The Healing Cottage

05/03/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is “More Good Days, Together.”

I love that. Not perfect days. Not healed-all-the-way days. Just more good ones.

Some of you know what it costs just to get out of bed some mornings. To hold it together through the carpool line, the meeting, the dinner you made even though you were running on empty. You’ve been carrying things quietly for a long time, and quiet carrying is exhausting work.
This month is a gentle invitation to stop and ask yourself the question that gets skipped most often: How am I, really?

Mental health isn’t a crisis-only conversation. It lives in the small things, in the sleep you can’t seem to get, the joy that stopped showing up, the way your shoulders stay tense and close to your ears. It lives in the relationships that feel strained, the memories you work hard not to think about, the version of yourself you remember being and wonder if you’re still in there somewhere.

You are .

Here’s what I want you to know about good days: they don’t always look the way you think they will.

Sometimes a good day is drinking your coffee while it’s still hot. Texting back the friend you’ve been avoiding. Saying no to something that was draining you. Sitting outside for ten minutes without your phone. Crying in the car and then walking inside anyway. Asking for help with one small thing. These aren’t failures of healing. They ARE healing, the slow and unglamorous kind that doesn’t make highlight reels but changes everything over time.

Progress accumulates quietly, the way morning light fills a room, not all at once but gradually, until you look up and realize you can see again.

Healing isn’t linear, and it isn’t as fast as you’d like it to be , but it is possible.

I see it happen in real time, in the quiet space of my offices, week after week. People who came in feeling broken finding that they are not, in fact, beyond repair. Just in need of someone to sit with them in the hard places.

If you’ve been on the fence about reaching out for support, let this be your nudge. You are not too far gone. You are not too complicated. You are not a burden. You are a human being made for wholeness, and wholeness is still available to you.

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” Isaiah 61:1

04/24/2026

I watched Trust Me: The False Prophet on Netflix last night, and I sat with the sad truth of it long after the screen went dark.

Spiritual abuse is real. It hides in holy language. It wraps control in the robes of “anointing,”and it silences the ones who dare to say, “Something is wrong here.”
I know something of that power and control that gets exerted in the name of God.

There were seasons in my own life when I stood against it, when I named what was being done in the name of God, when I made leaders angry because I refused to make their comfort and lies more important than someone’s safety. Standing for what is right in unholy spaces can cost you deeply. The ones who hold spiritual power do not always receive truth-tellers with grace. Actually, they never do. I’ve been called “Judas” and “Jezebel” among other things. I’ve been threatened and ostracized. Let me tell you from experience you can stand up against spiritual abuse and you can heal.

If you have been wounded by a church, a pastor, or a spiritual authority who used their position to diminish, control, shame, or silence you, I want you to know something quite true: what was done to you was not God. The One who formed you does not weaponize your faith against you.
Spiritual abuse leaves layered kinds of wounds. Wounds woven into theology, into prayer, into the very places you once ran for refuge. Healing from it requires someone who understands both the clinical and the sacred.
That and more is the work we do at The Healing Cottage.
You are allowed to heal. You are allowed to question. You are allowed to name what hurt you, even when it wore a collar or carried a Bible.

You and your story are safe here. 🌱

04/04/2026

🚨 AUGUSTA / CSRA 🚨

While the crowds gather and the world turns its eyes toward The Masters Tournament, there’s a reality most people don’t think about…

Trafficking activity often rises during major events. It happens daily right here in the CSRA, esp during The Masters.

It happens in our hotels. Our neighborhoods. Our city. My heart hurts considering the amount of people who are hurting in our community while so many others are participating in one of the greatest historical events each year.

Pay attention to red flags:
• Someone who won’t make eye contact or seems afraid to speak
• A person who looks coached, controlled, or overly monitored
• Confusion about their location or inconsistent answers
• Visible signs of neglect, fear, or abuse
• Frequent traffic in and out of a room or location
• Major age discrepancies in “relationships”

If you work in hospitality, food & beverage, transportation, or service industries … this matters even more.

