• divorcing
    abuse,  Adversity,  dissociation,  Narcissism,  narcissist,  narcissistic abuse,  narcissists

    Divorce and Your Abuser: Taking the Long Road Home

    Divorce is not the short cut society pretends it is.  I am a person who likes to be efficient with my energy so I am always looking for life hacks. But God, despite my preferences, has led me the long way round over and over.  I am currently reading through the Bible through the eyes of John Wesley, truly an exercise in taking the long way. But reading through Exodus 13, I finally understood why it was that my routes through life appear so circuitous. The Hebrews are preparing themselves for an escape from slavery. They make their preparations and sacrifices. And Jehovah leads them in a puzzling direction.                …

  • depersonalization
    Anxiety,  Mental Health,  mindfulness,  Self,  Self-Acceptance

    Depersonalization: Living Apart from Ourselves

    Depersonalization and derealization according to the definition that pops up in my Google feed: …involves a persistent or recurring feeling of being detached from one’s body or mental processes, like an outside observer of one’s life (depersonalization), and/or a feeling of being detached from one’s surroundings (derealization). Most people have episodes of depersonalization that occur sporadically throughout their lives. It is only when these are prolonged and begin to interfere with every day functioning that the professionals get involved. My observations on this topic are personal and not professional, though I have helped quite a few people identify and move through this phenomenon in ministry. The experts tell us that…

  • Post Narcissist Stress Disorder
    healing,  Narcissism,  PTSD,  Self Awareness

    Post Narcissist Stress Disorder: 3 Signs You Suffer

    Post Narcissist Stress Disorder is a relatively new addition to the DSM. It is also an ironic one, given that Narcissistic Personality Disorder was removed from the same volume in 2013 to the protests of the majority of psychologists who know anything about the disorder. But academics aside, Post Narcissistic Stress Disorder is a diagnosis here to stay. The narcissists who abound in today’s society will see to it. The emotional trauma one endures with a narcissist is severe. Some survivors must struggle with symptoms similar to soldiers returning from war. The levels of abuse endured in a relationship with a narc can cause traumas as severe, though without the…