Check Out The Interview With Fear

Check out the "Interview With Fear" that I wrote in the book, A Journey Through Words.  While it is cute, it is written from my own personal narrative when I was waging my battle with fear.

Available on LuLu Press

Mind Body Thoughts and My Creativity

Written by Don Shetterly

If you've been around the blog long enough, you probably know that I'm an author and music artist.  If not, let me take a moment to just introduce myself and what I create.

I am a survivor of child sexual abuse.  At age 26, I suffered from Conversion Disorder and dealt with paralysis, suicide attempts, depression, and anxiety.  I was a workaholic and perfectionist.  I could not let anyone down, even if it meant total destruction of myself.  As much as I thought I knew how to deal with stress, I honestly had no clue!

For years I fooled myself until it caught up with me, and my world came crashing down.  The two books I have written are part of my healing journey through the torture and trauma I experienced.  I am currently finalizing a new book with an expected publishing date of early 2018.

If you found this page through a tweet I posted, it most likely corresponds to one of the books below that is idenitifed by the picture in the tweet.  

Hope And Possibility Through Trauma

Hope And Possibility Through Trauma is my full-length book helping those who have been through so much in life.  If you've experienced childhood sexual abuse or trauma or other horrific moments in your life, this book will speak to you and help give you hope and possibility that you too can heal.  Available on Amazon.

A Journey Through Words

A Journey Through Words is a full-color spiral bound book of poetry and other writings.  It is filled with many poems and thoughts, created as I was struggling to find my way through the difficult moments of healing.  It includes raw thoughts and emotions from where I was at in those moments.  Available on LuLu Press

Relaxing Piano Music

I create relaxing piano music that can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, CDBaby and many other digital download sites.  It is piano music without any lyrics, from my heart.  Connect with the feeling and emotions of what you hear in the songs I have created. www.DonShetterly.com

From My Heart With Love

These things I have created are part of the way I help support my life and my purpose of working to help others.  I know how difficult it is to deal with pain, and through my creativity, words, and music, I want to be there for others.  I want to help shine the light for them to find footing on their own path.

Many have asked me to allow donations, and if you want, you can always do that at https://www.paypal.me/DShetterly .  However, I would like to ask that you help support me through the creative works I have available.  Click the images and links above for ways you can do this.

I continue to do the things I do out of love in my heart, and I just put these options as a way for others to join this cause.  I know many are hurting and I work hard to be a voice of support and help through the painful moments of healing in life.

Stay tuned, because there is another exciting project coming very soon!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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I Was Featured In An Interview

The other day I had the opportunity to be interviewed for a site about my book.  I've actually written two books in the course of my life.

A Journey Through Words was more of a poetry book of some of the things that helped me through my own healing. 

Hope and Possibility Through Trauma was the second book.  It was born out of my blog writing.  It was one that I wanted to put together to help people have hope in their own healing.  I wanted others to know there was a possibility that they could heal.

So often in our life, it feels like we won't make it.  It feels like we are all alone.  It feels like no one understands the pain we have gone through.

In addition, it can often feel like there is no hope or possibility in healing the trauma in our lives.  We just feel like we're on a journey all by ourselves.  While this is not true, it is part of the healing journey and a difficult part.

I am working on a new book that will go into more detail about some of the things that were helpful in my own healing.  No, it isn't a recipe book of healing, but one where I'm sharing the struggles I went through and key points that I used to help myself.  Often though, I didn't know I was implementing these healing strategies until long after I did.

This interview that was done gives you further insight into my own life, and why I wrote the books that I have.  It is a good read, and hopefully you'll take a moment to check it out.  I think you'll like it.

For the Interview (click the image below)

Book - A Journey Through Words

Book - Hope And Possibility Through Trauma

Voices From A Journey Through Words

Here is part of a poem from my poetry book of writings, "A Journey Through Words". This poem is called "Voices" and I wrote it on January 23, 1999.

While this poem called "Voices" was written with a different purpose in mind, I can't help but think of Caylee Anthony. In many ways, it fits for her voice as well because we will never truly know what happened.

