Angelic Whispers Holistic Center (Cincinnati, OH)
The peaceful energy and beauty of Kim Soria’s Angelic Whispers, located in Cincinnati, OH, welcomed me into an intimate afternoon of healings and discoveries for all who attended.
Can Of Worms: Huckaby Rape with a Foreign Object
Based on the scores of comments to my latest Huffington Post blog, it looks like I’ve opened up a real can of worms in the psyche of the American public by writing about my own experience being abused with a “foreign object,” and delving into the unthinkable area of what could be behind a pedophile’s horrific acts. I am always seeking to shed light in the dark corners. The more aware everyone is that these types of abuses are suffered by innocent children all over the world, and the more we become unafraid to admit what has happened in our own lives, the sooner we can put an end to this scourge of humanity.
There is so much confusion and wrong thinking– especially in a case like that of Melissa Huckaby, where a woman, a mom, allegedly sexually abuses a young girl. I hope this blog offers readers some insight into a dark and murky area.
Melissa Huckaby and the Unthinkable Sex Object
As horrifying as the murder of an 8-year-old is, the truly unimaginable aspect of the Melissa Huckaby case, for most people, is her alleged use of a foreign object to rape Sandra Cantu. How could a woman, a mom (!), do this to a little girl? How . . . why . . . with what kind of an object? It’s unfathomable, hard to think about, dark, evil. The only “safe” conclusion is that the woman must be insane. In fact, along with other experts, I doubt if Huckaby is insane. And as I know both from personal experience and from working with many abused women, rape with a foreign object is not as unusual as one would like to think.
I make no excuses for Melissa Huckaby nor for anyone who commits abuse.
Read the full Article at HuffingtonPost
Additional comments from the discussion thread at the Huffington Post article:
I tried to make it clear that it’s been my professional experience, working with both those who have been abused and a few perpetrators, that the sort of thing that has been alleged in this case is rarely about sexual attraction per se, but is more about power. When a pedophile is acting unconsciously from his or her own experience of abuse, gender is often irrelevant.
…
I have actually worked with a few perpetrators. What I learned from them was how individual each one’s motives were and often how totally unconscious they were of them. As Bejugo noted, sometimes it’s about sex, sometimes it’s about power. My experience has been that it’s most often a combination of the two: that they had an early sexual experience that was titillating and that the urge to re-experience that feeling works in tandem with the need to overpower another.
Through Time to Healing: Dr. Brian L. Weiss
Do you think past-life regressions are a hoax? Or perhaps a symptom of mental illness? If so, you have a lot of company. But what if someone in the middle of the “space between lives” knew intimate details of your life? What if that person was able to know things that he or she couldn’t? This made a believer of conventionally-trained Dr. Brian Weiss, who recounted this phenomenon in his book, Many Lives, Many Masters. Embarking on a new phase of his healing work, Dr. Weiss began using past-life therapy in order to help heal the mind and body. Dr. Weiss speaks with us about past-life regressions and his work training others in this fascinating and important field.
KTVI St. Louis television appearance
Deborah King appeared on KTVI Fox News in St. Louis, Missouri, last week to talk about public liars: the signs of lying, how lies come back to haunt us, and how to be more honest with ourselves.
You can watch the clip here.
Soul Esteem Center (St. Louis, MO)
The Soul Esteem Center in St. Louis was truly a connected body of people. Spiritual leader Rev. Phylis Clay Sparks and administrative director Chris Bryant were so welcoming. The turnout was wonderful and many people connected to the healings.
The Spa at Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)
Williamsburg, Virginia is such a beautiful, historical location. I was greeted by our wonderful host, Kate Mearns in a lodge overlooking dramatic trees and a stream flowing by. The music played by Scott & Judy added so much to our afternoon and the connections were made that day.
Breathe Books (Baltimore, MD)
This charming and wonderful bookstore, located on 36th St. in Baltimore owned by Susan Weis, was the perfect atmosphere for my event. The attendees were quite spiritually aware which led to many great healing and energies for the evening.
New Vision Spiritual Growth Center (Scottsdale, AZ)
A lively group attended the New Vision Spiritual Growth Center in Scottsdale, AZ. The music and the group gelled together and the host, Sandy Trudel was so helpful and welcoming.
Church of Spiritual Living (Prescott, AZ)
Susan Swanson and the congregation of The Church of the Spiritual Living of Prescott, Arizona opened their doors and their hearts to me into their spiritual sanctuary. The location of the church felt as if it was in a very spiritual vortex, which led to many initiations and healing.
And the Truth Will…Help You Lose Weight?
