Leslie Glass's Blog, page 425

Psychedelic plant brew could improve mental health

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Researchers suggest that ayahuasca could benefit mental health.
A new treatment for mental illness and alcohol abuse could be on the cards, a new study reveals, in the form of a psychedelic plant brew called ayahuasca.

From an analysis of more than 96,000 people across the globe, researchers found that individuals who used ayahuasca experienced greater well-being than those who did not, and they were less likely to have experienced problematic alcohol use in the past 12 months than users of other psychedelic drugs.

Study leader Dr. Will Lawn, of University College London in the United Kingdom, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant mixture that is believed to originate from Amazonian tribes, who have been using the concoction for hundreds of years and continue to do so to this day.

“The psychedelic state induced by ayahuasca often makes users reflect on personal concerns and memories and produces intense emotions,” note Dr. Lawn and colleagues. “These effects are highly valued by ayahuasca users who characterize the drug experience as similar to a psychotherapeutic intervention.”

Ayahuasca’s main ingredient is a vine called Banisteriopsis caapi, which is believed to produce psychedelic effects.

The concoction also contains dimethyltryptamine, a hallucinogenic compound that is classified as a schedule I drug in the United States, meaning that it is deemed as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

The new study, however, suggests that ayahuasca has the potential to be of medical use, after finding that it could benefit mental health.

Greater psychological well-being

Dr. Lawn and his team came to their results by analyzing data from the 2016 Global Drug Survey, which is an annual online survey that gathers information on past-year drug use from more than 100,000 people worldwide aged 16 years and older.

The study included the data of 96,901 subjects. Of these, 527 reported using ayahuasca within the past year, 18,138 reported using the psychedelic drugs LSD or magic mushrooms, and 78,236 had not used psychedelic drugs.

As part of the survey, the participants were also asked about their psychological well-being, their history of mental illness, and any problematic alcohol use that they had experienced in the past year.

Compared with respondents who had not used psychedelic drugs or who had used LSD or magic mushrooms over the past year, those who used ayahuasca reported greater psychological well-being.

What is more, the researchers found that ayahuasca users were less likely to have experienced an alcohol use problem in the past year compared with users of other psychedelic drugs, and ayahuasca users reported a lesser urge for the drug than those who used LSD or magic mushrooms.

Dr. Lawn comments on the possible implications of these results.

“These findings lend some support to the notion that ayahuasca could be an important and powerful tool in treating depression and alcohol use disorders.”

Dr. Will Lawn

“Recent research has demonstrated ayahuasca’s potential as a psychiatric medicine,” he adds, “and our current study provides further evidence that it may be a safe and promising treatment.”

Further research warranted

However, the researchers stress that their results should be interpreted with caution. They note that their study is observational, so it cannot prove cause and effect.

What is more, they point out that ayahuasca users still consumed alcohol at levels that could be harmful to health, and the lifetime incidence of mental illness was still greater among ayahuasca users than non-users of the drug.

“Therefore,” says Dr. Lawn, “randomized controlled trials must be carried out to fully examine ayahuasca’s ability to help treat mood and addiction disorders.”

“However,” he adds, “this study is notable because it is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest survey of ayahuasca users completed to date.”

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When Emotional Pain Lingers

Pain is the body’s way of communicating that something is amiss. Treatment, exercise, and medication may be called for to heal the problem. The same is so for emotional pain. There are times when help is needed to heal the lingering effects of trauma or loss.

Judith had a bout of shingles a few years ago that caused extreme neurological pain in the left side of her face and head. When she looked in the mirror, she saw lesions and a left eye that was swollen shut. For a brief period of time, in she wondered if she would look and feel this way forever. She had a heart- pounding fear reaction. Then, she the emotional strength to remind herself that she would recover. She did question (and hoped she would never find out) how people lived with chronic pain. A friend had mentioned that some people “suffer with shingles for quite a while.”  Judith’s response was “I don’t do suffering.” Instead, she followed her doctor’s instructions, took the needed medication, rested when she could and reinforced for herself that she would recover. Her attitude helped her heal.

Resiliency VS Nurturing Illness

Judith had developed resiliency skills that enabled her to heal and only occasionally does she experience what she calls the “shingles tingles,” which are neurological residual impact of the condition.

