%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
Includes my personal journaling and works submitted to Mental Health Writers Alliance |
| One of my books... |
| Does anyone think it's funny besides me when I drop a Word document into my Writing.com site that the comma placements between the two are different? Keeps me on my toes. lol |
| “Goat Lady” Martha Allison, eighty-year-old matriarch and tough-minded pioneer reminisced. She felt old and tired sitting on the filthy divan covered in years of scrapes and stains, where cats and critters had left their marks. “Dirty Shirt” David Clark listened to Miz Allison. David, slow-speaking odd-jobber, gave Martha all the time she needed to tell her stories. He knew Martha’s stories and loved her rascally ways. He thought about that day when Martha earned her nickname, “Goat Lady”. David remembered when the billy goat jumped fences, stood off stray dogs, and strutted the main street like he was boss billy of the neighborhood. As a small farming and ranching community, the hardware store was the place for a chew or nip. One particular Saturday, the town’s men were gathered at the hardware store when the old billy goat jumped his fence. He walked straight down Main Street. Men at the hardware store hollered and threatened to slaughter and serve up the goat for dog food. The billy goat became annoyed. The noisy taunts opened the devil-eyes of the goat. In front of the hardware store, in the middle of the road, the billy goat stomped his hooves and his eyes glowed red. A man dressed in overalls and work boots took aim at the goat and spit a wad of tobacco towards the critter. Before any of the men could laugh, the goat charged with downturned head and horns. Billy scattered the men in every direction. One man jumped the hitching post. Another unfortunate fellow landed in the horse tank, and hardware store owner, well let’s just say, he bore the brunt of the attack. Billy caught the man’s britches with flashing horns and head-butted him through the store’s plate glass window The crazed store owner stood. In one hand, he carried a shotgun and with the other hand, he wiped the blood from his eyes. With the shotgun, he took aim at the billy goat standing on the wooden sidewalk. He took a shot at the nimble four-legged goat. He missed. The goat reared his hooves and took another run at him. And, again, the store owner crashed through another window. As the store owner pulled himself from the glass, Miz Allison strolled with umbrella raised, without concern, down the dusty street. Not realizing the store owner’s plight and the previous events, she walked to the goat, leashed her recalcitrant billy goat, and led him home to his pen without further incident. The goat was saved from the butcher shop, and the store owner was left with a shattered ego. The story grew into town legend. The goat became infamous. The store owner endured endless leg-pulling. Dirty Shirt David knew the story from Miz Allison’s telling and the town’s buzzing. The legend eclipsed time and Miz Allison became known as the “Goat Lady.” © Copyright 2018 Andie (andie4356 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved. |
| Forgiveness “Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, let’s go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well.” Wikipedia Forgiveness is a huge issue in one’s mental and physical health. It’s amazing how a negative feeling can cause physical and mental health pain in the heart and soul. Forgiving oneself and others can alleviate some of the pain. It’s important to let go of all the negativity and move on. In my life, the person who deserves forgiveness from me is me. I have worked hard at forgiving others but have failed to forgive myself for choices from the past. It’s amazing to me how hard I work to forgive those who hurt me but know that those that precipitated my pain still have no idea what they have done in my past. However, when it comes to forgiving myself for causing pain to others, I am much harder on myself. The hardest situation for me when it comes to forgiveness is the triangulation relationship between me, my mother and my daughter. It was all very complicated and sticky, and it still causes my daughter and me many depths of pain even after my mother’s passing. I feel that I have forgiven my mother and daughter, and wish my mother were here to talk about forgiving the past. What’s best for me is to know that forgiveness would be in her heart as it is in mine. Words I try to keep in my mind when thinking of the past hurts--“When you forgive, you have taken control of your life, rather than being a victim of it.” Meaningful Life Center. |
