Posts
""The Vine" by Kitka at Magnatune.com
http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/kitka-vine/
http://www.magnatune.com/artists/kitka
This is how you make me feel...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Valentine from Kitka
""The Vine" by Kitka at Magnatune.com
http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/kitka-vine/
http://www.magnatune.com/artists/kitka
This is how you make me feel...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Monday, February 08, 2010
Wakami World
Monday, July 27: Jocotan
Posted by Sophia | Posted in Travels | Posted on 28-07-2009
Gracias Maria!Now we are finally in Guatemala! Yesterday was a beautiful day filled with learning, passion y mucho emotion!
A varied group of reporters, photographers, staff from Keij de los Bosques and Vital Voices met each other early in the morning to begin the long bus ride to Jocotan to see first-hand the progress of this community.
8 years ago, an fatal famine hit Guatemala, causing death and suffering in aSophiacountry whose land is normally so green and fertile that even the poorest never die of hunger. After seeing the suffering that was taking place in this isolated community three hours outside of the capital city, Maria Pacheco decided that something must be done. She say the beautiful weavings the Mayan women had been creating for generations, but realized that the income they were receiving was not nearly sufficient for themselves and all of their children.
The studentsAfter years of searching for dependable markets for these womens’ products, Maria came across the owner of Ron Zacapa, a very high-quality Guatemalan rum who was interested in the beautiful weaving to use as part of the packaging.
Now the women of Jocotan feel their worth and their children are going to school with the dream of continuing their education and live their dreams. The connections that were made between the visitors and the rural women will be long-lasting as people realize that although so much has been accomplished already, so much remains to give these women and their families the opportunties they deserve to improve their lives. ...(more)
wakamiworld.com
Kiej de los Bosques is where Wakami World got its start. Located in Guatemala, this business works to distribute the products made by the communities throughout Guatemala and most recently through e-commerce.
A hard-working and dedicated group of 20 people have brought much growth to this business since its inception 15 years ago.
Kiej de los Bosques, business incubator
Kiej de los Bosques
incubating rural companies
From the beginning, Kiej has been driven by a PASSION and FASCINATION for people and for the Earth. This has been the basis for articulating supply chains in which ecosystems are restored while at the same time generating local sources of income.
With respect to rural development, the role of Kiej de los Bosques is that of a RURAL BUSINESS INCUBATOR. Resources from international organizations or the prÃvate sector, make it possible to provide the support and the tools necessary so that communities living in extreme poverty can both produce goods or services and have access to national and international markets.
THE INCUBATION PROCESS
The incubation process has 3 basic steps:
1. COMMUNITIES’ DREAMS: in this first stage, the people of the communities identify their dreams, both personal and for the group. Based on these dreams, the role of Kiej is determined (when dreams have to do with generation of income) as well as a community action plan’.
2. WHERE ARE THEY NOW, WHERE DO THEY WANT TO GO: in this process, the groups analyze where their current capacities (production, organization, markets), and then visit other groups to open their minds to new alternatives (very important for rural groups, especially women’s’ groups). Based on their dreams and exposure to other businesses, the community groups then decide what path they are going to take to market access.
3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING: this allows groups to implement the work plan, based on the technical skills necessary. This includes assistance in organization, product design and development, implementing production systems, and marketing.
In Kiej, we have realized there are two different levels of the incubation process: a technical level and a critically important emotional level. Once the emotional level is addressed, the groups can learn to identify their fears and learn to celebrate their successes. Celebrating success is very important for women to start believing there are no limits to what they can accomplish.
Initially Kiej incubated two industries: forestry and fiber. Each industry is now employing 250 people and generating income, while at the same time recovering ecosystems and respecting ancestral cultures.
Kiej is now incubating 40 groups of women from the rural areas of Guatemala (1,000 women total), in which most of them have become part of a new supply chain or market, at both the national and international levels.
INCUBATION SERVICES
Kiej provides three types of incubation services:
1. Complete incubation, product development, and market access programs.
2. Product design and development, and market access.
3. Individual workshops on the different topics.
At Kiej, we have seen that the incubation system is a very important tool. The system does not just generate income throughout the supply chain and incorporate new people into these prosperity cycles; it is also a very powerful tool for HUMAN TRANSFORMATION. The pride and hope that comes from being part of a supply chain or market reminds community members of the INTRINSIC POWER they have to DETERMINE THEIR OWN FUTURE. ... (more)
"bosques" = forest
Rosario said she used to work with this group around the lake.
See more at: wakamiworld.com, who received a grant from ICCO, "Partner to enterprising people" (http://www.icco.nl/delivery/main/en/).
ICCO is the interchurch organisation for development cooperation.
ICCO’s mission is to work towards a world in which people live in dignity and prosperity, a world where poverty and injustice are no longer present.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
WORD FOR THE DAY
Gratefulness.org
Saturday, Feb. 6
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
Marion Wright Edelman
Saturday, Feb. 6
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
Marion Wright Edelman
Friday, February 05, 2010
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a psychological injury that results from protracted exposure to prolonged social and/or interpersonal trauma with lack or loss of control, disempowerment, and in the context of either captivity or entrapment, i.e. the lack of a viable escape route for the victim. C-PTSD is distinct from, but similar to, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Though mainstream journals have published papers on C-PTSD, the category is not formally recognized in diagnostic systems such as DSM or ICD.[1]
C-PTSD involves complex and reciprocal interactions between multiple biopsychosocial systems. It was first referred to by Judith Herman in her book Trauma & Recovery and an accompanying article.[2][3]
Trauma sources include sexual abuse (especially child sexual abuse), physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, torture and violations of personal boundaries such as serial intimate betrayals that are discovered and denied—known as gaslighting.[4][5][6] In situations of protracted home care of a violent, mentally ill relative or disaster workers and carers for victims of a long running natural disaster like a Tsunami, without a viable escape route, each may later develop C-PTSD as a result of prolonged exposure to traumatic stress.[7]
Contents
* 1 Differentiating PTSD from C-PTSD
* 2 Differentiating Traumatic grief from C-PTSD
* 3 Attachment theory, BPD and C-PTSD
* 4 Child and adolescent symptom cluster
* 5 Adult symptom cluster
* 6 Treatment for adults
* 7 Treatment for children
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 Bibliography
* 11 External links
Differentiating PTSD from C-PTSD
Main article: Posttraumatic stress disorder
A differentiation between the diagnostic category of C-PTSD and that of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been suggested. C-PTSD better describes the pervasive negative impact of chronic repetitive trauma than does PTSD alone.[8][9]
PTSD descriptions fail to capture some of the core characteristics of C-PTSD. These elements include captivity, psychological fragmentation, the loss of a sense of safety, trust, and self-worth, as well as the tendency to be revictimized, and, most importantly, the loss of a coherent sense of self. It is this loss of a coherent sense of self, and the ensuing symptom profile, that most pointedly differentiates C-PTSD from PTSD.[10]
C-PTSD is characterized by pervasive insecure, often disorganized-type attachment.[11] DSM-IV dissociative disorders and PTSD do not include insecure attachment in their criteria. As a consequence of this aspect of C-PTSD, when some adults with C-PTSD become parents and confront their own children's attachment needs, they may have particular difficulty in responding sensitively especially to their infants' and young children's routine distress—such as during routine separations, despite these parents' best intentions and efforts.[12] And this difficulty in parenting may have adverse repercussions for their children's social and emotional development if parents with this condition and their children do not receive appropriate treatment.[13][14]
Differentiating Traumatic grief from C-PTSD
Main articles: Grief and Grief counseling
Traumatic grief[15][16][17][18] or complicated mourning[19] are conditions[20] where both trauma and grief coincide. If a traumatic event was only life threatening then more likely the survivor will experience post-traumatic stress symptoms. If the survivor was close to the person who died, then more likely symptoms of grief will also develop. When the death is of a loved one and was sudden or violent then both symptoms coincide. This is likely in children exposed to community violence.[21]
For C-PTSD to manifest the violence would occur under conditions of captivity, loss of control and disempowerment, coinciding with the death of a friend or loved one in life threatening circumstances. This again is most likely for children and stepchildren who experience prolonged domestic or chronic community violence that ultimately results in the death of friends and loved ones. The phenomena of the increased risk of violence and death of stepchildren is referred to as the Cinderella effect.
There are conceptual links between trauma and bereavement since loss of a loved one is inherently traumatic.[22]
Attachment theory, BPD and C-PTSD
Main articles: Attachment theory and Borderline personality disorder
See also: Attachment in adults, Attachment in children, Attachment disorder, Attachment-based psychotherapy, Cinderella effect, Self-injury, and Emotionally focused therapy
This controversial area[23] underlines the fragility of C-PTSD as an empirical diagnostic category separate from PTSD.[24][25]
C-PTSD may have originated from observations of acute breakthrough of borderline personality (BPD) symptoms in trauma victims.[citation needed] This could be diagnosed as PTSD with borderline features, where the symptoms of BPD were not sufficient to sustain a (hypothetical) dual diagnosis of BPD and PTSD. C-PTSD may share some symptoms with both PTSD and BPD.[26] Judith Herman has suggested that C-PTSD be used in place of borderline.[27]
It may help to understand the intersection of attachment theory with C-PTSD and BPD if one reads the following opinion of Bessel A. van der Kolk together with an understanding drawn from a description of BPD:
Uncontrollable disruptions or distortions of attachment bonds precede the development of post-traumatic stress syndromes. People seek increased attachment in the face of danger. Adults, as well as children, may develop strong emotional ties with people who intermittently harass, beat, and, threaten them. The persistence of these attachment bonds leads to confusion of pain and love. Trauma can be repeated on behavioural, emotional, physiologic, and neuroendocrinologic levels. Repetition on these different levels causes a large variety of individual and social suffering. Anger directed against the self or others is always a central problem in the lives of people who have been violated and this is itself a repetitive re-enactment of real events from the past. Compulsive repetition of the trauma usually is an unconscious process that, although it may provide a temporary sense of mastery or even pleasure, ultimately perpetuates chronic feelings of helplessness and a subjective sense of being bad and out of control. Gaining control over one's current life, rather than repeating trauma in action, mood, or somatic states, is the goal of healing.[28][29]
Seeking increased attachment to people, especially to care-givers who inflict pain, confuses love and pain and increases the likelihood of a captivity like that of betrayal bonding[30], and of disempowerment and lack of control. If the situation is perceived as life threatening then traumatic stress responses will likely arise and C-PTSD more likely diagnosed in a situation of insecure attachment than PTSD. At what point do the complex, reciprocal biopsychosocial responses to prolonged and extreme abuse evolve into BPD? This may depend on the timing, intensity and duration of the abuse and an as yet unidentified predisposition to BPD that results in a reset of the neuroendocrinologic levels of the body[citation needed] in a self-reinforcing pattern recognisable as the symptom cluster of BPD.
However, 25% of those diagnosed with BPD have no history of childhood neglect or abuse and individuals are six times as likely to develop BPD if they have a relative who was so diagnosed[citation needed] compared to those who do not. One conclusion is that there is a genetic predisposition to BPD unrelated to trauma. Researchers conducting a longitudinal investigation of identical twins found that "genetic factors play a major role in individual differences of borderline personality disorder features in Western society."[31][32]
Child and adolescent symptom cluster
Cook and others[33][34] describe symptoms and behavioural characteristics in seven domains:
1. Attachment - "problems with relationship boundaries, lack of trust, social isolation, difficulty perceiving and responding to other’s emotional states, and lack of empathy"
2. Biology - "sensory-motor developmental dysfunction, sensory-integration difficulties, somatization, and increased medical problems"
3. Affect or emotional regulation - "poor affect regulation, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions and internal states, and difficulties communicating needs, wants, and wishes"
4. Dissociation - "amnesia, depersonalization, discrete states of consciousness with discrete memories, affect, and functioning, and impaired memory for state-based events"
5. Behavioural control - "problems with impulse control, aggression, pathological self-soothing, and sleep problems"
6. Cognition - "difficulty regulating attention, problems with a variety of “executive functions” such as planning, judgement, initiation, use of materials, and self- monitoring, difficulty processing new information, difficulty focusing and completing tasks, poor object constancy, problems with “cause-effect” thinking, and language developmental problems such as a gap between receptive and expressive communication abilities."
