Angela Wheelock's Profile | TypePad

This is Angela Wheelock's TypePad Profile.

Join TypePad and start following Angela Wheelock's activity

Join Now!

Already a member? Sign In

Angela Wheelock

Vancouver, British Columbia

I am a writer, trauma survivor and caregiver living in Vancouver with my husband, 17 year old son and a too-smart-for-her-own-good orange cat. Here I am in happier days.

Interests: friends, music, singing, poetry, walking, reading, the environment, mindfulness, qi gong, yoga

Recent Activity

Hi Sonya, Thank you. Did you include a link to your blog? I didnt see one. Thanks again for your feedback. Ive been, as you may have noticed, not writing my blog lately due to a[nother] family crisis. Angela

Commented Apr 5, 2013 on How can [birth] first mothers cope when adoption reunions fall apart? at Life after Trauma

Hi Nicolai, Thank you for the support! Angela

Commented Mar 9, 2013 on Keeping vigil at Life after Trauma

Hi Billie, Yes, it is a sad story. Im so sorry to hear that they didnt tell you about your mother. Sometimes, it is hard to imagine what goes through peoples minds! My mother comes from a family of 12 and even though everyone isnt best friends, only one of the 12 became estranged from the family. Sometimes, too, I know from experience that any sort of traumatic events in a family such as suicide, substance abuse, or mental health issues can certainly add to the risk of estrangement. Best of luck and thank you for sharing your story. Angela

Commented Mar 8, 2013 on The Grief of Estrangement - when loved ones become strangers at Life after Trauma

Hi Shardy, Sure, no problem. The more people who read this the better. Angela

Commented Mar 7, 2013 on What's in your loved one's pill box - the dangers of opioids (narcotics) at The Caregiver Chronicles

Being kind to yourself

turning toward what you deeply love saves you Rumi woman reading, Renoir (Wikimedia Commons) My therapist emailed me several days ago, after I'd emailed her, frustrated with how things are going. "Be gentle with yourself," she told me. Good advice. But how often do we follow it? I've been trying... Continue reading

Posted Jan 25, 2013 at Breathing Space

0

Cleaning the bedroom - stage one

The only joy in the world is to begin. Cesare Pavese Sweeping woman, Penelope Dullaghan (penelope.illustration.com) Yesterday afternoon, my best friend came over to help me get a start on cleaning my now singular bedroom. I thought it would be harder than it was, but my therapist was right, having... Continue reading

Posted Jan 20, 2013 at Breathing Space

0

Separation Distress - coping with PTSD and a crumbling marriage

Somehow we survive and tenderness, frustrated, does not wither. Dennis Brutus fly away (Billie Hara, flickr) Two weeks and two days ago, my husband moved out. We're trying a "trial" separation, which is supposed to last for three months. Despite the fact that we're in couples counseling, I'm not terribly... Continue reading

Posted Jan 18, 2013 at Life after Trauma

0

Tending my own nest

bird's nest (annahesser, flickr) After what I thought was a reasonably good visit to my parents in August, disaster struck. Not them; me. My husband has moved out and I am now living in our home with my 18-year-old son who has started university and our cat. Our "trial separation"... Continue reading

Posted Jan 18, 2013 at The Caregiver Chronicles

0

Cleaning the Bedroom - dealing with separation

There comes the strangest moment in your life, when everything you thought before you breaks free - what you relied upon as ground-rule and as rite looks upside down from how it used to be. Kate Light the unmade bed, Imogene Cunningham (jamesgrissom.blogspot.com) My husband moved out two weeks and... Continue reading

Posted Jan 18, 2013 at Breathing Space

0

Hi Lorraine, Thank you so much for your comment and support. I still havent heard from my daughter and its been over 2 years. I follow your blog and know your story and I realize how much weve all gone through, and I do mean all: first parents, children, adoptive parents. What a toxic practice adoption is. I have been dealing with other issues and let my blog slide lately. I will try to get back to posting there. Peace to you too, Angela

Commented Jan 11, 2013 on How can [birth] first mothers cope when adoption reunions fall apart? at Life after Trauma

The Eve of Separation

letting go (flickr creative commons) We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. Joseph Campbell Tonight is both New Year's Eve and the eve of my husband moving out. Our 18-year-old son and our cat are staying... Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2012 at Breathing Space