Claire, on the other hand, had chronic pain throughout much of her life. As a child, she noticed that she received attention from her overworked and under-rested mother when she was ill. Out would come the blankets, hot tea, cuddles and 1:1 time with her mom. Although she may not have been consciously aware of the connection when she was young, it was in the office of her therapist that she was able to identify the connection between her current illness and the desire for being noticed by her husband and appreciated by her children, since her symptoms would exacerbate when she was feeling neglected.

The Three Step Paradigm For Emotional Pain Retainers

There are potentially three ways that we can view the experience of awareness of the broken places in our lives.

Victim- an event or series of events have occurred that created core wounds. It may take the form of abuse, assault, trauma or loss of some kind. The facts exist. Interpretation of these experiences is what contributed to the exacerbation of the conditions that might include depression, anxiety or addiction. “It’s his fault that I am angry.”   “It’s her fault that I feel worthless.” “If not for being raised in an alcoholic household, I wouldn’t have become addicted myself.”
Survivor– even if the above scenarios occurred in someone’s life, they have assessed the impact, sought support and have begun to heal their emotional injuries. Engaging in therapy, attending 12 step, refuge recovery or another alternative meeting, surrounding themselves with people who are their cheerleaders assists with making progress.
Thriver– well on their way to sustained recovery, the thriver reaches out to help others. A powerful example are Bill W. and Dr. Bob who founded AA. Others include the creators of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and Shawne Duperon who formed Project Forgive. By assisting others, thrivers find that their own healing is enhanced. The concept of paying it forward can be applied here.

 What Is Woundology

Author, speaker and modern mystic, Caroline Myss coined the term ‘woundology’.  It exemplifies the ways in which some wear their painful life experiences as a badge of honor. While it is indeed honorable to acknowledge where we have been, it is important not to remain entrenched in the muck and mire of the past. It can instead, be a jumping off point to a healed and whole future.

Reach Out Recovery Exclusive By Edie Weinstein

If you or someone you know needs help with addiction or mental health issues, click on the link below to find professional help in your area.

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Boundary Setting Is Like Riding A Tricycle

girl on tricycle

Boundary setting helps to know where you begin and someone else ends. Of course, we are aware of the skin and bones separation between ourselves and others, but often it is challenging to experience emotional distance. When boundaries are blurred, we take on the emotions of loved ones. We think by bonding with them, we can help them through their challenges. While the intention is the follow-through may cripple the person whose behaviors contribute to the persistence of their addiction.

Helping Can Hinder

Take for example, Sarah whose son Seth found himself in jail and rehab multiple. He swore to her that it would never happen again. She always believed him until it happened again. Still, she would take him back in. “How can I let my son live on the streets, where who knows what could happen to him?” she said. It was when, with jaw clenched in fear and prayers offered for his safety, that she finally closed the door. Only then was he able to sustain sobriety. Six months later, he walked back in following rehab and a sober living house, as well as continued outpatient treatment and meetings. In the interim, Sarah had been a regular at Nar-Anon meetings and now checks in weekly with her own sponsor to keep her on track. She set a boundary and it worked. But this was Seth’s choice. Others will not change and only family members get well.

Boundary Setting Is Like Playing Well Together And Being Disappointed When It Doesn’t Work

In workshops, I use this example of what recovery feels like. Imagine a girl riding a bright red tricycle. She passes various friends along the way and asks if they want to ride on the back with her. They all decline. She keeps on riding and is having such a blast that she doesn’t care if they join her. I then add that someone notices what a good time she is having and they do decide to jump on. That new person rides along for a while, and then decides to get off. She is sad because she wanted that person to continue with her. Another scenario is that of a person getting on the trike and expecting that the little one will do all the pedaling all the time. Our tricycle rider wants the freed loader off the back since that person is not sharing the work.

Recovery Means Letting Go For Family Members And Joining In For Users

In the case of Sarah and Seth, Sarah was experiencing both ends of the spectrum. She didn’t want her son off the tricycle and she was getting tired of doing all the work involved in keeping it moving forward. Now that he is sober, she can more fully enjoy the ride. They are working together as a family.

Reach Out Recovery Exclusive by Edie Weinstein

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Opioid abuse crisis takes heavy toll on US veterans

Veterans are twice as likely as non-veterans to die from accidental overdoses of the highly addictive painkillers.  (Reuters)

NEW YORK –  Opioid drug abuse has killed more Americans than the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars combined, and U.S. veterans and advocates this Veteran’s Day are focusing on how to help victims of the crisis.