| Fear is a monster Like living in a brown paper bag without light, fear is suffocating. Like fighting and clawing to escape; like giving up and lay dying, fear sucks the air from lungs and paralyzes limbs, or opens a path to frenzied reckoning. The fight or flight mechanism, one reaction or the other, rules the mind with fright. Sometimes one runs; and, sometimes one freezes. As the poet, philosopher Anais Nin wrote, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” At times one expands with courage, then, at other times, one falls into fear’s spell and deflate. Fear is a monster. I live with the monster every day. It’s dark and ugly as in the depths of Hell. My mind implodes into itself. Fear blocks my thoughts from the creativity I crave. Fear cripples me and causes alarm bells in my heart pounding a galloping rhythm. Fear triggers my eyes to widen; makes the bright lights brighter, the dark colors black. My mouth becomes so dry that I worry I won’t speak again. Words I want to say but can’t. I can say that fear is a monster. |
| Just a short note to let my readers know that I will be out of town visiting my daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandson in Missoula, Montana. Beautiful daughter, beautiful city. Anyway, I will miss a couple of opportunities to write my blog, but it shall survive without me...lol. I hope all is well with the readers of this blog. |
| Virtual Reality Therapy is not a new treatment for PTSD or phobias but is not well known. Until recently the cost has been prohibitive. With the onset of Artificial Intelligence research, costs have become more affordable. And, also, the use of electronic headgear and portable VR units have become more available. I researched the VRT topic because of my experience with PTSD and social phobia. As with any new treatment, the expense and availability are prohibitive. I am not sure if insurance companies cover any expense for this treatment. Using artificial intelligence this type of immersion or exposure therapy utilizes specialized headgear to inundate information to the brain that will cause or desensitize a reaction. Psychology Today states that using VT exposure can produce, “Virtual environments (that) have been designed to provide visual, auditory, tactile, vibratory, vestibular, and olfactory stimuli to patients in highly controlled settings.” I don’t know if this therapy would be for me because I tend to become anxious when my eyes are covered. There is not enough raw data to justify Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for everyone, but results have shown that virtual exposure in combat situations for soldiers with PTSD is promising. VRT reduced PTSD symptoms in combatants who do not respond to conventional exposure therapy. So, it seems that conventional treatments are tried first with VRT as a follow-up. However, some research shows that desensitization techniques with VRT is equal to or better than comparable cognitive behavioral therapies. From what I have read in Psychology Today, VRT has many potential uses. Psychological and physiological exposure to triggers can bring on episodes of phobic reactions by overstimulation but the VRT can help overcome some of those triggers. . For those of us who experience reactions to phobias, panic attacks, and other severe anxiety disorders can eventually combine VRT with biofeedback in outpatient settings or in the patient’s home along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, relaxation and mind-body practices, and appropriate medications. There are a few concerning negative reactions such as dizziness, blurry vision, and lightheadedness. Overall, I see practical uses for this therapy, but it may not be something I would use. |
| The Therapy Animal in my Life My therapy dog is a 15-year-old female Pomeranian, lotsa long hair with wolf sable coloring. Dani is her name, and I have had her since she was a puppy. She has been a lifesaver ever since. Dani is now blind and diabetic. I give her shots twice daily and she is so good about it. It is difficult for me to see her so dependent on me, but we have had many good years and adventures. Dani was my hiking and camping buddy for many years. She would ride in a backpack, but more often I could see her running ahead of me on the trail. One time we needed to cross a small creek. The only way to do that without getting wet was to walk across a fallen log. Well, I traversed the running water without problem, and sure enough, right behind me was this little dog trotting on the log with confidence and pride. Dani is a good therapy dog for me. She is the reason I get out of the house, and she is one of the reasons that I feel affection. Now, that she is an elderly dog with handicaps, I feel responsible for keeping her comfortable and happy. She is a great little dog. When she is not sleeping, she walks around the house bumping into walls and furniture but doesn’t seem to care. She keeps on smiling. So, a therapy dog has been good for me, and when the time comes I will take my time to replace her. I can’t imagine being without a pal by my side. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
.