7. Self-concept -"fragmented and disconnected autobiographical narrative, disturbed body image, low self-esteem, excessive shame, and negative internal working models of self". Source of quotes[35]
Adult symptom cluster
Adults with C-PTSD have sometimes experienced prolonged interpersonal traumatization as children as well as prolonged trauma as adults. This early injury interrupts the development of a robust sense of self and of others. Because physical and emotional pain or neglect was often inflicted by attachment figures such as caregivers or older siblings, these individuals may develop a sense that they are fundamentally flawed and that others cannot be relied upon.[36][37]
This can become a pervasive way of relating to others in adult life described as insecure attachment. The diagnosis of dissociative disorder and PTSD in the current DSM-IV TR do not include insecure attachment as a symptom. Individuals with Complex PTSD also demonstrate lasting personality disturbances with a significant risk of revictimization.[38]
Six clusters of symptom have been suggested for diagnosis of C-PTSD.[39][40] These are (1) alterations in regulation of affect and impulses; (2) alterations in attention or consciousness; (3) alterations in self-perception; (4) alterations in relations with others; (5) somatization, and (6) alterations in systems of meaning.[39]
Experiences in these areas may include:[9][10]
* Difficulties regulating emotions, including symptoms such as persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, explosive anger, or covert anger
* Variations in consciousness, such as forgetting traumatic events, reliving traumatic events, or having episodes of dissociation (during which one feels detached from one's mental processes or body)
* Changes in self-perception, such as a sense of helplessness, shame, guilt, stigma, and a sense of being completely different from other human beings
* Varied changes in the perception of the perpetrator, such as attributing total power to the perpetrator or becoming preoccupied with the relationship to the perpetrator, including a preoccupation with revenge
* Alterations in relations with others, including isolation, distrust, or a repeated search for a rescuer.
* Loss of, or changes in, one's system of meanings, which may include a loss of sustaining faith or a sense of hopelessness and despair
Treatment for adults
Herman[41] believes recovery from C-PTSD occurs in three stages. These are: establishing safety, remembrance and mourning for what was lost, and reconnecting with community and more broadly, society. Herman believes recovery can only occur within a healing relationship and only if the survivor is empowered by that relationship.
Complex trauma means complex reactions and this leads to complex treatments. Hence treatment for C-PTSD requires a multi-modal approach.[42] It has been suggested that treatment for C-PTSD should differ from treatment for PTSD by focusing on problems that cause more functional impairment than the PTSD symptoms. These problems include emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and interpersonal problems.[43] Six suggested core components of complex trauma treatment include:[42]
1. Safety
2. Self-regulation
3. Self-reflective information processing
4. Traumatic experiences integration
5. Relational engagement
6. Positive affect enhancement
Multiple treatments have been suggested for C-PTSD. Among these treatments are experiential and emotionally focused therapy, internal family system therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, family systems therapy and group therapy.[44]
...(more)
16 years as a "prisoner of war" does have it's costs.
When will the bill be paid?
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a psychological injury that results from protracted exposure to prolonged social and/or interpersonal trauma with lack or loss of control, disempowerment, and in the context of either captivity or entrapment, i.e. the lack of a viable escape route for the victim. C-PTSD is distinct from, but similar to, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Though mainstream journals have published papers on C-PTSD, the category is not formally recognized in diagnostic systems such as DSM or ICD.[1]
C-PTSD involves complex and reciprocal interactions between multiple biopsychosocial systems. It was first referred to by Judith Herman in her book Trauma & Recovery and an accompanying article.[2][3]
Trauma sources include sexual abuse (especially child sexual abuse), physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, torture and violations of personal boundaries such as serial intimate betrayals that are discovered and denied—known as gaslighting.[4][5][6] In situations of protracted home care of a violent, mentally ill relative or disaster workers and carers for victims of a long running natural disaster like a Tsunami, without a viable escape route, each may later develop C-PTSD as a result of prolonged exposure to traumatic stress.[7]
Contents
* 1 Differentiating PTSD from C-PTSD
* 2 Differentiating Traumatic grief from C-PTSD
* 3 Attachment theory, BPD and C-PTSD
* 4 Child and adolescent symptom cluster
* 5 Adult symptom cluster
* 6 Treatment for adults
* 7 Treatment for children
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 Bibliography
* 11 External links
Differentiating PTSD from C-PTSD
Main article: Posttraumatic stress disorder
A differentiation between the diagnostic category of C-PTSD and that of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been suggested. C-PTSD better describes the pervasive negative impact of chronic repetitive trauma than does PTSD alone.[8][9]
PTSD descriptions fail to capture some of the core characteristics of C-PTSD. These elements include captivity, psychological fragmentation, the loss of a sense of safety, trust, and self-worth, as well as the tendency to be revictimized, and, most importantly, the loss of a coherent sense of self. It is this loss of a coherent sense of self, and the ensuing symptom profile, that most pointedly differentiates C-PTSD from PTSD.[10]
C-PTSD is characterized by pervasive insecure, often disorganized-type attachment.[11] DSM-IV dissociative disorders and PTSD do not include insecure attachment in their criteria. As a consequence of this aspect of C-PTSD, when some adults with C-PTSD become parents and confront their own children's attachment needs, they may have particular difficulty in responding sensitively especially to their infants' and young children's routine distress—such as during routine separations, despite these parents' best intentions and efforts.[12] And this difficulty in parenting may have adverse repercussions for their children's social and emotional development if parents with this condition and their children do not receive appropriate treatment.[13][14]
Differentiating Traumatic grief from C-PTSD
Main articles: Grief and Grief counseling
Traumatic grief[15][16][17][18] or complicated mourning[19] are conditions[20] where both trauma and grief coincide. If a traumatic event was only life threatening then more likely the survivor will experience post-traumatic stress symptoms. If the survivor was close to the person who died, then more likely symptoms of grief will also develop. When the death is of a loved one and was sudden or violent then both symptoms coincide. This is likely in children exposed to community violence.[21]
For C-PTSD to manifest the violence would occur under conditions of captivity, loss of control and disempowerment, coinciding with the death of a friend or loved one in life threatening circumstances. This again is most likely for children and stepchildren who experience prolonged domestic or chronic community violence that ultimately results in the death of friends and loved ones. The phenomena of the increased risk of violence and death of stepchildren is referred to as the Cinderella effect.
There are conceptual links between trauma and bereavement since loss of a loved one is inherently traumatic.[22]
Attachment theory, BPD and C-PTSD
Main articles: Attachment theory and Borderline personality disorder
See also: Attachment in adults, Attachment in children, Attachment disorder, Attachment-based psychotherapy, Cinderella effect, Self-injury, and Emotionally focused therapy
This controversial area[23] underlines the fragility of C-PTSD as an empirical diagnostic category separate from PTSD.[24][25]
C-PTSD may have originated from observations of acute breakthrough of borderline personality (BPD) symptoms in trauma victims.[citation needed] This could be diagnosed as PTSD with borderline features, where the symptoms of BPD were not sufficient to sustain a (hypothetical) dual diagnosis of BPD and PTSD. C-PTSD may share some symptoms with both PTSD and BPD.[26] Judith Herman has suggested that C-PTSD be used in place of borderline.[27]
It may help to understand the intersection of attachment theory with C-PTSD and BPD if one reads the following opinion of Bessel A. van der Kolk together with an understanding drawn from a description of BPD:
Uncontrollable disruptions or distortions of attachment bonds precede the development of post-traumatic stress syndromes. People seek increased attachment in the face of danger. Adults, as well as children, may develop strong emotional ties with people who intermittently harass, beat, and, threaten them. The persistence of these attachment bonds leads to confusion of pain and love. Trauma can be repeated on behavioural, emotional, physiologic, and neuroendocrinologic levels. Repetition on these different levels causes a large variety of individual and social suffering. Anger directed against the self or others is always a central problem in the lives of people who have been violated and this is itself a repetitive re-enactment of real events from the past. Compulsive repetition of the trauma usually is an unconscious process that, although it may provide a temporary sense of mastery or even pleasure, ultimately perpetuates chronic feelings of helplessness and a subjective sense of being bad and out of control. Gaining control over one's current life, rather than repeating trauma in action, mood, or somatic states, is the goal of healing.[28][29]
Seeking increased attachment to people, especially to care-givers who inflict pain, confuses love and pain and increases the likelihood of a captivity like that of betrayal bonding[30], and of disempowerment and lack of control. If the situation is perceived as life threatening then traumatic stress responses will likely arise and C-PTSD more likely diagnosed in a situation of insecure attachment than PTSD. At what point do the complex, reciprocal biopsychosocial responses to prolonged and extreme abuse evolve into BPD? This may depend on the timing, intensity and duration of the abuse and an as yet unidentified predisposition to BPD that results in a reset of the neuroendocrinologic levels of the body[citation needed] in a self-reinforcing pattern recognisable as the symptom cluster of BPD.
However, 25% of those diagnosed with BPD have no history of childhood neglect or abuse and individuals are six times as likely to develop BPD if they have a relative who was so diagnosed[citation needed] compared to those who do not. One conclusion is that there is a genetic predisposition to BPD unrelated to trauma. Researchers conducting a longitudinal investigation of identical twins found that "genetic factors play a major role in individual differences of borderline personality disorder features in Western society."[31][32]
Child and adolescent symptom cluster
Cook and others[33][34] describe symptoms and behavioural characteristics in seven domains:
1. Attachment - "problems with relationship boundaries, lack of trust, social isolation, difficulty perceiving and responding to other’s emotional states, and lack of empathy"
2. Biology - "sensory-motor developmental dysfunction, sensory-integration difficulties, somatization, and increased medical problems"
3. Affect or emotional regulation - "poor affect regulation, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions and internal states, and difficulties communicating needs, wants, and wishes"
4. Dissociation - "amnesia, depersonalization, discrete states of consciousness with discrete memories, affect, and functioning, and impaired memory for state-based events"
5. Behavioural control - "problems with impulse control, aggression, pathological self-soothing, and sleep problems"
6. Cognition - "difficulty regulating attention, problems with a variety of “executive functions” such as planning, judgement, initiation, use of materials, and self- monitoring, difficulty processing new information, difficulty focusing and completing tasks, poor object constancy, problems with “cause-effect” thinking, and language developmental problems such as a gap between receptive and expressive communication abilities."
7. Self-concept -"fragmented and disconnected autobiographical narrative, disturbed body image, low self-esteem, excessive shame, and negative internal working models of self". Source of quotes[35]
Adult symptom cluster
Adults with C-PTSD have sometimes experienced prolonged interpersonal traumatization as children as well as prolonged trauma as adults. This early injury interrupts the development of a robust sense of self and of others. Because physical and emotional pain or neglect was often inflicted by attachment figures such as caregivers or older siblings, these individuals may develop a sense that they are fundamentally flawed and that others cannot be relied upon.[36][37]
This can become a pervasive way of relating to others in adult life described as insecure attachment. The diagnosis of dissociative disorder and PTSD in the current DSM-IV TR do not include insecure attachment as a symptom. Individuals with Complex PTSD also demonstrate lasting personality disturbances with a significant risk of revictimization.[38]
Six clusters of symptom have been suggested for diagnosis of C-PTSD.[39][40] These are (1) alterations in regulation of affect and impulses; (2) alterations in attention or consciousness; (3) alterations in self-perception; (4) alterations in relations with others; (5) somatization, and (6) alterations in systems of meaning.[39]
Experiences in these areas may include:[9][10]
* Difficulties regulating emotions, including symptoms such as persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, explosive anger, or covert anger
* Variations in consciousness, such as forgetting traumatic events, reliving traumatic events, or having episodes of dissociation (during which one feels detached from one's mental processes or body)
* Changes in self-perception, such as a sense of helplessness, shame, guilt, stigma, and a sense of being completely different from other human beings
* Varied changes in the perception of the perpetrator, such as attributing total power to the perpetrator or becoming preoccupied with the relationship to the perpetrator, including a preoccupation with revenge
* Alterations in relations with others, including isolation, distrust, or a repeated search for a rescuer.
* Loss of, or changes in, one's system of meanings, which may include a loss of sustaining faith or a sense of hopelessness and despair
Treatment for adults
Herman[41] believes recovery from C-PTSD occurs in three stages. These are: establishing safety, remembrance and mourning for what was lost, and reconnecting with community and more broadly, society. Herman believes recovery can only occur within a healing relationship and only if the survivor is empowered by that relationship.
Complex trauma means complex reactions and this leads to complex treatments. Hence treatment for C-PTSD requires a multi-modal approach.[42] It has been suggested that treatment for C-PTSD should differ from treatment for PTSD by focusing on problems that cause more functional impairment than the PTSD symptoms. These problems include emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and interpersonal problems.[43] Six suggested core components of complex trauma treatment include:[42]
1. Safety
2. Self-regulation
3. Self-reflective information processing
4. Traumatic experiences integration
5. Relational engagement
6. Positive affect enhancement
Multiple treatments have been suggested for C-PTSD. Among these treatments are experiential and emotionally focused therapy, internal family system therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, family systems therapy and group therapy.[44]
...(more)
16 years as a "prisoner of war" does have it's costs.
