Day 3351: The healing power of groups

Periodically, I give a talk about the healing power of groups. Here’s an excerpt from my latest one:

My first piece of wisdom to share is that human beings are built to need connections with other people. We all yearn to be understood by others, to be seen and heard, to realize we are not alone in our thoughts and feelings, and to feel safe enough to show all the different parts of ourselves. And the reality is that many of our patients are isolated, alone, unable to get enough of those connections, with the isolation only growing during COVID. So it’s even more critical and important to make groups accessible to people during a pandemic.

.

Last night, on Twitter, as I was thinking about the healing power of groups, I asked this question:

When I posted that question, I was thinking that I would want to join a group that could do SOMETHING productive about the horrible situation unfolding in Ukraine. Several people who responded on Twitter reflected my feelings about that, so I didn’t feel alone.

Some people responded to that question with the old Groucho Marx saying — “I wouldn’t want to join any club that would have me as a member” — and other people responded that they weren’t joiners and didn’t like groups.

Personally, I belong to the group that believes that most people need to feel connected to others in order to heal and to feel empowered. I was about to write “but that’s just me,” when I realized that it’s NOT just me. Which, again, I find healing.

Are there any healing powers in the group of images I’m presenting in today’s blog?

From the National Day website:

NATIONAL MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DAY
National Multiple Personality Day on March 5th has two separate approaches to recognizing this day.

The first strategy takes an inward examination of our own personalities. This approach sees the day as a way to explore personality traits and examining the roots of those traits. Each one of us shows a different side of our characters at other times and in different places. Sometimes our personalities appear to be altered, depending on whom we are with and what we are doing. With these things in mind, the day focuses our thoughts on our own personality traits.

The other view of the observance aims to raise awareness of the disorder. Multiple Personality Disorder is better known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). It is characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring identities or dissociated personality states that alternately control a person’s behavior. Someone with DID will experience memory impairment for important information not explained by ordinary forgetfulness. While the disorder affects less than .1 to 1 percent of the population, its impact is profound for that community and their family. The continued need for treatment, support, and research remains.

HOW TO OBSERVE #MultiplePersonalityDay
While there are two ways to approach this day, you can choose to recognize both.
Start by exploring your personality traits. Take a personality test and learn more about your personality.
Invite a friend to take the test with you and compare your results.
Learn more about Dissociative Identity Disorder. Please find out how it affects a person and how it is treated.
Attend a seminar or read up about the disorder.
Show support for those with the disorder by sharing your newfound understanding.
Use #MultiplePersonalityDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar continues to research the origins of this multi-faceted day.

.

When I search YouTube for “The Healing Power of Groups” I find nothing that relates to this topic. That tells me that I should probably make a YouTube video about this.

Speaking of my YouTube videos, here‘s a video from my 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show “Group Therapy With Ann.”

.

Thanks to all people who heal in groups and to YOU!

Day 2834: Healing ?

Here and now, there are many questions out there about whether people are healing or getting worse.

Yesterday, while I was taking a healing walk outside, I noticed this:

In today’s photo gallery, do you see healing ?

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

What is the most healing image, for you? What’s the most painful one?

Lately, I’ve been healing from painful experiences by doing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. That reminds me of my original song “Triggers,” which I hope will be healing to share.

That’s from my hopefully healing Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, August 2019.

Any comment you leave below will be healing for me. And as I like to say, “All healing is mutual.”

Gratitude is always healing, so thanks to all who are healing and helping others heal, including YOU.

Day 2693: Whatever it takes.

Whatever it takes, I will

• post a daily blog,
• create spaces for healing,
• continue my therapy groups,
• support better leadership,
• look for the good in people,
• try to have fun,
• enjoy literature, art, film, and music,
• spend time in nature,
• show up,
• be gentle,
• tell the truth,
• remember the past,
• embrace the present moment,
• hold hope for the future,
• improve the quality of life for those I love,
• maintain my ideals,
• welcome all thoughts and feelings,
• look for the helpers,
• seek answers to important questions,
• find my voice,
• be creative,
• keep growing, and
• take photos of whatever catches my eye.

Whatever it takes, we’re going to spend quality time with our cat Oscar, even when I’m sharing an original song on a Zoom-based Open Mic.

Whatever it takes to share your thoughts and feelings, consider leaving a comment below.

What would it take to show my gratitude to all, including YOU?

Day 2692: News you can use

Since so many people are telling me that they are avoiding the news these days, I’m hoping to provide some news you can use, here and now, including these headlines:

• My panel discussion of providing therapy groups remotely  during the pandemic went very well yesterday.
• I’ll be performing my original song “Triggers” at an online Open Mic tonight.
• As always, I’m doing my best to lose my investment in the outcome while remaining totally committed to the process.
• I take selfies with my cat.

Is there any news you can use in these new photos?

More news you can use:

• Michael made a new dish last night — flank steak with cherries and wheat berries –and
• John Krasinski has a new installment of “Some Good News.”

This may be more news you can use. My husband Michael and I have an old private joke, where we have this exchange:

Me: Michael!  This (and I describe some thing that occurred that day) happened and guess what I did?

Michael: You cried.

I cry at lots of things, including Some Good News.

We can all use gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily blogs, including YOU.

Day 2688: What is essential?

I believe I may have published another blog post with the title “What is essential?” However, I’m creating this post on my iPhone, which makes it more difficult to check past posts, and I’m deciding that knowing that is not essential.

Other facts are much more essential, these days.

I often take photos of things that are essential to me.

I essentially don’t know how these two images …

… got onto my iPhone. Other facts are much more essential these days.

