VIEW POST
This morning, as I washed my breakfast dishes, I was flooded with a desire. It was more of a whispered voice driving me to something wonderful. Wonderful and frightening. I couldn’t tell if it came from inside me, but the message was clear.
If I don’t play the piano, I’ll…
VIEW POST
A month before my thirteenth birthday, I discovered that Scotch tape is removable. While she was at work, I crept into my mother’s room. I’d seen her carry in shopping bags the prior evening. She handed me a box of party invitations to fill out and rushed upstairs with…
VIEW POST
My former-husband frequently amused himself with descriptions of acupuncturists.
“How do they all fit in their tiny car?” he began. “And those big red floppy shoes. Twenty to thirty of them piling into a Volkswagen Beetle driving around town with their orange wigs and bright yellow costumes. How do…
VIEW POST
VIEW POST
My dear friend Chichi and I share a devastating ailment.
Theatrophobia: Fear of theatre that leads to significant anxiety and consequently, avoidance of the theatre.
As a therapist and licensed clinical social worker of 30 years, I assure you, it’s real.
Not cinema theatre. That doesn’t scare us. Chichi’s a sci-fi buff,…
VIEW POST
Every hero’s journey is launched by a call to action. During today’s 30-minute morning meditation, it came. Go to France.
When?
Next month.
Life and my writing halted during my father’s recent health crisis. I abandoned my dream of auditioning for the church musical, I shelved my book revisions, back-burnered my writing…
VIEW POST
The life of a creative is not easy. We are sensitive, constantly doubting our amazing abilities. We struggle to prioritize the time to grow our talents or we devote hours to songs, poems, and stories we never put out into the world. But mostly, we are afraid. We think…
VIEW POST
I’m fond of reassuring my therapy clients that all of their problems are their parent’s fault. I’m the guide, they make the discovery.
My mother’s constant criticism made me think I can’t do anything right.
My father’s workaholism taught me that people will abandon me.
My mother’s abusive relationships lead me to…
VIEW POST
I often find myself staring at my hands. I love tracing the faint green veins from my wrist bone down to my fingers. I admire the thin layer of golden brown skin. Decades of strangers commenting that I have the hands of a pianist lead me to teach myself…
Pam Neal is a gifted encourager and creative. Her mission is to nurture healing and build community through creativity. She is a therapist, writer, workshop leader, motivational speaker, and stage director. She uses creativity and self-discovery to support people to live fully, by overcoming unhealthy thinking and harmful habits.