When will the bill be paid?
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Child Abuse and the Role of Parental Denial
by Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. Updated: Dec 11th 2009
I recently had the opportunity of revisiting a question that I have struggled to find answers to for many years. The question is, why, in the face of a parent sexually, physically or verbally abusing a child, does the other parent remain silent?
This is a phenomenon I have been aware of in countless numbers of cases reported to me by patients who are now adult and clearly recall not only the abuse but the fact that the other parent offered no safety.
The question others have asked me and that I ask myself is, how or why would a parent remain silent in the face of children being abused. Here a few hypotheses.
1. Denial is a powerful and primitive defense mechanism. Someone who is dependent, frightened and themselves the victim of abuse, can remain silent and not even see or hear the abuse in order to maintain the desperately needed relationship with the abuser. In a way, it is a variation of the old saying, "Hear no evil, see no evil." Well, people do hear it and see it and fail to act.
2. Both abuser and spouse can be mentally ill people who collude out of mutually shared sadism. In others words, there are a few people who can get a sense of pleasure out of treating children abusively.
3. Over the years, I have known a few cases in which the wife has such a deep need to avoid sexual relations that they prefer their husband engage in Oedipal relations with a daughter. This is usually unconscious with full denial in operation.
4. Chronic and severe drug and alcohol abuse loosen inhibitions that otherwise sober and sensible people do things that would shock them if they were not under the influence of certain types of drugs.
5. There are parents who, having been raised in strict and abusive environments, then repeat the pattern once they are parents. The vicious cycle of abuse is probably the major cause of domestic violence in the United States.
One of the distressing and utterly frustrating and despairing things that survivors of abuse discover as adults, is that their parents deny that anything ever happened. Patients have reported to me that parents, when confronted by their adult child with the abuse they committed, tell their son or daughter that their memory is wrong.
It is natural to ask why an adult would now confront their parents about abusive acts that happened during childhood? Apparently, the answer is that these survivors are seeking an apology and an affirmative statement admitting their wrong doing. This is what makes the discussion so filled with despair for so many survivors. The despair results not simply by the refusal of an apology, but the complete denial that anything happened. This is further exacerbated by the fact that neighbors and friends of the parents think them very "nice people" who would never do such a despicable thing as abuse a child. When Joan Crawford's daughter published the story of her childhood, a story that depicted Crawford's cruel and outlandish acts of abuse, there was a public outcry that this never could have happened. Later, the outcry vanished when the truth and accuracy of the story emerged for the public to see.
It is the responsibility of neighbors, family, friends, teachers and school officials to report suspected abuse to the authorities who will then conduct an investigation. Do not play the "hear no evil, see no evil" game. Act on what you know or have good reason to suspect.
Your comments, experiences and questions are welcome in relation to this important issue.
Allan N. Schwartz, PhD
Comments:
so possible for a parent to look the other way - How awful!!! - Jan 19th 2010
I never new how it was so possible for a parent to look the other way knowingly of his or her child being sexually by their spouse until it happen in my family. It has cause the family to distance one another greatly from other family members who are aware of what has happened. It almost seems like these sexually offenders know their other party will not tell. The children are the victims but the abuser is the one protected. How awful.
Denial of the Mother and siblings regarding sexual abuse of one member of family - Laura Bond - Jan 8th 2010
My Husbands niece was abused by her Father from the age of about 6 to 16. She finally told about 2 years ago but was beaten severely for this by her Father at the age of 30. She said it was the first time in her life that he hit her.
The problem is her Mother (my husband's sister) and sister and brother refuse to believe her. Even though they accept that he also abused their Aunt when she was 11 until 16. (my husband's younger sister who is now 45). He admitted to both but then detracted the daughter's allegation. I am preplexed to understand how they can be in such denial, expecially the Mother. Surely the maternal feelings should override everything yet she wants to brand her daughter an evil liar and leave her out on a limb, separated forever from her family. I can't get through to her - she has distanced herself from me after 46 years of friendship. She has become a master manipulator just like him and the lies and devisious actions are there to be seen.
(more)
Child Abuse and the Role of Parental Denial
by Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. Updated: Dec 11th 2009
I recently had the opportunity of revisiting a question that I have struggled to find answers to for many years. The question is, why, in the face of a parent sexually, physically or verbally abusing a child, does the other parent remain silent?
This is a phenomenon I have been aware of in countless numbers of cases reported to me by patients who are now adult and clearly recall not only the abuse but the fact that the other parent offered no safety.
The question others have asked me and that I ask myself is, how or why would a parent remain silent in the face of children being abused. Here a few hypotheses.
1. Denial is a powerful and primitive defense mechanism. Someone who is dependent, frightened and themselves the victim of abuse, can remain silent and not even see or hear the abuse in order to maintain the desperately needed relationship with the abuser. In a way, it is a variation of the old saying, "Hear no evil, see no evil." Well, people do hear it and see it and fail to act.
2. Both abuser and spouse can be mentally ill people who collude out of mutually shared sadism. In others words, there are a few people who can get a sense of pleasure out of treating children abusively.
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3. Over the years, I have known a few cases in which the wife has such a deep need to avoid sexual relations that they prefer their husband engage in Oedipal relations with a daughter. This is usually unconscious with full denial in operation.
4. Chronic and severe drug and alcohol abuse loosen inhibitions that otherwise sober and sensible people do things that would shock them if they were not under the influence of certain types of drugs.
5. There are parents who, having been raised in strict and abusive environments, then repeat the pattern once they are parents. The vicious cycle of abuse is probably the major cause of domestic violence in the United States.
One of the distressing and utterly frustrating and despairing things that survivors of abuse discover as adults, is that their parents deny that anything ever happened. Patients have reported to me that parents, when confronted by their adult child with the abuse they committed, tell their son or daughter that their memory is wrong.
It is natural to ask why an adult would now confront their parents about abusive acts that happened during childhood? Apparently, the answer is that these survivors are seeking an apology and an affirmative statement admitting their wrong doing. This is what makes the discussion so filled with despair for so many survivors. The despair results not simply by the refusal of an apology, but the complete denial that anything happened. This is further exacerbated by the fact that neighbors and friends of the parents think them very "nice people" who would never do such a despicable thing as abuse a child. When Joan Crawford's daughter published the story of her childhood, a story that depicted Crawford's cruel and outlandish acts of abuse, there was a public outcry that this never could have happened. Later, the outcry vanished when the truth and accuracy of the story emerged for the public to see.
It is the responsibility of neighbors, family, friends, teachers and school officials to report suspected abuse to the authorities who will then conduct an investigation. Do not play the "hear no evil, see no evil" game. Act on what you know or have good reason to suspect.
Your comments, experiences and questions are welcome in relation to this important issue.
Allan N. Schwartz, PhD
(more)
Horoscope for week of February 4
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I got an email from an Aquarian reader
complaining that the astrologers she consulted in early 2009, including
me, were wrong about the year ahead. All of us said it would be a time of
expansion and opening for your tribe, a phase of rapid growth and fresh
energy. But according to this reader, 2009 turned out to be very
different. Every Aquarius she knew had a tough ride. Here's my response:
Expansion and opening did indeed occur, but their initial effects weren't
what you expected. They shattered the old containers of your life in order
to make it possible for you to create new, bigger containers that would
be more suitable for the person you're becoming. And this year, 2010, is
when you will work in earnest to create those new containers. Now's a
good time to dig in.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY.com
Wasn't this the truth? Amen. Hope Rob Brezny's right about the rest of it.
complaining that the astrologers she consulted in early 2009, including
me, were wrong about the year ahead. All of us said it would be a time of
expansion and opening for your tribe, a phase of rapid growth and fresh
energy. But according to this reader, 2009 turned out to be very
different. Every Aquarius she knew had a tough ride. Here's my response:
Expansion and opening did indeed occur, but their initial effects weren't
what you expected. They shattered the old containers of your life in order
to make it possible for you to create new, bigger containers that would
be more suitable for the person you're becoming. And this year, 2010, is
when you will work in earnest to create those new containers. Now's a
good time to dig in.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY.com
Wasn't this the truth? Amen. Hope Rob Brezny's right about the rest of it.
Alexi Murdoch - Something Beautiful (unreleased)
Just Beautiful... best song I've heard in years... (unreleased as yet? Hear more on Amazon & YouTube)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfJAh6hrCzw#
Lyrics:
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
part of something beautiful...
X3
And I thought that I saw, a light Shine, I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think I see a light shine, now....
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful...
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful...
And I thought that I saw, a light Shine, I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think I see a light shine....now
From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine
From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine
X10
And I thought that I saw, a light shine, I thought that I saw, a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought I saw a light shine now
(From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine
From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine)
And I thought, than I saw, a light shine, I thought that I saw, a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think i see a light shine now
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful...
X4
Category: Music
Tags:
Alexi Murdoch Something Beautiful Through The Dark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfJAh6hrCzw#
Lyrics:
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
part of something beautiful...
X3
And I thought that I saw, a light Shine, I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think I see a light shine, now....
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful...
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful...
And I thought that I saw, a light Shine, I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought that I saw a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think I see a light shine....now
From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine
From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine
X10
And I thought that I saw, a light shine, I thought that I saw, a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I thought I saw a light shine now
(From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine
From the corner of my eye I thought I saw a light shine)
And I thought, than I saw, a light shine, I thought that I saw, a light shine
Yes, I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think i see a light shine now
May the Grace of God be with you always, in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful...
X4
Category: Music
Tags:
Alexi Murdoch Something Beautiful Through The Dark
Some things never change ~ Moonshine!
Willie Nelson Cancels Shows, Bandmates and Crew Arrested
* Posted Feb 1st 2010 6:00PM by Stephen L. Betts
* Comments [2]
Willie Nelson canceled a North Carolina concert on Thursday (Jan. 28), reportedly due to pain in his hand which prevented him from playing guitar. He also canceled a show on Jan. 30, slated to take place in Asheville, N.C. The Associated Press reports that Thursday's cancellation was announced about an hour after several band and crew members were arrested for allegedly possessing moonshine and marijuana.
According to Alcohol Law Enforcement spokesman Ernie Seneca, six members of Willie's band and crew were charged with misdemeanor possession offenses and were issued citations before the band was scheduled to take the stage Thursday night. Willie's longtime bass player, Dan Edward "Bee" Spears, and five others were charged with possession of non-tax-paid alcohol and two of the six were also charged with marijuana possession. Seneca said officers reportedly smelled marijuana on a tour bus and were given permission to search the vehicle. Willie was not on the bus where marijuana, rolling papers and a nearly full Mason jar containing moonshine were found. According to the Raleigh News & Observer website, also cited were: Kenneth Koepke, Robert Allen Lemons, Dudley Bishop Prewitt, Aaron William Foye and Thomas Ray Hawkins.
Citations were also issued to John Duane Vogt, general manager of the Duplin County Events Center, and Donald Farrior, an assistant for trying to interfere with the ALE investigation.
...(more)
Monday, February 01, 2010
Happy Birthday for the Big 6-0
I'm out in the gorgeous 75 degree weather in a sun dress getting a bit of a tan today with birthday wishes all around... had a wonderful birthday fiesta with my friend Georgina Kennedy and all her family at their beautiful lake house with grand pavilion overlooking the water, so I can commiserate about "you poor thing in the cold and snow!" I will NEVER have to be cold again! Hahahahaha.... now that's something to smile about!
Plus see the adorable singing mouse with microphone singing "Happy Birthday to you" from my son Robb Todd. So cute! Just made my day, on this special 60th birthday on 1 February, 2010. Never in a million years did I think I would make it this far. Would they all be this fine.
Les says next year he will take his vacation to be here on this date in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan Guatemala with me for sure. We will all have a wonderful time, just as we did up until a few days ago when he went back to work in NC. It was a great day all around. Really incredible. That singing mouse made my day.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
I Can't Make You Love Me if You Don't
Finally had to post this. It's wonderful when love just comes, isn't it? And you don't have to try and force it (since it doesn't work anyway). This is one great song. Raitt hit the nail on the head with this one... we all know the feeling, don't we? Here's the story behind the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQgDnZQogDM&feature=related
"I Can't Make You Love Me if You Don't"
Songwriters: Allen Shamblin and Mike Reid
Originally performed by Bonnie Raitt
Turn down the lights, turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize (don't patronize me)
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no, you won't
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Just give me till then to give up this fight (and I will give up this fight)
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no, you won't
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
---
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can%27t_Make_You_Love_Me
"I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted "I Can't Make You Love Me" #8 on its The 100 Greatest Songs Of All Time list.[1] The song is ranked #331 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The idea for the song came to Reid while reading an article about a man arrested for getting drunk and shooting at his girlfriend's car. The judge asked him if he had learned anything, to which he replied, "I learned, Your Honor, that you can't make a woman love you if she don't."[2]
Reid and Shamblin were both country music songwriters, who according to some accounts originally wrote the song as a fast, bluegrass number. Upon slowing down the tempo considerably, they realized the song gained considerable power. It then made its way to Raitt.
