A Mountie, an Architect, and Cambodian Trauma Survivors Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC Our guest blogger this week is Scott Stober, an architect who has designed housing, banks, schools, colleges, and churches for 30 years. Now retired from his architecture firm, he continues allowing God’s creativity to motivate him to help people in his own community…

An Unclear Yet Present Danger Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC I didn’t plan to write another blog article this week but felt compelled to do so when I watched the video at the end of this article. As a psychotherapist specializing in working with trauma survivors, I’ve met with thousands of men, women, and children who…

Contentment Amidst Trauma Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC Contentment could be described as being satisfied. It’s realizing we can survive traumatic stress and be victorious amidst life’s unavoidable challenges and concerns. Not only does an attitude of contentment include choosing to be joyful; it’s relaxing in God’s provision of strength, peace, and hope. Whenever we don’t…

Celebrating Love Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC Those words can bring joy, sadness, hope, or even fear, depending on a person’s experience, expectations, or situation. But we can choose to make it a happy day, regardless of where we are in life. How? We can choose to put our hope in God instead of people. Realizing…

Announcing Core Healing YouTube Channel Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC Happy February! For everyone interested in Core Healing from Trauma, there’s a new opportunity this month. I now have a YouTube channel featuring a twelve-week course, “Strengthening Your Core,” with talks focusing on each chapter of the workbook. The first video is already posted. I’ll be recording…

Trusting God in Small Things Prepares Us for Big Things! Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC After hearing about a natural disaster, terror attack or other tragedy, have you thought, “I could never survive something like that”? Perhaps the secret in surviving something that could happen is trusting God with what is happening today. In Life Together,…

A Workout for 2020: Strengthening Your Core Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC In 2020, are  you planning to go to the gym, find a personal trainer, or workout at home? We all know we need physical exercise, but it’s even more important  to keep fit mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. (When we have a healthy inner core,…

Thistles for Thanksgiving Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC At Thanksgiving, we usually talk about why we’re grateful and think about the blessings and joys of the past year. Thistles aren’t a typical Thanksgiving topic! So why discuss thistles now? Like trauma, thistles are unwelcome intruders, weeds so tenacious it can take repeated growing seasons to eradicate.…

Don’t Let the “Grinch” of Trauma Rob You of Joy Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC Like the grinch whose heart was “two sizes too small,” does it seem like you can’t enjoy life at all? From the smells of Thanksgiving to the music of Christmas, trauma memories can yank you from the present to the past…

Five Ways to Cope with Traumatic Stress Marti Wibbels, MS, LMHC   Everyone experiences trauma, so it’s vital to know how to cope when it occurs. It can arrive without warning in what’s known as “Big T” trauma, crashing life with stressors like hurricanes, floods, assault, abuse, a car accident, the loss of a loved…