Category: relationships
Posted on March 22, 2015
by MJ
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I am trying to put meaning to my circumstances as they intensify, and they are intensifying. Every day is an adventure and not a good one. I don’t know what’s going to happen next with my husband, and each of my daughters has had… Continue Reading “Applying Meaning”
Category: abuse in families, encouragement, Moving Forward, relationships, therapy, Truth, Women's IssuesTags: applying meaning to suffering, differentiation, encouragement, preventing parental alienation, self-care, therapy, truth, women's identities
Posted on March 19, 2015
by MJ
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Tuesday is therapy day for me. I’m supposed to have a fifty minute session. I had a two-hour session. In fact, my prior sessions were about ninety minutes each. My therapist just lets them go on and on. He then looks at the clock… Continue Reading “Third-Party Credibility”
Category: domestic violence, emotional abuse, marriage, mental health, relationships, therapy, TruthTags: abuse in relationships, domestic abuse, radical acceptance, telling the truth in relationships, therapy, third-party credibility, ultimatums in relationships
Posted on March 16, 2015
by MJ
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I have been asked to write something about healing. Personal healing. How do we heal? I find that interesting seeing as how I’m in the middle of something of a healing crisis. I sat down a few months ago to try to write something. Simply… Continue Reading “The First Step in Healing”
Category: abuse in families, co-dependency, domestic violence, emotional abuse, Faith, Healing, mental health, relationships, therapy, Truth, Women's IssuesTags: abuse in families, boundaries, Christianity and domestic violence statistics, co-dependency, enabling abuse, narrative approach, Truth for healing, victim blaming
Posted on March 3, 2015
by MJ
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I saw my therapist for the second time yesterday, and we went over the four basic concepts that explain a person’s behavior: skills deficit emotions thoughts and beliefs contingency In the context of my marriage, I am attempting to lay down a history which is,… Continue Reading “The Four Elements of Asshole Behavior”
Category: abuse in families, anxiety, emotional abuse, relationships, therapyTags: abusive behavior in relationships, behavior contingency, four ways to define human behavior, passive-aggressive behavior, skills deficit, spousal abuse, therapy, thoughts and beliefs
Posted on January 10, 2015
by MJ
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I have learned something about getting on with life. There’s no easy way to do it, and there’s no good time to do it. What’s more, there is absolutely no pain-free way to do it either. Hollywood has played a bigger role in our… Continue Reading “Magical Thinking”
Category: abuse in families, Christianity, encouragement, Faith, God, Healing, Moving Forward, relationshipsTags: "happy ever after" mentality, Christianity, encouragement, God, healing process, judgment in the church, magical thinking, personal responsiblity, religion, suffering
Posted on December 22, 2014
by MJ
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We are right in the middle of the holiday season. Hanukkah is here. Christmas Eve is the day after tomorrow. Kwanzaa begins on Friday. These are holidays that involve gathering with communities and families. Because of that, the holiday season can be a much… Continue Reading “The Three Kinds of Forgiveness”
Category: Christianity, encouragement, Faith, forgiveness, God, Healing, Judaism, relationshipsTags: Christianity, encouragement, forgiveness, God, healing process, Judaism, judgment in the church, reconciliation
Posted on October 24, 2014
by MJ
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This isn’t a post written in any sort of academic style wherein I cite important sources. It may not be empowering in any way, but it will be truthful. My husband has been gone since Sunday. Away on business. I looked forward to his… Continue Reading “An Early Morning Thought”
Category: coping strategies, encouragement, relationshipsTags: authentic self, compartmentalization, encouragement, friendship, learning to trust, personal development, practicing vulnerability, therapy, thriving
Posted on September 13, 2014
by MJ
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Somewhere in the annals of this blog I’m sure I’ve posted on the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. I feel quite certain that most people who know me have heard me yammer on about that, and yet a plethora of Christians and even non-Christians… Continue Reading “A Plea”
Category: abuse in families, Christianity, emotional abuse, Evangelical church, forgiveness, God, Jesus, relationshipsTags: abuse in families, Christianity, encouragement, forgiveness, forgiveness vs. reconciliation, God, judgment in the church, reconciliation, sexual abuse, trauma
Posted on August 14, 2014
by MJ
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Circumstances never wait for us to be ready. Some circumstances happen suddenly, and some, looking back, have been simmering for a long time. It’s not a surprise when they boil over and make a mess. Why do we then feel surprised? Is it denial?… Continue Reading “Self-Validation and Recovery of the Self”
Posted on August 7, 2014
by MJ
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I live in Minnesota. I overheard someone say once that we work for our seasons. That’s an oddly funny thing to say, but, if you live here, then you’ll understand the meaning in that sentiment. As a seasonal change approaches, the current weather patterns… Continue Reading “Abandoning the Self”
Category: abuse in families, co-dependency, Complex PTSD, Denial, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, emotional abuse, Healing, marriage, PTSD, Recovery, relationships, therapyTags: abuse, Complex PTSD, distress tolerance, emotional flashbacks, emotional neglect, mindfulness, narrative approach, PTSD, self-abandonment, therapy