However, there are many other children in the world that are neglected, abused, murdered and left to fend for themselves. It is a familiar story to many and unfortunately we as a human race fail to respect and honor our children in the way that we should do without question.

Until this world sees children as valuable individuals and not something to be owned or in control of, our world will continue to see horror stories on display. May we all open our eyes, our awareness and our hearts and learn from these stories. May we one day see these things as a horrible infliction on our past, not something that we continue to repeat.

If you would like to read the entire poem, it is found in my poetry book that can be purchased on Amazon.com. (Please see the links below for more information).

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Voices
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We are tiny little voices,
just waiting to be heard!

We are millions of voices,
with a message to tell!

We are silent voices,
kept quiet with shame!

We are broken voices,
beaten with pain!

But together our voices ring loud

Our message blankets the sky!

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(c) Don Shetterly 1/23/99 All Rights Reserved
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For More Information On This Poem:
1) Amazon.com (A Journey Through Words) - paperback, 59 pages, full color
2) DonShetterly.com (Book Information)







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Blog Post & Images (c) 7/9/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Mindful Words

I am always amazed at just how everyone sits behind a computer screen these days and can type anything to anyone and never fully know them or even know what they look like, who they are or what they are about. Because the screen doesn't force you to stand face to face with someone, it is much easier to just type words that you would not otherwise say.

Several years ago, I saw this on internet message boards where people would not think about the words they wrote but just automatically type whatever came to their mind. Often they needed to just sit on it and think about it before typing what they wrote. It is just too easy to respond and much more difficult to think about the words that should be said, if anything.

Of course today, on every news story posted online, there are comments and ratings and replies. People are either spammers or trolls and often there is no discussion of the facts, just an outright manner of whatever you feel like typing is what goes. People have no interest in looking at all sides of an issue when posting online. That is too difficult for our simple minds and our mindless ways in our world.

It just doesn't stop on the internet either because now there are talking pundits from all walks of life and from all ends of the political spectrum that just shout their opinions and words and facts rather than listening to what anyone has to say who differs with them. Each person on TV tries to see how much they can get their point across without even taking a moment to stop and truly listen to the other person. It is interesting that all sides of the shouting have their "documents" and "research" and "polls" to back up what they are saying. Stop and think about that last statement for a minute. It is interesting that everyone has their research, documents and polls as proof of what they are trying to proclaim.

We tend to live our lives in a mindless way, not paying attention to anything but what is currently on our mind. The media feeds into this and so many spend a majority of their life allowing the media to feed their brains. I hope that one day, we as a society will wake up and understand what we are doing to ourselves.

We are not helping ourselves, our society or the world by seeing who can shout the loudest, who feels they are more right than anyone else and those across the political spectrum that are convinced that they know what is best. In fact, we are hurting not only the people we shout at but we hurt ourselves individually and collectively as a society.

At the end of the day, most of the things that everyone gets so upset about, they really do not matter. In the end, the bigger person is the one that can walk away from all of it and see a bigger picture. Our world and our lives do not need to be this way. There is another alternative that we can be part of but we must make difficult choices for our lives.

My hope is that all of us will wake up and begin to learn how to be mindful in our day with our words. With becoming mindful, we will learn what truly matters and how we can build one another up and evolve as we are meant to be. We as humans are meant to be much more than we currently are. Let our words show how much we truly care for each other and how much we want to evolve ourselves and the world.

And the mindful word of the day is hiybbprqag. Sorry, but I thought this made up word was too cute to not include here after I read the article about the search engines. I'm wondering how many though will mindfully read this and even see it.



Blog Post & Images (c) 1/31/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Letting Go In Our Lives

Sometimes we have to let go of those things that we feel we need in our life. While they seem good and well intentioned, if we are struggling and fighting to hold on to them, then it is best that we stop and do some evaluation. It does not mean that we will abandon these endeavors for the rest of our life. The shifting of our perspective is what matters most.

