boston Pops, child abuse survivor, compassion, coping, depression, forgiveness, healing, hope, hope after suicide attempt, John Williams, metabolic syndrome, music, music as therapy, Pachelbel's Canon in D, paying it forward, PTSD, self-acceptance, stress, the freedom to not forgive, trauma survivors, video |
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This week’s focus: music as therapy, and good to know info

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

@Tamavista “It is not enough
to be compassionate.
You must act also.” ~ Tao

‏Some Tweets to Ponder

@DennyCoates “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

@Tamavista “To make dreams real, you must wake up sometimes.” ~ Kitamori

@visityourself “Have you shut yourself out of your own heart? Would you exile a friend for the same ‘crime’?”

@LillyAnn “Maybe the key to happiness is to focus less on making moments last and more on making them count.” ~ @lori_deschene

@healthyplace “In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.” ~ Charlie Brown

Linked Tweets

The Role of Music in Healing

‏@KimbersP Music And Health: 11 Ways Playing And Listening To Music Help Both Body and Mind (via Huffington Post)
[SEO: A slideshow with each page discussing how music impacts people in various beneficial ways. Excellent!]

@mjdub Canon in D (flute and piano) (youtube)
[SEO: As a personal example of music's benefits, 20 years ago when I was in some very dark places, I listened to Pachelbel's Canon in D in a continuous loop, especially late at night. It was evidence of beauty in a world which was exceedingly ugly at that time. It was the only thing that helped me fall asleep, and saved my sanity. I found this version in my tweet stream last night... just closed my eyes, relaxing, stress falling away from me. The music is so calming, affirming, peaceful, and truly exquisite in places.

All this to say, if you don't have some music in your life that inspires similar responses in you, look for it. Use it for whatever benefits you can derive from it.]

Below is my favorite full orchestral version of Canon in D by the Boston Pops, with John Williams conducting. Just gorgeous. (youtube)

Good to Know

‏@healthyplace Antipsychotic Drugs, Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes
[SEO: A good primer in the risks inherent in atypical antipsychotic meds, and their very real risk of causing weight gain leading to diabetes. If you continue on to the second page link, it lists the current atypical antipsychotics, and the risks attached to each of them. Be an informed patient, and your own best advocate.]

@800273TALK If mental illness is keeping you from holding down a job, this article will help you take control of your money
[SEO: For people in the USA, this post describes what Social Security Disability Insurance is about, for whom, and how to apply for it. "When mental illness SSDI claims are awarded, it’s because the claimant has a strong support network, a solid case supported by their doctors and extensive medical documentation, and a healthy dose of perseverance." Most people are denied in their first attempt to claim benefits. Don't give up, and get some expert help if at all possible.]

The Rest of the Best

@patriciasinglet It’s been exactly 4 years since i tried to die
[SEO: A very open, achingly honest recounting by Fragmentz, of her suicide attempt and the long road back to today, which isn't perfect, but is hopeful for the future.]

@800273TALK Got 5 minutes? That’s all the time you need to relax your body, soothe anxiety and cope with stressful thoughts.
[SEO: "No matter how busy you are, you can find five minutes or fewer in your day to take better care of yourself." These five things include (with more detailed explanations): practice 3-3-6 breathing; give yourself some PEACE (acronym for steps); use distraction; give your partner a long hug; and meditate.]

@ssanquist Ten Steps of Acceptance — When Forgiving Is Not the Best Option
[SEO: We get lots of talk about how forgiveness is necessary to move on, to heal, to let go. This post is based on a book by Dr. Janis A. Spring, How Can I Forgive You? The Courage to Forgive, The Freedom Not To (Amazon link), which I've not read but plan to.

"Drawing from her clinical work with couples dealing with infidelity, she notes there are at least ten interconnected steps for the betrayed person to take in self-directing their healing. These steps can also be universally applied to traumatic experiences and situations other than infidelity." In this post, each step includes links for further study. What I'm getting as key here is "Genuine forgiveness must be earned by the other party." If you struggle with forgiveness, as I do, this post will give you much to consider.]

@PsychCentral My Story: Old Song, New Hope
[SEO: "I still have a terrible time believing I’m worth liking, or loving, or whatever. I spend a lot of time apologizing to people for being a pain in the butt, because that’s what I’m pretty sure I am, most of the time. It took a long time to get this way and it’s taken me a long time to even start to overcome."

"I’m fortunate now to have people who believe in me and who haven’t run away, no matter how hard I’ve tried to push them to go. Yet it’s hard for me to let them freely offer to me their love and caring — honestly, it scares me. Even if they’ve given me no reason, ever, to think they’d abandon me, I’d rather keep my distance than risk being hurt again." ...

The hope resides in her willingness to pay it forward, to talk publicly about her struggles: "[T]he more people who are willing to say so, the more people who are needlessly suffering silently might come forward and ask for help, instead of feeling shamed, or bullied, or like nobody gets it.”]