A pensive ballad, "I Can't Make You Love Me" was recorded against a quiet electric piano-based arrangement, with prominent piano fills and interpolations supplied by Bruce Hornsby. The singer depicts a now one-sided romantic relationship about to end in soft but brutally honest terms:
Turn down these voices, inside my head -
Lay down with me ... tell me no lies.
Just hold me close,
don't patronize ... don't patronize me
'Cause I can't make you love me,
If you don't.
Raitt recorded the vocal in just one take in the studio, later saying that it was so sad a song that she couldn't recapture the emotion: "We'd try to do it again and I just said, 'You know, this ain't going to happen.'"[3]
The song was a big hit for Raitt, reaching #18 on the U.S. pop singles chart and #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and helped solidify her remarkable late-in-career commercial success that had begun two years before. In the time since, "I Can't Make You Love Me" has gone on to become a pop standard and a mainstay of adult contemporary radio formats.
For Raitt, the song was notoriously difficult to sing, due to its required vocal range, difficult phrasing and breathing, and the emotional content involved. At the televised Grammy Awards of 1992 Raitt performed it in an even more austere setting than on record, with just her and Hornsby highlighted. As she negotiated the final vocal line, she let out a big audible and visible sigh of relief that she had successfully gotten through it. Raitt has continued to sing the song in all her concert tours.
“ I mean, 'I Can't Make You Love Me' is no picnic. I love that song, so does the audience. So it's almost a sacred moment when you share that, that depth of pain with your audience. Because they get really quiet, and I have to summon ... some other place in order to honor that space. ”
— Raitt, 2002 NPR interview[4]
Although Hornsby had no hand in writing the song, his piano part on it became associated with him, and on his own subsequent tours he would often perform it whenever he had a female backing singer in his band to take on the vocal.
Cover versions
While Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" was not a big success in the United Kingdom, as part of George Michael's 1997 double a-side single "Older / I Can't Make You Love Me", it reached the Top 3 of the UK Singles Chart. It has also been recorded by a number of other artists, including Prince, Bonnie Tyler, Mary Coughlan, Kenny Rogers, Kimberley Locke, Boyz II Men, and Gina G to name a few. Mike Reid himself covered the song on his 1992 album Twilight Town. Saxophonist Candy Dulfer has also recorded an instrumental version. A version by the band Venice was featured over the end credits of the controversial film Boxing Helena.
It has become a popular selection for contestants in televised singing competitions such as American Idol, Nashville Star, and Rock Star: INXS. This song was performed by Idol contestants: Kimberley Locke in Season 2, Constantine Maroulis in Season 4, and Amy Krebs in Season 6, Allison Iraheta in Season 8, as well as Nashville Season 5 winner Angela Hacker. Moreover, Season 4 Idol winner Carrie Underwood and Season 6 finalist Haley Scarnato sang this song during their initial auditions. In November 2009, contestant Stacey Solomon sang the song during George Michael and 'Wham! week' on The X Factor (season 6, live show 7) [5].
In 2006, Filipino RnB singer Arnee Hidalgo covered the song on her album You Got It All. Also in 2006, fellow Filipino pop/R&B singer Nina recorded the song for her self-titled fourth album. The cover version peaked at #1 on Philippine radio stations and singles charts. Sarah Bettens, former lead singer of the band "K's Choice", includes a cover of this song on her 2009 album "Never Say Goodbye".
Notes
1. ^ Lennon track voted the best by songwriters | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com
2. ^ 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them, Toby Creswell
3. ^ 107.1 KGSR - Radio Austin
4. ^ NPR Music: Bonnie Raitt Shakes it Up
5. ^ The X Factor season 6 - Live Show 7 video - Stacey Solomon
... (more)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQgDnZQogDM&feature=related
"I Can't Make You Love Me if You Don't"
Songwriters: Allen Shamblin and Mike Reid
Originally performed by Bonnie Raitt
Turn down the lights, turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize (don't patronize me)
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no, you won't
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Just give me till then to give up this fight (and I will give up this fight)
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no, you won't
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
---
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can%27t_Make_You_Love_Me
"I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted "I Can't Make You Love Me" #8 on its The 100 Greatest Songs Of All Time list.[1] The song is ranked #331 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The idea for the song came to Reid while reading an article about a man arrested for getting drunk and shooting at his girlfriend's car. The judge asked him if he had learned anything, to which he replied, "I learned, Your Honor, that you can't make a woman love you if she don't."[2]
Reid and Shamblin were both country music songwriters, who according to some accounts originally wrote the song as a fast, bluegrass number. Upon slowing down the tempo considerably, they realized the song gained considerable power. It then made its way to Raitt.
A pensive ballad, "I Can't Make You Love Me" was recorded against a quiet electric piano-based arrangement, with prominent piano fills and interpolations supplied by Bruce Hornsby. The singer depicts a now one-sided romantic relationship about to end in soft but brutally honest terms:
Turn down these voices, inside my head -
Lay down with me ... tell me no lies.
Just hold me close,
don't patronize ... don't patronize me
'Cause I can't make you love me,
If you don't.
Raitt recorded the vocal in just one take in the studio, later saying that it was so sad a song that she couldn't recapture the emotion: "We'd try to do it again and I just said, 'You know, this ain't going to happen.'"[3]
The song was a big hit for Raitt, reaching #18 on the U.S. pop singles chart and #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and helped solidify her remarkable late-in-career commercial success that had begun two years before. In the time since, "I Can't Make You Love Me" has gone on to become a pop standard and a mainstay of adult contemporary radio formats.
For Raitt, the song was notoriously difficult to sing, due to its required vocal range, difficult phrasing and breathing, and the emotional content involved. At the televised Grammy Awards of 1992 Raitt performed it in an even more austere setting than on record, with just her and Hornsby highlighted. As she negotiated the final vocal line, she let out a big audible and visible sigh of relief that she had successfully gotten through it. Raitt has continued to sing the song in all her concert tours.
“ I mean, 'I Can't Make You Love Me' is no picnic. I love that song, so does the audience. So it's almost a sacred moment when you share that, that depth of pain with your audience. Because they get really quiet, and I have to summon ... some other place in order to honor that space. ”
— Raitt, 2002 NPR interview[4]
Although Hornsby had no hand in writing the song, his piano part on it became associated with him, and on his own subsequent tours he would often perform it whenever he had a female backing singer in his band to take on the vocal.
Cover versions
While Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" was not a big success in the United Kingdom, as part of George Michael's 1997 double a-side single "Older / I Can't Make You Love Me", it reached the Top 3 of the UK Singles Chart. It has also been recorded by a number of other artists, including Prince, Bonnie Tyler, Mary Coughlan, Kenny Rogers, Kimberley Locke, Boyz II Men, and Gina G to name a few. Mike Reid himself covered the song on his 1992 album Twilight Town. Saxophonist Candy Dulfer has also recorded an instrumental version. A version by the band Venice was featured over the end credits of the controversial film Boxing Helena.
It has become a popular selection for contestants in televised singing competitions such as American Idol, Nashville Star, and Rock Star: INXS. This song was performed by Idol contestants: Kimberley Locke in Season 2, Constantine Maroulis in Season 4, and Amy Krebs in Season 6, Allison Iraheta in Season 8, as well as Nashville Season 5 winner Angela Hacker. Moreover, Season 4 Idol winner Carrie Underwood and Season 6 finalist Haley Scarnato sang this song during their initial auditions. In November 2009, contestant Stacey Solomon sang the song during George Michael and 'Wham! week' on The X Factor (season 6, live show 7) [5].
In 2006, Filipino RnB singer Arnee Hidalgo covered the song on her album You Got It All. Also in 2006, fellow Filipino pop/R&B singer Nina recorded the song for her self-titled fourth album. The cover version peaked at #1 on Philippine radio stations and singles charts. Sarah Bettens, former lead singer of the band "K's Choice", includes a cover of this song on her 2009 album "Never Say Goodbye".
Notes
1. ^ Lennon track voted the best by songwriters | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com
2. ^ 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them, Toby Creswell
3. ^ 107.1 KGSR - Radio Austin
4. ^ NPR Music: Bonnie Raitt Shakes it Up
5. ^ The X Factor season 6 - Live Show 7 video - Stacey Solomon
... (more)
Gossip In The Church?
A word to the wise, and to those in charge of Bowie United Methodist Church:
Gossip vs. Fellowship: Protecting Your Church
Refuse to listen to gossip
Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. You know spreading gossip is wrong, but you should not listen to it either if you want to protect your church. Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, and makes you just as guilty of the crime. ...(more)
http://legacy.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=64&artid=1956&expand=1
If your pastor [or his wife] asks you any other questions, he is gossiping and involving you in gossip. If your answer to his question is no, then you must go immediately ...
www.michaelshope.com/gossip.html
Gossip vs. Fellowship: Protecting Your Church
Refuse to listen to gossip
Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. You know spreading gossip is wrong, but you should not listen to it either if you want to protect your church. Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, and makes you just as guilty of the crime. ...(more)
http://legacy.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=64&artid=1956&expand=1
If your pastor [or his wife] asks you any other questions, he is gossiping and involving you in gossip. If your answer to his question is no, then you must go immediately ...
www.michaelshope.com/gossip.html
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Chow time at Noah's Ark
Near Atlanta GA. A great organization that saves animals and children. Can't wait to visit and donate! Noahs-Ark.org
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Numerology ~ Number 9
Name: Catherine Merrick Scheffelin
(married name Catherine Scheffelin Todd; turns out the same number both times)
Date of Birth: 02/01/1950
The Life Path Number represents the path you should take through life and the talents and skills you have to make your journey a rewarding one.
9 As 1 marked beginnings and leadership, 9 marks completion of the circle and humanitarianism. 9 is the number that finishes all that was started by the numbers which come before it. 9 represents highly developed intuition and spirituality. 9 also represents the apex of human spiritual development. It is considered the supreme number of the 1 to 9 circle. While 9 denotes endings it also signifies the mastery of all the challenges faced by the numbers which precede it.
Having a 9 Life Path makes you very compassionate and tolerant towards the world around you. You strive to serve the better good, sometimes at the expense of your own desires. You have the ability to attract people from all walks of life.
Positive Traits
Compassionate, Tolerant, Benevolent, Intuitive, Mystical, Charming, Idealistic
Negative Traits
Impulsive, Intolerant, Insensitive, Effusive ...
----
This number carries Positive & Negative Traits (of course)... Would that I could be "the best that I could be."
(married name Catherine Scheffelin Todd; turns out the same number both times)
Date of Birth: 02/01/1950
The Life Path Number represents the path you should take through life and the talents and skills you have to make your journey a rewarding one.
9 As 1 marked beginnings and leadership, 9 marks completion of the circle and humanitarianism. 9 is the number that finishes all that was started by the numbers which come before it. 9 represents highly developed intuition and spirituality. 9 also represents the apex of human spiritual development. It is considered the supreme number of the 1 to 9 circle. While 9 denotes endings it also signifies the mastery of all the challenges faced by the numbers which precede it.
Having a 9 Life Path makes you very compassionate and tolerant towards the world around you. You strive to serve the better good, sometimes at the expense of your own desires. You have the ability to attract people from all walks of life.
Positive Traits
Compassionate, Tolerant, Benevolent, Intuitive, Mystical, Charming, Idealistic
Negative Traits
Impulsive, Intolerant, Insensitive, Effusive ...
----
This number carries Positive & Negative Traits (of course)... Would that I could be "the best that I could be."
Monday, January 25, 2010
Everblooming Cherry
Everblooming Cherry
Prunus sargentii 'Fudansakura'
Photo by Dave Allen
Uploaded by Brooklyn Botanic Garden on 4 Dec 09, 12.00PM EST.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Mexico's Cave of Crystals ~ BBC News
Crystal cave (Oscar Necoechea/Cproducciones)
We can be sure that there will be discoveries even more spectacular than Naica ~ Professor Iain Stewart
click here for spectacular videos: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8466493.stm?ls
BBC News, Science & Nature
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
A rare glimpse of the cave of crystals
Mexico's Cave of Crystals stunned geologists when it was first discovered in 2000. The underground chamber contains some of the largest natural crystals ever found - some of the selenite structures have grown to more than 10m long. Professor Iain Stewart got a rare glimpse of the subterranean spectacle while filming for the new BBC series How the Earth Made Us.
