Welcome
Hello and welcome. I’m Radha, and I work at Healing and Recovery Arts.
I’ve called New Jersey home since 2001, having moved here with my family shortly after 9/11. At the time, it felt as though the dust from the fallen Towers had drifted all the way to Philadelphia. The entire region seemed to hold its breath—anxious, tense, unsure. People looked skyward with unease, as if expecting the next plane overhead to fall from the sky, bringing chaos to their doorstep.
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The Lingering Impact of 9/11
Thankfully, that fear didn’t materialize in most people’s day-to-day lives. Over time, flights resumed, skies filled again, and many of us slowly found our way back to daily routines. But for others, the trauma lingered.
Those who had been in or near the destruction—who had lost loved ones, or even narrowly escaped—carried deep emotional wounds. For many, PTSD and grief stretched out for years. Healing, in those cases, required more than time—it required care, community, and often, therapy.
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A Personal Journey Toward Healing
In the midst of that collective recovery, I was on my own path. I earned my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, and that journey shifted my focus from solely treating addiction to working more broadly with trauma, anxiety, chronic depression, and complex emotional healing.
I began to see how layered and personal the process of recovery really is.
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Writing as a Healing Practice
One tool that has always helped me—both before and after I became a therapist—is writing.
I’ve been writing for decades: essays like this one, poems, journal entries. I write to process my joys and my grief, my confusion and my growth. Writing doesn’t always provide the answers, but it always creates space—space to reflect, to slow down, to witness your own story with fresh eyes.
That act of putting thoughts into words helps untangle the knots in our minds. It reveals patterns, truths, and sometimes, hidden strengths.
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What’s Next: A Poem from the Depths
This is the first in a series of posts I’ll be sharing, called:
“Writing Our Way to Healthy Lives and Minds.”
In the next installment, I’ll share a poem I wrote during a difficult season of therapy for depression. I hope it speaks to anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed or unseen.
I’ll meet you back here in two weeks.
Until then, take gentle care of yourself
-and maybe, write a little.
With warmth,
Radha