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 13 Apr 2012

Favorite TweetStuff (04/13/12) ~ Enjoy! ~

Posted by Sarah Olson under Stuff of Life, TweetStuff | Tags: Andre Kuipers, art, creativity, humor, ISS, Jim Henson, live hummingbird nest cam, Muppets, Museum of Sand, Northern Lights, Phoebe the hummingbird mom, photography, space photography, Tottori Sand Dune |
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It’s Friday! It’s opening day at Fenway, and the Red Sox found some offense! Yay! But I digress. Every week I gather favorite items from my Tweet stream which are funny, whimsical, beautiful, or strange. Enjoy!

@pourmecoffee “If a robot from the future is not already on its way back to stop Zuckerberg from founding Facebook, it may be too late.”

‏@AmazingPics Unbelievable Photos of Earth from Space
[SEO: All pics taken by astronaut Andre Kuipers aboard the International Space Station. My faves are those of the Northern Lights bending with the earth's curvature, a shooting star passing the ISS, and a bizarre perspective of the moon as a dot at the southern end of the globe.]

@MySahana “The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.” ~ William Safire

‏@Alyssa_Milano Watch Jim Henson’s awesomely insane pitch to get The Muppet Show on the air
[SEO: Great stuff! Hard to imagine the backdrop of my life without a Muppet in it somewhere.]

@pourmecoffee “Life is giving me pollen, but I’m not going to make pollenade. I don’t even think that’s a thing.”

‏@ashwinsanghi The Exhibition of Masterpieces in the Museum of Sand — Tottori Sand Dune
[SEO: Truly amazingly detailed and life-like sand sculptures.]

@Quotes4Writers “Writing is my vacation from living.” ~ Eugene O’Neill

@TreeHugger Sorry to ruin your productivity, but here’s a LIVE HUMMINGBIRD CAM! With hummingbird chicks!
[SEO: Story plus embedded link to the live UStream cam with a tight shot on the nest. They are so tiny!]

@Zen_Moments “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” ~ Albert Einstein

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 6 Apr 2012

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors (04/06/12)

Posted by Sarah Olson under Best Tweets For Trauma Survivors, Child Abuse Issues, Mental Illness Resources, Mental Wellness resources, War Veterans | Tags: "Bully" film, anxiety, are you lonely?, child abuse survivor, compassion, coping, courage, depression, fear, healing, Home Base Program, honors for vets who died away from battlefield, Mass. General Hospital, military family resources, PTSD, Red Sox, Red Sox Foundation, resistance, self-acceptance, simple changes to improve mental health, stress, suicide prevention, trauma survivors, traumatic stress linked to inflammation, Veteran Central on Facebook, warning signs of suicide, why we find it hard to do things that are good for us |
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This week’s focus: mental health in the news

Photo Credit

@LillyAnn “Springtime is at hand.
When will you ever bloom,
if not here and now?” ~ Angelus Silesius

Some Tweets to Ponder

@healthyplace “Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” ~ Albert Camus

‏@zebraspolkadots “Boundaries are not about what I will ‘let’ others do or not do but about what I will stick around for. #lifelesson”

@AncientProverbs “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” ~ Socrates

@WisdomalaCarte “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” ~ Alice Walker

@AnnTran_ “The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” ~ Zen Saying

Linked Tweets

In the News

@PsychCentral Bring Your Child to See ‘Bully’ Despite the R Rating
[SEO: "Watching the film is a teachable moment for you and your child. As parents, you can help your child develop a sense of integrity that no one should be treated poorly and feel unsafe. Additionally, you are letting your child know that you do take this matter seriously and they should not be afraid to tell you should this happen. The shame felt by victims and bystanders all too often helps perpetuate the bullying cycle."]

@PsychCentral Lifetime Traumatic Stress Linked to Heightened Inflammation
[SEO: "'Not everyone who is exposed to trauma develops PTSD,' said Cohen, who also is an assistant professor of medicine at UCSF. 'This study emphasizes that traumatic stress can have a long-term negative impact on your health even if you don’t go on to develop PTSD. ... What we think is happening is that people with a history of multiple traumatic stress exposures have increased inflammatory response more often and for longer periods, and so inflammation becomes chronically high. ... '"

Other recent studies have indicated a correlation between heightened inflammation and heart disease, diabetes, and immune system disorders. For me, and a lot of child abuse survivors, this is science catching up to what we've long intuitively known: that traumatic stress transfers to the body in insidious ways.]

For Veterans and Military Families

@IAVAPressRoom Honoring a Service Member’s Ultimate Sacrifice, Whether It Was Made on the Battlefield or Not (via @nytimes)
[SEO: "Far too often, we at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), hear similar stories from military families who have suffered the loss of a loved one who died while serving in the armed forces and then are denied 'gold star' status because their loved ones did not die in a combat zone or were not killed in action." ...