Advertisement
Professor Stewart describes the cave as a geological wonder of the world
We kept on being told how difficult it was going to be to film in the Naica Cave, but nothing really prepares you for the extremes of that cavern.
It's about 50C in there, but it's the virtually 100% humidity added on top that makes it a potential killer.
That combination means that when you breathe air into your body, the surface of your lungs is actually the coolest surface the air encounters. That means the fluid starts to condense inside your lungs - and that's really not good news.
When the cave was first discovered it was just an accident.
Miners working in the Naica silver mine broke through the walls of the cavern and were astounded to discover these enormous crystals - the biggest anywhere on Earth.
Iain Stewart in the cave of crystals
To enter the cave, special gear needs to be worn
But when the first people went in to explore, they were almost overcome by the conditions - and there's some pretty hairy video footage of them coming out of the cave on the verge of losing consciousness. So we knew the dangers were real.
When you first look at the kit your first thought is: "Is that it?"
There's a special cooling suit - which is basically like a suit of chain mail but filled with ice cubes.
Then there's a breathing system which feeds cool, dry air into your mask.
It's OK to take the mask off for a short while, but do without it for more than about 10 minutes, and it's likely that you're going to start keeling over.
I was lucky of course. All I had to do was stand there and talk, but the cameraman and all the others helping set out the lights were having to work in these conditions, wearing these cumbersome suits, and they really struggled.
We had a doctor outside the cave to monitor our vital signs, and we were coming out of the cavern with our heart rates up at 180.
The biggest danger was falling over; rescuing someone inside would have been very tricky.
Crystal cave (Oscar Necoechea/Cproducciones)
The cave is at risk of being closed
Despite all the dangers, my overwhelming memory is the sheer beauty of the place.
Whenever people around me were faffing around with equipment, I'd just stop and look around at the crystals.
It's such a glorious place, it's like being in a modern art exhibit.
I kept reminding myself: "You're in the Naica Cave", because there's only a handful of geologists that have ever been in there, and so I was aware of how incredibly privileged I was.
Yet remarkably, for the people who own and run the Naica mine, the crystal cave is a side-show, a distraction.
They don't make any money out of it and sooner or later, when the economics of the mine change, it will close.
The pumps will be taken out, the mine and the cave will flood, and the crystals will once more be out of our reach.
But perhaps we should console ourselves with the thought that there are certainly lots more crystal caves waiting to be discovered.
For starters, the geology of the area around the cave suggests that there could be more crystal caves in the area around Naica.
But more broadly, the Earth's crust must be riddled with wonders like this.
We know more about the outer edges of the Solar System than we do about the first kilometre of the Earth's crust.
As we learn more about the crust, we can be sure that there will be discoveries even more spectacular than Naica. I just hope I'm around to see them.
How the Earth Made Us: The epic story of how geology, geography and climate have influenced mankind is on Tuesday 19th January on BBC Two at 2100 GMT
(more)
Why I love Guatemala ~ Photos
Photo: 022REV07-Arturo-Godoy-Lago-Atitlan
MORE PHOTOS: 7th Annual Photo Issue of Revue Magazine
By Revue Magazine • January 1, 2010
To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson
http://revuemag.com/2010/01/7th-annual-photo-issue/#comments
Guantanamo guard reunited with ex-inmates
YouTube videos (see more):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vsUaa_Ppn0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9-v4mqFQMw
Also watch this excellent video, where 7 years later, after Brandon, a 22 year old guard at Guantanamo Bay apologizes to the prisoners he helped keep in a cage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8452937.stm. Will miracles never cease? This young man is helping to truly bring peace to the world, along with the two former prisoners who were willing to meet with him and accept his apology. They stated he should not have to apologize, as it was our government who was doing it. These three men are truly saints, in their own special way. Thanks to the BBC in London for helping to facilitate this meeting.
Another video: Guantanamo Bay: Jailer and jailed remember camp opening
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8451797.stm
Former guard Brandon Neely and two ex-prisoners Shafiq Rasul and Ruhal Ahmed have given the BBC their eyewitness accounts of the arrival of the first detainees at Guantanamo Bay eight years ago.
Images of detainees at the camp in Cuba wearing goggles and orange jumpsuits caused an instant international outcry when they were first published.
The three men agreed to be reunited for a BBC documentary after the ex-jailer used Facebook to contact the two Britons to express his remorse for his part in their imprisonment.
He was their guard for the first six months of the two and a half years they spent at Guantanamo before they were released without charge in 2004.
Article from BBC News:
Guantanamo guard meets ex-prisoners
By Gavin Lee
BBC News
12 January 2010
Why would a former Guantanamo Bay prison guard track down two of his former captives - two British men - and agree to fly to London to meet them?
"You look different without a cap."
"You look different without the [orange] jump suits."
With those words, an extraordinary reunion gets under way.
The last time Ruhal Ahmed met Brandon Neely, he was "behind bars, behind a cage and [Brandon] was on the other side".
Ruhal Ahmed, Brandon Neely and Shafiq Rasul
He would say, 'you ever listen to Eminem or Dr Dre' and... I thought how could it be somebody is here who's doing the same stuff that I do when I'm back home
Brandon Neely (above, centre)
Q&A: Closing Guantanamo
The location had been Camp X-Ray - the high-security detention camp run by the US in Guantanamo Bay. Mr Ahmed, originally from Tipton in the West Midlands, was among several hundred foreign terror suspects held at the centre.
Mr Neely was one of his guards.
The scene of this current exchange of pleasantries couldn't be more different from where they last met - a television studio in London. Also here is Shafiq Rasul, a fellow ex-Guantanamo prisoner, without whose Facebook page the reunion would never have happened.
The journey of reconciliation began almost a year ago in Huntsville, Texas. Mr Neely, 29, had left the US military in 2005 to become a police officer and was still struggling to come to terms with his time as a guard at Guantanamo.
He felt anger at a number of incidents of abuse he says he witnessed, and guilt over one in particular.
Highly controversial since it opened in 2002, Guantanamo prison was set up by President George Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to house suspected "terrorists". But it has been heavily divisive and President Barack Obama has said it has "damaged [America's] national security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al Qaeda".
Mr Neely recalls only the good publicity in the US media.
"The news would always try to make Guantanamo into this great place," he says, "like 'they [prisoners] were treated so great'. No it wasn't. You know here I was basically just putting innocent people in cages."
Hip-hop tastes
The prisoners arriving on planes, in goggles and jump suits, from Afghanistan were termed by then US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld as the "worst of the worst". But after getting to know some of the English-speaking detainees, Mr Neely started to have doubts all of them were fanatical terrorists.
He recalls how when he and Mr Ahmed chatted through the bars at Guantanamo, they had a surprising amount in common.
GUANTANAMO PRISON HISTORY
Detainees at Camp X-ray
First inmates arrive at makeshift Camp X-Ray January 2002
Detainees refused rights of prisoners of war and right to a trial
Camp Delta, with more permanent facilities, opens April 2002
Some 700 prisoners eventually transferred to site
Many since been released or handed to national governments
By 2009, 215 men of various nationalities remain
President Obama concedes in 2009 his deadline for closing - January 2010 - will be missed
Inside Guantanamo Bay
"It was no different from me sitting at the bar with a friend of mine talking about women or music," says Mr Neely. "He would say, 'you ever listen to Eminem or Dr Dre' and he threw off a little rap and it was just funny. I thought how could it be somebody is here who's doing the same stuff that I do when I'm back home."
Mr Neely was 22 when he worked at the camp and left after six months to serve in Iraq. But after quitting the military his doubts about Guantanamo began to crystallise. This led to a spontaneous decision last year to reach out to his former prisoners.
"I was pretty new to Facebook and decided to type in their names to see if their profiles popped up and I came across Shafiq's Facebook page. I decided to send him a little e-mail," says Mr Neely.
Released in 2004, after being held for two years, Mr Rasul and Mr Ahmed and another friend from Tipton had been captured in Afghanistan on suspicion of links to the Taliban. The three said they were beaten by US troops although this was disputed by the US government at the time.
After all that, the Facebook communique was a shock to Mr Rasul.
Last-minute nerves
"At first I couldn't believe it. Getting a message from an ex-guard saying that what happened to us in Guantanamo was wrong was surprising more than anything."
To Mr Neely's astonishment he received a reply and the pair began an exchange of e-mails. It was at this point that the BBC asked if both sides would be prepared to meet in person.
They agreed.
Advertisement
Guantanamo: Jailer and jailed remember opening
Several months later the ex-inmates were sitting in the TV studio waiting to be reunited with their former jailer. But Mr Rasul was having doubts. He was feeling conflicted.
"There's a few people in my family who have said what do you want to meet someone like that for, the way he treated you, you stay away from him," says Mr Rasul. "They say because if it was me, I'd want to beat him up."
Mr Neely had also been feeling uneasy.
He arrived at Heathrow airport ashen-faced, pensive and reluctant to speak much before the meeting.
Mr Rasul and his normally gregarious friend were notably quiet as they sat in front of TV cameras waiting for Mr Neely to enter. No-one knew what to expect, and the atmosphere was tense.
After an initially awkward exchange about caps and jump suits, the conversation turns to the reason for the visit. Mr Neely says he'd thought about the moment a million times. He'd wanted to say how he'd felt complicit in their detention, and acknowledge the wrong they were subjected to. ...(more)
RECONCILIATION COUNTS. Dear God, please show us the way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vsUaa_Ppn0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9-v4mqFQMw
Also watch this excellent video, where 7 years later, after Brandon, a 22 year old guard at Guantanamo Bay apologizes to the prisoners he helped keep in a cage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8452937.stm. Will miracles never cease? This young man is helping to truly bring peace to the world, along with the two former prisoners who were willing to meet with him and accept his apology. They stated he should not have to apologize, as it was our government who was doing it. These three men are truly saints, in their own special way. Thanks to the BBC in London for helping to facilitate this meeting.
Another video: Guantanamo Bay: Jailer and jailed remember camp opening
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8451797.stm
Former guard Brandon Neely and two ex-prisoners Shafiq Rasul and Ruhal Ahmed have given the BBC their eyewitness accounts of the arrival of the first detainees at Guantanamo Bay eight years ago.
Images of detainees at the camp in Cuba wearing goggles and orange jumpsuits caused an instant international outcry when they were first published.
The three men agreed to be reunited for a BBC documentary after the ex-jailer used Facebook to contact the two Britons to express his remorse for his part in their imprisonment.
He was their guard for the first six months of the two and a half years they spent at Guantanamo before they were released without charge in 2004.
Article from BBC News:
Guantanamo guard meets ex-prisoners
By Gavin Lee
BBC News
12 January 2010
Why would a former Guantanamo Bay prison guard track down two of his former captives - two British men - and agree to fly to London to meet them?
"You look different without a cap."
"You look different without the [orange] jump suits."
With those words, an extraordinary reunion gets under way.
The last time Ruhal Ahmed met Brandon Neely, he was "behind bars, behind a cage and [Brandon] was on the other side".
Ruhal Ahmed, Brandon Neely and Shafiq Rasul
He would say, 'you ever listen to Eminem or Dr Dre' and... I thought how could it be somebody is here who's doing the same stuff that I do when I'm back home
Brandon Neely (above, centre)
Q&A: Closing Guantanamo
The location had been Camp X-Ray - the high-security detention camp run by the US in Guantanamo Bay. Mr Ahmed, originally from Tipton in the West Midlands, was among several hundred foreign terror suspects held at the centre.
Mr Neely was one of his guards.
The scene of this current exchange of pleasantries couldn't be more different from where they last met - a television studio in London. Also here is Shafiq Rasul, a fellow ex-Guantanamo prisoner, without whose Facebook page the reunion would never have happened.
The journey of reconciliation began almost a year ago in Huntsville, Texas. Mr Neely, 29, had left the US military in 2005 to become a police officer and was still struggling to come to terms with his time as a guard at Guantanamo.
He felt anger at a number of incidents of abuse he says he witnessed, and guilt over one in particular.
Highly controversial since it opened in 2002, Guantanamo prison was set up by President George Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to house suspected "terrorists". But it has been heavily divisive and President Barack Obama has said it has "damaged [America's] national security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al Qaeda".
Mr Neely recalls only the good publicity in the US media.
"The news would always try to make Guantanamo into this great place," he says, "like 'they [prisoners] were treated so great'. No it wasn't. You know here I was basically just putting innocent people in cages."
