Category: Inspiration and Encouragement

Courtney’s video for Open to Hope

Courtney had the privilege of being invited to share a short video on six steps to heal from grief to peace with the Open to Hope project. Click “read more” to see the video and learn more about Open to Hope.

Return to Freedom: Combat Veteran Defeats PTSD

Last week, I had the honor of working with an Iraq war combat veteran who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the war and suffered severe flashbacks.Here this guy dedicates his life to fighting for our freedom, and now PTSD had imprisoned him. I was totally dedicated to this mission to fight for his freedom now. Read how we did it here.

9-11 attacks bring trauma, inspire altruism

Mary Silver recently wrote an excellent article titled “September 11 Attacks Bring Trauma, Inspire Altruism.” She interviewed Courtney among others about how people have coped since the attacks.  Click the link below to read the full article:  http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/september-11-attacks-bring-trauma-inspire-altruism-61280.html  

Recovering the Lost Self

After a major loss or other traumatic event, you could feel as if you’ve changed permanently and will never return to be who you once were. You can feign joy, hope, or humor for your friends, but deep down it can feel like only a hard, bitter shell of who you are remains. Many people [...]

Three things Ric Elias learned while his plane crashed

Get my new book and help the Red Cross!

Did you know there have been many recent advances in the effective treatment of complicated and traumatic grief that have not been featured in the mainstream literature? Well, I’ve been working feverishly over the last six months to put these together in a book I’ve written called, Transforming Traumatic Grief: Six Steps to Move from [...]

“All I wanted was a trophy!”

Recently in the media, there has been so much focus on horror and destruction around our world. Seeing such images over and over again can make us feel helpless. But, aren’t you more uplifted, inspired, and motivated when you hear stories of how people are helping one another, creatively surviving, and coming up with innovative ways to get through these tragedies?

The Beauty of Solitude

Just want to honor single folks on Valentine’s day, acknowledging the gifts of being alone and enjoying one’s own company. This film by Andrea Dorfman featuring poet/songwriter Tanya Davis is absolutely beautiful and uplifting! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs&w=640&h=390]

Meditation produces brain change in just 8 weeks: Implications for trauma treatment

Need more incentive to meditate? A recent study measured positive changes in brain regions associated with memory, empathy, and stress after just 8 weeks of daily meditation practice.

Jon Stewart’s Reaction to the Arizona Shooting

I greatly appreciated Jon Stewart’s touching and honest commentary regarding the impact the Arizona shooting had on our country. Although people are tempted to blame politicians, let’s not make this a political event. Let’s put our energy into things that would be of benefit to those who were harmed by this tragedy, rather than waste energy churning anger and blame. Let’s focus on the amazing kindness and heroics witnessed during this event that are a testament to our unity of spirit, rather than focus on things that divide us.