The Knock on the Door that Changed My World: Domestic Violence can Happen to Anyone
It was late, and my kids had gone to bed a few hours before. I was tired and getting ready to call it a night. A sudden knock on the door made me look up from my keyboard. It was a gentle knock, almost as if it had not even happened. “Did you hear a knock?” I asked my...
Cassandra’s Legacy: A Brief History of Gaslighting
Cassandra, the Prophetess of Troy, whose name in Greek means “she who entangles men,” rejected the sexual advances of the god Apollo in his temple. As punishment, Apollo invalidated Cassandra’s gift of prophecy: henceforth, no one would believe her, even when her...
Meeting the Bear: What Nervous-System Healing Looks Like in Real Time
I am a mountain climber at heart, and I live in California, home to the Sierra Nevadas. I’ve spent much of my life moving through the backcountry with a pack on my shoulders. Over time, I learned to bring only what truly matters for survival. The lack of comforts...
My Skin Knows I’m a Survivor
One sweltering July when I was fifteen, I was camped out on a shaded picnic bench at nerd camp. While furiously pushing the buttons on my calculator and drilling exercises for my upcoming exam, I heard rustling in the grass ahead of me. When I looked up, I saw a small...