Hip-hop tastes
The prisoners arriving on planes, in goggles and jump suits, from Afghanistan were termed by then US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld as the "worst of the worst". But after getting to know some of the English-speaking detainees, Mr Neely started to have doubts all of them were fanatical terrorists.
He recalls how when he and Mr Ahmed chatted through the bars at Guantanamo, they had a surprising amount in common.
GUANTANAMO PRISON HISTORY
Detainees at Camp X-ray
First inmates arrive at makeshift Camp X-Ray January 2002
Detainees refused rights of prisoners of war and right to a trial
Camp Delta, with more permanent facilities, opens April 2002
Some 700 prisoners eventually transferred to site
Many since been released or handed to national governments
By 2009, 215 men of various nationalities remain
President Obama concedes in 2009 his deadline for closing - January 2010 - will be missed
Inside Guantanamo Bay
"It was no different from me sitting at the bar with a friend of mine talking about women or music," says Mr Neely. "He would say, 'you ever listen to Eminem or Dr Dre' and he threw off a little rap and it was just funny. I thought how could it be somebody is here who's doing the same stuff that I do when I'm back home."
Mr Neely was 22 when he worked at the camp and left after six months to serve in Iraq. But after quitting the military his doubts about Guantanamo began to crystallise. This led to a spontaneous decision last year to reach out to his former prisoners.
"I was pretty new to Facebook and decided to type in their names to see if their profiles popped up and I came across Shafiq's Facebook page. I decided to send him a little e-mail," says Mr Neely.
Released in 2004, after being held for two years, Mr Rasul and Mr Ahmed and another friend from Tipton had been captured in Afghanistan on suspicion of links to the Taliban. The three said they were beaten by US troops although this was disputed by the US government at the time.
After all that, the Facebook communique was a shock to Mr Rasul.
Last-minute nerves
"At first I couldn't believe it. Getting a message from an ex-guard saying that what happened to us in Guantanamo was wrong was surprising more than anything."
To Mr Neely's astonishment he received a reply and the pair began an exchange of e-mails. It was at this point that the BBC asked if both sides would be prepared to meet in person.
They agreed.
Advertisement
Guantanamo: Jailer and jailed remember opening
Several months later the ex-inmates were sitting in the TV studio waiting to be reunited with their former jailer. But Mr Rasul was having doubts. He was feeling conflicted.
"There's a few people in my family who have said what do you want to meet someone like that for, the way he treated you, you stay away from him," says Mr Rasul. "They say because if it was me, I'd want to beat him up."
Mr Neely had also been feeling uneasy.
He arrived at Heathrow airport ashen-faced, pensive and reluctant to speak much before the meeting.
Mr Rasul and his normally gregarious friend were notably quiet as they sat in front of TV cameras waiting for Mr Neely to enter. No-one knew what to expect, and the atmosphere was tense.
After an initially awkward exchange about caps and jump suits, the conversation turns to the reason for the visit. Mr Neely says he'd thought about the moment a million times. He'd wanted to say how he'd felt complicit in their detention, and acknowledge the wrong they were subjected to. ...(more)
RECONCILIATION COUNTS. Dear God, please show us the way.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
zoowatermelon_259096d
Baby tapirs are born spotted and striped ("camoflauged") like this... I had no idea! Great photo with mother.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Kate McGarrigle Dies At 63
I keep getting older and older... all from my old, wonderful Village days at the Gaslight in NYC... I can hardly believe it.
Kate McGarrigle Dead: Folksinger Mom Of Rufus, Martha Wainwright Dies At 63
| 01/19/10 11:45 AM | AP
TORONTO — Canadian folk singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle, best known for performing with her sister Anna, has died of cancer. She was 63.
McGarrigle's brother-in-law, Dane Lanken, said the singer died at her Montreal home Monday night surrounded by her sisters, Jane and Anna, and her children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also singers.
He said McGarrigle had been battling cancer since the summer of 2006. He said the cancer started in her small intestine and spread to her liver.
Kate and Anna, known as the McGarrigle Sisters, began their careers performing at Montreal coffeehouses in the 1960s with a group called the Mountain City Four. They got their break in the 1970s, when their songs were covered by numerous artists, including Linda Ronstadt, who used "Heart Like a Wheel" as the title song to one of her albums.
In 1975 they made their first record, "Kate and Anna McGarrigle," which brought them critical acclaim and additional famous covers by artists including Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins and Billy Bragg.
Their own well-known releases included "The Work Song," "Cool River" and "Lying Song."
Kate McGarrigle received the Order of Canada in 1994, one of the country's highest honors.
McGarrigle was once married to American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Her son, Rufus Wainwright, recently canceled an upcoming tour, citing an illness in the family.
Born in Montreal, the famous singing duo grew up in the Laurentian Mountains village of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec. There, they learned the piano from the village nuns.
Kate McGarrigle Dead: Folksinger Mom Of Rufus, Martha Wainwright Dies At 63
| 01/19/10 11:45 AM | AP
TORONTO — Canadian folk singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle, best known for performing with her sister Anna, has died of cancer. She was 63.
McGarrigle's brother-in-law, Dane Lanken, said the singer died at her Montreal home Monday night surrounded by her sisters, Jane and Anna, and her children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also singers.
He said McGarrigle had been battling cancer since the summer of 2006. He said the cancer started in her small intestine and spread to her liver.
Kate and Anna, known as the McGarrigle Sisters, began their careers performing at Montreal coffeehouses in the 1960s with a group called the Mountain City Four. They got their break in the 1970s, when their songs were covered by numerous artists, including Linda Ronstadt, who used "Heart Like a Wheel" as the title song to one of her albums.
In 1975 they made their first record, "Kate and Anna McGarrigle," which brought them critical acclaim and additional famous covers by artists including Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins and Billy Bragg.
Their own well-known releases included "The Work Song," "Cool River" and "Lying Song."
Kate McGarrigle received the Order of Canada in 1994, one of the country's highest honors.
McGarrigle was once married to American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Her son, Rufus Wainwright, recently canceled an upcoming tour, citing an illness in the family.
Born in Montreal, the famous singing duo grew up in the Laurentian Mountains village of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec. There, they learned the piano from the village nuns.
Lavender eMag: thriving past the abuse of violence and sexual trauma
Lavender eMag: thriving past the abuse of violence and sexual trauma
Melissa Moreland
TV & FILMS | MOVIES | POETS | BOOKS | ART | BLOGGING | FORGIVING | ADVOCATES ...
6:58 PM (18 hours ago)
Catherine S. Todd
Good to hear from you, Melissa! I was wondering where you had gone... I'm in ...
8:57 PM (16 hours ago)
|
Catherine S. Todd
to Melissa
Wow! Just read Monique's story; I needed that!
"She adds: "Understanding Mary Jones in her sickness really made me understand my brother in his sickness. Not all molesters are bad people. We want to make them these monsters. It's a sickness and if we address it as a sickness and try to get help, so many of us wouldn't have a story to tell."
Wow. I am speechless. Hope I can get there one day. Thanks for posting. I really needed this today; you have no idea (or of course, maybe YOU do! CT
Melissa Moreland
TV & FILMS | MOVIES | POETS | BOOKS | ART | BLOGGING | FORGIVING | ADVOCATES ...
6:58 PM (18 hours ago)
Catherine S. Todd
Good to hear from you, Melissa! I was wondering where you had gone... I'm in ...
8:57 PM (16 hours ago)
|
Catherine S. Todd
to Melissa
Wow! Just read Monique's story; I needed that!
"She adds: "Understanding Mary Jones in her sickness really made me understand my brother in his sickness. Not all molesters are bad people. We want to make them these monsters. It's a sickness and if we address it as a sickness and try to get help, so many of us wouldn't have a story to tell."
Wow. I am speechless. Hope I can get there one day. Thanks for posting. I really needed this today; you have no idea (or of course, maybe YOU do! CT
Visitors to my Blog searching for Bowie MD
No comments as yet; I hope these people found what they are looking for.
Houston, Texas arrived on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church".
07:45:10 -- 2 hours 44 mins ago
[United States]
Houston, Texas arrived on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church".
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Upper Marlboro, Maryland arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for ianther mills catherine todd.
20:19:04 -- 14 hours 11 mins ago
[United States]
Upper Marlboro, Maryland arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for ianther mills catherine todd.
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Feb 2, 2010
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21:48:22 -- 1 hour 59 mins ago
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15:15:16 -- 19 hours 15 mins ago
[United States]
Washington, District of Columbia arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for Bowie United Methodist Church, Carolyn.
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Washington, District of Columbia arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for Bowie United Methodist Church, Carolyn.
Houston, Texas arrived on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church".
07:45:10 -- 2 hours 44 mins ago
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Houston, Texas arrived on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church".
07:45:08 -- 2 hours 44 mins ago
Upper Marlboro, Maryland arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for ianther mills catherine todd.
20:19:04 -- 14 hours 11 mins ago
[United States]
Upper Marlboro, Maryland arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for ianther mills catherine todd.
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Feb 2, 2010
Hollywood, Maryland arrived from pipl.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church".
21:48:22 -- 1 hour 59 mins ago
Washington, District of Columbia left via blogger.com from "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church"
15:15:16 -- 19 hours 15 mins ago
[United States]
Washington, District of Columbia arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for Bowie United Methodist Church, Carolyn.
15:13:01 -- 19 hours 17 mins ago
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Washington, District of Columbia arrived from google.com on "Catherine Todd blog: Bowie United Methodist Church" by searching for Bowie United Methodist Church, Carolyn.
Monday, January 18, 2010
I Thought We'd Never Speak Again
I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation (Paperback)
~ Laura Davis, author
"Obsession, discomfort, and rage are the hallmarks of estrangement, and sorrow is its center...." (more)
Key Phrases: things unforgivable, estranged relationship, New York, Bao Ninh, Elizabeth Menkin (more...)
Amazon reviews: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
~ Laura Davis, author
"Obsession, discomfort, and rage are the hallmarks of estrangement, and sorrow is its center...." (more)
Key Phrases: things unforgivable, estranged relationship, New York, Bao Ninh, Elizabeth Menkin (more...)
Amazon reviews: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Marilyn van Derbur interview - Part 1 & 2, 4-17-2009
SNAPJudy
May 19, 2009
On Arpil 17, 2009, former Miss America Marilyn van Derbur was interviewed by TV33. Ms. Van Derbur discusses the events and background that lead to her writing her recently released book, "Miss America by Day". Ms. Van Derbur was a victim of childhood sexual abuse by her father. Her story is a penetrating look at incest and the life altering affects this abuse has on children. This is part 1 of two parts of the interview. Other victims' stories can be found at http://www.columbustruth.org/ and http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/ .
Category: News & Politics
See also Part 2 on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCvyJQ9brQo&feature=related
Tags:
Incest survivor child sexual abuse pedophile perpetrator former Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur Miss America By Day
May 19, 2009
On Arpil 17, 2009, former Miss America Marilyn van Derbur was interviewed by TV33. Ms. Van Derbur discusses the events and background that lead to her writing her recently released book, "Miss America by Day". Ms. Van Derbur was a victim of childhood sexual abuse by her father. Her story is a penetrating look at incest and the life altering affects this abuse has on children. This is part 1 of two parts of the interview. Other victims' stories can be found at http://www.columbustruth.org/ and http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/ .
Category: News & Politics
See also Part 2 on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCvyJQ9brQo&feature=related
Tags:
Incest survivor child sexual abuse pedophile perpetrator former Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur Miss America By Day
Ethicalife ~ Training for Wellbeing
6/22/2005
The Invisible Girls Survive Sexual Abuse
My guest was Dr. Patti Feuereissen, who has worked with young sexual abuse survivors over the past 25 years. She believes that remarkable healing is possible if girls learn to share their stories in their teens and early twenties. She is the author of INVISIBLE GIRLS and the creator of http://www.girlthrive.com, an educational fund for sexually abused young women and community service website.
...(more) http://www.ethicalife.com/?page_id=94
"My passion is to teach people to be real human beings and not a robot. ~ Dr. Brooks
The Invisible Girls Survive Sexual Abuse
My guest was Dr. Patti Feuereissen, who has worked with young sexual abuse survivors over the past 25 years. She believes that remarkable healing is possible if girls learn to share their stories in their teens and early twenties. She is the author of INVISIBLE GIRLS and the creator of http://www.girlthrive.com, an educational fund for sexually abused young women and community service website.
