Trauma--Treatment and Change
Trauma in all its forms is debilitating—
Domestic violence,
War,
Illness,
Homelessness,
Arrests.
Trauma can lead to self-medicating—
Drugs,
Alcohol,
Starvation,
Mutilation,
Isolation.
How we treat trauma can be traumatizing—
Lock them up,
Remove their crutches,
Force sobriety,
One solution for all.
We wouldn’t—
Place cats and dogs in the same cage,
Mix bleach with ammonia,
Skydive without a parachute,
Repel without a rope.
Some change is easy;
change your sheets, your shirt, your socks, your shoes.
Find change;
in a jar, your pocket or your purse.
Other changes are more difficult—
Losing a partner,
A child,
A home,
One’s health.
Changing attitudes is vital for those traumatized—
Some clinicians’ understandings need changing,
Law-Enforcement approaches need changing,
Societies’ views need changing,
Trauma can keep change from happening.
How we deal with trauma is vital.
And seeking the right help can heal us.
Reducing harm is where to begin.
richard ebner 2026
I volunteer on this site, Virtu Services Network, working to reduce the harm affecting three specific groups of human beings; those with substance abuse issues, the homeless, and the elderly. At times, I have been a member of all three of these groups. Now, at 73, I am a permanent member of the last group.
Greg LaBranche, or Doc as I call him, founded the Virtu Services Network. Doc is a PhD who also holds a Black belt in Taekwon Do. He has created an innovative way to help deal with destructive behaviors by using the arts. I am speaking about all forms of art; writing, drawing, painting, photography, poetry, music, dance, and yes even martial arts. My major responsibility is on this Desktop Writers page of the group. So, if you are already here, WELCOME! Get comfortable and take a look around. If you are reading this from somewhere else on the internet, please consider giving us a visit. There is no cost to subscribe, and you needn’t have a substance abuse issue to join, but you might like to help someone who does. And perhaps best of all, you can become a member from anywhere in the world without ever getting on a plane.
The title of the book, Staying Stoned: High in the Mountains, is very misleading.
Click on book image to learn more. Or perhaps purchase if interested? No pressure!
Contact me via Email
FRIENDS
I am fortunate to have many friends. I have also been homeless in the past. Not park bench, or all night on the streets kind of homeless. But when I couldn’t reach any of my friends, I spent a few nights sleeping in the cab of my pickup truck. After that, several friends took me in for various lengths of time. I spent several days on a couch at one friend’s house. Then several months, at another family of my friends in their guest room. Never, did I have to fear for my survival.
Today, many homeless people are not so fortunate as I was. However, the homeless do have friends. Other homeless people are their friends. They do what they can for each other. They may share some food, or hugs and a blanket. And yes, drugs are often shared as well. Some are military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, after being involved and exposed to war environments. Others, are victims of child abuse and domestic violence. Illness is often another major contributor to homelessness, as our healthcare system is not all that healthy-caring, or a very good system. Still others, just haven’t been able to afford the American Dream of owning a home, or even the cost of renting a dream. Many of the more fortunate, see homeless people as a threat to their own way of life, if they even see them at all. Can’t they realize, as Phil Ochs and Joan Baez did, that “There but for Fortune go I”? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DCbLYAHUUpA0&ved=2ahUKEwjZnfaQ1vKVAxWtkYkEHXDXKGIQz40FegQIFhAU&usg=AOvVaw1LS8DpzSfzyqad2DQ-LPIw
We needn’t drink wine or break bread to listen to Christ.
The path to righteousness is within us All!
Jesus was a man who believed in empathy and kindness.
No religion denies his existence as a human who once lived.
Even atheists can appreciate this man’s model for being.
Socialism is not the same as communism.
Being antisocial, is a negative State!
Prisons are not the answer for addictions.
Anyone who is lost, can be found.
Making a profit, doesn’t make you a Prophet.
Shoes can be bought and sold — souls cannot be purchased.
If there is a ‘hereafter’ the key word is after.
The time for loving yourself and others is Now!
“Judge Softly”
“Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,
Or stumbled beneath the same load.
There may be tears in his soles that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
The burden he bears placed on your back
May cause you to stumble and fall, too.
Don’t sneer at the man who is down today
Unless you have felt the same blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
That were his, unknown to you in the same way,
May cause you to stagger and fall, too.
Don’t be too harsh with the man that sins.
Or pelt him with words, or stone, or disdain.
Unless you are sure you have no sins of your own,
And it’s only wisdom and love that your heart contains.
For you know if the tempter’s voice
Should whisper as soft to you,
As it did to him when he went astray,
It might cause you to falter, too.
Just walk a mile in his moccasins
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.
If just for one hour, you could find a way
To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse.
I believe you’d be surprised to see
That you’ve been blind and narrow-minded, even unkind.
There are people on reservations and in the ghettos
Who have so little hope, and too much worry on their minds.
Brother, there but for the grace of God go you and I.
Just for a moment, slip into his mind and traditions
And see the world through his spirit and eyes
Before you cast a stone or falsely judge his conditions.
Remember to walk a mile in his moccasins
And remember the lessons of humanity taught to you by your elders.
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave
In other people’s lives, our kindnesses and generosity.
Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.”
~ by Mary T. Lathrap, 1895
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