Everything is Not a Catastrophe
Jill and Karen are both interesting and fun women but they respond to life’s challenges in very different ways. Jill sees every little thing as a catastrophe (the worst thing that could happen). As a result, her face becomes flushed, she clenches her fists and the...
Change a Word, Change a Thought
I had to think about “every little word” and its meaning in the first years after my electrocution. Because my heart was not functioning for a span of time, it wasn’t sending oxygen to my brain. The result for me was a situation called Visual Agnosia; which basically...
Why Our Hearts Need Other Hearts
We are naturally social creatures. We come into the world by way of a social system; a family. From that day forward we experience all kinds of social relationships, in our neighborhoods schools, jobs, churches, and in our daily communications. So when we read that...
Seems Like No One Cares Anymore
She said…“it feels like no one cares that I’m going through this anymore.” Shelia’s words remind me of how lonely a period of illness and healing can be. A long illness can bring up unexpected and complicated emotions in the people around you. Usually, neither patient...
What Are You Worth To Yourself?
We usually don’t care for anything unless we see its worth to us. Think about the basics of worth; what's a car worth if we can't drive it? Nothing...so we change the oil and make sure it has gas. Then it brings us value. But what about our worth to ourselves? I've...
Depression and Heart Disease Common Companions
The surgery is over and you are trying to get back into your life but you're overwhelmed with feelings of sadness or depression. Did you know that research over the last two decades has shown that depression and heart disease are common companions? Studies show that...
Disease, Love or Empathy?
I was eight years old when I was electrocuted. And, like most children who develop empathy for teddy bears and imaginary friends, I developed tremendous empathy for my heart. I felt sorry for my heart. I believed that my poor little heart must have felt all the pain...
What We Know and What We Do
Most of us can tolerate some physical pain, some emotional pain, some anxiety and some chaos BUT we usually don't seek medical care or therapy until we hit our threshold and the pain has become unbearable. We avoid thinking that it's time to act because if we don't...
