Mental Health
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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…
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Four Ways We Gaslight Ourselves after Abuse
By now, most people realize that to gaslight someone is to attempt to separate them from a core belief in themselves and their reality. In a genuine gaslighting situation, an abuser will often say things like Are you sure that is how it happened? I don’t remember it that way. Or perhaps it will go like this: I think you took my words just a little too seriously. You are just too sensitive and don’t know how to take a joke. In extreme situations, the abuser suggests that something is really wrong with the victim, that they need professional help. I am pretty familiar with this phenomenon because my narcissistic ex…
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Eight Signs You Need Counseling
Just the word, counseling, often has a negative effect on people, I have noticed. If you want to cause a defensive reaction in someone, suggest gently and without any judgment, they would benefit from counseling. Immediately they hear only something is wrong with me. Then wait for the litany of various reasons why counseling will not work or has not worked in the past. Counseling is too expensive, time-consuming, and doesn’t help them. They know someone who went to counseling and boy, did that counselor mess them up. I have even heard the excuse that God, as our Wonderful Counselor, did not endorse other counseling, despite the many verses in…