...(more) http://www.ethicalife.com/?page_id=94
"My passion is to teach people to be real human beings and not a robot. ~ Dr. Brooks
Healing from Sexual Abuse ~ Maternal Attachment Disorder
www.healing4women.com/articles/CSA-Partnership.html
A compassionate approach to healing childhood sexual abuse
by Karen A. Duncan, M.A., LMFT, LSW
home | ask karen | about karen | workshops | book and reviews | articles
RTBS: Prevention of Sexual Abuse | CSA Seminars | links | contact
***Important Information***
"At last I can reveal my sufferings, for the strength I once felt in silence has lost all its power"
Deidra Sarault, poet
Healing and Recovery
Karen A. Duncan, M.A., LMFT, LSW
A Partnership in Healing:
Trauma Based Substance Use Treatment for Women
Experiencing Childhood Sexual Abuse
Trauma Based Substance Use Treatment
Childhood sexual abuse trauma (CSAT) is a primary causal factor identified in studies that link symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) for women. Given the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and SUD, it becomes imperative that trauma-based treatment is an inclusive component in SUD programs for women. A trauma-based program for women will need to be gender sensitive, approached in stages, able to assure safety from retraumatization and delivered by clinicians, counselors and medical staff trained in the female experience of CSA.
Trauma Education and Prevention (TEP)
Trauma Education and Prevention (TEP) is a protocol for women that I have developed in my clinical practice over the past twenty years. It is currently being expanded as a pilot program at the Indiana Women's Prison where the majority of women have experienced CSA and other interpersonal traumas and who are incarcerated due to illegal behavior related to substance use.
TEP focuses on education and prevention as a first stage treatment approach adaptable for use within a community based SUD treatment program for women. Trauma education and prevention is an approach that works well with women who are at different stages of recovery from the trauma of CSA, which is often the case when women are entering substance use treatment.
TEP includes six areas of trauma based treatment for women: screening and assessment for trauma, education about female victimization, understanding the prolonged problems from CSA and other interpersonal traumas, the relationship between CSA and substance use, development of a personal plan to prevent future victimization and a review of the overall recovery process to heal the trauma of CSA. Individual sessions are scheduled with women during the TEP program to help process certain aspects of CSA. At least three individual sessions are recommended during TEP.
TEP Screening and Initial Assessment
The TEP program screens for CSA and other interpersonal traumas while also screening for trauma symptoms that includes PTSD symptoms. It takes into consideration that women will present with the more pervasive problems associated with CSA such as substance use, eating disorders and chronic shock symptoms of anxiety, depression and dissociation rather than only PTSD symptoms. TEP recognizes that women do not always present with PTSD symptoms upon entering treatment, and if only PTSD is screened for, rather than specific traumas, then women experiencing CSA or other interpersonal traumas may be overlooked, their trauma symptoms are more likely to be misdiagnosed and other services they might need such as shelter from domestic violence are not identified and included in their aftercare plan.
TEP uses a trauma symptom checklist based on the prolonged problems women experience from CSA. Women complete the CSA-Trauma Symptom Checklist during their first group session. They also complete it again in order to help identify what they are experiencing as they diminish their use of substances. This checklist begins the identification process for women as they begin to make the connection between past traumas and current problems they are experiencing.
Screening for chronic shock symptoms (CSS) of anxiety, depression and dissociation also occurs as CSS often co-occur with substance use. Women report using alcohol and drugs to moderate and diminish symptoms of chronic shock. Assessment identifies if prescription medication is needed for depression and anxiety since these two CSS often increase once a woman begins to diminish her use of alcohol or other substances. Prescription medication is safest when prescribed within an inpatient program so that its use is monitored while a woman is learning to manage the cycle of depression and anxiety from CSA without using the specific substances that brought her to SUD trauma based treatment. If prescription medication was a pattern of substance use then inpatient monitoring becomes even more critical during a woman's first two weeks of trauma based SUD treatment.
When obtaining a woman's history of substance use it is important to ask about the relationship between substance use and child sexual abuse. For example, when the perpetrator(s) introduced the use of substances during or after the sexual abuse, or when a woman used substances to disengage from thoughts or feelings of the sexual abuse on a daily basis, will identify how a pattern of use began. These initial patterns of use can become a connection as to how she continues to use substances to disengage from stressful events. A woman begins to understand her pattern of use in relation to CSA she can learn how to self-soothe in other ways through overwhelming emotions or physical experiences of the sexual abuse that no longer harm her today.
The Group Format for TEP
Size, Length and Time Limit: The optimal group size recommended for TEP is five, which allows for safety, trust and time for discussion. Depending upon the experience, training, skill level and education of the counselor(s) with regard to childhood trauma recovery and working with women an upper limit of ten women is acceptable. It is beneficial to have at least three counselors trained in TEP and that all staff have training on the female experience of childhood sexual abuse trauma and other interpersonal traumas that women experience.
During an inpatient program, one topic of TEP is covered each day over a two-hour period for two weeks. Women have journals to use in-group and to write down questions and thoughts they might have in-between sessions. For an outpatient program, the format would be the same except that women would be meeting for two hours once a week and the group would meet over a six-week period. An aspect of gender sensitive treatment is the need that women have for childcare in order to attend trauma based SUD treatment. When childcare is not provided, a woman may leave treatment prior to completion.
Talking About Sexual Abuse: Women can benefit from a group process in a beginning stage of recovery from both CSA and SUD. However, it is important to identify that the nondisclosure of specific aspects of sexual, emotional and physical trauma that can cause retraumatization to other women be maintained. Disclosure of CSA is an individual process that occurs throughout recovery as a woman gains trust and confidence within the therapeutic relationship. Disclosure is a different process than the general acknowledgement that occurs in TEP. A general acknowledgement is often a first step for a woman that enables her to develop comfort in speaking about sexual abuse as she breaks the silence that has been a part of this trauma for a number of years. “I was sexually abused from age 5 to 11 by my older brother” is an example of a general acknowledgement that is acceptable, safe and encouraged in TEP. It includes information without including details of the specific acts of sexual abuse committed. It is important to remember that for most women this may be their first experience at acknowledging the sexual abuse. Therefore, written guidelines and specific examples on how the group is expect to share and talk about the sexual abuse is helpful and increases the likelihood of women feeling safe to share within the group process.
Boundaries for the Group: Boundaries within a therapeutic intervention are especially important for women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Boundaries allow the counselor to have control within the group while creating and modeling an attitude and environment of equality, compassion and respect within relationships. Boundaries center on confidentiality, not being asked intrusive questions and other areas that women identify they need to feel safe within the group.
A Woman's Trauma History: Women complete a social and family history in written form that includes questions about the sexual abuse and other interpersonal traumas which allows the trauma(s) to be understood within the context of a woman's life. The counselor then meets with a woman individually to clarify information or to ask general questions. These questions focus on a general understanding of when and where the traumas were experienced, what symptoms disrupt daily life and the relationship of the perpetrator when the trauma occurred and the relationship today.
A written approach to obtaining a woman's trauma history maintains the therapeutic boundary for the group. A woman can take this written history with her upon completing TEP. Ideally, a woman would transition into a trauma based outpatient program for SUD that would continue to provide her with both individual and group therapy and continue to support prevention from future traumas.
Prevention: Prevention is a key component of TEP. Prevention information allows women to make connections between current or past traumas. TEP helps women to understand the impact that CSA has had upon their choices, their relationships and the lack of safety they have experienced within their lives. The prevention component of TEP can be especially helpful in improving the safety of children whose mothers have experienced CSA. Mothers who have experienced CSA can also experience maternal attachment disorder. Maternal attachment disorder is a woman's inability to emotionally bond and connect to her child. Maternal attachment disorder is linked to an increase risk for a child to experience sexual abuse or other forms of childhood maltreatment and this risk increases if a mother is also using substances. The Right To Be Safe™: Adult Education in the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse is a key component of prevention education for women. This power point presentation is available free through the internet at www.theright2besafe.org. RTBS can be presented in written form to women as well.
Identifying how a woman's self-concept has been affected by CSA is a critical part of the prevention component of TEP. TEP supports a woman to build a more positive identity through the concrete actions she takes today. This step enables women to identify core issues that contribute to sustaining damaging relationships, identifies what decisions a woman can make today that will restore her self-esteem and create a positive life-sustaining female identity and culminates into the development of a written prevention plan that includes distancing from abusive and violent relationships.
Education: Education is a second key component and focus of TEP that includes four areas of focus. The first focus is to define the types of traumas that women experience, how CSA creates a traumatic pathway to other types of violence and the relationship between trauma, victimization and substance use. The impact of trauma is a second focus that includes how to recognize and self-manage specific trauma effects such as sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. An overview of how trauma affects memory and how women store, recall and experience memories of CSA. The somatic-sensory experience of CSA and how trauma is stored in the body is also presented.
A third focus is the diversity of prolonged problems associated with sexual trauma. The specific problems that women experience associated with their experience of CSA are identified for discussion during TEP. The specific problems are identified based upon the information women provide within their trauma histories. This approach allows for an individualized focus for each group that is relevant and meaningful for the individual women. The specific relationship between CSA and substance abuse is addressed where women identify their personal pattern of use and discuss their substance use within the context of CSA trauma.
The prevention of future victimization is the fourth focus that identifies the traumatic pathway that leads to future violence. It builds upon the prevention information provided earlier and helps to establish personal boundaries women need to maintain control of their lives and their personal safety. The redefining of family and partner relationships becomes essential as women determine what safety means to them and how to establish and maintain personal safety and self-care. TEP includes how to keep children safe from family perpetrators and preventing the victimization of children into the future. Identifying how they will be challenged in their every day life to maintain their personal regard for self, boundaries and safety helps women to be prepared with responding to these challenges.
Healing CSA Trauma: The final component of TEP is to encourage women to continue their healing by providing them information on what CSA recovery involves, methods for self-soothing, relaxation and self-nurturance, emotional healing and expression and information on healthy family characteristics. Women write a specific relapse prevention plan that includes substance use and victimization prevention and steps they will take to support their personal healing from the trauma of CSA.
Summary
TEP is a first-stage trauma recovery program for women with a focus on prevention and education. It is easily integrated into existing substance use treatment programs. It requires a professional staff committed and trained to work with women who have experienced CSA trauma and substance use disorders. Treatment programs that provide trauma based substance use programs for women will find a positive response among women who seek their services. Given the prevalence that one in three females have experienced some form of child sexual abuse before the age of seventeen an estimated 25.4 million women between the ages of 20 to 59 and 12.6 million female adolescents and children 19 years of age and younger have experienced this trauma. The hope is that with improved prevention education for parents and early intervention programs for families we can stop the intergenerational cycle of child sexual abuse and the substance use that frequently follows. Until then we must meet the growing need to address effectively the dual epidemic of child sexual abuse and substance use in the lives of women and girls.
References
Bifulco, A., Brown, G.E., and Adler, A. (1990). Early sexual abuse and clinical depression, British Journal of Psychiatry, 115-122.
Duncan, K. Healing from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Journey for Women. (Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2004).
Fullilove, M., Fullilove, R., Smith, M., Winkler, K., Michael. C., Panzer, P. and Wallace, R. (1993). Violence, Trauma, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Women Drug Users, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6:4, 533-543.
Gil-Rivas, V., Fiorentine, R., Anglin, M.D., and Taylor, E. (1997). Sexual and Physical Abuse: Do They Compromise Drug Treatment Outcomes? Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 14 (4), 351-358.
Grella, C. (1996). Background and Overview of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Systems: Meeting The Needs of Women Who Are Pregnant or Parenting. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Vol. 28 319-343.
Grice, D., Brady, K., Dustan, L., Malcolm, R. and Kilpatrick, D. (1995). Sexual and Physical Assault History and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Substance-Dependent Individuals. The American Journal On Addiction, 4:4, 297-305.
Herman, J. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Violence to Political Terror. (Basic Books: New York, 1997).
Kimerling, R., Ouimette, P. and Wolfe, J. (Eds.) Gender and PTSD. (Guilford Press: New York, 2002).
Kofoed, L., Friedman, M., and Peck, R. (1993). Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Patients with PTSD. Psychiatric Quarterly, 64:2, 151-171.
Najavits, L., Gastfriend, M., Barger, J., Reif, S., Muenz, L., Blaine, M., Frank, A., Crits-Christoph, P., Thase, M., and Weiss, R. (1998). Cocaine Dependence With and Without PTSD among Subjects in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155:2, 214-219.
Ouimette, P. and Brown, P. (Eds.) Trauma and Substance Abuse: Causes, Consequences and Treatment of Comorbid Disorders. (American Psychological Association: DC, 2003).
Rowan, A., and Foy, D. (1993). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Child Sexual Abuse Survivors: A Literature Review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6:1, 3-21.
Widom, C., and Hiller-Sturmhofel, S. (2001). Alcohol Abuse as a Risk Factor for and Consequence of Child Abuse. Alcohol Research and Health, 25:1, 52-57.