You are on the front lines this week.

• Hotel staff: notice repeated room traffic, guests who refuse housekeeping, or someone speaking for everyone
• Servers & bartenders: watch for controlling behavior, someone ordering for another, or guests who seem afraid
• Drivers (Uber, Lyft, shuttles): pay attention to passengers who seem disoriented, monitored, or not in control of their destination
• Cleaning crews & event staff: trust your instincts if something feels off

Trafficking doesn’t always look obvious.
It can involve women, men, and even children…many of them U.S. citizens, despite what television shows, being exploited through manipulation, pressure, or force.

⚠️ If something doesn’t sit right … don’t ignore it. It’s better to say something & be wrong than to ignore it.

📞 National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
📱 Text “HELP” to 233733

You can stay anonymous. Speaking up could change…or save…a life.
Posted. By Amanda Hullum

03/21/2026

This is a gentle space to breathe, create, and enjoy a peaceful afternoon with others. You do not have to be artistic to come. Just bring yourself, and we will provide the supplies.

Our next gathering is March 29th from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at 119 N. Belair Rd, Evans.

The cost is $25 per session, for ages 18+.

To reserve your spot, call Emma Jane Haffey, LMSW, at (913) 547-0863.

We would love to welcome you. Come make something beautiful in a calm, supportive space.


🌱

02/21/2026

Having angry explosions?
Feeling depressed and anxious?
Unable to connect emotionally?
Feeling like s*x with your spouse just isn’t enough?

As documented on Gary Wilson’s “Your Brain on P**nography,” website, over 85 studies link p**n use to poorer mental-emotional health & poorer cognitive outcomes—with another 80 studies linking p**n use to less s*xual and relationship satisfaction.

Most people think p**n has no effect on them or their relationships. However, research says it reaches much further into your mental and emotional health.

• Higher rates of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress
• Greater loneliness and lower life satisfaction
• More relationship dissatisfaction and poorer attachment quality
• Increased social withdrawal and lower real-life bonding
• Attention and concentration problems
• Lower self-esteem and body image dissatisfaction
• Greater impulsivity and compulsive behaviors
• Adolescents reporting more conduct problems and emotional difficulties

For example, people who did not use p**nography reported lower mental distress and loneliness than users.

Other studies found frequent users had more depressive symptoms, poorer quality of life, and worse overall health status.

Longitudinal research also linked exposure to later depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction over time.

This does not mean every viewer experiences severe problems. It does mean the brain, emotions, and relationships are involved far more than culture tends to acknowledge.

I often see clients assume the struggle is “just a habit” until they explore the roots of it all further. The brain treats repeated high-intensity s*xual stimulation as a regulation strategy. Over time it can replace connection, coping, and emotional processing. More and more young men are experiencing ED due to their p**n addiction.

If you or your partner feel more numb, irritable, distant, distracted, or less satisfied with real connection, this may be worth exploring rather than minimizing.

You can read the full research summary here:
https://www.yourbrainonp**n.com/relevant-research-and-articles-about-the-studies/p**n-use-s*x-addiction-studies/studies-linking-p**n-use-to-poorer-mental-emotional-health-poorer-cognitive-outcomes/

Awareness is not shame.
Awareness is the first step toward freedom.

Our CONQUER Men's Group meets every other Monday night 6:30-8pm if you want to find freedom.

**n

Many people who cease using p**n for an extended period of time report mental & cognitive benefits, such as improved concentration & focus

01/14/2026

Two groups are starting again soon …one for men and one for women.

If you’ve been carrying shame, anxiety, or the weight of betrayal, you don’t have to do it alone.

✨ FOR MEN: The Conquer Program ©
A group for men who feel stuck in a cycle of temptation, guilt, and shame, focused on becoming a man of integrity and learning how to be a healthy spouse.

