RIVETING BOOK on DOMESTIC VIOLENCE “No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us” by Rachel Louise Snyder is one of the best books I have read regarding the subject of domestic violence. As someone who is somewhat knowledgeable about the issue from reading and definitely knowledgeable from past personal experience, “No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us” was riveting. Snyder covers a wide range of topics underneath the domestic violence umbrella – victims, perpetrators (and if they can be helped), authorities, statistics, etc. I highly recommend this book on domestic violence to almost anyone – not only the victims. If you are a victim and/or a survivor of intimate violence, you probably are asked why you do not leave, why you did not leave, or why you did not leave the domestic violent situation sooner. This book helps to answer those questions. Parul Sehgal’s review of “No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us” conveys the importance of Rachel Louise Snyder’s writings. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/books/review-no-visible-bruises-domestic-violence-rachel-louise-snyder.html I almost did not read this book. I’m grateful that I did. It is my wish that others will read …
LIVING with CHRONIC COMPLEX PTSD
LIVING with CHRONIC COMPLEX PTSD Are you living with chronic complex PTSD? Do you feel ashamed because you or others think you should be better by now? Are your expectations of healing realistic for you? Do you think that after x-amount of months or years of therapy, group therapy, self-help books, etc. that your healing should be finished or at least you should feel more healed?! Are you feeling pressured from others to get better or be better or act better? What is in your control? What expectations are realistic for you? It is difficult to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or any illness or disorder. An illness or disorder that is not visible may provide different challenges. People tend to have more compassion for a person who has visible wounds, a cast, a wheelchair, etc. or who is recovering from a heart attack or stroke or cancer. When I lived in Germany, I was given the opportunity to perform an act of kindness. Someone asked me to give a ride to an elderly couple that I had never met. This small deed led to a friendship of special proportions. Denise and her husband lived in another part …
DEPRESSION, SOCIETY, LIFE …
DEPRESSION, SOCIETY, LIFE … Depression, society, life … How does society contribute to an individual’s depression? Why are more people in certain countries (such as the United States) treated with anti-depressants in greater numbers than in other countries? Do anti-depressants work? If anti-depressants are effective, for whom do they work? How long are these pills effective? What are other causes for depression? What solutions are there for treating major depression? Can we find creative ways to lessen one’s darkness? Are there societal prescriptions as well as individual ones? Today I am asking questions. As a person who suffers from major depression as well as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and panic/anxiety, I find the questions worth asking. The answers vary. Recently I read the book titled “Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions” by Johann Hari. I highly recommend this book. Whether you agree or disagree with Johann Hari, there are ideas in “Lost Connections” worth considering, pondering, and examining. (For more information on his book, see: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34921573-lost-connections) Does loneliness enter the picture? What roles do shame and humiliation play in depression? Johann Hari covers these subjects in “Lost Connections”. If you are …