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Writer's pictureLisa Alice

The Space Between

Updated: Apr 19, 2020

These are troubling times. Historians will be discussing for decades the societal; social, economic, political and cultural elements that brought us to such a place. Human potential is shocking and remarkably underutilized in our Western culture. We have adapted to our digitally accessible world, succumbing to the temptation of perpetual distraction. We have become apathetic to suffering. We soak in despair, from prolonged national grief and war time trauma, sapping our spirits and smothering our natural tendency towards generosity and kindness.


As a mental health professional, I have engaged in counseling with clients for more than 8,000 hours, one on one. There are many repeating themes that clients bring to therapy. Clients struggle with managing their anger. They struggle with childhood trauma, approximately 60 to 70 percent of my clients have experience sexual trauma. My clients have experienced domestic violence as children, teens, and adults. They struggle with addiction, the sources of which are expansive; alcohol, stimulants, depressants, gamboling, video games, sex addiction. If I sat in a room of 15 people they would be able to name fifteen or more different sources of comfort and addiction.


Our neighbors, friends, family members, co-workers are constantly in a state of survival. Our lack of rising wadges; prohibitively expensive childcare, impossibly high prescription drug prices, poor health care, have all contributed to client's feelings of insecurity and increased trauma related problematic behaviors.


Our values have become polarized and we have confused the spirit of our Constitution, which encouraged, "individual freedom" and "personal responsibility," with sycophantic adherence and blind, allegiance to our politically fractured and polarized narratives.


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