This post was written for YOU! If you are reading this right now, please believe me when I tell you that you are important and that you are worthy of love. You, just by being you, are unique and you are enough. There is nothing that you or anyone else could say or do that … Read More
Have you heard of the Universe giving you three signs and when you see them, you need to listen? And listen hard. Shorts, bathing suit, dress for formal night, heels, check, check, check, check. Travel toothbrush, um, ah, dang it! Okay, keep going. Lipstick, check. I reach for my cosmetic bag in which to pack … Read More
As a trauma therapist, I spend a lot of time educating people about how we got ourselves into the pickle of using a specific behavior to solve life problems. All the while now knowing that those behaviors aren’t working for us any more and counting to do them. It might have worked brilliantly to get … Read More
I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office one day and overheard a woman talking about addiction…how it “impacts everyone” and how the addict “just keeps on using”. How she wanted to go to “those meetings” and tell “those addicts” just how badly they hurt others; how they need to listen to … Read More
In a recent interview with ABC News Viola Davis made a comment that took the world by surprise and hit all to close to home for so many of us. Davis, who has won an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony for her work said “I still feel like I’m going to wake up and … Read More
An addict can come to The Refuge and spend months, maybe even years, and do every assignment, attend every group and process their past trauma until their lips fall off, but they will still need to work hard at their recovery every day, starting the moment they leave our property. In my experience, it seems that once … Read More
I recently had the opportunity to train an amazing group of professionals at a hospital in eastern Oregon, and it had me driving right through the town where I grew up! I decided to take a little detour through the main drag (about a 5-minute endeavor) to enjoy a little nostalgia. When you drive through my … Read More
By: Angela Smith Therapist, The Refuge – a Healing Place Inner Child therapy is vital in understanding how we have become who we are. The first thing I tell anyone approaching inner child work, is that it is NOT about blaming, it is about understanding. Our experiences in childhood have an impact on who we … Read More
“Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .” C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves I have years of education, months of additional and specialized training and my own personal experiences in recovery from addiction and childhood trauma, but to some clients, I’m just … Read More
There is one thing the media and sports fans love: A comeback story. We’ve all seen the pieces: dramatic music, flashes of childhood pictures, a high school coach or two talking about “raw talent!” Fast forward to times of trouble, flashes of news clippings reporting an athlete’s DUI, public misconduct, violent behavior or all-around misbehaving. … Read More
