True Self Journey Blog

Actively Engage with the Serenity Prayer (and a few bonus versions)

  Whether or not you’re in 12-step recovery, you’ve likely heard of the Serenity Prayer. The original version (see below) is attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, but the shortened version is...
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Letter to Myself (Or Anyone) Just Starting Therapy - Part 2

Recently I thought about what I'd want to say to myself when I was just starting therapy. If I knew then, what I know now about the journey of healing...
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Letter to Myself (or Anyone) Just Starting Therapy - Part 1

You’ve spent your life until now not talking about anything. Hiding your thoughts, feelings, and memories from everyone—including yourself. And you had to do things that way to survive.  You’ve...
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Thoughts on Reading Mother Hunger

Those of us who’ve had a difficult and complicated relationship with our mothers carry deep heartache. There is a wound inside that is difficult to name.  One of the best...
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Take Time to Reflect

  I’m big on reflection. It’s important to check in on where you’ve been, what’s happening now, and where you’re headed. One definition of reflection is ‘careful consideration’. That’s my...
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6 Ideas for Navigating the Holiday Season

It’s December. Some of you reading this feel dread in your body as the month approaches. In our culture, December (regardless of faith tradition) tends to bring the pressure to...
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11 Tools For Your Trauma Recovery Toolbox

As you engage in trauma recovery through therapy, 12-Step fellowships, and other means, it’s helpful to have a recovery toolbox—an accessible catalog of resources  to support your recovery—that is readily...
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The Power of Community in Recovery

The following excerpt from the primary text of the fellowship of Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA), commonly known as the Big Red Book, expresses the beauty of...
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