by Christine Hammond on February 27, 2018
Dolores recently lost her father to complications related to Alzheimer’s. Over the past ten years, she watched her dad deteriorate and become a shell of his former self. By the end, he did not know who she was, could not dress, and was on a soft food diet to minimize choking. She grieved his loss… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 8, 2017
The verbal and mental abuse that Michelle experienced during her 15 years of marriage was extreme. After a drawn-out divorce, Michelle was finally free from the daily assaults. She believed that leaving would be the hardest part of the battle, but it wasn’t. A constant barrage of abusive thoughts and intense emotions still flooded her;… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on July 15, 2017
Some abuse is obvious: a punch to the face, name-calling, guilt-tripping, physical isolation, and neglect. But others are done in a more calculated, secretive manner. Yet, they can be just as damaging. Even more significant is when the abuse is conducted within a coordinated group setting. This causes the target to feel like it is… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 12, 2017
Sorting, packing, transporting, unpacking, and organizing all your belongings can be a daunting task. The process takes much longer than anticipated as decisions about the status of each item can be made several times before finalizing. It drains mental, emotional, and of course physical energy leaving a person exhausted. Most moves are predicated by some… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 11, 2017
Being diagnosed with a personality disorder can be discouraging at first. But if a person has to have one, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is the best. Of all the disorders, BPD has the highest rate of mindfulness and is even marked as having the ability to fully recovery. No other personality disorder can claim such… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on November 12, 2016
As a mom with a child in the military, every time a news story breaks of a military death, my heart and breathing literally stop. It doesn’t matter what branch, location/country, circumstance, on base, off base, or in the line of duty, life comes to a screeching halt. A flood of emotions takes over any… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on September 9, 2016
Highly sensitive people (HSP) are so aware of their surroundings that even the slightest change in mood, tone, or temperature is noted. They have a unique ability to sense the emotions of others, absorb the feelings, empathize deeply, and are keenly aware of how to make things better. As natural perfectionists, not for the benefit… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 23, 2016
The short answer is yes. Breaking news tends to be highly dramatic, less specific, emotionally driven, and very current. Just this past week, our area’s breaking news included: bomb threats at several area schools, fatal car accidents, several homicides, the discovery of a burnt body, missing child, severe child abuse charges pressed against parents, and… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 1, 2016
Teenagers are notorious for their emotional mood swings. The extreme reaction of “I love you,” and “I hate you,” (sometimes happening within a few minutes) is enough to drive most parents crazy. To cope, many parents ignore their own emotions in an effort to try to manage their teen. Overtime, this develops into a pattern… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 7, 2015
The conversation with your narcissistic spouse starts with good intentions over some issue needing to be addressed. Knowing the propensity of overreaction, you gently proceed. At first, your spouse takes everything in stride so you relax. You let your guard down. Then it happens. An insignificant comment (not the main point) suddenly ignites a firestorm…. (more…)