PTSD
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Discipline can feel like a double-edged sword for those of us who grew up under heavy-handed control or abuse. When rules were weapons and mistakes met with punishment, the very idea of self-discipline can trigger rebellion or shame. Yet, as adults, embracing discipline—redefined and self-chosen—can be an act of profound healing and self-respect. It’s about…
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Introspection — what better way to start a week. Question: What would life feel like uninhibited by pain? Brigadoon is a place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality. My Brigadoon is living a life hidden with God. I am tucked away in his kingdom – forever safe. I am not remote from reality but…
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Introspection — what better way to start a week. Question: Do you fear being alone? Abusive relationships in our childhood teach us that we have no personal space, no time to be alone that isn’t overseen by the abuser, and nothing that would make us believe we were an individual. Individual means single or separate.…
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Introspection — what better way to start a week. Question: Do you easily call out the deception in your abuser(s) or do you deny what you see? One of the easiest ways to stay outside of healing and freedom is to deny what you see. As children, if you came through childhood sexual crimes, you…
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Teachers like Joyce Meyer and Beth Moore promote a form of absolution to sexually abusive parents. I would argue that absolution is not theirs to give. ab·so·lu·tion/ˌabsəˈlo͞oSHən/ Formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment. Definition from oxford language It goes on to say, “an esslesiastical declaration of forgiveness of sins. Used in a sentence, “the priest administered…
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A song made popular by Madonna: “Something in the way you love me won’t let me beI don’t want to be your prisonerSo baby, won’t you set me free?Stop playing with my heart. . . Just try to understand I’ve given all I can‘Cause you got the best of me BorderlineFeels like I’m going to…
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Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15 To answer the question — Yes, a mother can forget, neglect and care nothing about a child she has born, carried, and birthed. I’m not sad…
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There’s a delicate moment, almost invisible, that stretches between the end of tragedy and the beginning of something new. I have lived there, in that thin, gray space where everything feels raw, unmade, like a wound that hasn’t yet decided if it will scar or heal. How do we begin again when the world as…
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I am a cartographer of this lost world, charting paths no one dares to trace. My compass is broken, twisted by hands that once held too much power, but still, I walk. I walk with the small hands of bruised children clinging to mine, their eyes wide with too much history for such tiny souls.…
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Healing is an intricate and often arduous process, and it requires a willingness to confront some uncomfortable truths about ourselves. One of the most profound truths is that we must take responsibility for the role we play in our own suffering. This is a critical step that many people overlook, and it is essential for…