Because of the work I’m doing — remotely providing group and individual therapy at an essential Boston hospital — it’s essential that I take a day off once in a while, which I’m doing today.

If you’re interested in attending a remote Open Mic this Friday May 15, 7 – 9 PM U.S. Eastern Time, when I’ll be performing a slightly rewritten version of my original song “Triggers,” it’s essential that you sign up by the end of the day before (May 14), using this link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040b4eadaa23a2f49-jamn3

The essential Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been cancelled this year — the first time in its history — but here‘s my performance of “Triggers” at last year’s festival:

What’s essential to you?

It’s not essential that you leave a comment, but if you do, it’s essential that I express my sincere gratitude.

Day 2664: Oddballs

Greetings, fellow Oddballs!

This blogging Oddball noticed this oddball headline yesterday from my oddball local paper:

 

Do you agree that the coronavirus makes oddballs of us all?

Earlier in my oddball day, somebody in a Coping and Healing group said they felt like an oddball until they expressed their feelings and realized they were not alone. Oddly enough, I’ve seen this happen hundreds of times over my 20-odd years as a group therapist.

Later in my oddball day, several Oddballs in another remote Coping and Healing group did a scavenger hunt in our oddball homes, finding and sharing  oddball things that were important to us.  One of the oddball, important, and favorite items shared was this:

Oddly enough, this oddball item was not shared by me during the scavenger hunt but by a different Oddball.

Are you ready for some other recent oddball images captured by this Oddball during these oddball times?

 

That last oddball photo shows an oddball item I retrieved and showed in yesterday’s oddball scavenger hunt. Does anybody have an oddball guess of what that entertaining item was?

This Oddball has oddly been having trouble writing oddball songs lately, but I did write these recent oddball lyrics:

Now more than ever

We need to be together,

But now is the time we need to stay apart.

Because people are contagious

New behaviors seem outrageous

And each of us is holding lots of worry in our heart.

 

Here and here are two oddball original songs I performed in August 2019 for lots of oddballs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of the biggest yearly gatherings of oddballs in the world (which has been cancelled during this oddball year):

 

 

This Oddball had planned to perform that second oddball song at a gathering of other social worker oddballs at the hospital where we work, but that annual party was also cancelled during this oddball year.

During oddball times like these, we have to remember to grieve our losses and to realize that we are not alone.

I’m looking forward to lots of oddball comments, below, and here’s some oddball thanks from one oddball to another!

 

 

Day 2521: How to be more self-confident

Yesterday, people in a therapy session started a list of how to be more self-confident.

I’m self-confident enough to

• ask if you know other ways to be more self-confident and
• share my other photos from yesterday.

 

One of those turkeys looks more self-confident than the other. Do you see more self-confidence in any of those other photos?

I am confident that YouTube will have a video about “How to be more self-confident.”

Since #5 is “Play Music,” here’s me playing two original songs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe three months ago:

That helps improve my self-confidence about applying to do more shows at the 2020 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Are you self-confident to leave a comment? If not, how might you be more self-confident about that?

Gratitude helps me be more self-confident, so thanks to all who help me be self-confident enough to share this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 2452: Being here, being there

“Being here, being there” is something I wrote on the white-board wall while human beings were being here and there during a Coping and Healing group yesterday.

Being human beings, their thoughts went here and there to regrets, the past, the present, the future, work, other people’s reactions, progress, tears, fears, emotions, death, showing up, reservations, reasons, sleeping, bravery, speaking, not speaking, triggers, early, late, and choices, among other here-and-there meanderings.

Being that triggers were affecting all the human beings in the room, “triggers” ended up being the topic of choice, including what helps dealing with them:

Being there, I couldn’t help but notice that “YouTube” made it to the list of what helped those human beings deal with triggers (along with breathing, acceptance, self care, sleep, safe spaces, kindness, music, and other helpful choices).

Being here, I’ll search  for “being here, being there” on YouTube.

Here‘s “I Love Being Here With You” by singer/songwriter Peggy Lee.

I love being here with you, and I loved being there when I took all these other photos:

Being that you’re here, why not leave a comment?

Whether I’m being here or being there, I’m being thankful for all who help me create these posts and — of course! — for YOU, here and now.

 

Day 2441: Can’t stop, won’t stop

I can’t stop, won’t stop

• blogging,
• letting go of the past,
• having hope for the future,
• enjoying the riches of the present moment,
• writing original songs,
• telling everybody about the healing power of groups, and
• taking photos of what I see around me.

 

I can’t stop, won’t stop posting videos of my performances even though I have — OMG! — only 18 subscribers to my YouTube channel. Here’s the latest video:

 

 Can’t stop, won’t stop singing about triggers until all the worst triggers go away.

Can’t stop, won’t stop expressing gratitude to all who help me keep going every day, including YOU.

Day 2423: The Greatest Theatrical Event Ever

While I would like to think that my first Fringe show — “Group ‘Therapy’ with Ann” — was the greatest theatrical event ever, a different show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is making a claim for that distinction, as you can see:

Even if my Fringe show was not the greatest theatrical event ever, it still went very, very well. Thirteen people showed up and seemed to get a lot out of it. I got permission from the participants for my son Aaron to tape the two original songs I performed. Here and here are two of the greatest musical events ever on YouTube:

Are these my greatest pictures ever?

Five of those photos were taken by the greatest family event ever … my son, Aaron!

I’m looking forward to the greatest comments ever.

The greatest thanks ever to all those who helped me create this post  — including the cast and creators of “The Greatest Theatrical Event (in this place at this time for this price) EVER!” — and the greatest thanks ever to the greatest readers ever: YOU!