Veterans are twice as likely as non-veterans to die from accidental overdoses of the highly addictive painkillers, a rate that reflects high levels of chronic pain among vets, particularly those who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to federal data.

U.S. government and healthcare officials have been struggling to stem the epidemic of overdoses, which killed more than 64,000 Americans in the 12 months ending last January alone, a 21 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. About 65,000 Americans died in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump named opioids a national public health emergency and a White House commission last week recommended establishing a nationwide system of drug courts and easier access to alternatives to opioids for people in pain.

“Our veterans deserve better than polished sound bites and empty promises,” said former Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a recovering addict and a member of the president’s opioid commission.

Kennedy said in an e-mail that more funding was needed for treatment facilities and medical professionals to help tackle the problem.

One effort to address the issue has stalled in Congress – the proposed Veterans Overmedication Prevention Act, sponsored by Senator John McCain. That measure is aimed at researching ways to help Veterans Administration doctors rely less on opioids in treating chronic pain.

“The Veterans Administration needs to understand whether overmedication of drugs, such as opioid pain-killers, is a contributing factor in suicide-related deaths,” McCain, one of the nation’s most visible veterans, said in an e-mail on Thursday. He noted that 20 veterans take their lives each day, a suicide rate 21 percent higher than for other U.S. adults.

The VA system has stepped up its efforts to address the crisis, having treated some 68,000 veterans for opioid addiction since March, said Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Curtis Cashour.

The department’s Louis Stokes VA Center in Cleveland has also begun testing alternative treatments, including acupuncture and yoga, to reduce use of and dependency on the drugs, the VA said.

A delay in naming a Trump administration “drug czar” to head the effort, however, has fueled doubts about immediate action on the opioid crisis. Last month the White House nominee, Representative Tom Marino, withdrew from consideration following a report he spearheaded a bill that hurt the government’s ability to crack down on opioid makers.

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LGBT Has Higher Rate Of Substance Use

If you are a member of the LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) community or are a loved one of someone who is, then you know the numerous issues facing this population. Related to these issues are the statistics that reveal that the LGBT community has a significant rate of substance use disorders (SUDs) – much higher than the heterosexual/cisgender population.

 

A 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (age 18 and older), indicated that for the LGB community, any illicit drug use was 39.1% vs. 17.1 % for heterosexual individuals; 30.7 % for LGB and 12.9% for heterosexuals regarding marijuana use; as well as specific high numbers in all the categories of illicit use including the misuse of prescription pain medications, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives; cocaine; hallucinogens; inhalants; methamphetamines, and heroin. Also, alcohol use was higher with the LGB population with 63.6% vs. 56.2 % of heterosexual use. Likewise, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported on a study regarding LGB adolescents revealing that they were 90% more likely to use substances than their straight counterparts. In one study of transgender individuals, in the Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling (2017), it’s shown that the SUDS rate is quite high – approximately between 25-28% for this population.

 

Why is there a high rate of substance use disorders in the LGBT Community?

Prejudice and discrimination: The LGBT community continues to struggle with acceptance and copes with such issues as being denied housing, work, being kicked out of the family, and homophobia/bi-phobia, transphobia, and sometimes, outright hate with harassment and violence.
Internalized homophobia/transphobia where the LGBT person takes on the negatives of a majority culture and struggles with acceptance of self.
Heterosexism and cisgenderism: We live in a world where most everything revolves around being heterosexual and of male or female gender. From the time we are born until death, we are bombarded with a straight/cisgender culture that is seen as the most natural and “normal” – to be different is to be feared, pitied, hated, and at best, tolerated. The media constantly influences this as do political/religious/educational/social systems that also push their beliefs.
Some people may not want to out themselves for a variety of reasons and are fearful that they may be outed by someone else.
While this is more accurate for the older community, the gay bar has been the historical meeting place for this population as it offered a safer place to meet others, have fun, and be their true self.
There is stress regarding “coming out” – heterosexual/cisgender people do not have to do so.
There may be even more prejudice and hate if you are a minority of another group such as a racial minority.
There is a significant lack of legal protection for the LGBT community – local/state/national/worldwide.
There may be fear of getting substance abuse treatment help due to prejudice (or perceived prejudice) of caregivers or other clients in treatment.
A lack of family/ friends/sponsors who are supportive leading to trying to do recovery alone.
Prejudice by educational communities.
Prejudice by spiritual communities.
Prejudice by social systems.
Prejudice by legal systems.
Lack of counselor training and acceptance may be an issue for the therapist/treatment provider and makes treatment ineffective.
There are often no policies or procedures in an agency to help guide the process.
There are few SUDS programs that specialize in the population making treatment difficult for you may feel you have to lie about your status, therefore, negating the entire premise of getting clean and sober. There also may be fear of confidentiality violations for those who are not out. Another problem is housing considerations in treatment especially for the transgender person.
There is often a lack of a continuum of care after treatment especially in small communities.

