Trauma is an emotional response to some type of terrible event in a person's life. Types of trauma include physical violence or injury, natural disasters, illnesses, emotional abuse or neglect, sexual abuse, severe loss, bullying, and many other adverse events.  These may be one-time events, multiple instances, or a series of long-lasting repetitive events. Without addressing past trauma, many people wind up living considerably altered lives as a result of avoiding it.  Trying to ignore it, compartmentalize it or lock it away doesn't solve the problem and the residual effects can be devastating in many ways.

I recently had the good fortune to be a guest on the Fair Game podcast hosted by Leah Remini and Mike Rinder. It is a more raw continuation of the discussion started by their show Scientology & the Aftermath, which won multiple Emmy Awards on A&E and now all three seasons are available on Netflix. If you haven’t seen the show, I would absolutely recommend it. Their Fair Game podcast hones a bit more into the harassment and dirty tricks part of Scientology that it uses against people who go against them, especially former members who become whistleblowers and speak out to expose their lies and corruption. We spend some time in the episode talking about all of the different Scientology front groups that had been created to try and appear legitimate and lure more people in while attempting to gain more power and control. Cult indoctrination is a popular topic again with the recent sentencing of Keith Raniere for his NXIVM and Executive Success Program operations and the depravity he was guilty of. Shows on HBO and Starz have documented much of that, and indicated how Raniere borrowed quite a bit from Scientology, while at the same time trying to distance himself from “cults like Scientology.” From what I see, there are way more cults in America and around the world, and we often belong to several, whether we’re aware of it or not.

There are a lot of helpful tips and resources out there for getting past the hang-up of worrying about what other people think. Some of them are simple and practical, and others involve a little more soul-searching. What I find to be most helpful so far is to use a self-inquiry process of checking my intentions and weighing them against any potential fallout. As long as I can be honest with myself about who I am and what I’m doing, then I have to be willing for others to not like me.  Hopefully this will also translate into removing some of my other fears that I have been allowing to hold me back as well.  After all, our happiness is our responsibility, not someone else’s. 

We are living in stressful times, and for most of us, our respective political parties are working to create more division and unrest.  Both the liberal and conservative parties need each other to exist, to have a "them" to fight against.  And, since they're the controlling parties, they make the laws that shut out other political parties from having a legitimate chance for introducing more peaceful change that strives for unity rather than division.  It is easy for one party to point a finger at the other, and both would be correct.  It is time for a different approach.

We live in a world where we are constantly being told what we should look like, who we should idolize, what we should buy and how we should act.  Generations of people are being subconsciously programmed into thinking and acting out values generated by others for their benefits and agendas rather than ones we have discovered for ourselves that are truly ours.  So how do we define what our values really are?  Well, it can start with asking ourselves some key questions about experiences in our lives and what is important to us - how we really think and feel about things from our own unique perspectives and individual consciousness. For more on this, visit http://lucascatton.com. 

As an Empath, one of the most difficult things can be to not take on the feelings of others, but this goes for everyone.  We can be kind and caring and supportive of others but we cannot be responsible for other people's happiness.  We have to set boundaries and learn from our experiences and allow others to do so as well. Here are the books I mentioned in this podcast: The Empath's Survival Guide - by Dr. Judith Orloff Quiet - by Susan Cain The Energy Codes - by Dr. Sue Morter Here is a link to an article by Dr. Daniell Dowling regarding other people's happiness. And hit me up any time at LucasCatton.com

I have driven across the country on long road trips, from coast to coast and up and down the East coast and many places in between.  Before smartphones and apps and even before early GPS systems were common, I would print out directions on MapQuest, and I had a road atlas in my car. I would usually study the directions or map before leaving, and then just drive.  Sometimes hours on end without even listening to music or speaking to another person at all and other times getting completely sucked into some of my favorite music that evoked various emotions.  Mostly I loved just being there on the road, taking in the sights of the places I was traveling to and through. Then, when I would get closer to my destination I would  stop and study the map and directions in detail again to know exactly where I was going.  Then I would repeat for the next trip. Driving is such a great metaphor for my life, both in how I do long trips with a goal in mind, but am not only focused on the details of the destination, and instead enjoying the trip itself.  Also the part about creating space and freedom and a bit of separation from the pack by taking opportunities when I see them and going just a little bit faster than most other drivers.

When there are conflicts or opposing forces, it is often easy for one side or another to feel like they need to exact revenge on the other.  However, revenge is usually an anger-driven reaction that only perpetuates the fight rather than ending it.  Instead, seeking redemption can help find justice or resolution and begin healing a conflict.  This is something I struggled with that I chronicled in my memoir Reconnection.

With all of the unrest and uncertainty happening in the U.S. and throughout the world, there are a lot of systems and institutions being questioned.  Some are being torn down completely.  And although this can be an extremely difficult or uncomfortable process at times, it is also very necessary on occasion so that something better can be created or built in its place. MindValley founder Vishen Lakhiani calls this beautiful destruction, saying that "sometimes in life you have to destroy what is merely good to allow what is truly great to enter."  We see this not just on a global level, but also with our careers, relationships, belief systems, physical structures and our egos.  A healthy dose of inquiry and questioning our true values can help us determine with things need to be torn down and built anew.

Right now there are thousands of people around the country who are seeking other options for opioid abuse and addiction.  This includes a small percentage of the 400,000 who are enrolled in daily opioid maintenance programs who wish there was an affordable option for private recovery help.  It also includes people in rural areas where options for treatment or recovery assistance are extremely limited.  There are also people who are either exiting a detox or residential treatment facility and are looking for something different from what they have already tried in their areas. The Opioid Independence™ Program offers a customizeable hybrid recovery framework that includes online lessons as well as groups and individual sessions with recovery coaches and/or therapists for a personalized and private recovery experience over a 6-month period.  For more information, visit http://opioidindependence.com.