When facing the dark specter of burnout it can feel impossible to extricate yourself from your work focus. If you can only give what you’ve got, then what is the cost of serving others when your own reserves are depleted? …
Read more →
Ask Amanda
Feelings of being broken and dirty, due to abuse, both lend themselves to a desire to hide away in isolation. Survivors can feel as if other people are able to tell what has happened to them by the way they …
Read more →
Have you struggled to find the “right way,” or the strength, to say, “No?” Trying to regulate the reactions and emotions of others is a common trait for those who have survived trauma and abuse. We were taught that we …
Read more →
The isolation of abuse made us feel like we were trapped in an aquarium. We felt exposed and vulnerable to the judgment of others. Meanwhile, from behind the walls of our glass cage, we watched the lives of others pass …
Read more →
Vulnerability can be scary, especially if we’ve been rejected or attacked when we’ve opened ourselves to others. Many of us seek to build a fortress of protection around ourselves to ward against the threat of attack. We go to extremes, …
Read more →
We’ve been taught that we’re not allowed to feel angry. We’re told that if we are angry we’ll harm ourselves or others. We’ve been called names and told we’re crazy and unstable if we’re angry. Societal and cultural norms seek …
Read more →
Recently I passed along the below resource while speaking with a representative from a well known global media outlet at SXSW who was lamenting difficulties in navigating the oft times precarious pathway of international negotiations. Linguist and cultural anthropologist Richard …
Read more →
Facing the winter holidays can be daunting to anyone, especially if you’re exhausted and nearing burn-out. The looming specter of faking holiday cheer is cringeworthy at best, particularly whilst trying to keep the peace if the voices inside your head …
Read more →A reader writes in asking for guidance in how to raise children in a situation where one of the parents is in active addiction. Amanda Lee introduces the reader to the concept that alcoholism does not only affect the alcoholic, but …
Read more →Dear Amma-Lee, I was raised in part by my grandparents in a violent, alcoholic, abusive home. When my grandfather died (sexual and physical abuser) 4 years ago, I felt relief and thought I moved on with my life. I don’t remember …
Read more →