Bill Gothard Claims to have Secret Cure for Mental Illness

Rather, to solve mental illness, he suggests, one must do something much more significant to one’s “gut brains” than use FDA approved medication

Looking For A Future: Jane’s Story

Tomorrow I take my final exam for my first semester of nursing school.

I am one day away from finishing the first leg of something I almost never started. I am also one day away from maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Instructors, friends, classmates, and my therapist all say they knew I could do it.

Homeschooled, An Autistic’s Perspective: Katia’s Story

Homeschooling was Mom’s idea. Her public school experience was horrible, and she was thrilled when she heard Raymond Moore talk.

Depression Presented by Suzanne Davidson

The worst part of being depressed isn’t the numbness, it’s the lies that depression makes you tell yourself.

It tells you that your best friend on earth hates you. It tells you that if you were to confide in someone that they wouldn’t care. It tells you that you are the biggest disgrace to ever walk the face of the planet. You might reject these lies for a while but eventually you start to believe them.

Can the Homeschooling Movement Self-Police?

If the homeschooling movement is really going to self-police, we need more than platitudes.

A Mixed Bag: Salome’s Story

HA note: The author’s name has been changed to ensure anonymity. “Salome” is a pseudonym.  My experience going from homeschooling to college has been a mixed bag… but one I wouldn’t change for the world, no matter how shitty it was at the time. I have grown a lot and become a lot more normal, and rejected much of the

When the Bible Wasn’t Enough: Sage Lynn’s Story

After we left, I remember looking at the sky and being so relieved that I was out of the psych ward–yet so terrified because inside I didn’t know if the worldview I so stoutly defended was really enough to keep me alive.

Gothard’s ATI and the Duggar Family’s Secrets

The underlying principles and beliefs the Duggars have built their lives around actually help groom and shame victims, help hide grievous abuse, and even keep offenders from receiving needed help.

What About Toxic Parents?

HA Note: The following is reprinted with permission from Michelle Hill’s blog Notes From A Homeschooler. It was originally published on April 10, 2015 and has been slightly modified for HA. From my research and own personal experience with homeschoolers, I’ve come to realize that there’s a link between homeschooling and toxic, or over-controlling, parents. This control is all too apparent in the

Pain and Pastures: By Nancy Scott

“Trauma as I define it is anything that overwhelms the body’s ability to regulate itself. Our flight/flight/freeze response is located in the sympathetic nervous system, marked by elevated heart rate, shallow breathing, narrowed peripheral vision, and tightened muscles that are ready to run or fight at a moment’s notice… I’ve worked as a therapist for about fifteen years now, ‘somatically’ with people like Flora for about ten. I have found that working with the body is essential for resolving traumatic memory.”