Just about all of us experience guilt one way or another. But how much, for how long, and in what circumstances? Did we pinch our younger brother when he took the last cookie from the plate? After all, father noticed and admonished us for being so mean. Would we have felt guilt if father hadn't reacted? Did we feel guilt for being mean -- or were we just mad that we were caught in the … [Read more...]
Trauma, shame and rage
The negative emotional impact of untreated trauma states, and healing interventions By Katrina Wood, Ph.D Single-episodic traumatic experiences often result in symptoms of explosive outbursts of helpless shame and rage. Untreated, the inability to process and contain the magnitude of world-shattering experiences wreaks havoc in the lives of many. Cumulative emotional trauma states often are … [Read more...]
Guilty or not guilty — how do we know?
Guilt is a tricky little devil. We all feel guilt from time to time -- at times much more than we would like. We're also pretty good at times at "guilting" friends, loved ones and even strangers into the proverbial "guilt trip" when we want things to go our way: "How could you be so selfish when I want things to go this way?" Have a familiar ring? As with most conundrums in life, there's … [Read more...]
‘Sometimes’ a great notion
How often we say the words "always" and "never" when we speak about events or experiences with people in our lives. Quite a lot, right? How many times have you heard someone blurt out, "I will never speak to (this or that person) again," or, "I'll never go to (this or that) restaurant again." Or, "I always go here every year for a vacation," or, "I always get my coffee every morning at this … [Read more...]
The capacity to both celebrate and grieve
Ding dong, Bin Laden's dead! Yes, and we in the United States celebrate, of course. In the midst of all that cheering, though, many of us also feel grief. For while our formidable enemy now sleeps with the fishes, the memory of the thousands of innocents he killed still carries an impact of epic proportion. We mourn the dead, reach out to their loved ones and never forget the shock and the … [Read more...]