Starting at the Beginning From the moment we are born, our brains store and acquire memories, knowledge, sounds, and more to ensure that they will keep us safe. Once something terrible, painful, or scary happens to us, our brains use a lot of energy to help us escape that situation. Once we aren’t in danger…
As the sun was rising the morning of October 2, 2017, I knew deep down that I needed to do something to help myself and others heal from the horror we had just experienced. I wasn’t exactly sure what that looked like, but knew I wasn’t equipped to do it on my own and I…
Among the many traditions, New Year’s is the time when many people decide to remember the good things that happened in the past year and get ready to create goals or resolutions for the coming year. Although this is one of the most common traditions when someone has experienced a traumatic event, it’s hard to…
“Happy Holidays” seems innocuous enough, a simple greeting we frequently use beginning in early December through the new year to greet loved ones and strangers alike. Even with all of our cultural and religious differences, it seems everyone celebrates something during this time. Schools provide a large winter break, employers often throw holiday parties for…
gratitude n. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness This month, we would like to focus on the feeling of gratitude. We are heading into the holiday season, which can be very positive for some and very difficult for others. At the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, we hope…
If someone were to ask you, “Are you living or existing?”, finding that answer can be complicated. Even though both terms mean to be alive, their context is very different. To exist means to stay alive; however, living means to enjoy life and every moment with admiration and happiness. This difference is the key between…
Long-term healing from a major trauma can take many forms and the specific treatments or services that lead to healing are unique to each individual. Everyone heals in their own time, as experts from the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center (NMVVRC) remind us, “Recovery from a Mass Violence Incident (MVI) is an often lengthy…
I know for many of us, it is hard to believe that we are almost upon the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. I was not at the concert; however, I have been a crisis responder, mental health provider, and now program consultant, helping others to heal, grow, and…
“Vegas Strong” is a phrase filled with meaning for each of us at United Way of Southern Nevada (UWSN). It stirs bittersweet emotions of remembering those who are no longer with us and then a sense of pride to live in a community that showed immense generosity, love, and care for our neighbors and visitors….
Have you noticed that you can’t see your own face without help from an object or person? It doesn’t matter how hard you try—your eyes can only see your face when it’s reflected on another surface like a mirror, camera, or even when someone else is describing it. This is because our eyes are designed…