Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe.

Mental Health issues have been a paradigm in the human condition since the dawn of mankind.    Throughout history there have been three general theories of the origins of mental illness: supernatural, somatogenic (physiological causes), or psychologically rooted.  So treatments have relied on which etiology a culture practices.  Today, in the United States, we correlate mental illness to physiological and psychological causes.  A few forms of treatment include psychotherapy, hospitalization, medication, and alternative medicine.  Because every human being is different, what works for one person may not work for another.  Today I am comparing medication in treating mental health issues compared to an alternative treatment known as wilderness therapy. Medication to change hormone levels as well as channeling altered states of consciousness with drugs have been tools in human history for treating psychological conditions. According to th...

     I haven't posted an entry for my book in a couple weeks now.  Mostly because I am waiting for others to help fill in my timeline.  I have other chapters written just after waking up from my coma, and part of me wants to just post those.  But that wouldn't follow the timeline and I want to get everything to connect, as maybe that's part of a healing process.  Plus my story is always developing.        Anyways, my birthday was last week.  I remember telling a friend when I was younger that I was excited to get older, as I believe, especially as a woman, I can gain more experience and respect with each year that passes.         On the flip side, I was going through some of my archived google docs and found entries of mine from myspace days.  Does anyone remember myspace?        While I don't believe in staying stuck in the past, just as we learn history in school,...

“What do you think of this green Jeep Wrangler, David?”  My dad says as we peruse through the car dealership on Wadsworth.  It’s just after nine am, and the sun is starting to bounce heatwaves off concrete in the mile-high city.             I had dropped my girlfriend, Kaitlyn, off at her promotional gig earlier in the morning.  Things were going great in our relationship.  A couple months ago I got to meet her parents in Oregon and am considering proposing soon. But the time hasn’t seemed right yet, and it must be perfect. So here we are, shopping for a new car.  The salesman is running back to the office for keys to give us a test drive when I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.  Looking to see who is calling, I don't recognize the number and it’s out of state.  I hesitate to answer but decide I might as well. “Hello,”  I say in my usual optimistic tone. “Hi, David, this is Kaitl...

 Ring….. Ring…. Ring….. “Hello,” I say, picking up my work phone, with my usual optimistic tone. “Do you have a daughter?” a woman responds, ominously.             “Well yes, I have two,”  I reply.  My mind flies to my daughter, Annsley, in North Pole, Alaska and my nine-month-old granddaughter Isabelle.  Thinking of my youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, who moved to Colorado last year, I feel my heart beating faster.  It’s been a couple days since I’ve talked to either of them.  They live states away and are living their own lives.             “Is this Alison?  Do you have a daughter, Kaitlyn?”  Says the voice. “Yes!  What is this about?”  My nerves begin to flutter.  A tsunami of butterflies swirl in my belly. “When is your daughter’s birthday?”  The voice asks.     “July ...

I was in a coma six years ago today. It's hard for me to grasp how much life has happened since May of 2011; sometimes it really does feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe.  From learning to talk, walk, and eat again, to years of therapies, to getting married and having children, I have come a long way.  Spending time mulling over tough past experiences can do a couple things to a person: leave them festering in unwanted memories like a deep wound that won’t heal, or allow the healing process to create extra scar tissue, and come out even stronger than before. My accident made me a survivor.  Becoming a mother made me a warrior.  I make a conscious effort to be grateful for my blessings every day.  Sometimes I forget, but I try to remember always.  From having hands to grasp and eyes to see to the freedom to express my experiences.  With all the atoms and energy floating around, existence and awareness alone are miracles.  I...

  Let me start by saying I never intended this as a blog post.  It started as a reflection paper for my college health class I am taking for my degree.  But this information about the human body, energy systems, and all the intricate facets and fibers of wellness, speaks to my soul.  And I want to share my journey, especially if I think it can help others.  Time is an illusion that slips through my fingers, so even as I write this, and my kids are asleep, I am constantly shifting priorities to accomplish tasks.  I am challenged daily. So to kill two birds with one stone, instead of writing out an entirely new blog post, I thought I would share my final reflection paper for my “Health and Fitness for Life" class. This year is the first year I have been in school full time, since high school.  And it seems like the most inopportune time, as a devoted mother and wife, to divide my time between school and family.  Bu...