by Christine Hammond on May 25, 2017
The path to healing after an abusive marriage is more like a winding mountain road than a straight line. Just when a person thinks they are moving forward, the road makes a sharp turn backward. Sometimes the best way to illustrate the journey is through a story. Here is Michelle’s route. After 25 years of… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 18, 2017
The phrase “toxic relationship” is thrown around quite a bit in our culture. But what really defines a toxic relationship? And how can a person know they are in the middle of one? Fortunately there are early warning signs. Yet it is unfortunate that are frequently overlooked in exchange for attention, affection, excitement, and the… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 16, 2017
The road to recovery is paved first with good intentions then morphs into hard work, determination, resolve, and commitment. Good intentions can start the process but it is not enough to complete it. Imagine a stretch of highway on a flat road that is far easier to pave than it is to engineer a bridge… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 13, 2017
There is a lot of talk about dysfunctional moms: those who harm their children, fail to parent, or even over parent. But not so much attention is paid to those moms who are excellent. Some are capable by instinct, others have good modeling from other moms, and others learn from the mistakes of others. These… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 11, 2017
There is a lot of crossover between Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). They share some of the same characteristics yet the underlying needs and motivations are extremely different. For a person unfamiliar with the subtitles, this can be quite confusing. Without an accurate understanding of the two, it is easy to… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 6, 2017
I stopped by a home improvement store this morning to pick up a few things for an after work project. Unable to find what I needed, a sales associate guided me to the right place and assisted in selecting the needed products. A casual comment led to an enlightening and engaging conversation with the sales… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 6, 2017
One of the defining characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a lack of accurate perception of reality. The narcissist sees the world through a self-absorbed lens in which they are the stars and others are there to support and serve them. Those attracted to the narcissist are dazzled by the superficial self-confidence, convincing opinions, charming… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 6, 2017
It’s a toss-up between who is more confused: millennials because the world does not work the way they envision it should or other generations because they don’t understand how millennials think. All of the extra attention, special treatment, and emotional support that parents gave their kids have not resulted in a more productive generation but… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 6, 2017
A person with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has an intense fear of abandonment, demonstrates dangerous and impulsive behaviors, has unstable personal relationships, and experiences extreme emotions. They can have severe depression, anger, anxiety, or rage followed by substance abuse and self-harming behaviors. Yet, they can be the most passionate loving people who are highly sensitive… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 6, 2017
The goal of parenting teenagers is to raise fully functioning adults by 18 years old. The age is predetermined by the legal system that declares a person an adult at that age. Therefore, regardless of the emotional maturity of person, they need to be equipped to accept adult responsibility at 18. The problem is that… (more…)