The Hijacked Heart

The hijacked heart has been experienced by anyone who has suffered abuse, trauma, limiting information about themselves, anyone who has experienced addiction in any form as an attempt to escape the unidentified feeling that leads to a life of limit, and at times debilitating anxiety, depression, addiction and always unhappiness. The hijacked heart brings identification of the source of pain along a pathway leading to health, wholeness and a life of genuine Love and Connection. Hope is presented or restored as real people share their stories. Anyone who can see the possibility of change and be willing to embark on a journey, though challenging at times, can reap the benefits of genuine love and connection which is the result of courage, doing it afraid and the willingness to allow the change of thinking that will sustain the life you've been waiting to live. It is possible. It is.

The Hijacked Heart has been a lifetime in coming. It contains the stories of clients as well as the author. All do not come into this world with equal opportunity. Many suffer abuse at the hands of those who should have been protecting them. Those who were hurt by others and so hurt someone. Children are victims because of their nature of vulnerability and susceptibility. Early conditioning to accept abuse as normal continues until a person decides it is no longer acceptable. Unfortunately in many cases these conditions/opinions go well in to adulthood and possibly for the entire life of a person. Just as dysfunction is taught by unspoken messages so does the individual need positive reinforcement and encouragement. People hurt us and it takes people to lead us to genuine love and connection. The twelve step programs offer such "connection" with great success. The stories in "Hijacked Heart" offer real life experiences of real people who have been through the process of change which is required to have a new life. AA states "nothing changes if nothing changes, and the only person you can change is you!" The process in "Hijacked Heart" is creative, unique to the person and offers the reader some strategies to help. There is truly a way to have the life you were created to have, the person you were supposed to be. There is a saying in Buddhism (I am not a Buddhist but like this saying), "when the student is ready the teacher appears". I hope that this is your season to find Genuine Love and Connection through deciding to face, with relentless courage, your past and the fear which has kept you bound. 

Raised in rural America, the lack that surrounded her upbringing was more than financial. It was a lack of nurturing, self acceptance, a sense of value and the secrecy that depicts the pattern of behavior taught without words: don't talk, don't touch, don't feel. An unplanned pregnancy interrupted her plans for college and a means of escape. The pregnancy was the result of date rape. The trajectory of her life was changed. Only after leaving an abusive seven year marriage her life story begin to evolve. Working for companies based in big business resulted in education in business management in addition to experiencing the beauty and diversity of United States. Upon returning to the east coast and her home base she opened a health food store/cafe for which she was the sole proprietor for twelve years. A dramatic life change found her working for adjudicated male youth ages thirteen to eighteen. That was the point she found her niche as she had a passion for working with this population. It was at forty years old that she found herself in college to become an addiction counselor. The passion hasn't changed only the population. From an addiction counselor to inner city youth to working in a detox unit in a hospital yet a geographical move to the South to experience adult males in an equine therapy based residential treatment center to an Outpatient IOP and currently working with males and females in DWI groups. It has always been a delight to find that any group of people I work with is unique and interesting. Their stories find a place in the sharing and and we work to help one another. There is a never ending story with new characters every group. The excitement of the "ah ha" keeps me totally invested.