"While we were heartened to see the White House expand the policy in 2011 to send presidential condolence letters to the families of those who die by suicide while stationed in combat zones, the policy continues to exclude the two-thirds of families whose military loved ones die by suicide in other locations."

@WarriorCare Read about what the Red Sox are doing for wounded warriors
[SEO: The Red Sox Foundation paired with Mass. General Hospital to form the Home Base program for vets and their families. Describes local (to Boston area) programs, and includes PTSD and TBI resources for veterans, clinicians, and the general public.]

@PsychCentral Facebook For Veterans With PTSD
[SEO: "A neuro-scientist who’s done research for the Pentagon, Paul MacDonald, PhD, has created an online center on Facebook for veterans [at Veteran Central, many of whom need some kind of assistance reintegrating back into daily life after their tours of duty. The site is also an excellent resource for veterans struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other mental issues."

"In addition to information about job postings, scholarships, and programs of all kinds, Veteran Central offers comprehensive forums, podcasts, videos, and articles—most of which are created by veterans themselves. Although the site is geared towards all veterans, there are plenty of resources for those with PTSD and TBI...."]

The Rest of the Best

@natasha_tracy Warning Signs of a Suicide Attempt
[SEO: "Some of these predictive factors are noticeable by others, while others are not. The biggest factor in predicting a suicide attempt, no surprise to me, is anxiety. While 80% of people who attempted suicide had a depressed mood, 92% had severe anxiety. (Emphasis in original.) It is my belief the nervous (anxious) energy of anxiety is often what causes people to act on their suicidal thoughts."

Includes lists of both predictive and non-predictive factors for suicide. "If those are the predictors of a suicide attempt that’s actually good news because now we can know for what to look. We can identify high-risk people and high-risk times for ourselves and others."]

@healthyplace Are You Lonely?
[SEO: Discusses what is loneliness?; what would it feel like if you were not lonely?; 7 ways to relieve loneliness; and "get close to five" -- a plan to include five people in your life that you can feel close to.]

@KimbersP Simple changes can have a huge impact on people’s mental health. The Mental Health Foundation’s tips.
[SEO: "Anyone can make simple changes that have a huge impact on their mental health and wellbeing. We've come up with ten practical ways to take care of yourself and get the most from life." These are broad categories that everyone would do well to address, or improve upon.]

@ashwinsanghi Why We Find It Hard to Do Things That Are Good for Us
[SEO: A great discussion about various types of resistance that hold us back from doing things that are good for us, that feel great when done, and even that we want to do ... but somehow don't. Are these things familiar? Resistance to change; to what we might find; to being nice to ourselves; to trusting a process; to our own humanity. Yes, these things still follow me around like my shadow.]

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 6 Apr 2012

Favorite TweetStuff (04/06/12) ~ Enjoy! ~

Posted by Sarah Olson under Stuff of Life, TweetStuff | Tags: 60 incredible examples of paper art, art, creativity, Dodgers, Earth Hour 2012, Earth Hour 2012 interactive, Google's April Fool's Day jokes, humor, NASA, paper art, Perpetual Ocean, photography, two years of ocean currents, video, Vin Scully |
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‏Happy Friday and weekend! Each week I gather favorite items from my Twitter stream, which may be funny, beautiful, or reflect on cultural happenings. Enjoy!

@Quotes4Writers “A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.” ~ W H Auden

‏@AmazingPics Earth Hour 2012 — Interactive Before and After Photos
[SEO: This is very cool! The Big Picture brings the world's most recognizable buildings and landmarks as they were fully lit. Click the same picture and it fades to what it became for Earth Hour.]

@natasha_tracy “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.” ~ Woody Allen

‏@pourmecoffee NASA’s visualization of two years of ocean currents is mesmerizing in its complexity. (video)

@LillyAnn “Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” ~ Dan Zadra

@heykim Google Goes All Out With April Fools Day; Kangaroo Street View, Gmail Tap & 8-Bit Maps
[SEO: Remember Pong? The maps kind of look like that!]

@pourmecoffee “Look at you, full of hope for your baseball team on opening day before your dreams get crushed. You look adorable.”

@heykim “Today marks the start of the 63rd season behind the microphone for Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully!” (via @Dodgers)
[SEO: I grew up with Vin Scully, and credit him completely with my love of baseball.]

@ashwinsanghi 60 Incredible Examples of Paper Art
[SEO: Some are whimsical, some geometrical, and some are just stunning in their intricacy.]