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A compassionate approach to healing childhood sexual abuse
by Karen A. Duncan, M.A., LMFT, LSW
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***Important Information***
"At last I can reveal my sufferings, for the strength I once felt in silence has lost all its power"
Deidra Sarault, poet
Healing and Recovery
Karen A. Duncan, M.A., LMFT, LSW
A Partnership in Healing:
Trauma Based Substance Use Treatment for Women
Experiencing Childhood Sexual Abuse
Trauma Based Substance Use Treatment
Childhood sexual abuse trauma (CSAT) is a primary causal factor identified in studies that link symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) for women. Given the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and SUD, it becomes imperative that trauma-based treatment is an inclusive component in SUD programs for women. A trauma-based program for women will need to be gender sensitive, approached in stages, able to assure safety from retraumatization and delivered by clinicians, counselors and medical staff trained in the female experience of CSA.
Trauma Education and Prevention (TEP)
Trauma Education and Prevention (TEP) is a protocol for women that I have developed in my clinical practice over the past twenty years. It is currently being expanded as a pilot program at the Indiana Women's Prison where the majority of women have experienced CSA and other interpersonal traumas and who are incarcerated due to illegal behavior related to substance use.
TEP focuses on education and prevention as a first stage treatment approach adaptable for use within a community based SUD treatment program for women. Trauma education and prevention is an approach that works well with women who are at different stages of recovery from the trauma of CSA, which is often the case when women are entering substance use treatment.
TEP includes six areas of trauma based treatment for women: screening and assessment for trauma, education about female victimization, understanding the prolonged problems from CSA and other interpersonal traumas, the relationship between CSA and substance use, development of a personal plan to prevent future victimization and a review of the overall recovery process to heal the trauma of CSA. Individual sessions are scheduled with women during the TEP program to help process certain aspects of CSA. At least three individual sessions are recommended during TEP.
TEP Screening and Initial Assessment
The TEP program screens for CSA and other interpersonal traumas while also screening for trauma symptoms that includes PTSD symptoms. It takes into consideration that women will present with the more pervasive problems associated with CSA such as substance use, eating disorders and chronic shock symptoms of anxiety, depression and dissociation rather than only PTSD symptoms. TEP recognizes that women do not always present with PTSD symptoms upon entering treatment, and if only PTSD is screened for, rather than specific traumas, then women experiencing CSA or other interpersonal traumas may be overlooked, their trauma symptoms are more likely to be misdiagnosed and other services they might need such as shelter from domestic violence are not identified and included in their aftercare plan.
TEP uses a trauma symptom checklist based on the prolonged problems women experience from CSA. Women complete the CSA-Trauma Symptom Checklist during their first group session. They also complete it again in order to help identify what they are experiencing as they diminish their use of substances. This checklist begins the identification process for women as they begin to make the connection between past traumas and current problems they are experiencing.
Screening for chronic shock symptoms (CSS) of anxiety, depression and dissociation also occurs as CSS often co-occur with substance use. Women report using alcohol and drugs to moderate and diminish symptoms of chronic shock. Assessment identifies if prescription medication is needed for depression and anxiety since these two CSS often increase once a woman begins to diminish her use of alcohol or other substances. Prescription medication is safest when prescribed within an inpatient program so that its use is monitored while a woman is learning to manage the cycle of depression and anxiety from CSA without using the specific substances that brought her to SUD trauma based treatment. If prescription medication was a pattern of substance use then inpatient monitoring becomes even more critical during a woman's first two weeks of trauma based SUD treatment.
When obtaining a woman's history of substance use it is important to ask about the relationship between substance use and child sexual abuse. For example, when the perpetrator(s) introduced the use of substances during or after the sexual abuse, or when a woman used substances to disengage from thoughts or feelings of the sexual abuse on a daily basis, will identify how a pattern of use began. These initial patterns of use can become a connection as to how she continues to use substances to disengage from stressful events. A woman begins to understand her pattern of use in relation to CSA she can learn how to self-soothe in other ways through overwhelming emotions or physical experiences of the sexual abuse that no longer harm her today.
The Group Format for TEP
Size, Length and Time Limit: The optimal group size recommended for TEP is five, which allows for safety, trust and time for discussion. Depending upon the experience, training, skill level and education of the counselor(s) with regard to childhood trauma recovery and working with women an upper limit of ten women is acceptable. It is beneficial to have at least three counselors trained in TEP and that all staff have training on the female experience of childhood sexual abuse trauma and other interpersonal traumas that women experience.
During an inpatient program, one topic of TEP is covered each day over a two-hour period for two weeks. Women have journals to use in-group and to write down questions and thoughts they might have in-between sessions. For an outpatient program, the format would be the same except that women would be meeting for two hours once a week and the group would meet over a six-week period. An aspect of gender sensitive treatment is the need that women have for childcare in order to attend trauma based SUD treatment. When childcare is not provided, a woman may leave treatment prior to completion.
Talking About Sexual Abuse: Women can benefit from a group process in a beginning stage of recovery from both CSA and SUD. However, it is important to identify that the nondisclosure of specific aspects of sexual, emotional and physical trauma that can cause retraumatization to other women be maintained. Disclosure of CSA is an individual process that occurs throughout recovery as a woman gains trust and confidence within the therapeutic relationship. Disclosure is a different process than the general acknowledgement that occurs in TEP. A general acknowledgement is often a first step for a woman that enables her to develop comfort in speaking about sexual abuse as she breaks the silence that has been a part of this trauma for a number of years. “I was sexually abused from age 5 to 11 by my older brother” is an example of a general acknowledgement that is acceptable, safe and encouraged in TEP. It includes information without including details of the specific acts of sexual abuse committed. It is important to remember that for most women this may be their first experience at acknowledging the sexual abuse. Therefore, written guidelines and specific examples on how the group is expect to share and talk about the sexual abuse is helpful and increases the likelihood of women feeling safe to share within the group process.
Boundaries for the Group: Boundaries within a therapeutic intervention are especially important for women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Boundaries allow the counselor to have control within the group while creating and modeling an attitude and environment of equality, compassion and respect within relationships. Boundaries center on confidentiality, not being asked intrusive questions and other areas that women identify they need to feel safe within the group.
A Woman's Trauma History: Women complete a social and family history in written form that includes questions about the sexual abuse and other interpersonal traumas which allows the trauma(s) to be understood within the context of a woman's life. The counselor then meets with a woman individually to clarify information or to ask general questions. These questions focus on a general understanding of when and where the traumas were experienced, what symptoms disrupt daily life and the relationship of the perpetrator when the trauma occurred and the relationship today.
A written approach to obtaining a woman's trauma history maintains the therapeutic boundary for the group. A woman can take this written history with her upon completing TEP. Ideally, a woman would transition into a trauma based outpatient program for SUD that would continue to provide her with both individual and group therapy and continue to support prevention from future traumas.
Prevention: Prevention is a key component of TEP. Prevention information allows women to make connections between current or past traumas. TEP helps women to understand the impact that CSA has had upon their choices, their relationships and the lack of safety they have experienced within their lives. The prevention component of TEP can be especially helpful in improving the safety of children whose mothers have experienced CSA. Mothers who have experienced CSA can also experience maternal attachment disorder. Maternal attachment disorder is a woman's inability to emotionally bond and connect to her child. Maternal attachment disorder is linked to an increase risk for a child to experience sexual abuse or other forms of childhood maltreatment and this risk increases if a mother is also using substances. The Right To Be Safe™: Adult Education in the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse is a key component of prevention education for women. This power point presentation is available free through the internet at www.theright2besafe.org. RTBS can be presented in written form to women as well.
Identifying how a woman's self-concept has been affected by CSA is a critical part of the prevention component of TEP. TEP supports a woman to build a more positive identity through the concrete actions she takes today. This step enables women to identify core issues that contribute to sustaining damaging relationships, identifies what decisions a woman can make today that will restore her self-esteem and create a positive life-sustaining female identity and culminates into the development of a written prevention plan that includes distancing from abusive and violent relationships.
Education: Education is a second key component and focus of TEP that includes four areas of focus. The first focus is to define the types of traumas that women experience, how CSA creates a traumatic pathway to other types of violence and the relationship between trauma, victimization and substance use. The impact of trauma is a second focus that includes how to recognize and self-manage specific trauma effects such as sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. An overview of how trauma affects memory and how women store, recall and experience memories of CSA. The somatic-sensory experience of CSA and how trauma is stored in the body is also presented.
A third focus is the diversity of prolonged problems associated with sexual trauma. The specific problems that women experience associated with their experience of CSA are identified for discussion during TEP. The specific problems are identified based upon the information women provide within their trauma histories. This approach allows for an individualized focus for each group that is relevant and meaningful for the individual women. The specific relationship between CSA and substance abuse is addressed where women identify their personal pattern of use and discuss their substance use within the context of CSA trauma.
The prevention of future victimization is the fourth focus that identifies the traumatic pathway that leads to future violence. It builds upon the prevention information provided earlier and helps to establish personal boundaries women need to maintain control of their lives and their personal safety. The redefining of family and partner relationships becomes essential as women determine what safety means to them and how to establish and maintain personal safety and self-care. TEP includes how to keep children safe from family perpetrators and preventing the victimization of children into the future. Identifying how they will be challenged in their every day life to maintain their personal regard for self, boundaries and safety helps women to be prepared with responding to these challenges.
Healing CSA Trauma: The final component of TEP is to encourage women to continue their healing by providing them information on what CSA recovery involves, methods for self-soothing, relaxation and self-nurturance, emotional healing and expression and information on healthy family characteristics. Women write a specific relapse prevention plan that includes substance use and victimization prevention and steps they will take to support their personal healing from the trauma of CSA.
Summary
TEP is a first-stage trauma recovery program for women with a focus on prevention and education. It is easily integrated into existing substance use treatment programs. It requires a professional staff committed and trained to work with women who have experienced CSA trauma and substance use disorders. Treatment programs that provide trauma based substance use programs for women will find a positive response among women who seek their services. Given the prevalence that one in three females have experienced some form of child sexual abuse before the age of seventeen an estimated 25.4 million women between the ages of 20 to 59 and 12.6 million female adolescents and children 19 years of age and younger have experienced this trauma. The hope is that with improved prevention education for parents and early intervention programs for families we can stop the intergenerational cycle of child sexual abuse and the substance use that frequently follows. Until then we must meet the growing need to address effectively the dual epidemic of child sexual abuse and substance use in the lives of women and girls.
References
Bifulco, A., Brown, G.E., and Adler, A. (1990). Early sexual abuse and clinical depression, British Journal of Psychiatry, 115-122.
Duncan, K. Healing from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Journey for Women. (Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2004).
Fullilove, M., Fullilove, R., Smith, M., Winkler, K., Michael. C., Panzer, P. and Wallace, R. (1993). Violence, Trauma, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Women Drug Users, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6:4, 533-543.
Gil-Rivas, V., Fiorentine, R., Anglin, M.D., and Taylor, E. (1997). Sexual and Physical Abuse: Do They Compromise Drug Treatment Outcomes? Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 14 (4), 351-358.
Grella, C. (1996). Background and Overview of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Systems: Meeting The Needs of Women Who Are Pregnant or Parenting. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Vol. 28 319-343.
Grice, D., Brady, K., Dustan, L., Malcolm, R. and Kilpatrick, D. (1995). Sexual and Physical Assault History and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Substance-Dependent Individuals. The American Journal On Addiction, 4:4, 297-305.
Herman, J. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Violence to Political Terror. (Basic Books: New York, 1997).
Kimerling, R., Ouimette, P. and Wolfe, J. (Eds.) Gender and PTSD. (Guilford Press: New York, 2002).
Kofoed, L., Friedman, M., and Peck, R. (1993). Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Patients with PTSD. Psychiatric Quarterly, 64:2, 151-171.
Najavits, L., Gastfriend, M., Barger, J., Reif, S., Muenz, L., Blaine, M., Frank, A., Crits-Christoph, P., Thase, M., and Weiss, R. (1998). Cocaine Dependence With and Without PTSD among Subjects in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155:2, 214-219.
Ouimette, P. and Brown, P. (Eds.) Trauma and Substance Abuse: Causes, Consequences and Treatment of Comorbid Disorders. (American Psychological Association: DC, 2003).
Rowan, A., and Foy, D. (1993). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Child Sexual Abuse Survivors: A Literature Review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6:1, 3-21.
Widom, C., and Hiller-Sturmhofel, S. (2001). Alcohol Abuse as a Risk Factor for and Consequence of Child Abuse. Alcohol Research and Health, 25:1, 52-57.
site design by Seung Lee
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