What a beautiful quote by Albert Einstein. I believe this whole heartedly and can take it a step further. If you look individually at the people who have done great things for humanity and the world itself, you will first see one who has learned how to harness pain and darkness and can then craft it into something powerfully beautiful.
 
To recycle darkness, one must first understand the frequency of it. To know and live extreme pain is an intensive way to recognize the powerful grip it can have; influential enough to help propel forward but equally powerful in the ability to suffocate and drown one’s soul.

Let’s think about Oprah Winfrey. Did you know that she was sexually assaulted as a child by three different offenders and at age 14 birthed a child who died soon after? Oprah has empowered so many individuals and has outwardly explored topics that have helped many find peace, education and a new way of living. Would she be as influential without her childhood pain and the lifestyle she overcame? Who can say?
 
Kris Carr is a New York Times and #1 Amazon best-selling author with a strong wellness activist voice. After receiving the news of stage 4 cancer in 2003, Kris decided to radically change her diet, nutrition and lifestyle and over a decade later is empowering others to take charge of their lives and destiny.
 
Kris is known as one of the most prominent experts on healthy living as she has over 40,000 followers on her wellness website, not to mention the books and documentaries that have helped many find their way out of their own darkness.
 
Watch this video by the Imagine Dragons. If everyone learned to recycle their darkness, the world would be a place full of humanitarians and earth guardians, whose sole desire was to create something better. To leave others and the world better because of their existence and choices, but unfortunately this is not often the case. Read the lyrics of this song and let the message of this article begin to sink in deeper and deeper.
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​I vividly remember the day I choose strength over destiny. My family has generation after generation of darkness. People who snuff out the light in others, take advantage of children and perpetuate violence. I will never forget the day I decided to sever my own destiny in the generational cycles of darkness.
 
I was about 15 years old, receiving a tremendous amount of criticism and shame. After years and years of suffering through darkness, I decided to not become the blackness I was in. In that moment as a young teen, I created mantras in my mind that I told myself over and over again. It was in that moment that I decided to MINDFULLY choose my paths. That when I fell, to stand up, look around and keep walking. To use darkness as a fertilizer for growth. Focusing on the necessity of the stench to produce a gorgeous crop is vital for recycling darkness into light. Focusing on the darkness itself makes the smell of the manure too overwhelming. 

What pain and darkness have you been experiencing? Have you been asking why instead of asking what and how? I like the Imagine Dragons “Believer” song for many reasons, but one is that it is NOT called “Pain”, but rather “Believer”.
 
Believe in your path and choose it every day, multiple times a day. Believe in your pain, make friends with it and use it to further your growth. The world needs more people who have a vested interest in recycling darkness into light and helping others do the same. Are you a believer?
 
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 Who is the Author?
Gabrielle Anderson, lmft is the owner of the Family Therapy Center in Ashburn as well as a Marriage and Family therapist. She is a married mother of 2 and lives in Loudoun county. Contact Gabrielle here if you would like to schedule an appointment for therapy or if you have questions about the practice.

​I love fall, but I haven’t always. It wasn’t that long ago that I dreaded the end of summer. To me, fall felt dark, lonely and draining. I started to feel this way about 4 or 5 years ago, after finishing 3 years of Lyme disease treatment. I thought I was associating the isolation of Lyme with autumn stimuli, but I was wrong.
 
During this time, I went in for a physical exam and much to my surprise, my doctor found a deficiency in Vitamin D and Calcium. As soon as I began supplementing with Vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium, I felt worlds better. Science is showing us that many with Seasonal Affect Disorder need more than meds, they need supplements!

​I used to think that mental illness was an “is”. She has schizophrenia. He has bi-polar. My child has ADHD. OK. Everyone, go see a psychiatrist and come back and let me know how you are feeling.
 
Then something happened. I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and other co-infections that impacted my brain and mental health. I unfortunately gave these diseases gestationally to my children and shared them with my husband sexually. About 5 or 6 years of our family life was spent in the darkness of illness.
 
As we immerged out of this helpless pit, something beautiful happened. My Executive Functioning/ADD symptoms were no longer a part of me. My husband’s mania and debilitating anxiety disappeared. We found gene mutations (MTHFR) that spoke to methylation and detox and eradicated infection that created depression, anxiety and more.

​Let’s take this to my practice. In my experience, young children with Lyme and Co tend to hallucinate until the inflammation in the brain is controlled and many are suicidal. We are talking 6 year olds AND Lyme isn’t the only culprit.
 
I have had a handful of people experience extreme intrusive thoughts. Thoughts of self-harm and darkness. Could they benefit from an antidepressant? Maybe, but in these cases, their Ammonia levels were so elevated that their brains became impacted.
 
Low Vitamin D levels, red food dye, gluten and other food intolerances can look like ADHD. Anxiety or panic that comes out of nowhere can be PANDAS (from strep). If gut flora is off or digestive food enzymes are needed, mental health symptoms can arise. 

I am a firm believer that when our physical, emotional or social systems are out of balance, our bodies will try to communicate this to us. It would be great if our bodies spoke English, but unfortunately they speak body and it is important for us to learn how to translate.
 
Ok Body, I am Listening. What Are You Trying To Tell Me?

In my practice I teach clients how listen to the body...
 
- Are you taking in too much energy from others?
- Maybe someone close to you died or you are walking through a divorce. Are you giving yourself enough time to  
  grieve or expecting too much too fast?
- What is it costing you to stay in a job that you hate?
- Is your over-eating trying to alert you to an imbalance in your life?
- Could it be Methylation or infection?
 
Might meds help the above situations? Sure. But if that is the only intervention, the body’s cry for help voice may become muffled or even inaudible. I am not against medications, but I work full time and can count on ONE hand the number of clients I have sent to the doctor for psychiatric medications. In these instances, we knew what the body was communicating, but the symptoms were too intense to address without pharmaceuticals. Learning to listen to the cries of the body can be priceless.
 
What might your body be trying to say? Can you sit in silence or with a professional and learn to listen? If you are on psychiatric medications, PLEASE stay on your meds. But use this article as a launching pad to increase curiosity and to open up a dialogue of honesty. Could something else be creating your symptoms?  This is a great place to start.

Who is the Author?
Gabrielle Anderson, lmft is the owner of the Family Therapy Center in Ashburn as well as a Marriage and Family therapist. She is a married mother of 2 and lives in Loudoun county. Contact Gabrielle here if you would like to schedule an appointment for therapy or if you have questions about the practice.