@AncientProverbs “The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold.” ~ Aristotle

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 30 Mar 2012

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors (03/30/12)

Posted by Sarah Olson under Best Tweets For Trauma Survivors, Child Abuse Issues, Mental Illness Resources, Mental Wellness resources | Tags: 75 tips for self-care when fearful, after diagnosis: fear of future, anxiety, April: National Child Abuse Prevention Month, child abuse survivor, clergy abuse, clergy abuse coverup, coping, courage, courage to be self-compassionate, depression, hope, people pleasing, perfectionism, Philadelphia child rape trial of Catholic Church supervisor of priests, PTSD, self-care, self-compassion, self-harm, stress, stress as precursor to self-harm, survivor vs thriver, trauma survivors |
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This week’s focus: child abuse survivors (but helpful for any trauma survivor)

Photo Credit

@marielhemingway “The world breaks us all.
Afterward, some are stronger
at the broken places.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

Some Tweets to Ponder

@WisdomalaCarte “Every thought is undermined, by all the history inside.” ~ Staind

@soulseedz “Sometimes I wish life was written in pencil so we could erase it and write it all over again.” ~ T Wanniarachi

@healthyplace “Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.” ~ Rumi

@800273TALK “To me, if life boils down to one thing, it’s movement. To live is to keep moving.” ~ Jerry Seinfeld

@LillyAnn “Empathy creates the channel for your soul’s expression.”

‏@WisdomalaCarte “I’m lost, but I’m hopeful.” ~ Alanis Morissette

Linked Tweets

Child Abuse In the News

@SarahEOlson2009 April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Learn how to create awareness in your community.
[SEO: Site offers a treasure trove of resources and tip sheets you can use to promote child abuse prevention awareness in your own community year-round. Includes a comprehensive list of topics in the left column of the site.]

@mjdub Yo! Philly News With church child-rape: trial set to open, tensions abound
[SEO: "The trial of Msgr. William J. Lynn, who for 12 years led the office that recommended priests' assignments and monitored their conduct, marks the first in the nation for a church supervisor accused of covering up child sex abuse."]

The Rest of the Best

@PsychCentral Will The Good Girl [or Boy] Please Stand Up
[SEO: Post describes a childhood wherein children are made to feel they must be perfect to be loved and lovable. (Or in some child abuse survivors' lives, to survive.) "What those kids are left with later in life is that they can’t ever do the wrong thing. They have to be 'perfect' in the eyes of the world. They can’t complain when they feel overwhelmed. They aren’t allowed to have negative feelings towards a person in authority."

"We have to stand up for this less perfect side of our personalities. This is what frees us from our depression, our judgmental beliefs against others, our own imprisonment that was first imposed on us by others, but becomes a self made prison as we grow up."]

@BobbiEmel The courage to be (self) compassionate
[SEO: Describes an exercise to explore self-compassion, and discusses why it is so hard to do for many of us. Refutes four myths of self-compassion: that it is selfish; indulgent; doesn't motivate as well as self-criticism; and is wimpy.

"In reality, allowing compassion toward yourself is one of the most courageous things you can do. It requires you to go against the grain of our culture and to express loving-kindness for yourself. ... And, instead of using bravado and aggression to achieve goals, self-compassion creates the safety that is needed for you to gently critique yourself to meet your objectives and grow personally."]

@goodthingz 75 Bold Tips for When Fear Grips Your Mind (via @theboldlife)
[SEO: "You can learn to live a bold life by choosing to let go of fear when you feel tortured by your own thoughts. When you can't sleep at night, when you are obsessed with failing or not feeling good enough, decide to take action."

This list of 75 ways to do some self-care may seem obvious, but I often need a reminder to take care of myself. When you need a boost away from anxiety and fear, do something else to break the cycle.]

@natasha_tracy Stress as a Precursor to Self-Harm
[SEO: "So we have to deal with that stress in order to get our nervous system back to normal. We do this in lots of ways: taking hot baths, ranting with a friend, dealing with the problem and yes, self-harming. Why would self-harming be in the list? Well, it seemed like the best idea at the time." This post contains many links to other posts about stress, anxiety, and self-harm.

I'd like to add that self-harm comes in many disguises. For me, it's eating certain foods which are comforting and make me zone out. I eat them knowing they impact my weight and my diabetes. I began this behavior (and many others) as a young child to cope with the abuse I was experiencing. I still have trouble not going there on auto-pilot.]

@healthyplace After the Diagnosis of Mental Illness: Fear of the Future
[SEO: "I am not asking you to embrace your illness, although this might happen at some point, but I do believe that allowing mental illness to define your life is terrible. It’s terrible because it does not allow us to move forward, to enjoy life on life’s terms, and live less in fear but in anticipation."]

@zebraspolkadots Sharing; a new perspective…I hope you find the power in this message. “Please Don’t Call Me a Sexual Abuse Survivor”
[SEO: While I applaud the sentiment expressed here, I also know that most child abuse survivors go through phases of recovery. The first one may be recognizing the truth of their childhood -- which takes time, can be excruciatingly painful and depressing, and creates doubt and distortions. As bad as it is, I don't think anyone's truth about themselves can be or should be glossed over. There will, however, be a time later when the following words will be looked at with hope for the future.

