Posts by Tammy René
Disabling Emotional Triggers
The trouble with PTSD is how just when you think you’re on a good path and doing fine, something along the way triggers old emotion and you find yourself suddenly in a pit with no way out. Finding light in the darkness and disabling emotional triggers seems impossible. Panic ensues and you feel powerless to…
Read MoreCan I Cry Now?
Can I cry now? is a question that haunts me. Stuffed inside my brain is the notion that I shouldn’t feel sad, angry, anxious, or scared. If I was truly “good enough”, I would only feel positive emotions and expected to be in a constant state of Nirvana. I am a prisoner of the belief…
Read MoreMoving from “Why?” to “What now?”
Growing up, I was the shaky sort—not sure of myself and often feeling the outcast. A dark cloud hung in my heart, keeping my true self somewhere beyond the shadows of fear and anxiety. I searched for a light strong enough to counter the dark. Relief came in the Light I found in Jesus Christ.…
Read MoreFacing the Dragon
“Wow! Look at that sunset” our friend belted with his usual over-the-top enthusiasm. I sat quietly looking out over the mountains. The flaming colors of the clouds billowed in defiance of the setting sun, but the scene didn’t permeate anything deeper in me than an intellectual acknowledgment of its beauty. It’s not that I never…
Read MoreHealing Emotional Trauma and Building on the Light
Emotional trauma has a way of twisting reality, making it hard to see our way to healing. The pain and fear gets a strangle-hold on our hope, blinding us to the very light that can sustain us through the hardship. Trauma has a way of sneaking up on most of us. For some it is…
Read MoreHealing Truths
Childhood abuse resulted in most of my energy being used to fight feelings of worthlessness and despair. At one of my lowest points as a teenager, a leader in our youth group reached out to me for help with a project. Her “needing” me planted a seed of hope—maybe there was something inside me of…
Read MoreTo Friends of Abuse Victims
Things for friends of abuse victims to understand: When you have been a victim of any kind of abuse, one of the hardest things to do is to admit to yourself and others that you have been deeply hurt by those who should love and care for you. Whether you are an abused child or…
Read MoreFeast on the Light
Encouragement to feast on the light from my friend, Cindy: “Don’t view all that you experience in life through lenses darkened by the scars of abuse (or addictions). There is so much in life that is beautiful. Open the windows of your heart and let the love of the Savior in.” (Richard G. Scott) I…
Read MoreWhen the “Why” Can’t Be Answered
A few years ago, a friend shared the heartbreaking story of 3 year-old Sarah facing the dreaded enemy—cancer. My friend talked about the courage of Sarah and the steadfast love and attention of Sarah’s mother, Adriana as they struggled to find peace. As the month’s passed, the grief of the little girl’s suffering weighed heavily…
Read MoreIn My Arms
The joys of being a mom can be dimmed by heartache and the wounding loss of a baby before he is ever held in your arms. My daughter-in-law, Krista, shared this story with me— My husband and I were overjoyed when we discovered we were pregnant with our third child. After almost a year long…
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