The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By Christine Hammond Religious abuse exists in every type of faith. Oftentimes, it is not the religion itself that is the problem but the people within the practice. This is precisely why it is hard to get away. Most likely it began with an attraction of sorts, a need being filled, companionship, and a sense of belonging. But those positive feelings were soon met with conflicting emotions of isolation, inadequacy, guilt, shame, and distrust. The confusion feels like physical abuse without the marks. Others who have left the religion are shunned, disgraced, and humiliated. You want to pull away but are unsure of how. Try these steps. 1.        Learn the signs of religious abuse. Memorize and identify when they are being used against you. Saying in your head, “This is abusive behavior,” promotes awareness and empowerment. 2.        Get a new perspective by sidestepping religious rituals. This is not about abando...

By Matt W Sandford, LMHC In part one, we examined the tendency to resist tears and what they represent, and to develop a protective layer of toughness as a way to handle life’s hurts, disappointments and rejections.   I proposed that this way of managing negative emotional experiences stunts one’s emotional growth and limits one’s ability to cultivate meaningful and lasting relationships. I had offered that I would follow up with some alternative ways to approach the risks and pain of life. 1.     Feel Your Feelings When we’ve been hurt, many of us learn to protect ourselves by deciding that we are not going to show our hurts again. And so we “layer up”, meaning we shield ourselves with the mask of “I’m okay” and we cover our heart under layers of armor. But, we never knew that the process of protecting our heart was also going to result in burying our heart - from ourselves and others. I may be safe, but now I’m lonely and empty inside. The way ...

By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH There is verse from the Bible that states, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). At some point and time, everything comes to an end because the things this world has to offer are not meant to last forever. You don’t have to look far to see that things change and eventually end; just observe the changing seasons, the passage of a day into night, and the life span of animals and people. Perhaps you are experiencing an end in a relationship, in a partnership, in an occupation, in a church, or in an organization. But whatever the reason for the ending, you have the choice, actually the power, to end with class or without it. Ending something with class requires thought and intention on your part as this is contrary to human nature. When something ends, some tend to blame others for the problem, some make excuses for their behavior, some gossip about the people involved, some withdrawal and pretend it does n...