When I woke up on Friday something felt wrong. It felt as if someone punched me in the gut repeatedly. Despair. Pushing away these emotions without taking the time to figure out why I was feeling them nor taking the time to provide myself with the compassion and comfort that I needed, I headed to Camp Pendleton, where I focused on my clients with PTSD.
Continue reading When a family member is suicidal – it can happen to anyone… it happened to me
“Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.”
J. K. Rowling
I recently had the tremendous honor of attending, giving a keynote speech, and presenting a panel at MISTI-Con, a Harry Potter-themed conference that takes place once every two years. It was marvelous. Between the enchanted ball, the wicked murder mystery dinner, and the magical people that attended the con and put it together, it was an unbelievable experience.
This post initially appeared on The Mary Sue.
Juliette Silverton (played by Bitsie Tulloch) was initially the romantic partner to Nick Burkhardt, the leading character of the series and a Grimm. The Grimm’s job is to fight and destroy the Wesen, the humans who are also (to some extent) shape shifters, allowing them special abilities.
I initially wrote this post for The Mary Sue for the Psychology of Inspirational Women panel. I’m reposting it here with permission.
The Background:
Black Canary is the alter ego of Dinah Laurel Lance, and was one of the first DC female superheroes, along with Wonder Woman. Black Canary’s initial name in DC comics was Dinah Drake, and in the later series the Black Canary was based on two separate people – mother (Dinah Drake) and daughter (Dinah Laurel Lance). In the comics Black Canary temporarily worked with the Justice League and also with Oracle (formerly, Batgirl).
Continue reading The Psychology of Black Canary (Laurel Lance)
I initially wrote this post for The Mary Sue’s Column, Psychology of Inspirational Women, it is reprinted here with permission.
Going against the Hollywood stereotype of a powerless blonde girl getting ruthlessly murdered, the writer/director/producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer wanted to create a hero, someone with the special powers to kick butt and protect others.
(Guest post by Asher Johnson, M. A.)
Ever since I was a child, I was strangely attracted to the way the good guys thought. I saw them as smart, self-controlled, kind, patient, and wise. I thought it was naturally harder to do the right thing, and found it fascinating how easily taken for granted heroes were. Now, to put things in perspective, I will need to age myself because the good guys I grew up watching are, in many ways, unlike the anti-heroes of today (e.g. Jax from Sons of Anarchy, Nurse Jackie, Walter White, Tony Soprano, or Kevin Spacey’s brilliant role as Francis Underwood).
“What wouldn’t I give to be normal!”
(Mystique, ‘X-Men First Class’)
I grew up on fiction. It was brain food to me. I generally preferred to read books to just about any other activity. Over the past few years I’ve been incorporating fictional characters into Superhero Therapy. For me these characters hold a deep and personal meaning, after all, some of them actually helped me recover from my own traumatic history.
Are you excited for The Walking Dead series? Did you ever wonder what happened to Rick when he started hallucinating? Does Rick have PTSD? Does Michonne? Check out the video below to find out
“My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.”
Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, who volunteers to take her sister’s place in the monstrous Hunger Games, is a hero and a legend. After going through some of the most horrific events imaginable, Katniss attempts to end her own life. What caused her to try to commit suicide? Does Katniss suffer from a mental health disorder? What stops her from dying and what gives her a reason to live?
The Walking Dead series tell a story about survival in a post-apocalyptic world after the spread of a deadly virus that turns the dead into flesh-eating zombies (or walkers). The TV series and comic books center around Rick Grimes, the main protagonist of the series, as well as other members of his group.
