Ask the Expert
From the DHS
Patricia Rogers discusses CranioSacral therapy and how it can assist those in recovery / pg. 10
Has virtual care been effective? Learn about the State of Minnesota's study / pg. 12
Recovery, Renewal and Growth
January February 2021
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thephoenixspirit.com
hope issue
john h. driggs , LICSW
WHAT’S INSIDE
A Time to Heal: Let’s Embrace the Better Angels of Our Nature
Letter From the Editor/ 3
World History of Drugs (Part III) / 6 Buried Treasure / 7 Support Groups / 8 Wishin' and Hopin' / 9 Ask the Expert / 10 From the State of MN / 12 Books / 13 Becoming Community / 16
WHERE IS YOUR
First Person Testimony / 4
Hope?
W
Pat Samples
I
s your hope these days in a vaccine? A new political or economic vision? More public attention to ending racism or climate warming? Whatever we look to outside of ourselves is always transient. A more reliable basis for hope comes from within our own hearts and minds. What beliefs do we cultivate? What visions do we hold up as a light for ourselves and the world? What brave choices are we willing to make? I asked a few Twin Citians to reveal how they call on hope to meet the challenges that matter most to them. Here is some of what they shared with me.
Nelsen
Kristine Mier Challenge: I see how divided and polarized people seem to be under the stress of a pandemic, the political climate, dueling practices for sustaining our environment or growing our economy, and many other situations. Along with that is feeling that, as just one person, I can't make a difference or even discuss matters with others that have differing/strong opinions. Hope: I love the quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I believe we all can make a little difference in our corner of the world which will vibrate into a larger movement around the world as we continue to practice the universal principles of love, compassion, generosity and service. If I focus on practicing these principles and putting one foot in front of the
other to take action, I don't focus on what I can't do. If I focus on what is going right, it takes my focus off what is going “wrong.” Then, my dread begins to turn to hope. vivian nelsen Challenge: Surviving the coronavirus. I am in one of the highest risk groups— an older Black woman with pre-existing medical conditions who is still working. Anti-vaccination groups have targeted African Americans with misinformation about new anti-COVID vaccines. Hope: I begin my day with phone devotions from my church, Westminster. Hearing a human voice with a message from scripture is key to my spiritual and emotional wellbeing. I believe that our where is your hope to pg 5
e are living in such painful times. We’re in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic in which nearly 300,00 beloved family members have died from the Corona Virus. Hospitals are overwhelmed by pandemic patients. The divisiveness in our country has split us apart, almost to the point of civil war. We are threatened and challenged by racial justice unrest. Many American families face unemployment and food insecurity in one of the richest countries in the world. Our children are falling behind in school due to exclusive on-line learning. Due to the need to quarantine, family members cannot even comfort their dying loved ones or freely convene over traditional rituals of affiliation and love. Many of us cannot easily attend our churches, gyms, schools and social centers. In the midst of all this there is rampant suspicion, distrust and alienation from one another. We all know the suffering we are experiencing. Although dire, hope is not lost. This era isn’t the first time we’ve gone through such turmoil as a country and survived it. In his first inaugural address in 1861 President Abraham Lincoln tried to summon the strength of the American people by appealing to the better aspects of themselves to not devolve into outright civil war. He felt that people can heal from profound strife and divisiveness by summoning the best parts of themselves without resorting to violence and disunity. Unfortunately his hope was not immediately realized and resulted in a civil war. He tried again later in a speech to the Republicans in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1858. He warned that “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Clearly such messages are very much needed once again today. We have been down this path before. Jon Meachem’s book The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels” (Random House, 2019) thoroughly documents the hope through and after turmoil if we evoke the better parts of ourselves. Grief, division, racism, poverty and disease can all be healed if we work together and utilize the best parts of our humanity: compassion, kindness, science, and forgiveness of ourselves as we forgive others. I have seen this process happen repeatedly in my office over the last forty years. a time to heal to pg 14