 

While these are not excuses for substance use, they are leading factors in why an LGBT person – either yourself or a loved one – may turn to using substances, both illicit and legal, and/or not seeking help. Please know that there are many providers who are either LGBT themselves or are LGBT friendly who can offer services not only for the SUDS, but for the unique situation of being LGBT and helping one to embrace this in themselves. For in the end, we all need to be accepted.

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Single And Sober For The Holidays

Is it at all possible?  Yes.  What?  Yes.  The Holidays are just around the corner and the anxieties are creeping into Jessica’s thoughts.  She is single and in recovery for four years and six months now.  Believe it or not, she is still going to the meeting every single week.  She’s got a supportive sponsor who is there for her whenever she is in a predicament.

But Holidays?  It’s a different story and another level of difficulty.  Before any special event she gets uneasy.  Jessica would pace in her bedroom and take deep breaths.  She needs to prepare herself before going to the Holidays dinner at her parent.  She usually meditates and finds a calm and quiet space in her mind.

A few things she has been learning throughout the years of sobriety are:

Love yourself.
Accept yourself with all the imperfections.
Call your sponsor before going to the event.
Enjoy the party while it’s enjoyable and know when to part.
Be in touch with your sponsor or a trusted friend during the event. Be accountable.

Basically, Holidays and special events can be happy times.  Jessica also has another tactic; it works sometimes.  She invites a friend who has nowhere to go during the Holidays.  That way she helps that friend.  Helping somebody else is very powerful.  So it works if she finds another person who is alone during the Holidays season.

“Uncle Harry – I’m grateful for Uncle Harry’s jokes.  He is the funniest person I’ve ever known.”

Jessica has used a grateful list.  What is grateful list?  It’s a list of names of people she is going to meet.  They are family members or friends.  They may be coworker.  Beside each name she writes a few lines explaining what she is grateful about regarding each person.  When she meets them during dinner or party she reminds herself the grateful list.  That way she can put things in a state of being grateful even if they over drink, or say something unacceptable.

However, with all these great ideas of how to go through the Holidays and the pressure of a single and sober person may encounter, there are parties which Jessica would opt out altogether.  If the party is at a bar and mostly everything is evolving around drinking alcohol, she would sit that one out.  She wouldn’t put herself in a situation where she may be triggered.

Another action Jessica takes before the Holidays is to plan to stay sober.  She writes herself a letter.  In this letter Jessica writes to herself that she is going to stay sober during the coming Holidays season.   She usually gifts herself with something special after the Holidays.  She finds the right time to celebrate her sobriety.  It is a reason for celebration.  Someone said celebration?  She has a tradition now that after the Holidays she invites her friends in recovery for a potluck and a movie night.  During the party everybody has a chance to tell one experience they have taken from the family gathering or work related party.  They are sharing all this together and sometimes they laugh about it or cry, but they always let everybody express their feelings in a safe environment.

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Family Secrets Makes Everyone Sick

In families with substance and alcohol abuse, keeping secrets is often an unspoken rule. By keeping addictions hidden, however, negative consequence impact everyone, not just the addict.

7 Reasons Family Members Keep Secrets

It Feels Like Love

Often family members believe they are helping the addict by keeping the substance use secret. This protection is not loving, however, because secrecy keeps the addict and the family in denial.

Denial

When the signs and symptoms of use are ignored, the family can pretend there is no problem. Consequences worsen, but the family still pretends everything will work out. Denial is also destructive conditioning.

Fear Of Confrontation

Watching someone get sicker in their addiction is very scary, so loved ones may ignore the problems. Also there may be fear of repercussions by confronting the user (abuse, losing the home if the addict leaves, fear for the children, etc.)

