this place. One must face it, look it in the eyes, and make peace with it, and more often than not, a person needs to seek self-forgiveness.

Mankind carries his own jury and executioner within, which when fully engaged is waiting to criticize its owner. The louder this voice is within, the harder one binges, the more one desires to escape or numb feelings and emotions, creating a vicious cycle in which one feels less and less alive.

Finding hope in the midst of so many contradictory feelings is not easy. Ideally, part of this path needs to be traversed with a trusted professional who can help a patient wade through the traumatic experiences that led to destructive behavior. This requires a person to let down his or her guard

enough to let someone in. A practitioner or friend has to care enough to avoid judgment while they help the person cultivate the best of themselves, heal the hurt and anger, and plant the fragile seeds of self-esteem. As healing occurs, the seeds of success, instead of failure, are nurtured and lead to seeing the world in a very different way.

But often, one needs support to redefine personal faith in life. Man is not an island. Much of our pain and sorrow in life is sown with others— and healing will not occur without a band of brothers holding our hand along the way.•

Recovery from substance abuse related to post-traumatic stress disorder can be gained through programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), where people find the safety to share their feelings and experi

ences with others. AA and NA along with individual therapy and medication prescribed by a professional are among the best forms of treatment for addictions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lorraine Silvetz received her BFA from N.Y.U. Film School and her Master's from N.Y.U. School of Social Work in 2005. She is a psychotherapist, active in philanthropy, having founded Global Stress Initiative (GSI) under the International Committee Against Mental Illness (ICAMI), a mental health foundation directed by her Uncle, Robert Cancro, MD in 2010. ICAMI-GSI's goal is to provide non-invasive treatment for survivors of trauma. GSI utilizes individualized transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTMS) for the treatment of service members, domestic violence and human trafficking survivors impacted by PTSD.