A Quality Life in the Shadow of Terrorism

After the demise of the Soviet Union, many individuals felt a sigh of relief as fear was leaving them. Yet, over the years, counselors have seen a new fear—terrorism—demonstrated in drive-by shootings, hate crimes, and now, weapons of mass destruction. In helping clients deal with this all-too-real phenomenon, a reframing process is in order, one that views our lives not in permanence, but as constant change. Much needless suffering is due to clinging to permanent belief systems, which, in reality, are impermanent. Many clients I have worked with have found effective ways not only to deal with, but to flourish in whatever life brings, via a self-Being relationship.     

Recovery and Renewal: Journey of Hope to the Gulf Coast

When a group of 20 college students and seven adult leaders traveled to the Gulf Coast to repair houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina, they did not realize the multiple ways that they themselves would be renewed. Finding God in the struggle, celebrating diversity, and living with gratitude became the result that subtly changed many lives. Fredrica R. Halligan, Ph.D. is a spiritually-oriented clinical psychologist. She is currently Director of the Counseling Center at Western Connecticut State University and author of Listen Deeply to God: Exploring Spirituality in an Interreligious Age.     

Survival

This article describes the trauma and subsequent struggle of surviving a serious car accident. It deals with the physical efforts to keep me alive as well as the emotional impact and suffering. I was an "active sixty-three" when my life changed drastically. The car I drove en route to a vacation unexplainedly swerved, landed in a ditch and rolled over. I became QUADRIPLEGIC in one instant-paralyzed from the neck down, permanently confined to a wheelchair. I spend several unforgettable months in a Florida hospital, hooked up to life supports, hovering between life and death. I was then flown to New York for rehabilitation. A devoted medical team and supportive family taught be to become somewhat independent with the help of high-tech equipment, preparing me to face the world as a "QUAD." Six years have passed and I still mourn my "body beautiful," but I have accepted my limitations and found new challenges in life.