The Thumb-Sucker

The Thumb-Sucker Fight or flight: the instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which readies one either to resist forcibly or to run away. **Please be kind to yourself as you read** I thought I was safe. At four years old, I believed if I...

Blackbird

Blackbird Fight or flight: the instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which readies one either to resist forcibly or to run away. I covered my ears at the deafening sound of the shotgun blast. My father discharged another volley into the...
Mrs. King Versus the Gaslighters

Mrs. King Versus the Gaslighters

Gaslighting: to manipulate (someone) by psychological or abusive means into questioning reality. I had watched my big brother board the school bus every day for the last year. Now, it was finally my turn. The very first week of first grade, my teacher, Mrs. King,...