Our past experiences shape us in every way, including the way we think and feel about life. When we have been through trauma, or any impactful experience, the experience itself shapes the way we respond to the world. During a traumatic experience, we create responses based on survival of that experience. Often this means subconsciously […]
There is incredible freedom in knowing you are not alone and that you are supported. It starts from within, through your alignment. The most powerful path to create freedom in your life is through alignment. When we are out of alignment, everything feels harder. We have all had those moments when life feels impossible. If we
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We have all been raised with expectations of who we should be – expectations from society, family, loved ones and well-meaning people in our lives. We have been told how to dress, who we can love, what we should believe, how to behave and even what to think. It becomes a prison of perfection defined
Our bodies are resilient and powerful. They have the ability to bounce back from almost everything. When we get hurt, we know we will physically heal. When we get ill, recovery is possible with the right tools. Our physical bodies house our Souls and allow us to move through life yet many of us don’t
The one thing in our lives that we can absolutely control is our thoughts. You’ve likely heard this often and maybe are even a little irritated by the idea. However, no matter what is going on in our world, no one else can think our thoughts, and no one else can control those thoughts unless
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Do you feel like you are stuck doing the same things in the same way every day? If so, it is time to create freedom in your life.
Creating freedom in your life. Read More »
Life is often busy and while we are doing things we need to do, most of us find we have a running list of things we would rather be doing that bring us joy. Have you had moments when you suddenly have unexpected free time and can’t think of the many things you wanted to
Our lives are composed of relationships – casual ones, like the people at stores we regularly visit, and deeper relationships with partners, children, family, and other loved ones. Society’s paradigm of successful relationships often involves compromise and sacrifice, meaning giving up parts of yourself to meet another’s needs. Happy relationships begin when each party involved
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When we are young, happiness is an automatic state of being. As we grow into adulthood, fear, worry and stress become our automatic state. Life is a series of moments, interactions, and experiences. We cannot control the world around us but we can control our inner world. Our personal external world is often a reflection
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Building happiness happens one brick at a time. So does forgetting how to find our happiness. When we are young, we are taught to strive for that elusive thing called happiness. We learn all about it from disillusioned adults and as we grow up, we become those adults who stop believing in the possibility. We
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This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.
Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out.
In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.”
The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.
An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.
Pub Date: May 3, 2022 | ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6 | Page Count: 264 | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph | Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022