To Avoid Rocking The Boat

Under the best of circumstances, managing a household and kids is a difficult process. Addressing and confronting a substance user is an added stressor. With destructive conditioning, the family adjusts to the chaotic family system. This is an unhealthy adjustment to keep peace in the family and maintain the status quo. This suits the user, who does not want the family system to change. Avoidance allows the substance use and negative behaviors to continue.

To Protect The Children Or Parents

If the addict is a parent, both parents may feel the children won’t be afraid if the secret is kept. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Children as young as 2 -3 years old understand that there is something bad going on. Mommy of daddy does something wrong. And of course, older children and teenagers know exactly what is happening and think it’s okay. If dad can get high every day, they can do the same. By the same token children as taught not to tell others what’s happening.

To Avoid Shame And Embarrassment 

Unfortunately, there is still a stigma regarding substance abuse. Secrets may be kept so the employer, friends, the church, the school, and all others don’t know. If they are aware of what’s going on, then the substance user and his/her/their families may feel shame over the addiction.

Lack of Understanding

When a problem is kept secret, there is no way to understand its impact. Addiction is known as a family disease because everyone plays a part in it. Lack of awareness that addiction is a family illness keeps families from acknowledging the problem and seeking help.

The devastation of substance use disorder can only thrive in silence. When you try to hide substance use( and other addictions ), it gets worse. Silence allows addiction to grow while protecting the addict from facing consequences.

The Elephant In The Room Syndrome

Denial is when everyone knows the addiction is there, but each person tries to deny its presence. The secret, however, is huge. It’s so visible and dominating, that the secret creates the feeling of “crazy making” as family, and children’s realities are totally distorted.

A Family Affair

A substance use disorder/s is never just limited to the substance user – it is a family affair. Because the addiction has so many consequences, not just for the user but for the family, the family becomes as ill as the addict and also suffers its own consequences.

The Solution

Sharing the secrets in a healthy manner helps for growth and for healing and recovery. Until a problem is acknowledged, there is no chance of recovery. So as a family, get honest with yourselves, with the children, with other family members, and with friends and all other supports. Once truth is acknowledged, there will be freedom from the toxic secrets. This truth is the opening of doors to recovery not only for the addict, but for the entire family.

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Letter To My Son’s Birth Mom

Dear Vera, Tomorrow our son, Toby, turns 13 years old. Do you ever think about him? Or miss him? Do you ever wonder how he is doing? Did you know he has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Twelve years ago, I met Toby in an orphanage. It was love at first sight and I vowed to take care of our curly-haired boy. Ignorance is bliss and the first year was magical, except for the not sleeping and not eating phase, which I assumed all babies went through.

When Toby was two, he started running in circles and into walls. His energy level was unending and he began hitting other kids. I assumed all two years old did this as well.

When Toby was three, he was still running, not sleeping, or eating, and he added biting to the mix. By then, I was exhausted, bruised, and worried. Several doctors, friends, and well-meaning family members told me he was fine, but I knew he wasn’t. I finally found a Pediatrician who told me the truth: Toby had full blown Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) because his birth mother drank excessively while pregnant. I had no idea what FAS was. According to the CDC:

No amount of alcohol is safe to drink while pregnant
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders cover a wide range of birth defects
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable

Our rather expensive specialist told us FAS was incurable and unnecessary. She then told us that problem behaviors like biting, hitting, and cursing would be almost impossible to extinguish. He was only three years old. I fell apart.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Shattered All My Hopes And Dreams For “Our” Son

Toby’s prospects went from being anything he wanted to probably not going to college to maybe never being able to live on his own. It’s still too early to tell. I spent the next eight years dragging Toby to doctors, therapists, play groups, tutors, and counselors, trying to undo the damage you did. A doctor said I should pick my battles and that there are no battles. I was told I would have to accept all of his behaviors.  My parents said I should spank him into submission. His teachers said there’s nothing wrong with him as they simultaneously complained about how he wouldn’t pay attention, listen, or do his work. Friends also said there’s nothing wrong with him. “He’s just a boy.” But none of their boys screamed at the sound of a vacuum or compulsively broke windows just to hear the glass shatter.

