What does it take to be authentically happy?
I hope you dance. I am a heavy rock fan. The darker and more powerful the better - a band without chains and leather is usually a band I've never heard of. So this video choice may surprise you, but stay with me on this.... Back...
23rd June 2011
Living with Trauma I am a veteran and suffer from PTSD. I will not to dwell long on the events that lead to my PTSD. It was 38 years this month that I start my 18 month tour of N Ireland. My family came with me to Omagh for the tour. Like...
11th July 2011
The symptoms and treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder may be difficult to pinpoint. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and it doesn't just affect soldiers at war. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a very distressing event outside of...
15th July 2011
Guilt and Veterans The word "trauma" is derived from the Greek word meaning "wound." Just as a physical wound from combat can cause suffering in the body, a psychological trauma can cause suffering in the mind and soul....
2nd August 2011
When I was a kid I always dreamed big, so big in fact people would laugh at what I believed I could achieve. All except my mum of course who was the only other person I know who could dream as big as me. Even when she was agoraphobic and in the...
17th August 2011
My parents were due to make an international flight as I spent September 11th 2001 on a day off work as a broadcast journalist and, as I listened to BBC Radio 5 Live in my car out in the middle of the countryside, I heard the first terrible news...
Anonymous
11th September 2011
I wrote a news story this week about the emotional scars of children who witness domestic violence, I also went through an old folder of mine and came across a poem I wrote when I was probably around 13 years old. I'd like to point out it was my...
14th September 2011
Having written about the lesbian teacher abuse case this week and opening up about the abusive 'relationship' I had with a thirty two-year-old woman when I was just turning fourteen (for seven months), I feel as though I now have the...
7th October 2011
It's not how you feel it's what you do with it that counts! I was touched this week by the blog post Calendar by Vet. Knowsley, especially as this week marked one of the hardest days of the year for me. I pride myself on being...
20th October 2011
Life & death - Looking at the world through child's eyes February this year saw a friend of mine commit suicide or as I like to see it a friend was allowed to die in a secure unit despite repeated cries for help. She was the partner of...
2nd November 2011
The apparent suicide of a public figure, while incredibly sad, brings mental health stigma into sharp focus. The media exploded with speculation and debate about mental health issues and suicide at the weekend. The immediate, emotional reactions to...
28th November 2011
My dear little girl Jade, You would be eight years old this Christmas day. I can close my eyes and see you, year by year, growing more beautiful by the day. Your long dark hair is straight in my mind's eye, which is strange as both your daddy...
20th December 2011
I am from Eltham in South East London. You may have heard of it - it's been in the news lately. I feel the urge to write about it, because it has prompted reflection on my first awareness of my OCD and Emotional Dysregulation, at...
3rd January 2012
It's World Mental health Day, and today I want to say a BIG THANK YOU! To my fish I forgot to feed, to my neighbour I ignored, to my teacher I flipped the finger, to my mum who bound my scars... Thank you. To the man in the petrol station I...
10th October 2012
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