"I want discourse where I am no longer cast as a bystander in my own life. Therefore, I have made the decision for myself, and on behalf of the 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 6 men like me, to no longer refer to myself as a survivor of sexual abuse. It keeps me stuck in the violence that was committed against me. It prevents me from seeing myself as an agent of positive change, in my life and in the lives of others. Furthermore, by reinforcing the moments of my most significant pain, it disconnects me from my joy."]

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 30 Mar 2012

Favorite TweetStuff (03/30/12) ~ Enjoy! ~

Posted by Sarah Olson under Stuff of Life, TweetStuff | Tags: 23 works of beach art, art, beanie baby Hunger Games parody, cherry blossom sunrise, creativity, humor, Hunger Games parody, Katniss Everbean, Mozart, music, newly discovered Mozart work, photography, top 10 360-degree panorama cities, video |
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It’s Friday, it’s truly feeling and looking like spring around here, and there were so many wonderful items in my tweet stream this week I had trouble choosing. If that’s my biggest problem, then … I’m blessed. Enjoy!

@pourmecoffee “Today is Lady Gaga’s birthday, commemorating the day her birthing pod was gifted to Earth from her home planet.”

@mjdub Newly Discovered Piece by Mozart Performed on His Own Fortepiano (video)
[SEO: I love Mozart. Somebody found this piece tucked inside someone else's music portfolio, in someone else's attic in Austria. Mozart wrote about 1000 musical pieces in his short life -- and they've been scrutinized, catalogued, and theorized endlessly. So for an unknown work to suddenly materialize, it's just ... wonderful!]

@StevenHandel “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” ~ Stephen Hawking

@ashwinsanghi Top Ten 360-Panoramas of Cities Around the World
[SEO: See the biggest cities in the world from several unique viewpoints. Some simply stunning photos here!]

@LillyAnn “Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” ~ @jzborysenko

@HGMovieSite Beanie Babies Star in a New Hunger Games Parody (video)
[SEO: If you've read the books (I just finished them) or saw the blockbuster movie this week, (or even if you haven't) this parody starring "Katniss Everbean" is the condensed version! ]

@natasha_tracy “I never knew whether to pity or congratulate a man on coming to his senses.” ~ William Makepeace Thackeray

@AmazingPics Cherry Blossom Sunrise by @navinsarmaphoto
[SEO: "In the spring of 2012, the National Cherry Blossom Festival will host a once-in-a-lifetime centennial celebration. In 1912, the city of Tokyo, Japan gave Washington DC an incredible gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees to be planted around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, in East Potomac Park and on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The 100th anniversary of these beautiful trees will be celebrated with 5-weeks of spectacular events."]

@healthyplace “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” ~ Philip K. Dick

@goodthingz 23 Incredible Works of Beach Art by Andres Amador
[SEO: A few weeks ago I offered the equivalent of crop circles made in huge expanses of snow. Today we get them made in sand on beaches. They are huge, intricate, and seem perfectly done in proportion one man with a rake. I will never understand how this can happen on such a scale, to such perfection as seen from aerial views. Just amazing!]

‏@CarePathways “For me to follow it matters not to me who you are what car you drive, or your status in life. What matters to me is, are you kind?

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 23 Mar 2012

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors (03/23/12)

Posted by Sarah Olson under Best Tweets For Trauma Survivors, Child Abuse Issues, Mental Wellness resources, War Veterans | Tags: 381+ mental health videos, 7 myths about therapy, 96% of children reporting abuse tell the truth, anxiety, child abuse survivor, coping, DCoE, depression, does Army overturn PTSD diagnosis to save money?, fear, healing, healthyplace.com videos, hope, how to react if your child says was abused, Japanese children photograph disaster recovery as therapy, Japanese earthquake and tsunami, March is women's history month, PTSD, San Antonio critical care for vets, signs of child abuse, stress, TBI, TBI resources to download, therapy, toll on children of critically wounded parent, transforming trauma, trauma survivors, traumatic brain injury, UNICEF, VA resources for women vets, war vets unfairly labeled 'dangerous' |
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This Week in Focus: Veterans’ Issues

Photo Credit

‏@PemaQuotes “Don’t worry about achieving.
Don’t worry about perfection.
Just be there each moment
as best you can.” ~ Pema Chödrön

Some Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@johnhaydon “Your story is always being told, regardless of whether or not you decide to be the writer and director.”

@shipsofsong “It is yours to project light into darkness, not to fight it, not to attack it, but to enlighten it.”

‏@healthyplace “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” ~ Maya Angelou

‏@WisdomalaCarte “Do we not all spend the greater part of our lives under the shadow of an event that has not yet come to pass?” ~ Maurice Maeterlinck

@PsychDigest “The hardest part about growing is letting go of what you’ve been holding on to.”