The Growing Years

Toby quickly became too big for me to carry out of the grocery store when he had a meltdown. He hated going to school and refused to brush his teeth.  For years I was afraid Toby would never speak, but he began talking when he was nine years old. It turns out he is much smarter than the doctors said. He has learned to read, write, and tell time.

Your Drinking Has Affected Me Beyond My Wildest Imagining

I spent years researching his condition and crying about tantrums I couldn’t control.

I Am Learning:

He is capable of far more than the experts thought. He packs his own lunch, folds his clothes, makes his bed, and opens the car door for me
To accept his past for what it is and not what it should have been
We are the perfect family for him and he is the perfect son for us despite all the hardships we have had to face

One Last Thing

Toby has to overcome more challenges than any child should have to face because of your choice to drink alcohol while pregnant with him. Even though I struggle with anger and resentment I am also curious to know if his curly hair and gray-green eyes come from you.  If we do meet, I hope I will be able to fully embrace the idea that you did the best you could. Certainly, no mother wants to hurt her children. I want you to know that you gave me the greatest gift one person could ever give to another and Toby will be all right. You’d be proud of the amazing boy he’s growing up to be. Thank you for “our son.”

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When You Experience Sexual Harassment at Work

By VALERIYA SAFRONOVA
November 10, 2017

In the weeks since The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein, thousands of people have come forth about their experiences. Many people have instigated legal action or helped begin investigations at their workplaces.

There are many options for people who feel they have been sexually harassed. There is, however, absolutely no substitute for legal advice that is specific to your situation. Here are some important things to think about.

What is workplace sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment in the workplace is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of unwanted behaviors. This includes nonphysical harassment, including suggestive remarks and gestures, or requests for sexual favors. Physical harassment includes touches, hugs, kisses and coerced sex acts.

It can be perpetrated by anyone — a manager, a colleague, a client. The perpetrator or the recipient may be male or female. It does not need to occur inside the office. Your employer could still be responsible for investigating the incident and handling it appropriately.

“Let’s say you’re out with your boss and you’re having drinks after hours,” said Andrea Gosfield, a senior associate at Griesing Law, who counsels individuals and institutions on employment compliance. “Maybe you think you invited that kiss. Maybe you think you can’t file a report or a claim because you were complicit somehow by being off site. That is not the case. It could be anywhere.”

Start with understanding the outcome you want.

Is your ultimate goal for the harasser to be removed from the company? Do you want to prevent others from being harassed by that person? Are you seeking monetary compensation?

“The first priority is for the individual to decide what it is that she really wants and the price she is willing to pay for that,” said Deborah L. Rhode, a professor of law at Stanford Law School and the director of its Center on the Legal Profession.

“Many people want the harassment to stop so they can do their job and advance in their companies,” said Suzanne B. Goldberg, a professor at Columbia Law School and the director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School. “Others, especially where the harassment has been severe, seek compensation from the employer for their lost earnings and emotional distress that resulted from the harassment.”

If you have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment and you want to take action, you have a number of choices.

But first:

Whatever you plan to do, keep notes and evidence.

“One of the most important things to do after an incident is to write down what happened, what was said or touched, who did it, whether anyone was around to witness what happened, where you were, what the time was,” Ms. Goldberg said.

Ms. Gosfield noted that it is helpful to keep notes in a bound notebook (“technology fails,” she said) and to make sure nothing is stored on work devices. Otherwise, “should anything go awry, your employer will have access to the logs you were keeping,” Ms. Gosfield said.

If there is any physical evidence — for example, a dress with fluids on it or pornographic images — save it.

When investigating or reporting on a complaint of sexual harassment, accusers will often be asked if they had confided in a friend, family member or colleague at the time of the event or events. Even if you never plan on taking action, confiding in someone at the time can be helpful if you change your mind about taking action later.

Now, for your options:

You can make a criminal complaint.

If you were sexually assaulted, going straight to the police is a good idea.

“Every state is going to have its own definition of rape,” Ms. Gosfield said. Even the terms states use can be different. “One state may call rape ‘sexual assault.’ Another state may call it rape. When you’ve been victimized, sodomy is a crime in certain jurisdictions.”

Generally, in cases where the harassment included physical touching, coerced physical confinement or coerced sex acts, it could be considered a crime. If you want to start a criminal investigation, it’s important to know that there is a legal timeline.

