Why Trauma Affects Some People Differently Than Others
An interview with neuroscientist Daniela Schiller about the mechanisms underlying trauma and how trauma experiences can differ.
Denial: Telling Ourselves Stories That Hide the Truth
Why do we engage in denial? How can we recognize when we do it, when society does? Does denial always result in a negative outcome—or can it be a coping strategy?
“Let It Go!” More than a song title, the motto for our age
Why many therapists and brain researchers are finding that “letting go” is vital to our emotional well-being.
Abiding with Grief: Five Things I Learned
The crippling grief I experienced after my sister's recent death led me to investigate current research about grief and discover how transformative it can sometimes be.
Four Principles of Survival My Characters Taught Me
What can fictional characters teach you about survival? I learned four principles of survival from the characters in my first novel, but only after I had finished writing.
Girls at Risk: The Enigma of Resilience and What I Learn from My Characters
Dale Kushner explores how the main characters in her two novels are put at risk by their parents but discover resilience within themselves.
On Writing, Climbing, and Resilience
A number of years ago, I did something I thought I’d never do: I scaled a forty-foot inflatable climbing tower, jumped into a net, and was belayed down to earth. How did this happen? I was with my daughters, one of whom was on the Outward Bound team that had set up the towers on a cross-country bike tour to raise awareness for girls Outward Bound expeditions.