@rcinstitute “TruthfulTuesday: real empowerment always begins by facing the truth about yourself & your world.”

Linked Tweets

Veterans’ Issues

@VA_PTSD_Info March is Women’s History Month. Learn about the VA’s commitment to female Veterans.
[SEO: A good resource page discussing the VA's mental health programs specifically for women veterans.]

‏@HealingPTSD A truly excellent story about the cost of injury to service members and their families
[SEO: San Antonio is home to a primary burn/critical care hospital for returning military who are grievously wounded. A nephew of a friend of mine was terribly wounded in Afghanistan, and sent to San Antonio. His family was told that if he lived, he would be there up to two years with numerous surgeries and physical therapies. (He's been there two months now.)

According to this article, more soldiers wounded in the last decade both (a) survive more heinous injuries and (b) have young children at home, than was the case with Vietnam vets. With limited resources, often the entire family moves to San Antonio to be there with the injured parent. The children are uprooted from everything familiar, fearful of how their injured parent will have changed, missing time with the parent who did not deploy, dealing with new schools, etc. The issues facing these families, and their children, are enormous.]

@PTSDandYOU Does Army overturn PTSD diagnoses to save money? “Over 50K folks,” have done 4 tours. Army Sec. McHugh: SO?
[SEO: "'Not only is it damaging for our soldiers, but it also really furthers the stigma for others that are — whether they're deciding to seek help or not today,' [Senator] Murray said.”

“Since 2007, more than 40 percent of the cases involving candidates for retirement had been overturned, according to statistics cited by Murray. Of the 1,680 patients screened at Madigan, more than 690 had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The psychiatric team reversed more than 290 of those diagnoses.”]

‏@SarahEOlson2009 Psychiatric News Alert: War Veterans Unfairly Mislabeled as “Dangerous”
[SEO: "The idea of the 'dangerous' war veteran, disabled by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), appears to be making a comeback. A staple of popular media and public opinion after the Vietnam War, the image has only minimal basis in reality but still hampers job prospects for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. ..."]

@DCoEPage DCoE webinar Q: Can civilians get these TBI tools? A: DCoE has exhaustive list of resources available for download [at this link].
[SEO: This link above was tweeted following a webinar about traumatic brain injury (TBI). Other webinar tweets by @DCoEPage included:

Brody shows study of 968 veterans, median 2.5 years after deployment: 47-70% w/ mild TBI also had symptoms of PTSD.

Lattimore shares need to educate the civilian population (as well as military) on what a concussion is and why it matters.

Military TBI incidence --> 233,425 clinician diagnosis 2000-2011 via DVBIC. Learn more about #'s and FAQ.

The downloads at the top link are mostly technical, but are available for free for anyone who wants or needs more detailed information about various aspects of traumatic brain injury.]

The Rest of the Best

@healthyplace 381+ exclusive Mental Health videos on our youtube site
[SEO: A treasure trove of videos from real people discussing issues pertaining to their particular mental illness. All you need to do is use the channel's search box to specify your interest (i.e., depression, eating disorder, adhd, bipolar, etc.]

@dylansmoosie 96 Percent of Children Who Report Sexual Abuse Are Telling the Truth | The Philly Post
[SEO: Discusses distinctions between pedophiles and child molesters with Michael Stinson, director of prevention services at the Peters Institute, which focuses on "... sexual abuse, tries to counsel sex offenders and educate the public to prevent further victims". Discusses what signs to look for if you think your child is withholding information about being abused, and what to say/how to react if a child tells you that he/she is are being abused.]

@heykim Check out the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 big earthquake and tsunami through children’s eyes (video)
[SEO: A project co-sponsored by UNICEF, Japanese children were given cameras eight months after the two disasters to photograph their changed world. As the narrative says, it becomes a kind of art therapy for them to express their feelings.]

@800273TALK Read the 7 myths people have about therapy
[SEO: A good basic rebuttal to seven common misconceptions people have about talk therapy: My childhood doesn't matter; All therapists are the same; I don't need therapy, just drugs; It's not going to work; It's too expensive; It's going to send me over the edge; and I don't have time.]

‏@NAMIMass Transforming Trauma: From No Words To Your Words
[SEO: This is lengthy, but excellent, and not just for couples. "Central to healing in the aftermath of a traumatic event is the transformation of trauma’s unspeakable imprint to a story that can be told without reliving it."

"Understanding how trauma leaves us without words may make it easier to consider ways that can help unlock the story hidden in visual images, painful feelings, flashbacks, bodily symptoms or silent avoidance. Both are important steps toward finding your words and continuing your story."]

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 23 Mar 2012

Favorite TweetStuff (03/23/12) ~ Enjoy!

