Author: Overcoming Adversity | Buteau’s Odyssey

All relationships, whether romantic, social, sexual, financial, or otherwise, are transactional. The transactional nature of relationships can lead to myriad dynamics; some can be especially supportive, while others are roundly destructive, and still others are somewhere in the gray. We Get What We Give There is a notion in psychology termed “narcissistic source.” Recently, narcissism has garnered a definitively negative connotation, but undistorted narcissism is simply self-interest. “Undistorted narcissism” is meant to imply that same original definition of narcissism, which is the transactional aspect of relationship. We give something to another entity, whether it be a person, a group, or…

People often say that someone or something has triggered them, usually meaning that a current interaction, event, or situation has activated a memory and an associated emotional response. Although the word “triggered” once referred specifically to a facet of a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, it is now commonly used to express emotions related to trauma, though sometimes not directly connected to it (Bonilla and colleagues, 2024). What Is a Trigger? A trigger is a signal that recalls a past experience, prompting an emotional response in a person. The origin of a trigger can vary, from a microaggression to a sexual…

The Tarik Skubal sweepstakes might be on soon. As the Detroit Tigers continue to stumble and deal with injuries, FOX Sports MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes that the chances Skubal gets moved before the Aug. 3 trade deadline are improving.   “It’s trending that way. Talking with people around the game, that is their feeling,” Rosenthal said of the possibility of a Skubal trade on Saturday’s MLB on FOX pregame show. “The outlook right now is rather bleak, and honestly, it’s difficult to imagine them making up a 14-game under .500 deficit, getting back to .500, and then contending even in a…

Recently at a large social gathering, a techy friend of mine, who had been sitting next to a total stranger, said to me after their lengthy conversation was over, “That was the deepest conversation I’ve had with anybody in years. Usually, my conversations with others are superficial and don’t mean a thing.” When I asked him what they talked about, he said, “Religion. We had different views on religion, but the conversation was intimate and respectful. We were able to be honest and disagree without being offensive in any way. It was amazing.” With many young people addicted to their…

In dissociative states or experiences, people can feel detached from reality, themselves, others, and their own emotions (Busch et al., 2021). Dissociation can involve a disruption in the integration of behaviors, thoughts, consciousness, feelings, memories, and/or identity. Severe trauma is a common source of dissociative states, as it can cause memory impairments, intolerable emotions, and bodily distress (Lazarov et al., 2017). People often don’t recognize the links between dissociative states and the trauma they experienced, sometimes because these connections were never formed. Alternatively, dissociative states can act as a defense, warding off the connection to distressing memories, fantasies, feelings, and…

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S. This year’s theme, “More Good Days, Together,” focuses on the importance of connection, support, and community in emotional well-being. The campaign’s message feels especially relevant to these times, when many clients report to their therapists that they feel increasingly lonely despite being digitally connected to just about everyone in their lives. The American Psychological Association’s 2025 Stress in America survey found that more than 6 in 10 U.S. adults have felt isolated over the past year. As a relationship and Certified Sex Therapist, I’ve found that loneliness may be expressed…

The final week of the UFL regular season has arrived, and while three playoff berths have already been secured, one postseason spot remains up for grabs. The Louisville Kings and Birmingham Stallions enter Week 10 locked in a battle for the league’s final playoff position.The action got underway Friday night with the Dallas Renegades earning an impressive road victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks. Attention now turns to Saturday’s matchup between the Houston Gamblers and the Stallions, where Birmingham must win to keep its playoff hopes alive.The regular season concludes Sunday with a pair of pivotal matchups as the DC…

Recently, I came across an outstanding book that combined two of my favorite topics: happiness and love. It’s called ​How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most​. And it can absolutely rock your world. Two expert collaborators wrote it: Harry Reis, a longtime love researcher; and Sonja Lyubomirsky, a pioneering happiness researcher and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UC Riverside. For those of you who are not familiar with Lyubomirsky’s work, she’s kind of a big deal. She recently spoke on the TED Mainstage (​One Thing You Can Do to Be Happier​), had…

HEEL is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand May 26 from Magnolia Home Entertainment, and we have an exclusive clip just for Daily Dead readers! “Step inside a disturbed house of heart-stopping consequences as HEEL blends a a found-family into an unsettling psychological trip when it arrives on Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand on May 26 from Magnolia Home Entertainment. The fable-inspired thriller is delivered by Academy Award-Nominated director Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi). Led by Anson Boone (“MOBLAND,” 1917) as the 19-year old criminal son and boasting the acclaimed co-stars playing pseudo-parental figures, Emmy Award-winning Stephen Graham (“ADOLESCENCE,” This…

One of the strangest horror success stories of the modern era officially opens in theaters today. Backrooms, distributed by A24 and directed by a twenty-year-old who was still weighing college applications when his career launched, is in cinemas nationwide as of May 29, 2026. It carries an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. The film cost real money and real production time and it all traces back to a single anonymous photograph of an empty office posted to 4chan in 2019 by someone who probably did not expect to birth a cinematic universe.So before you…