0

Why should trauma survivors speak out - thoughts from Elie Wiesel

Even if you remember a spark of the flame, that's enough. Even if you remember one face, it would be enough. Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel (nobelpeaceportraits.com) In Conversations With Elie Wiesel, by Elie Wiesel and Richard Heffner, Wiesel talks about why trauma survivors should tell their stories. Elie Wiesel, a... Continue reading

Posted Nov 12, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

A Glimmer of Hope - advice from my therapist

Be not afraid of growing slowly. Be afraid of only standing still. Chinese proverb Sunrise (alternatangle, flickr) Two visits to my therapist Last week my husband and I both went to see my therapist - on separate occasions. Partly, she doesn't do couples counselling, partly we wanted to talk to... Continue reading

Posted Oct 31, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

A divorce is an amputation; you survive it, but there's less of you. Margaret Atwood Keeping vigil (flickr) I've decided that I'm not going to bed tonight because earlier this evening my husband told me something devastating. I'd suspected much of what he was feeling, but he hadn't been able... Continue reading

Posted Oct 23, 2012 at Life after Trauma

2

Compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or burnout?

In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel "burnout" setting in . . . it is best for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective. The Dalai Lama fly away (Anders Adermark, flickr) Caring for someone... Continue reading

Posted Oct 17, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

PTSD and relationships - when your significant other can't live with your PTSD

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. Doug Larson Newly weds (m.a.x., flickr) I've been missing for a while because I've been going through a major crisis. My husband told me in August, and has since stuck to his position, that... Continue reading

Posted Oct 13, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

Silence and Trauma Survivors: Lessons from Holocaust Survivors

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. Elie Wiesel Silence (Ciudadano Poeta) I'm shifting gears here a bit to talk about silence and the Holocaust for two reasons: a) I'm working on an editing project with a woman whose father survived the... Continue reading

Posted Sep 19, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

Hi Rihana, Thanks for the comment. Yes, its a complex subject and one that my mom still struggles with. Im off to a strength training class this morning. I really dont want to get joint replacement surgery and movement is one of the best things someone with arthritis can do. Angela

Commented Sep 18, 2012 on Balancing pain control and drug use: the risk of prescription drug addiction in seniors at The Caregiver Chronicles

Hi Sanjeewani, Im glad you enjoyed the post. Angela

Commented Sep 11, 2012 on Sweep floors, wash clothes at Life after Trauma

Dealing with your loved ones when you have PTSD: Part 1 - Go slow and carry lots of patience

It's taken me awhile to write the next post in the series I've promised. That's because I really couldn't decide what should come next. I identified "the problem," last time and explained where things are with my husband and I. Now what, I asked. I thought I'd start with talking... Continue reading

Posted Sep 9, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

How to cope when your loved one(s) feel overwhelmed by your PTSD

It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it. Lena Horne Carrying packs, Nepal (Sam Judson, flickr creative commons) I haven't been posting for a while because the last week or so has been a very stressful one. One week and three days ago, my... Continue reading

Posted Sep 5, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing - a book review

The first day after a death, the new absence Is always the same; we should be careful Of each other, we should be kind While there is still time. Philip Larkin After the funeral (Carol Browne, flickr creative commons) Death has been on my mind lately. Two of my aunts... Continue reading

Posted Sep 2, 2012 at The Caregiver Chronicles

0

The diaspora of the American family and its impact on aging

Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we've put it in an impossible situation. Margaret Mead Family, Kansas City, 2008 (photo, Kevin Cawley, flickr creative commons) "I wish things were the way... Continue reading

Posted Aug 27, 2012 at The Caregiver Chronicles

0

Pinterest - my new way to deal with stress and celebrate the beauty of life

A picture is a poem without words. Horace Mountain bluebird, Alberta (Daniel Ardnt, flickr creative commons) I have been dealing with a great deal of stress lately. Some of it is related to the estrangement from my daughter and her father, some of it is related to my aging parents,... Continue reading

Posted Aug 24, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

A day at the beach - the healing power of nature

For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Wendell Berry Flowers, Boundary Bay Regional Park (photo, Bryan Hughes, flickr creative commons) Sunday, we finally got out to Boundary Bay Regional Park. Going there is a summer ritual for our family. When we pulled up... Continue reading

Posted Aug 21, 2012 at Life after Trauma

0

More...

Subscribe to Angela Wheelock’s Recent Activity