Welcome my friends. I’m a combat veteran and retired Army officer, a devout Christian, husband, father, grandfather, and experienced clinical psychologist. I want to get into the root causes of your battle and find ways to overcome, change, forgive, accept, and move upward toward the light. It may not seem like it, but the darkness will eventually lift, and the light will surely shine again.
Life is a battle in the heart, and I humbly accept that I will be in my own battle or someone else’s battle for the rest of my life. Like the weather, our emotions are powerful. Many days the sun shines, but the rains do come and sometimes a destructive storm hits hard (divorce, the loss of a loved one, cancer, suicidal thoughts, et cetera). It's a battlefield. When it comes to the challenge of relationships, so often, it is ego (pride), self-esteem, and powerful emotions at the root of our conflicts. To understand these forces is the key to peace. Let's work through it!
I have been honored to be in the field of psychology for 20 years since 2004. Through the years, more than half of my time was in the Army where I primarily worked with soldiers enduring anxiety, depression, trauma, Traumatic Brain Injury, and all the other usual suspects of psychological distress. It is time well spent to analyze our guilt, fear, worry, shame, pain, heartbreak, addiction, identity conflicts, and sorrow. I’ve also worked in the prisons for many years with some extreme situations (i.e., murder, severe mental illness, rape, child molestation, drug kingpins, gang leaders). So, no matter what your circumstances are, never quit and never give up! Survival is a noble plight!