This week Edward starts us off by sharing with us some stories from his vacations starting with him losing his voice and being sick. As sometimes happens in our lives this setback created an opportunity for Edward to reconnect with a young man whom he had helped raise. Edward goes on to tell us the trials and tribulations of trying to get an instruction manual printed for a Reiki Class that he taught over the weekend. The class went well, but the lesson learned of letting go was an important one as things kept going in unplanned directions.

So you’ve got a new diagnosis. Now what? In this week's Deep Dive, we discuss the pros and cons of living with a diagnosis. Pathologizing is an act where someone with a diagnosis identifies all behavior with that diagnosis. As humans we tend to over identify with what’s wrong with us. This can take a useful tool, such as a diagnosis, and turn it into an inward focused weapon that can make our healing journey all the more difficult. From the pros of being able to find the correct treatment and support groups to the cons of misidentifying traits as the diagnosis and using it as an excuse for our behavior among other things, we discuss the uses of diagnostic tools and the pitfalls that can come along with them.

We start our episode with Edward processing news that he received that morning about one of his highest needs clients has passed away the day before. Edward and Jason discuss the loss and the combination of relief and grief that these situations bring up. Jason starts off on a tangent the stops himself, but Edward picks it up due to his own frustration with the care system in his area. This takes a turn as Edward and Jason compare their experiences in the Human services field as well as the differences in how the many companies, they have worked for handle client hospitalizations.

Our Deep Dive this week comes from trigger work Edward was doing, that prompted him to research the effects of experiencing gaslighting as children. In addition to discussing the effects of being gaslit as a child Edward and Jason go through a list of common phrases and situations that they both experienced as children. Sharing their own experiences, Edward and Jason break down some of these common forms of gaslighting into categories of which parent they received them from, if there were intentional(used with the specific intent of manipulation), unintentional (used due to a trauma response from their own parent’s experiences), and cultural norm ( used due to cultural views from the time period they grew up in or their parents grew up in. ) This in depth look addresses what growing up with parents that gaslit was like and what the challenges have been in their adult lives moving through and healing.

Jason starts us off this week with some news about an ongoing trauma. His wife Jessica is leaving for a weekend and Jason shares with us what working up to this event looks like. Jason discusses some of the coping skills he is building around the weekend, but also how he is using desensitizing practices to prepare himself. Jason and Edward discuss the practices and also how to use them in more day to day endeavors.

Our Deep Dive this week finds us speaking with Deb Burk again. This week she tells us more about Tellington Ttouch which she practices. She shares with us particulars about the therapy including some of its history and why and how it is used. Deb also shares with us some amazing stories about using this beautiful healing modality.

To get in touch with Deb you can email her at [email protected], or on Facebook Deb Burk TTouch Maine Animal Connections.

Edward Starts us off this week with a story about his week at work. On of his Clients is going through a rough time which has triggered some memories and trauma responses for Edward and his co-worker. The conversation works through the issues, but also looks at what PTSD is. 

This week's Deep Dive is all about recovery and the maintenance around it. So many of us with mental health challenges wish it came to a point where we were cured. Some people feel that there is a space like that within their journey, but mental health recovery tends to be much more complex. Edward and Jason discuss the different ways that recovery can present in a person's life. 

We check in with Jason this week as he shares with us stories of parenting a young adult. Jason’s oldest has a license and car and within a year will be able to leave home. Jason again finds himself in a stage of life that he has only experienced in unhealthy ways. Jason is reading books, and listening to professional advice to learn what the transition looks like. His current struggle centers around offering to join activities with his son, without either feeling obligated. Jason shares with us a book that he is reading that he hopes will give him some insight into how to continue to offer a welcoming space to his son while at the same time allowing his eldest to become the young man he is destined to be.

As we enter the second half of the month, we find ourselves Dreaming with Pisces. The last sign in the Zodiac, the sign of Pisces is all about the depths of mysticism, the occult, the unseen, and of course emotions. Pisces view the world through Rose colored glasses not always seeing what is but the potential of what could be. Join us as we explore the dreamscape that is the Pisces season.

This week we start our episode checking in with Edward about some musical exploits. Edward shares that he recently has bought a new gaming computer. At first he thought about it only for gaming, but with all the computing power he thought about getting back into some composing. Edward discusses his use of MuseScore 4 with Jason, and the joy that it is bringing him. Edward also shares with us some of the upcoming projects he is hopeful for.

Today in our Deep Dive we discuss Medication Compliance. In a world where medications may be needed for day to day function due to mental health challenges, there can be so many things to get in our way. We discuss all the reasons people who suffer from depression, anxiety, ADHD, Bi-polar and other mental illnesses stop taking medications as prescribed. We share some personal stories, as well as some helpful hints to remember to take your medications, but also to take them.

Jason starts off this week’s episode with a story about a new intrusive thought. While in the shower one day, Jason thoughts turn to ideas that his oldest son isn’t his. As he starts ruminating, he catches himself and understands that these thoughts come from a recent therapy session. Jason goes one to discuss with us the way he compartmentalizes his traumatic past into ways that allow them to remain in his history, but in a way that he’s able to deal with them.

This week we sit down again with Deb Burke and talk about how she got started doing the work that she does. Join us as we shares her story of healing and animmals

This week Edward starts talking about a realization that clicked for him about some of his behavior. Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, Edward was often described as being lazy by teachers and even his parents. To rectify this Edward worked even harder to the point of exhaustion. In the discussion Edward realizes that he takes so much on, especially at work but even in home life, because he still carries the viewpoint that if he isn’t accomplishing specific things, he’s being lazy. The discussion continues with talk about deprograming the inner voice and separating himself from the identity that he was given as a child.

Our Deep Dive this week is part of a larger conversation. In this part of the conversation Jason and Edward discuss being genuine in the face of trauma and mental health challenges. The discussion focusses on what it looks like to come out as your authentic self and your limitations after people have seen your trauma self. They talk about tools that keep us within our trauma and disfunction.

Edward starts us off this week recounting the last couple of weeks and the realizations he’s had around timing. Edward relays to us a few stories of appointments that have come up amid some time crunches. When Edward usually finds himself in these circumstances, he tells us that he panics. These last couple of weeks he has found a way to “be ok” with where he finds himself. In addition Edward has had a few experiences where his timing has been perfect, with enough time to do what needs to be done and to relax for a few minutes afterwards. Jason and Edward discuss what these experiences have meant to Edward and what he has discovered through them.

As the Sun transitions from Capricorn into Aquarius we explore one of the more philosophical signs in the Zodiac. If Capricorn is considered the father of the Zodiac and Cancer the mother, then Aquarius would be the child. Ever full of wonder and looking for new experiences, Aquarius forms its own philosophy and stands by it. Fiercely independent yet friendly, those born into this sign tend to keep moving through a life of discovery.

We catch up with Jason about the light levels, now that we have past the longest night. Jason relays to us that he is feeling a little better, but also has hope due to a meme about how many days it will be until it is light at 7:30pm. Jason and Edward discuss Jason’s Christmas, including his son’s gift of a car. Jason also laments the end of hunting season as it was something that he was doing regularly and now is looking for an activity to take its place.

Our Deep Dive this week is about deconstruction, which has become a buzz word recently. Edward and Jason go through the basics of deconstruction, including using it within the subject of religion. Edward stumbled upon the philosophy when looking into religious trauma. This raises the question: Is there room for critical thinking in religion?