Snippets from Anna's Alcove

I first began to understand moral injury as a therapist working in a residential trauma treatment program for military veterans. I had quite a bit of experience working with active service members in outpatient settings prior to taking this position, and that may be why moral injury didn’t present so clearly to me before. Like PTSD, moral injury may not set in clearly until a person has gotten out of the environment associated with the disturbance. Veterans in this residentia

In Ivan Krylov’s 1814 tale “The Inquisitive Man,” we read about a man quite struck by the wide array of tiny creatures he encountered on a museum visit, even as he failed to notice the enormous elephant displayed amongst them. The phrase “the elephant in the room” has become a common metaphor for something that is noticed but not named or discussed. We can allow ourselves to wonder...

Bandaids are harmful when an underlying wound needs attention and I'm simply using the bandaid to avoid dealing with it, but that specific scenario doesn't indicate that bandaids are never helpful. When it comes to psychological well-being, the most safe and manageable approach may include applying a bandaid for a period of time...

What I want for you may be entirely different from what you want for yourself. You can disregard anything that's not helpful here, especially given that I can’t actually give you these things. When we’re hurting or struggling, it can be reassuring to know that someone else truly, deeply wants good things for us...

Treatment has changed exponentially since the early days of AA. Important pieces that were missing in the 1930’s are pretty well integrated into treatment approaches now, nearly 100 years later...

I’ve been a practicing therapist for 20 years now, and I promise you I’ve never been in it for the money. To be honest, if I’d known then what I know now, I’m not sure I would have gotten into this field at all. Being a healthcare provider is expensive, and it’s only getting worse. I have and continue to benefit from being a therapist in countless ways, but financial gain isn’t one of them...

I’ve seen some people experience post-traumatic growth in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. They’ve grown as a result of pandemic hardships and developed a new sense of connection with Self and community...

The better connection I have with myself, the better I’m able to connect with other people. The more healthy connection I have with others..

As we grow and heal, we may need to practice asking ourselves “Who do I turn to?", followed by a pause to consider our options...