“If you have been victimized and violated, probably one of the last things you want to do is go to a precinct and relive every detail,” Ms. Gosfield said. Nonetheless, it is important for law enforcement to have access to physical evidence — if there is any — as soon as possible.

You can file a complaint through your employer.

If you are an employee, you can follow your employer’s procedure for filing a complaint. Typically this is the first step you should take, unless there is only one point person to report to and that person was the harasser.

If that situation doesn’t apply, and if you think you may want to file a lawsuit against the employer in the future, you have to report the harassment to your employer first. Otherwise, the employer has a defense, according to a judgment by the Supreme Court. Make sure all of your attempts at reporting the abuse are documented. “Write down everything and put everything in writing,” said Minna Kotkin, a professor of law at Brooklyn Law School and the director of the Brooklyn Law School Employment Law Clinic. “You don’t just go and talk to H.R.”

“Employers are given a lot of latitude to draft their policies,” Ms. Gosfield said. “No one says employers must have a policy that requires you to do X, Y and Z and have this reporting structure.”

Check your handbook or your internal company website. Hone in on it. Understand the chain of reporting that you should follow. Remember that employers may never have acted on their policies before and you may need to be diligent in pursuing your complaint. And company policy is not always up to date with the courts.

You can go to a federal, state or local agency.

If you do not want to, or cannot file through your employer, or if you are unsatisfied with the results of your employer’s investigation, you can enter a complaint at the federal, state or local level. (You can also do this together with reporting the incident to your employer.)

At the federal level, you can go through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Title VII of the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act prohibits sexual harassment.

You can also head to a Fair Employment Practices Agency. Here is a list. These are state or local administrative bodies that specialize in human or civil rights. Often if you file with a state or local agency, it will automatically co-file the claim with the E.E.O.C.

If one of the agencies finds that your complaint is warranted, it will issue a “right to sue” letter that allows you to bring the case to court. You need this letter in order to file a lawsuit.

With many state or local agencies, you can generally file a complaint without the help of a lawyer. “But often the processes are not quick, where a lawyer can typically intervene more quickly with an employer than a government agency,” Ms. Goldberg said.

Make sure you’re aware of statutes of limitations.

Under Title VII, you have to file a claim with the E.E.O.C. within 180 days of the harassment. However, if your state has similar laws protecting workers from sexual harassment, you can file the complaint with both the state and federal agencies, which will extend the statute of limitations to 300 days.

And remember, Ms. Rhode said, “the statute of limitations doesn’t operate in the world of public opinion.” Even if years have passed since you were harassed and it is too late to file claims, you can speak about the incident publicly at any time.

You can make accusations in public.

You can share your experience publicly through social media platforms or with the help of a reporter.

What to expect if you go public with your story.

“One thing we know from social psychology studies is that people don’t like complainers,” said Joanna Grossman, the Ellen K. Solender Endowed Chair in Women and the Law at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. “If you’re going public and on social media, you always run the risk that you get labeled a complainer, a problem, a liar.” But, she added, “that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. There may be benefits in connecting with other victims, pursuing justice and knowing the accuser won’t hurt someone else.”

You can expect threats, intimidation and investigation if you make public allegations.

There can be strength in numbers.

If an employer is ineffective at pursuing complaints, you and other people who have experienced sexual harassment can “work together to protect each other or at least warn each other,” Ms. Grossman said.

“A lot of companies will tell you that you can’t disparage the company or its employees,” Ms. Grossman said. “That’s illegal. You can discuss any term or condition of employment, including complaining about sexual harassment by a co-worker. You can do it. There’s such a strong norm of not talking about your pay or your boss that it’s a social hurdle that prevents us from activating some of those more community-oriented approaches.”

Ms. Rhode said: “One of the triggering mechanisms in some of these cases has been the subculture of rumor and gossip that came to surround people who were serial harassers. When word gets around, you can be sure you’re not the only person who has experienced it. And then it takes one brave person to go public and others will follow.”

Should you confront the harasser?

“You can say, ‘I do not want you to do this. It is offensive. Stop it immediately. I’m going to report you,’” Ms. Gosfield said. People who are being threatened or intimidated have to choose at that time between de-escalation, distraction or confrontation. No matter what you say at the time to remove yourself from the situation, confrontation can take place later, in safety, or with help.

What if you’re a freelancer?

