And how I learned I was wrong. — As a teenager, I had an eating disorder. I didn’t know it at the time. It was the 1980s. There was less awareness of the issue then, and my life was sheltered. My family lived in a rural part of Missouri. We didn’t see the news much, and what T.V…

Living with Complex PTSD. — About a year ago, I was diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I didn’t know. We have a way of normalizing all kinds of things, if they go on long enough. My childhood was weird and my adult life full of challenges, but that’s true for lots of people…

Is there any hope for me? — On my darker days, I’ve said that if I’m attracted to someone then they must, by definition, be a narcissist. This is not literally true; I’ve dated a few nice guys. But man, I’ve dated a lot of narcissists, and today I’m frustrated with myself. Before I talk about that…

“I have emptied house, that I may be filled with your furniture.” - Rūmī * — When I moved in with my last serious boyfriend a few years ago, we had almost enough furniture for two houses, so a few things had to go. …

On the day I stopped being so damn angry all the time. — I know a Buddhist monk who begins some of his stories like this: “I’m going to tell you something that happened to me, but first I want you to know that I don’t believe in any of it.” Like my friend, I have a true story to tell, but I’ve…