Posted by Sarah Olson under Stuff of Life, TweetStuff | Tags: bass lessons from Paul McCartney, beauty of lights, creativity, humor, music, Paul McCartney, photography, rockin' 2 year old boy, the first day of Spring, video |
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It’s Friday (yay), time to kick back for the weekend. Each week I offer the best items of my funny, beautiful, and even odd tweet stream for your enjoyment and amazement. We have some videos this week! Enjoy!

@PolicyParables “People who snore always fall asleep first.” ~ Author Unknown

‏@AmazingPics The Beauty of Lights
[SEO: Not just Northern Lights, although a few are included. They're all gorgeous!]

@WisdomalaCarte “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” ~ Walt Disney

@Alyssa_Milano Huge smile on my face! 2 year old dancing the jive (video)
[SEO: This kid is good! He's Rockin' Round the Clock.]

@Quotes4Writers “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” ~ Orson Welles

@pourmecoffee “Shall I compare thee to to an Etch-a-Sketch? Thou art as fickle and unprincipled.” ~ Shakespeare on Romney

@brainpicker Gold! Bass lessons from Paul McCartney (via @Alyssa_Milano)
[SEO: Wow! He tells and shows how he does it, finger positions, and chords, which are illustrated to the right of the video.]

@LillyAnn “Now I become myself. It’s taken time, many years and places …” ~ May (Eleanor Marie) Sarton

@TheAtlantic The First Day of Spring [40 Photos]
[SEO: Hmm. The first day of spring saw massive snow dumps in unusual places (Lebanon?!), but 80ish here south of Boston. Odd. Some great photos from around the world, some of which have flowers and sun. ]

@AncientProverbs “The great question is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with failure.” ~ Chinese Proverb

Share My Stuff! ~

Mon 19 Mar 2012

5 New Blogs Added to Dissociation Blog Showcase! (DBS)

Posted by Sarah Olson under Dissociation Blog Showcase, Mental Illness Resources, Mental Wellness resources | Tags: child abuse survivor, coping, courage, DBS, DID/MPD, dissociation, Dissociation Blog Showcase, dissociative identity disorder, healing, hope, MPD, PTSD, trauma survivors |
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Special Request: If you find value in this blog showcase, please add the Dissociation Blog Showcase link to your blogroll so others can find it. Thanks!

We have amazing writers amongst us who give insight and hope to anyone struggling with dissociation, or to their loved ones. It’s a brain trust, and I treasure it. When I find new blogs, I usually update the Dissociation Blog Showcase (DBS) on Sunday evenings.

I must apologize again for the delay in doing these updates. I’m struggling lately with inner stuff, as well as chronic physical stuff. Being focused has been a challenge the last several weeks. As a dear friend says, “It is what it is.” Meanwhile, I try to figure it all out, and move forward. That’s what we’re all doing, right? It just doesn’t always happen on what we want to be our timetable. Thank you for your patience; I need to practice that on myself a bit more.

Today I’ve added the following new blogs to the Showcase (with a huge thanks to Kate1975 for providing most of them to me):

c0nfe55i0ns0famadw0man

Inviziblepain

notes from a shared body

Publicly Plural

The Multiplicity of Me

Also, Kate1975′s blog was renamed to Kate Is Rising

Please use the DBS link above to access these blogs, and check out the entire directory of (approximately) 200 dissociation-related blogs! As always, be careful and stay safe. Many of these blogs do not provide trigger warnings, nor are they obligated to do so.

If you, or someone you know, experiences dissociation and blog about it, write to me with the URL at sarah.e.olsonATgmailDOTcom . I review each blog before adding it to the Showcase.

Thanks so much for the feedback and well-wishes for this project!

Share My Stuff! ~

Fri 16 Mar 2012

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors (03/16/12)

Posted by Sarah Olson under Best Tweets For Trauma Survivors, Child Abuse Issues, Mental Illness Resources, Mental Wellness resources, War Veterans | Tags: anxiety, child abuse survivor, combat PTSD, courage, depression, dissociation, Dissociative Living blog, Does therapy really work?, fear, healing, help to stop smoking, Japan's First Anniversary: Earthquake and Tsunami, long term effects of trauma, migraines, migraines and biofeedback, military suicides, PTSD, self-esteem, self-worth, stress, The Hunger Games, therapy, trauma survivors, U.S. Army suicides rose 80% 2004-2008, worthlessness |
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This week’s focus: Mental Health in the News

Photo Credit

@Carlolight “There is nothing to do.
Just be. Do nothing. Be.” ~ Sri Nisargadatta

Some Tweets to Ponder

@zebraspolkadots “Creating change is first making a decision then making the decision to keep making the choice. Not easy but not rocket science.”

