by Christine Hammond on February 27, 2018
“I never want to see you again,” Marie shouted to her husband as she slammed the door on the way out. Adam stood still wondering if she would immediately turn around as she had so many times before or if she would dramatically wait. Either way, he was no longer going to nervously run after… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on January 6, 2018
As a teenager, Melanie was diagnosed as bi-polar after one of her psychiatric inpatient stays. She was told the several different medications would help curb her tendencies towards high risk behaviors. It did not. Rather, the medications made her more angry and anxious, so she stopped taking them all together. She would go for months… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 31, 2017
As I was headed towards a parking lot after leaving a downtown office, I witnessed a woman be struck by a pick-up truck no more than 10 feet in front of me. She walked onto on-coming traffic on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph. The driver did not expect her to be… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
Divorce is hard. No healthy person enters into a marriage for the sole purpose of getting a divorce. Marriage is designed to be a long-term loving commitment between two people. But each person brings baggage into the marriage which can cause one or both spouses to act out inappropriately. Prolonged, unrepentant damage often leads to… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
Some people truly believe that everyone is out to get them. They have baseless suspicions of family, friends, co-workers, the trash man, the police, or even the cashier at the grocery store intentionally harming them. They imagine hostile conversations and project their irrational fears as real motives of others. When confronting the accusations, they insist… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
An expectation can be positive or negative, realistic or unrealistic, about behavior or performance, increase anxiety or relieve stress, and result in disappointment or surprise. There are two sources of expectations: internal and external. Internal expectations are rooted in beliefs, grounded by experience, and flourish through thoughts. In contrast, others impose external expectations based on… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
Whether the child is 2 or 17 years old, the worst parenting mistake a parent can make is not listening. This presents in a variety of formats. Not listening to their boundaries. When the child has said they don’t want to talk anymore, listen and give them a break. They might need time to process… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
Ten years ago, our 8 year old son watched a movie about skydiving and immediately wanted to do it. A quick internet search revealed he needed to be 18 years old before he could jump, providing me with much relief. Thinking there was a lot of time for him to change his mind I agreed… (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 October 8, 2017
Hurricane Irma tore though Florida five to seven days ago, depending on where a person lived. Since then, in the Orlando area alone, there are still nearly ½ million people, businesses and schools without power, even more without any internet service, and countless others without land-line phone service. Some businesses are fully operational while others… (more…)