Jun
26
2008
Irena was a Polish social worker and member of the Polish underground and Zegota, the Polish underground anti-Holocaust resistance. She rescued about 2,500 Jewish infants and children from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. Pretending to be a nurse entering the ghetto to check for diseases, she would leave with infants in suitcases, in her clothing, under bags or even in coffins…anyway she could to save their lives.
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Apr
16
2008
Here are some journaling or structured writing exercises to provide a little inspiration or guidance:
- What would you like to see improved about your life right now?
- Describe yourself and your family. Go back as far as you can and describe grandparents, greatgrandparents and other extended family. Draw a genogram or what looks like a family tree to create a picture of your family. For an example of a genogram, look here.
- Who were you closer to growing up, your mother, father, siblings, grandparents, others? Explain why you think you were closer to these family members and not the others.
- What emotional messages did you receive from your parents, family, teachers, others? Pay attention to the feeling of the message. Note that people can say they care about you in words, but the feeling can be very different.
- Create a timeline of significant events in your life. Focus on all events that you can remember, including times when you may have been mistreated, neglected or abused. For an excellent example of a family therapy timeline, go here.
- If you wrote a 3-4 word slogan to describe yourself, what would it be?
- You are stranded on an island, but can bring 10 items and 3 people to be with you. What and who would you bring? Why?
- If you drink or use other drugs, when wasthe first time you drank or used?
- Describe your history of alcohol and other substances. Focus on what role substances play in your life.
- Go here to the Alcohol Assessment website and complete the questionaire.
- What did you learn about yourself and your use of alcohol?
- For another questionaire, go here and complete the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test.
- What old or new information did you learn about your use of alcohol or other substances.
- Describe times when you felt like you may have been mistreated or neglected. Who, what, where and when.
- Draw a line. On either end of the line, write the words really special or unworthy. How do you feel about yourself? Put a mark on the line that describes where you are on the continuum.
- Imagine you can do your life over. What would you change?
- Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years?
- Describe how you would like to die? Who would be there? What would happen?
- What secrets do you keep? Describe the pros and cons of maintaining these secrets.
- Do you feel trapped in your life? Why or why not?
- If you have certain problems to face, do you think you have the power to change things or do you feel powerless?
- In the privacy of your own thoughts or writing, describe your feelings about sexuality and your sexual experiences. Have you ever felt mistreated sexually in any way? Have you ever been the victim of sexual harassment or any other behavior which made you feel uncomfortable?
More later….
Apr
10
2008
Train to Jordon, baggage, faith, tickets are key words/concepts with deep symbolic meaning in the lyrics of Mayfield’s song, People Get Ready.
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Apr
10
2008
People get ready, there’s a train comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
You don’t need no ticket you just thank the lord
People Get Ready
Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions 1964
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Apr
02
2008
How long can this culture and society we have created endure?
Sustainability is a concept we should all study and integrate into our lives. It refers to the ability of human life, relationships, and larger eco-systems to survive over time.
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Apr
01
2008
Narcissistic people are like emotional vampires because if you get too involved with them, they leave you feeling emotionally drained and burned out. How to spot an emotional vampire….
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Apr
01
2008
If you feel exhausted and burned out dealing with your colleagues at work, (or anywhere) then it is likely they are narcissists or have those self focused qualities. Here are some questions to help you evaluate your situation:
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Mar
31
2008
Narcissus was the young man in Greek mythology who was doomed to die worshipping his own reflection in a pool, even though men and women loved him intensely.
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Mar
31
2008
Freud gave us the term Narcissism to describe those people who tend to have little insight about the impact of their selfish, self-absorbed, and dominating behavior on others.
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