The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC Fear is a normal part of childhood – learning how to manage it is an important part of growing up. Everyone feels fear. From six years old to sixty people worry and feel afraid. There are classic symptoms all children face, ( listed below),  which are indicators of the levels of anxiety a child may be facing. And did you know fear is such a common theme that the Bible has over 300 verses dedicated to facing fear and not staying afraid? Emotional maturity takes place when a child learns to face their fears by managing these negative emotions through talking, praying, writing them out in words, drawings or other expressive arts. The more a child can learn to  ‘replace’  their fears with facts or faith, the more confidence she will gain, and when she can learn the power of deep truth, like,  “ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear... for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you”.(Deuteronomy 31:6 ...

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...

Calm after Crisis - Understanding the Emotional Warning Signs & Trauma Symptoms After a Community Terrorist Attack By Dwight Bain A community crisis, ( like the Boston Marathon Bombing), can terrorize an entire community in just a few minutes, while the recovery process to rebuild from a major critical incident may take weeks or months to sort through. The more you know about how to survive and rebuild after the crisis, the faster you can take positive action to get your personal and professional life back on track. Since community crisis events like extreme acts of violence, school shootings or terrorism are unpredictable it requires a different course of action from natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and floods. What can you do right now to cope with the psychological impact of a major community crisis? Dealing directly with your emotions will reduce the tensi...

By Chris Hammond, IMH He was only eight days old when he stopped breathing.   All at the same time, it was the beginning of the day and yet it was the end of the day because in one moment, everything changed.   He received a clean bill of health during those eight days from three separate doctors yet I knew there was something wrong.   When he fell limp in my arms, his face had turned completely blue and all signs of life had vanished.   So many emotions converged all at once:   fear that he was dead, desperation that he and I needed help, scared that I had done something wrong, and relief in knowing that my instincts were in fact right.   My first response was to cry for help to which my husband immediately responded but weirdly enough all of the phones in our house were dead so he ran next door to get help.   In the meantime, while I stared at my breathless first born child only three words came to mind, “God help me”. In a split second I...

By Chris Hammond, MS Our recent economic times have hit many people hard with more people homeless, in the process of foreclosure, without jobs, working jobs well beneath their skill level or filing for bankruptcy than I have seen in my lifetime. While it is easy to blame others for our troubles and in this economic climate, there are certainly factors beyond our control; we also must look at the actions we have taken to contribute to the problem. Jonah, Job and Jerusalem all faced overwhelming difficulties and while we may not be swallowed by a great fish, have our home and family destroyed in a day, or have our king assassinate every family member in a feuding family, we can apply the lessons learned from their lives to ours today. Jonah. Jonah knew what God wanted him to do, he just did not want to do it so he took a ride on a ship headed for the opposite direction of what God wanted. The result was a great storm nearly sank the ship, the crew confronted Jonah, Jonah confessed ...

by Dr Tim Clinton God is not wasting the pain in your life. He never wastes a wound. As you go through the dark, deep valleys in your life, remember that the great Apostle Paul was even pounded by the evil one. All hell seemed to be against him. In his moment of darkness he begs God to get rid of this thorn in his flesh, this messenger of satan that was harassing him. (II Corinthians 12:8) What messenger of satan has come your way? Does it feel like there is a thorn deep in your flesh, and you can find no relief? Have you pleaded with God to just take it away? Paul did. He cried out to God not just once, but three times. And still God chose not to remove his thorn. In all of this Paul learned something special. God simply spoke to him and said, “I have provided grace for you. Sufficient grace. Grace to remind you and reassure you that through this weakness, I will show My Power.” Paul got the message. He declared that he would be, not just “ok” with this, but that he would be most glad...

By Dr. Tim Clinton “This is a football” Vince Lombardi…Many consider him to be the greatest pro football coach of all time. But his opening speech at training camp is a study in simplicity. He would stand on a table, hoist a pigskin, and say: “Gentlemen, this is a football.” But, wouldn’t a bunch of big-time NFL pros know that? Yes…but Lombardi understood that as the game grew more and more complicated, emphasizing the basics of the game became more and more essential. Nothing is more basic to the game…than the football. Everything centers on it. The most important “basic” in our faith is love. 1 John 3:11… ”For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another…” Re-think…love. Everything Christian centers around it. Without it, our “words” are an irritating noise…a clanging gong. “…Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another…” (4:11) Re-think…love. Toward total strangers. When the waitress is rude, or somebody cuts you off i...

Commentary and review from Dwight Bain “The Shack” is one of the most popular fiction books in the country with millions of copies in print. Could it be because the author, Paul Young, used this parable story to address the issue of finding resolution from his own childhood trauma? Here's an overview of "The Shack" as well as the testimony of the author, which explains much of his orientation in writing a book like this one; which was almost an autobiography of his own healing journey from sexual abuse and adultery. The author spoke in the Orlando area last year and I could hear his heart and motivation to write this book. Knowing the author will always give you a better understanding of the intended message, and often will help you to understand why so many people are connecting to this little paperback book about getting past their secrets, shame and pain to really feeling free in a relationship with God as their "Papa". The Shack, by William Paul Young, 2007 ...

By Aaron Welch, LMHC, NCC, CSOTS I wrote, recently, that I have been in a spiritual funk. I know, the word “funk” is not very technical but it’s hard for me to fully explain what I’m dealing with. After three years of drawing closer and closer in my walk with God, I suddenly have come upon a new period of “wilderness”, of testing. Umm….this one caught me off-guard. I wasn’t ready for it. I thought that I would just continually move towards knowing the Lord better, praying for Him to make me a warrior for Him and that all would be hunky-dory. So, when suddenly my prayers felt distant and my time in the Word felt hollow; when my finances were less than my bills; when fasting produced little immediate results, I did what any self-respecting “warrior” for God would do: I panicked. I freaked out. I became fearful and began to doubt my ministry, my calling, my heart, my relationship with God, pretty much everything. I began to look for ways to take matters into my own han...