Give sorrow word; the grief that does not speak knits up the doer wrong heart and bids it break. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In van you rise early, and stay up late toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves. Listen, my son, to your father’s instructions, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. We can hardly bear to look. The shadow may carry the best of the life we have not lived. Go into the basement, the attic, the refuse bin. Find gold there. Find an animal who has not been fed or watered. It is you!! This neglected, exiled animal, hungry for attention is part of yourself. #RyanPhillippe 1 of 7

If the wicked say, “Come along with us; let us lie in wait for someone’s blood, let us waylay some harmless soul; let us swallow them alike, like the grace, and whole, like those who go down to the put; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse” —my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves! Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it. Men talk of nature as an abstract thing, and lose sight to what is natural while they do so! Judge not things by their names. To be called one thing, is oftentimes to be another. #RyanPhillippe 2 of 7

The most helpful interventions to reduce trauma are those ones that focus on relieving the physical burdens generated by trauma. Traumatic events are almost impossible to put into words. This is true for all of us, not just for people who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pangs are too sharp, griefs too deep ecstasies too high for our finite selves to register. When the emotion reached this pitch the mind choked; and memory went white till the circumstances were humdrum once more. While trauma keeps us dumbfounded, the path out of it is paved with words, carefully assembled piece by piece, until the whole story can be revealed. The genius of evolution lies in the dynamic tension between optimism and pessimism continually correcting each other. #RyanPhillippe 3 of 7

Courage may be a virtue that many people may not develop. It consists of emotion strength that involve the exercise of the will to accomplish dreams and goals in the face of opposition, both external and internal, with neither being dependent on the actual size of the opposition or threat. It requires bravery and perseverance regardless of obstacles. Those without courage most certainly would shrink in the face of mounting opposition or minuscule odds of victory. Courage in battle is important for the majority side and essential for those who are oppressed. The reason people continue to fight in the opposition in the face of mounting defeat is humanity. Regardless of pain and suffering, or loss, many men and women will not stop helping and care for others regardless of the risk to their own lives. Cultivating happiness in a person’s life, courage, humanity, and altruism provide a strong foundation for those bound to a cause worth fighting for even against tremendous odds. #RyanPhillippe 4 of 7

Silence about trauma can lead to death—the death of the soul. Silence reinforces the godforsaken isolation of trauma. Being able to say aloud to another human being, “I was assaulted” or “I was battered by my neighbor” or “The Mayor called it discipline, but it was abuse” or “I am not making it since I got back from Iraq,” is a signed that healing can begin. We may think we can control our grief, our terror, or our shame by remaining silent, but naming offers the possibility of a different kind of control. When Adam was put in charge of the animal kingdom in the Book of Genesis, his first act was to give name to every living creature. If you have been hurt, you need to acknowledge and name what happened to you. #RyanPhillippe 5 of 7

Feeling listened to and understood changes our physiology; being able to articulate a complex feeling, and having out feelings recognized allows the little boy inside to forgive others for having been scared and submissive and allows one to enjoy his own company. It lights up our limbic brain and creates a moment of enlightenment. In contrast being met by silence and incomprehension kills the spirit. What cannot be spoken cannot be said to the self. If you hide from yourself, the fact that you were assaulted when you were young, you are vulnerable to react to triggers like an animal in a thunderstorm: with a full-body response to the hormones that signal danger. #RyanPhillippe 6 of 7

Without language and context, your awareness may be limited to: I am scared. Yet, determined to stay in control, you are likely to avoid anybody or anything that reminds your even vaguely of your trauma. You may also alternate between being inhibited and being uptight or reactive and explosive—all without knowing. As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally as war with yourself. Hiding your core feelings takes an enormous amount of energy, it saps your motivation to pursue worthwhile goals, and it leaves you feeling bored and shut down. Meanwhile, stress hormones keep flooding your body, leading to headaches, muscle aches, problems with your stomach or Netflix and Chill functions—and irrational behaviors may embarrass you and hurt the people around you. Only after you identify the source of these responses can you start using your feelings as signals of problems that require your urgent attention. #RyanPhillippe 7 of 7