My super spiritual and super creative friend Joede in Chicago wrote this response to my last blog about trauma, depression, and repression. I’ve never done a guest blog before but somehow it makes me feel kind of important, like David Lettermen or Charlie Rose. Joede is all about being real, being creative and using creative expression as a means to inform and express ones spirituality. She’s really something. The thing that makes this even more remarkable is that her husband Alan is in the hospital and she is able to still stay focused and heart centered enough to write something inspiring like this. I feel honored and  can only hope and pray that healing, love, and Peace flows back to her and to her entire family. I told her she is like a walking Menorah of light and divine wisdom and I meant it.  Cliff (Editor in Chief)

Joede Berman commented on Trauma, Repression, and Depression

I totally agree with you Cliff about the need to express fears, sadness, depression, and difficult situations we have all experienced sometime in our lives. By keeping our feelings inside or pushing them aside we usually create additional emotional issues in our lives. We all get caught up in doing what we perceive that we should do, and we lose touch with what we want and need. We may wonder, “Is this all that there is?” We may feel lost in response to our unlived lives, and we long for a sense of meaning and purpose. Engaging in creative expression provides the opportunity for creating some of the meaning that we crave, and it sometimes leads to inner knowing and clarity. Creative expression provides a counterbalance to the doing in our external worlds and gives us an opportunity to simply be and to reconnect with our own heart and soul.

My passion for creative expression which includes spiritual connection and community awareness and involvement has been the core source for me to express and address difficult situations and moments in my life. I strongly encourage everyone to express their conflicts and pain through creative expression; whether by creating art, movement, music, writing, poetry, exercise or just talking about what’s going on in your life. Help others by volunteering and find out that as much as you think you are helping someone else the fact is, that person or act of doing for others is what is going to help you. Everyone’s soul can be healed and making connections with others is a first step in the process. “Creative Expression is the Healing of the Soul” “When we expose our hurts to the light of creativity we have a chance at recovery.”

I love this quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation – either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”

Joede Berman