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I’m Pam Dobbie, a therapist, writer, and lifelong student of how human beings adapt, endure, and find their way forward.
After more than two decades working with trauma, the nervous system, chronic illness, and the complicated business of being human, I write about what I’ve learned professionally and what life continues to teach me personally.
My essays explore healing, identity, illness, reinvention, meaningful work, belonging, travel, food, and the quiet rebuilding that happens when life no longer looks the way we expected.
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There’s a Reason the Holidays Feel So Hard (and What Actually Helps)
There’s a Reason the Holidays Feel So Hard (and What Actually Helps)
Oct 29
Written by Pamela Dobbie
How to feel more grounded and less triggered this season.
I’ve been thinking lately about the holidays and how hard they can be for people, especially those trying to navigate them alcohol-free. I’ve been alcohol-free for 26 years, and as a therapist I’ve spent my career helping people through exactly this. There’s the wondering about why there’s sparkling water instead of a glass of wine, the drinks being put in your hand automatically, and the questions we don’t feel like answering. The answers are never enough for people anyway.
Isolation and loneliness can affect us on a significant level. One of the things I find most helpful is being in a community of people who truly get it. People going through similar things, trying to do similar things, who can help along the way. That’s why I think support groups can be amazing.
