Mental Health Resource
Our goal is to bring people together around the issues of addictions by providing concise, up-to-date information and a meeting place for patients, their friends and families, and professionals who offer pathways to recovery. www.psyweb.com
Participate in a Research Study
If you have experienced the death of a loved one in the past ten years and are over eighteen years old, we invite you to participate in a brief online study of the ways that individuals make sense of and find meaning in loss. All participants will be entered in a raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Amazon.com.
Your participation will contribute to a better understanding of grief and loss. The researchers, Dr. Brian Vandenberg, and Rachel Hibberd, are most grateful for your time and help in completing the study. If you have any questions, please e-mail rhibberd@umsl.edu. The study has been approved by the Institutional Review board of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Click here to participate:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2DTKDZ9
Book Corner
About Grief: Insights, Setbacks, Grace Notes, Taboos [Hardcover]
About Grief is a refreshingly down-to-earth book about an issue that blindsides many people. Written in a warm and conversational way that is, at times, deeply moving, at times, surprisingly amusing, and always practical, it covers a wide range of issues facing people in grief. Marasco and Shuff have done the footwork for readers who wish to know more about this complex subject. Using a variety of sources, including books, films, music and many hours spent talking with people in grief, the authors distill their candid insights into a series of short, single-topic-essays that can be easily digested in one sitting--a format they found grieving people preferred. This is not a book written by clinicians, so there's no cold jargon. It's not a memoir of one individual's grief, so it has something for everyone. And it's not a self-peddling inspirational book. It's a wise, plain-spoken, comforting book about an intimidating topic. As one reader recently said of About Grief: "Reading this book is like having a smart, entertaining friend around--at a time when you really need one."
Word Cloud
Funeral Wreaths
How Do You Handle A Crisis of Faith?
I had a major crisis of faith last month. It was ugly. I kept telling myself I needed to find the time to be still. That I had to get quiet so I could pray and affirm the truth. But there was a part of me that resisted. And, for a while, it was stronger than my will to be at peace.
I hadn’t sat in front of my beautiful altar in almost two weeks. I had excuses out the wazoo but the bottom line is I hadn’t done it. Finally, I forced myself to sit down and enjoy my beautiful rock water fountain, light my candles and be enveloped by the scent of my favorite incense. And I began to receive tremendous gifts of astute awareness.
There are many different levels of awareness. For almost a month, I had a murmuring awareness of how I was slipping into negativity. I was mildly cognizant that I was complaining more. I was taking every experience, acknowledging the positive, then adding “But . . .” I was feeling like every decision I made was the wrong one. And I was overwhelmed with the fear that I was a fool for leaving my financially secure job to pursue finishing and publishing my novel.
It was like my soul was battling with some evil troll for control of my thoughts. Soon, instead of straddling the fence between faith and fear, I found myself in a place I had not allowed myself to remain in for more than a day or so in quite some time. And it felt awful.
But TRUTH is stronger than fear. And my spirit, demanding to be heard, guided me to the pillows in front of the peaceful space I created for myself, sat my butt down on the pillows in front of my altar and spoke the truth:
My perfect path is unfolding before me now. I am always taken care of.
The peace of God/dess that surpasses all understanding guards my heart and mind.
I started to feel better immediately. If you feeling like you’re slipping into a place of negativity, take the time to become “astutely” aware of your truth. It’s a beautiful gift to give yourself and the only way to be at peace.
Copyright © 2000 by Staci Backauskas. All rights reserved.
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