I have a diet secret for you. It will help pounds melt away; it will help you fit into your skinny jeans. Ready? The truth. I have a feeling that it’s not a diet that will make me millions! But if we look at Oprah – this paragon of the American dream – we can see it is true. When we confront the truth and release the emotional pain we have been carrying, we also release the habits that cause the pounds we’ve been carrying. Her very public weight loss and gain shows us the bumps along her journey to self improvement and understanding. It doesn’t mean that she won’t get there, but that there is no express lane for getting there. Read more of my letter to Oprah at my blog on the Huffington Post.
Dec. 11, 2008
Dear Oprah,
America (and quite possibly the world) has been watching your private battle of the bulge for the last 20 years, and we feel your pain. Having battled an eating disorder myself (along with other addictions), I understand what you’re going through. Now, as a health & wellness educator,… Read Post
The Lies We Tell Ourselves
All we need to do is look. Look and acknowledge what we really see, instead of what we wish we could see. If we feel unloved, if we feel hurt, if we feel sad, we need to see it and acknowledge it. If there is one lesson to be learned from seasoned liars – Rod Blagojevich, Bernie Madoff, OJ Simpson, the list goes on and on – it is that even if our lies are not on the same scale as theirs, they can surely do as much damage. To our psyches, our bodies, our souls. We can learn from liars – not to become better liars! – but to jumpstart emotional healing. My thoughts on the lies we tell ourselves can be found on my blog at the Huffington Post, Posted January 26, 2009 | 02:39 PM (EST)
There is a long list of people who lie and unfortunately it’s growing these days, whether it’s another author whose “memoir” never happened or a chat-room flame who isn’t who he claims to be. We’ve grown wearily accustomed to lies from the heads of our most established institutions-financial, political, or… Read Post
Culture Made Me Do It
It was a “loosey-goosey” era; he didn’t even know what he was taking. A-Rod has a number of excuses for why he took performance enhancing drugs – from it was hot in Texas to he was young and naïve. Is he kidding? And do we believe him when he says he regrets his actions? He says, “I did take a banned substance. You know, for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful.” As I watched him, I filled in the blanks. I’m deeply regretful that I got caught. My BS radar is finely tuned, and while A-Rod is professing honesty now, he is as far from the truth as ever. Check out my blog at the Huffington Post and Psychology Today for this and other posts regarding liars in the media.
Posted February 11, 2009 | 02:10 PM (EST)
The last time we heard this much about A-Rod, he was seen coming and going with hot mama Madonna. Their alleged romance led up to his divorce, and a lousy season with the Yankees. But that’s so yesterday’s news. Sex has been left far afield in favor of… Read Post
Rihanna and Chris Brown
Feb. 18, 2009
I’ve been following the Chris Brown and Rihanna story with interest. Here are two young people beloved by millions of teenaged fans who are living out a very public demonstration of domestic violence. While the world waits to see what they each will do about the situation (will Chris’ career go down the tubes? will Rihanna go back to him?), I try to go behind the headlines and into what led them to this troubled event.
“Truth” with an Agenda
When public figures straight out lie to us, and then use lame excuses to justify it – throwing around the phrases “deeply regret” and “profoundly sorry” like candy from a parade float – do they really expect us to believe them, or in them? Ted Haggard messed up – not because of his sexual orientation – and we could have understood had we been told the truth. Instead, excuses, half truths, and more lies cover what could have been a stunning moment of clarity for him and a huge step on his path to self improvement and redemption. His most recent version of “truth” is a desperate attempt to regain power and status, not peace. See my blogs on the Huffington Post and Psychology Today
for more on this and other stories.
Posted January 30, 2009 | 01:01 PM (EST)
Just how honest has Ted Haggard been with himself and the media as he tries to repair his public image? He’s been on a number of TV shows to coincide with the debut of the HBO documentary called “The Trials of Ted Haggard.” I’d give him a C- for effort…. Read Post
What Are You Hiding?
Are we even surprised at lying anymore? It takes something extreme to raise our ire – we live in a culture that specializes in convenient truths, and only when something becomes blatant do we respond. What happens in the macrocosm of our society mirrors our mind body connection. We live our own convenient truths, many times burying that which we do not want to deal with. We deny, deny, deny – as adeptly as any politician. You can lie to your friends, family, coworkers, and even in front of a packed Congressional hearing; but you cannot lie to your body. For a dose of truth, check out my blog on Psychology Today.
By Deborah King on January 29, 2009 – 1:31pm in Psychology Today
When you’re sitting at home on your couch watching Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich look straight at an interviewer and swear he did nothing wrong, do you have the urge to stand up and shout: How can you lie like that on national TV!? Read More