No matter your work situation, you always have the right to create a criminal complaint or to bring a lawsuit against the perpetrator. Other rights will vary state by state. “As a freelancer, in lots of situations, you’re just not going to have any rights,” Ms. Grossman said. “You’re relying on the good intentions of whoever hired you.”

Make sure you are definitely an independent contractor according to the law before you assume you are. “If you’re called an independent contractor but you’re sitting in a company’s offices and using their computers, you’re not and you can bring an action,” Ms. Kotkin said. She suggests checking guidelines from the Labor Department to understand your status.

“If you went through a hiring agency, alert the hiring agency about what has happened and seek assistance there,” Ms. Goldberg said. “If you’re freelancing for a company, an important first step is to alert the company about what has happened. Even if the company is not legally responsible, it may be able to take steps to help address the situation.”

But keep in mind the risks. “You have to understand you’re accepting the risk that you will lose the contract,” Ms. Grossman said. “Maybe that won’t happen and I hope it doesn’t. But there’s just not as much of a deterrent for that company since they’re not bound by nondiscrimination laws.”

It can sometimes be useful to have an upfront conversation with a hiring agency or a temporary employer about what practices are in place to address sexual harassment. Ask them, Ms. Goldberg said: “What is your policy for addressing sexual harassment that happens at a job placement? Where do I go if I am harassed at a job placement? Who is responsible? What steps will you take?”

What’s the deal with nondisclosure agreements, or N.D.A.s?

“An N.D.A. is where both parties agree that they’re not going to discuss the terms of the agreement or the allegations,” Ms. Gosfield said. Often the agreement is part of a broader settlement that offers the accuser monetary compensation.

“That makes the culture of silence so much more pervasive,” Ms. Gosfield said. “This never hits a court where there could be an opinion issued where everyone can understand that this is inappropriate, and what is the sanction, and what is going to be the consequence.”

What can happen if you violate an N.D.A.? You could be sued by the other party. “But I think the real reason people don’t violate N.D.A.s is that they’re not lump sum payments,” Ms. Rhode said. “They’re paid over a series of years and if you renege on the agreement, the payments stop.”

What to know about lawyers.

“Many plaintiff counsels who are focused on victims of discrimination will work on contingency,” Ms. Gosfield said. Meaning, “The lawyer accepts a fixed percentage. If the client gets nothing, the lawyer gets nothing.”

Some lawyers charge for consultations and some do not. But they are “under ethical duty to tell you if you have a pursuable claim under state or federal law,” Ms. Gosfield said. Ask up front how the lawyer would be paid and if they would ask for payment for an initial conversation.

If you’re unsure of where to begin your search for a lawyer, try reaching out to your state bar association, which can make a recommendation.

The post When You Experience Sexual Harassment at Work appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Vets Suffer From Many Sources Of Trauma

My two oldest sons, Max and Mitch, are proud veterans. Their stories of service are as different as they are. One joined the 82nd Airborne, went to Afghanistan, and was seriously injured on a jump. One went to NJ,  and served at an Air Force Base. He wasn’t physically injured, but he came home with hidden emotional scars from trauma. This Veterans Day we salute Veterans in all of our United States branches:

Coast Guard
Army
Air Force
Marine Corp
Navy

Trauma Before Military Life

While my sons each still suffer from different types of injuries from their service time, they also have deep wounds from their time in another type of  war zone. They each grew up in a household affected by Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Many veterans lived lives similar to my sons, and many were traumatized before they ever went off to defend our country. My sons today struggle with AUD, and recovery reminds me to show compassion to them.

Many go to battle with a healthy mind and body, but how many more go with a spirit that has been harmed previously by a family caught up in addiction? Add into this mix a co-occuring problem of SUD, and the vet has a real struggle to overcome:

More than 2 of 10 Veterans with PTSD also have SUD
War Veterans with PTSD and alcohol problems tend to be binge drinkers. Binges may be in response to bad memories of combat trauma
Almost 1 out of every 3 Veterans seeking treatment for SUD also has PTSD
The number of Veterans who smoke (nicotine) is almost double for those with PTSD (about 6 of 10) versus those without a PTSD diagnosis (3 of 10)
In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 1 in 10 returning soldiers seen in VA have a problem with alcohol or other drugs. *United States Department of Veterans

The recovery community teaches me to “Do the next right thing.” Today, I’m going to thanking a vet for serving.

The post Vets Suffer From Many Sources Of Trauma appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.