@healthyplace “We’re constantly being told what other people think we are, and that’s why it is so important to know yourself.” ~ Sarah McLachlan

@Jaki_Bent “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

‏@AncientProverbs “If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s okay. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot.” ~ Confucius

‏@StevenHandel “If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits.” ~ Don Ward

@CoryBooker “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.” ~ Saint Francis de Sales

Linked Tweets

In the News

@heykim Japan marks the first anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands
[SEO: The resilience of the Japanese people is remarkable. This last year must have seemed like several lifetimes to many of them. This would also be true for just about anyone caught up in natural disasters around the globe: floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, drought. The trauma experienced, both individually and collectively, doesn't fade away when the TV cameras leave.]

@HealingPTSD A huge — and hugely disturbing — jump
[SEO: "A report released Thursday found suicides among U.S. Army personnel rose 80% between 2004 and 2008. ... 'The 2008 rate [of mental health problems in personnel] indicates that more than one-fifth of all active duty soldiers had an ambulatory visit for a mental health disorder, implying a prevalent public health problem,’ the authors wrote. They called suicides ‘the tip of the mental health iceberg.’”]

@PsychFoundation As The Hunger Games movie premiere draws close it’s interesting to look at the mental health themes
[SEO: This is a post from @dontcallmesybil's Dissociative Living blog. (The blog is no longer active but if you have dissociative issues, Dissociative Living's archives are well worth reading). "It’s a dystopian tale, set in an oppressive, violent, and nearly hopeless future. I’d recommend it solely because it’s a gripping, invigorating read but as someone with both Dissociative Identity Disorder and PTSD, there’s something special about The Hunger Games that impresses me: its remarkably deft portrayal of the immediate and long-term effects of trauma."

I'm nearly finished reading it. The story, in brief: As punishment for rebellion 74 years ago, the Capitol requires each of 12 districts to offer up two children via lottery as tributes to fight to the death in an annual contest. Not only must the people supply the children, but they are forced to watch (it's true 'reality TV'), and even to celebrate. PTSD issues abound. But chaos theory rules when one small, seemingly innocuous thing possibly sets in motion a stunning reversal. I don't know how it ends yet, but the books strongly resonate for me. NOTE: Not recommended for child abuse survivors in early stages of recovery.]

The Rest of the Best

@healthyplace Does Therapy Really Work? and How to Get Started
[Part of a multi-page series on Talking Treatments for Mental Health, this page discusses why therapy may work for some people, and not for others. Also, info on different types of therapists, and how to find one that's a good fit for you.]

@Good_Therapy For those who suffer from migraines, some excellent recommendations from Doctor Tracy Stein
[SEO: Discusses migraine symptoms; the circular relationship of stress and migraines; and how biofeedback can be a complementary/alternative medicine treatment.

"Because the goal of biofeedback typically involves decreasing tension and increasing feelings of calm, the technique is often combined with relaxation training including slow, deep breathing, guided imagery or hypnosis, or elements of cognitive behavioral therapy. When a person is able to use these approaches to reduce stress or pain, the feedback from the computer, which is fairly immediate, signals 'success' to the person."]

‏@paredesgisa 50% of people with a Mental Illness are smokers. Many don’t want to be. Here’s how to quit smoking.
[SEO: Post discusses nicotine replacement treatments; additional medications to treat tobacco addiction; and behavioral treatments to quit smoking. "[Behavioral] interventions teach individuals to recognize high-risk smoking situations, develop alternative coping strategies, manage stress, improve problem-solving skills, as well as increase social support. Research has also shown that the more therapy is tailored to a person’s situation, the greater the chances are for success.”]

@zebraspolkadots Snap the Worthlessness Trap: You Are Talented and Worth Your Life (Despite What Your Childhood Suggested) (via Guess What Normal Is)
[SEO: Written from the point of view of a child abuse survivor, a lot of this applies to survivors of any type of ongoing abusive behavior.

"Once we survive our childhoods, we come out wired funny as a result of the survival skills we honed. We come out, come into adulthood, wired for battle, wired for protecting others from uncomfortable truths. Those tools, however, aren’t tools that can support finding our truth or building true contentment. To build contentment, we have to first win our battle with the belief that we don’t have a right to it. We struggle with the belief that we don’t deserve better, deserve more, deserve different than what we got." Includes helpful tips, which are really achievable goals.]

Share My Stuff! ~

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This week’s focus: music as therapy, and good to know info

‏Some Tweets to Ponder

Linked Tweets

The Role of Music in Healing

Good to Know

The Rest of the Best

This week’s focus: mental health in the news

Some Tweets to Ponder

Linked Tweets

In the News

For Veterans and Military Families

The Rest of the Best

This week’s focus: child abuse survivors (but helpful for any trauma survivor)

Some Tweets to Ponder

Linked Tweets

Child Abuse In the News

The Rest of the Best

This Week in Focus: Veterans’ Issues

Some Standalone Tweets to Ponder

Linked Tweets

Veterans’ Issues

The Rest of the Best

This week’s focus: Mental Health in the News

Some Tweets to Ponder

Linked Tweets

In the News

The Rest of the Best

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