Welcome! Join me as I share thoughts and insights from my decades-long career as a clinical psychologist, author, and public speaker. This site is about sharing uplifting stories that inspire the best in each of us. It will aid the reader in their own journey by offering insight, encouragement, and support for daily living. The uplifting stories that appear on this site range from insights gained both from my personal and professional life to educational themes about how to continue to learn life’s lessons, to inspirational themes about spiritual growth and personal improvement.
I have had a happy, successful career in the clinical practice of psychology. Great joy has come to me pursuing an additional career in writing and publishing . I am grateful for the opportunity to touch people in ways that enhance their mental, emotional, and spiritual lives.
Take time exploring this site because I believe helpful information exists here which can assist you in your own personal journey.
Luleen S. Anderson, Ph.D. is a retired psychologist with more than forty years of clinical practice. She is the author of four books and more than 80 newspaper, magazine, journal articles, and uplifting stories. She lives in Wilmington, NC.
I’m Back!
Some of you may have noticed that for the past three or four years I have been, as they say, ‘off the grid’ regarding keeping my site up-to-date. Here’s why: In April of 2014 I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (a craniopharyngioma). The good news was that the tumor was not malignant. The not-so-good news was that permanent damage had already been done to the pituitary and adrenal glands, as well as other systems. Dr. Friedman and Dr. Kirkpatrick of Duke University Hospital were instrumental in my recovery.
I have had numerous radiation treatments, physical therapy sessions, and various treatments for balance and strength-building. My vision suffered some permanent damage so I am unable to drive. There has recently been improvement in my vision and I am now able to read large print and to get back to my computer and write again! So, here I am.
Because I find it somewhat prophetic, I want to share with you, as my first new article (Reflections on Loss and Grief), one of the last pieces I wrote (but didn’t post) before I received my brain tumor diagnosis. I hope you will find it meaningful as my other writings on the site.
-Luleen Anderson
September 2017
August 2022 Update
For the past eight years Luleen fought the good fight, showing us what it means to live life to its fullest. She taught us the knack of a happy life. On August 19, 2022, shortly before noon, she peacefully passed away in hospice, surrounded by loved ones, at the age of 88.
Take my hand, precious Lord, and lead me home.
___________________________
Luleen S. Anderson was born in the small farming community of Roberta, Georgia, the eighth of nine children. The first in her family to attend college, she earned her A.B. from Wesleyan College, her M.A. from Emory University, and her Ph.D. from Boston University. She practiced clinical psychology for many years in Boston and Quincy, MA, and Wilmington, NC, where she now lives.
The author of four books, The Knack of a Happy Life, Under the Covers, Fill Me Up to Empty, and Sunday Came Early This Week, as well as more than eighty articles in newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals, Dr. Anderson is a highly regarded clinician, writer, mentor, teacher and public speaker.
Snippets from Inspiring Stories section:
The Healing Power of Forgiving
Let go and Let’s go!
Forgiveness is one of my favorite topics, partly because it’s so important to our emotional and physical health, and partly because it’s so hard to learn to do. There can be so many obstacles to overcome.
“How many times should I forgive someone who has sinned against me? Seven?” Jesus was asked. The answer given was “not seven but seventy times seven.” That’s a lot of forgiving!
What does it mean to forgive?…
Gracelets
Wouldn’t you Like to be a Gracelet too?!
It was a word I learned about a long time ago, maybe from a preacher, and I was told it was a term too special for ordinary words to convey. Gracelets were very special people who came into your life when you least expected it and showered their gifts on you like tiny drops of morning dew, teaching important lessons about life and how to live it…
Guilt: The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Don’t be a Regifter
What is guilt and why is it so important? Guilt comes in many shapes and colors and can be either growth-enhancing or destructive. It’s an emotion that is often misunderstood and misused…
Laughing Matters
The Healing Properties of Laughing
It is said that laughter is the best medicine. While I don‘t know that that’s always true, I do know that laughing matters. The feeling that nothing is fun – or funny – anymore is a sign of poor mental health…