Therapist Adam Young talks about three questions of attunement. Does anyone hear me? Does anyone see me? Can anyone help me? With that first scream we utter as a newborn we are asking these three questions. Many of us add an additional struggle to this set as we grow older. We also struggle with theContinue reading “Does Anybody Hear Me?”
Tag Archives: feelings
What are you Feeling?
Ask any man, “What are you feeling?”, and nine out of a ten will respond, “I feel good” or “I feel fine.” The problem is, good and fine aren’t feelings. They are catch all terms we use to avoid thinking about our feelings and emotions. The truth is that most, if not all people strugglingContinue reading “What are you Feeling?”
Pain
“They made themselves a god they could touch and feel. “A lot of people do that with grief and pain. They fix their eyes and their hearts on a casket or a divorce or a diagnosis, they drink or use drugs or do something else to numb the pain, and they spend their lives holdingContinue reading “Pain”
Recovery
September is National Recovery Month. I often find myself struggling with the word recovery. I’ve been to the dictionary for a definition. It talks of a return to a normal state or the process of regaining something stolen or lost. I guess my struggle with the word is that it assumes that I was onceContinue reading “Recovery”
Hey, have you got a minute?
I’m thinking about two different interactions I had with friends recently. Both took place as we met at different times over coffee. The first conversation was with a friend about the same age that I am. It began with talk about politics, local news and sports. As we talked, I began to sense that thereContinue reading “Hey, have you got a minute?”
Darkness
Recently one of my grandsons came to spend the night with me for the first time since I moved. He is five. Being a good papaw, I let him stay up later than mommy and daddy do. He fell asleep just before a line of strong thunder storms rolled through. My daughter texted me toContinue reading “Darkness”
Appreciation
If you’re sober right now I’m glad you’re standing and I am proud of you. There were days early in my recovery when I was measuring my sobriety by how many minutes I had been awake. I’m guessing some of you have experienced those days. Maybe you’re living one now. I’d like to suggest thatContinue reading “Appreciation”
Living Life
Some of you that follow my blog or know me personally know that I have experienced a few events that I fondly refer to as “moments of extreme temporary stupidity”. I first heard that phrase directed at some things I had done as I was being sentenced to two years in prison. The truth is,Continue reading “Living Life”
Grace
I came across this quote from Gerald May on St. Augustine this week and man, did it pierce my soul. “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” As I contemplated what I fill my hands with my first thoughts were “things”, stuff, possessions.Continue reading “Grace”
Behavior, Feelings and Needs
At the core of every behavior is a need. Some of those needs are perceived but as I’ve looked at my own heart and listened to the hearts of other men, I’ve come to believe that many, if not most of those needs are not just perceived but they are real. Each of those needsContinue reading “Behavior, Feelings and Needs”