A Very Short but Enlightening Poem {TRIGGER WARNING} — Hurt People Hurt People The Mama was crazy, the Daddy was mean The kids all turned out somewhere right in between From dawn until dusk the whole family would yell The sounds from their house were like demons in hell The neighbors were too scared to ask for some quiet The landlord tried selling, but…

Do you have an anxious attachment style? Have you had your current partner or another partner be disloyal in the past, but you and your partner are doing really well now and your intention is to let all that old stuff go and move forward? If so, here’s something that really helps me… — Remember: You and your parter are not enemies. You love each other. Remember that. Not enemies. **Unless you’re stuck in a case of abuse, narcissism, other extreme dysfunction, or infidelity** then generally speaking, the two of you are a team. …

Nothing feels worse than losing emotional control; here’s how to get (and keep!) hold of the reins. It’s not good for your heart to panic. Help yourself before it gets too far... — Once upon a time, my entire life felt like a panic attack. The type of cancer I had caused copious amounts of adrenaline and cortisol to pump into my bloodstream, 24/7. This meant I was in panic 24/7, as well — with or without any coexisting mental or emotional factors…

The sixth story in a series of (too) many. This is the account of what it’s like to be raised to accept sexual violation…and what that’s like when it suddenly gets EVEN WORSE. Much worse. — NOTE: If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 or part 5 of this anthology, feel free to begin, here. Growing Up with My Father. Chapter 3. Despite my growing history of multiple violations — including the extreme discomfort of my father’s eyes (and words) constantly roving my…

The fifth story in a series of (too) many. Thank God they’re short! This is the account of what it’s like to have someone physically injure me while attempting rape… — NOTE: If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading part 1, part 2, part 3 and/or part 4 of this anthology, feel free to begin, here. Jimmy the Injured Quarterback I was now a sophomore in high school, having just barely risen above total social annihilation following the Justin situation.

The fourth story in a series of (too) many. This is the account of what it’s like to be raped by a family friend… — NOTE: If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading part 1, part 2 and/or part 3 of this anthology, feel free to begin, here. Justin, the “Friend” from Church By the way… I don’t mind keeping the names of these people the same as the real person. So if you know (or are) this…

The third story in a series of (too) many. This is the account of what it’s like to be raised by a pedophile… — NOTE: If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading part 1 and/or part 2 of this anthology, feel free to begin, here. Growing Up with My Father. Chapter 2. As I grew into young womanhood — especially as the first child in our family — I felt increasingly aware of the way my father stared at…

The second story in a series of (too) many. This is the account of what it’s like to be raised as a victim of sexual violation… — NOTE: If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading my ramblings in Part 1, where I digress many times and hem and haw and tiptoe… until I finally start writing (because OMG who wants to dive right into the deep end when the water is clearly cold and filled…

Alternate Title: This is Me Removing the “RAPE ME” Sign Taped to My Back — A note up front: This topic is heavy and even though I often write with pretty rainbow sprinkles of satire and humor, there’s not a whole lot of that to be found here. Please be aware of your own levels of trigger tolerance. I do promise to add a heaping…