There are times that we can become so lost in what we see for our life that we miss all that is currently part of our life. We expend precious energy chasing the rainbows when in reality, our life is unfolding in the moment. Our life is not about chasing some rainbow in a far off distant land. It is about embracing the here and now in this very moment.

Image from "Journey Through Words" by Don Shetterly

(c) 11/10/10 by Don Shetterly - use by permission only

A Journey Through Words - Book Review

At one time, there was an organization called, Voices In Action. Voices in Action stands for Victims Of Incest Can Emerge Survivors and was around for approximately 25 years until lack of funding and donations took them under. It was a great organization and one that really helped put me on my own personal road to recovery.

The reason I bring up Voices In Action, is that through this organization, I began to write and collect writings of my own healing journey. At each yearly conference, Voices would have an art exhibit for survivors and so this collection of writings was created as an entry into the exhibit. Of course, it may not be the most professional thing written on the planet, but it was a work in progress showing my own journey and my own recovery. It changed and grew as I changed and grew.

It is very colorful and artistically designed with images and pictures that match the words or thoughts coming through. Much thought from my heart and soul went into it. Some of the images are from fellow travelers through my journey but most images are my own creation. At the end of it, you'll find some of my own personal story written which at the time is all that had evolved. If I was to sit down and write my own personal story, it would be much more complete and evolved than this book was written.

The book, A Journey Through Words, is a very personal side of me and a work that I'll always cherish knowing how it got its start. One day soon, I hope to be publishing more work. As you will note through much of what I write, I try to be very open with my own journey and recovery. There is too much silence when it comes to child abuse and my hope is that my life will touch others in a way which enables them to move from being a survivor to a thriving person healing from the pain.

According to an email I received from LuLu.com, for a limited time through LuLu.com, if you enter the coupon code of "summerread305, you will receive a discount of 10%. I believe that is for the 8x11 paperback version. There is a digital version that you can download online which is cheaper but no discount is applied. The offer ends on June 30, 2010 according to the email I received.

Here is the description of the book, "A Journey Through Words"

Don is a survivor of sexual abuse by members of his family. The abuse started when he was around 5 years old and continued until he went to college in 1983. Don has been in recovery for several years. In 1991, he was paralyzed from a conversion disorder and at that time, he started on his road to healing. Throughout his journey, he has faced anxiety attacks, depression, suicide and nightmares! As he looks back, he sees that it is possible to go from a victim to a survivor and today as a result of his journey; his life has changed in ways he could have never imagined. One of the things that Don has used over the years in his healing is that of writing. Poems, stories and thoughts have helped him piece so many missing parts of his life together. A Journey Through Words includes many of those things he has written. His only hope is that it will touch the lives of all who read the words and that it will have a special place of love and compassion in their hearts.

A Journey Through Words is also available on Amazon but there is no discount at this time.

If you would like to leave a beautiful comment and review for the book on Lulu.com or Amazon.com, I would be greatly honored.


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Broken Windows Or Openings

When I saw the picture that Marilyn Mott Brown posted on her Facebook page, I could not help but ask for permission to post her picture and write about it. (note: this picture is being used on my blog page per Marilyn's permission).

For most of us, if we had to write a paragraph about this picture and how it relates to our life, I'm sure each one of us would write something different. So let's do a quick exercise. Before you continue reading, why not write a paragraph about what this images means to you in your current life. And then when you do that, take a look at it and read what you wrote from an Observer's mindset. Now compare the two thoughts and contrast them. You might be amazed at the insights you receive from doing this and whatever you write is your truth. It is what you need to probably hear for your own life in this moment. It could be the next epic adventure in your own story book and be a life changing event or it might lead you to the next morsel of information that will help you move in the direction you need to go.

So before I share what it means to me, make sure you write your paragraph first and then come back and read what this means to me. Ok, are you writing? No cheating now. Write yours first.

Ok, if you did as directed and wrote something, please feel free to comment and share what you wrote. I'd feel honored as well as all my readers would to see the various insights. Who knows what I may learn as well from what you write. And what you wrote is just as valid as what I wrote. Please don't compare mine to yours. Each of our writings stands on its own.

