Have you ever felt like there is something in you that still needs healing, but it’s something you can’t quite pin down with words? All the therapy, processing, emotional thought work, and even physical release techniques just don’t seem to work, but you still have a sense there is some soul shrapnel that needs to […]
That Time I Nearly Attacked a Complete Stranger at a Bus Stop in Rome
Recognizing Unhealed Trauma
My media pick for this month’s adventure theme was Into the Wild, Sean Penn’s film adaptation of John Krakauer’s book by the same name. This is an incredible film – moving, with amazing scenery and a stunning performance by Emile Hirsch. I’m going to forewarn you now – in true review fashion – that I […]
Yes! You Made It Through!
In the United States, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday. Though declared a national holiday by President Lincoln in the middle of the Civil War, the legend of the first Thanksgiving dates back a couple of hundred years earlier, in 1621. The story goes that the first Pilgrims – settlers – had survived a […]
Forgiving Yourself for Loving an Abusive Parent
A year and a half ago, I planned a pilgrimage to my father’s grave with the intention of repeatedly stabbing it, and perhaps finally letting go of the last of my anger towards him. It didn’t happen that way – the extraordinary week prior to the pilgrimage released the bitter remnants of my anger, and […]
Honoring the Sacrifices of Our Veterans
Tomorrow is Memorial Day is the U.S., a time to honor all of the soldiers who gave their lives in service to our country. In that vein, I’d like to talk today about soldiers who have come home from war alive, but whose spirits have in some ways been sacrificed in service to our country. […]
The Road to Mordor: A Call to Arms
It’s been a long time since I’ve written about taking my “impossible journey” to becoming a man magnet, at least directly. Many magical, mystical, unexpected things have resulted from this journey. To quickly sum up– the journey presented me with a host of issues and injuries that needed to be addressed and healed before I […]
Battle Tactics: Recognizing the Freeze Response
I’m sure you are familiar with our instinctive fight or flight response to immediate threat. What you might not be aware of is the third response called freeze. I’m writing about this because learning of it was incredibly helpful for me in terms of trauma recovery. Peter Levine, in his book Waking the Tiger: Healing […]