So here's what I wrote: ..

The minute I saw this image, I thought - wow - what a story for how life sometimes looks. An old rustic shed with wood that shows every grain and fiber. It has weathered the storms of life and appears that even through the years, it may be leaning a little but it is still standing. The door is slightly ajar and may all most be off its hinges from the winds of time and the many times it has been opened. The tools and belongings just inside the windows are varied and act as if they were placed in that particular order for whatever reason which remains a mystery to the viewer of this picture. Two of the four opposing window pains have been knocked out as if the window was meant to be that way. The way Marilyn took this photo, it leaves so much of the image as a mystery. There is no way to know for sure exactly what is around the narrow view of the picture unless you were standing there. This gives possibility of so much more than what the picture shows.

And as I think about all of this, isn't this a good representation of life. We sometimes see all our faults just like an old shed barely standing there with the door hanging open and the windows broken out. Yet, we often fail to realize that we're still standing strong despite the winds and storms of time. We have the tools and responsibilities and pieces of our life organized in a way that works for us in that moment even if we have some broken out windows. And as we look through the broken out window panes, we stare in to the darkness of the shed, wondering what is in there and what we have not become aware of in our lives. It reminds us of how much we have not yet discovered. The narrow view of the pictures shows to me, that there is so much more about us than we can currently see and if the photographer moved just an inch it would reveal so much more. In many ways, that is how our own lives come to be, because if we saw everything in this moment, it would take away the excitement and possibility of what lies ahead. In addition, to see to much too quickly, it may overwhelm us as we would not be able to take it all in and understand it.

So for me, this picture says, look at the entire picture and see the beauty. Don't be concerned with each detail of fault that you can see but know that this shed has stood the test of time and through the open windows of my life, may I be reminded to look further into my life and discover all that there is. It is not about what I can currently see but how I can see this image in the context of my complete life.

My Enteric Brain Journey, July 31, 2004

Here is an account of one of my sessions with Dr. Canali in 2004. My reason for sharing this and subsequent postings from my journal are to help bring about awareness to all that is possible through this simple but deep form of healing. Please keep checking back because I intend to continue posting parts of my sessions and with time, they will share a lot of information.

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Last night I had one of the deepest nights of sleep that I have ever had in my life. I don’t think I have ever experienced that. The dreams were more vivid than I usually have and when my alarm clock went off this morning, I did not want it to end. I actually went back to sleep for a couple of hours because it was such a beautiful moment for me. Anyway, I really feel rested right now and I went outside and sat in the sun for a few minutes.

The Little Moments

When we do something that seems so insignificant and almost as if it was nothing more than a blip in our day but we touch the lives of others around us, we then have accomplished so much.

I'm reminded of this thought today as one of my writings found its way to touch someone's life and most likely the lives of many more.

A lady I met in a conference a few years ago was in my relaxation workshop. She remembered that I had written many poems and knew of the one “The Hope To See It Through”. It was in a collection I have published called "A Journey Through Words" available through lulu.com . She is working with some people in to get an organization off the ground which helps address youth violence and the problem these kids are facing. I don’t know too much about it but it sounds like a very worthy endeavor.

Anyway, she wanted to use my poem and asked permission to use it in their organization. I sent her the copy and she wrote me back saying just how much it touched her and how she feels it will really touch those she is working with but more importantly the kids. It was one of my poems that I really like and a very powerful one in my view.

It just warms up my heart to know that my words have touched someone in a very deep way and that where those words may end up, I’ll never know. It feels good to give to others and the universe and maybe some good will come out of the horrendous situations I lived through. That would be one of the greatest joys I could ever have, I believe.

I just had to share this with you today because it makes me feel very joyful just thinking about it.

Here's a few lines of the poem

The Hope To See It Through (first 4 lines)
(c) Don Shetterly - Jan 2000

The courage to face the impossible,
The strength to fight the fears,
The risk to take the chance,
The hope to see it through.