Starts: January 12, 2026 • Time: 6:30pm • Meets: Biweekly on Mondays
Includes: All material provided • Cost: $50 per session
Register: [email protected] | call/text (706) 339-1020

🌿 FOR WOMEN: Up From The Ashes!
A women’s group for overcoming infidelity & betrayal. Support, education on betrayal trauma, and tools for rebuilding safety, boundaries, and self-esteem.

Starts: February 8, 2026 • Time: 6:30p–8:00p • Meets: Biweekly
Includes: All materials provided • Cost: $40 per session
Register: [email protected] | call/text (706) 564-7827
Facilitated by: Amanda Hullum

📍 Location (both groups): 119 N Belair Rd, Evans, GA 30809

Spots are limited so message us or use the registration info above to save your place.

01/07/2026

Our new Prayer Tree is up in the office at The Healing Cottage. 🤍

The tree at Christmas was so well received we decided to put one up for all year long.

Clients and visitors can write a prayer, a goal, an intention or a hope for healing request and place it on the tree.

Some are detailed, some are just a few words, and some (like a child’s handwriting) I can’t fully read… but God can.

Each morning and evening, I pause and pray over every single request on these branches.

If you’d like prayer, you’re welcome to add a card the next time you’re here. If you don’t come in, post below, or message me and I’ll include your request on our tree and pray for you and yours too!

01/02/2026

New Year, New You?

A fresh year is the perfect time to practice something that’s both hopeful and science-backed: you can shape the way your brain looks at life. This happens through neuroplasticity. It’s your brain’s built-in ability to rewire itself based on what you repeatedly focus on.

Your attention is training your brain

Your brain is always strengthening the pathways you use most. When you intentionally pay attention to what’s good, safe, meaningful, or hopeful, you reinforce the circuits connected to reward, connection, and emotional regulation. Over time, it becomes easier to access calmer, more positive states…not because life is perfect, but because your mind is getting better at seeing the full picture.

Small habits build strong “positive pathways”

Practices like gratitude, mindfulness, prayer/reflection, or positive self-talk are repetitive mental workouts. Just like exercise strengthens muscles, consistent positive focus strengthens the brain’s ability to notice, feel, and return to what’s good.

The opposite happens too

When stress, fear, or negative thinking becomes the default, the brain adapts to that as well. It gets faster at scanning for threats and problems. It’s a brain doing what it’s trained to do.

Changing your “default setting”

The goal isn’t to deny hard things. It’s to actively train your attention so your brain learns: “Yes, that’s hard… and there’s also hope, support, meaning, and possibilities here too.” With consistency, you can shift your internal “default” toward resilience.

A simple New Year practice to start today

Each day, write down:
• 3 good things (even small ones)
• 1 thing you handled well
• 1 thing you’re looking forward to

New year, new you doesn’t have to mean a total overhaul.

It can be one small daily choice that slowly reshapes your brain…and your life. ❤️‍🩹

Comment “RENEW” below if you’d like to start renewing your mind daily. ✍🏻

#2026

01/01/2026

A New Year isn’t a race. It’s a new starting line of a journey for introspection and honesty, and it’s full of possibility.

If you woke up energized and excited, we’re cheering you on.
If you woke up tired, grieving, anxious, or simply trying to get through the day… remember you’re human and we all have hard days sometimes.

Today can be as simple as:
• taking some deep breaths on purpose
• drinking water and eating something nourishing
• stepping outside for thirty minutes of sunlight
• sending one healthy text you’ve been avoiding
• choosing one small act of kindness toward yourself or others

At The Healing Cottage, we believe healing is built in the ordinary moments, not just big breakthroughs.

May 2026 be a year where you feel supported, steadier, and more at home in your own life.
🕯️✨

Happy New Year’s Day from The Healing Cottage of the CSRA!

#2026

12/31/2025

Tonight, as we get ready to say “goodbye” to 2025 and “Hello” to 2026, remember, we don’t have to “fix” everything. We can honor how far we’ve come.

Then, you can start where you are…tender, tired, hopeful, messy, brave.

At The Healing Cottage, we’re cheering for your quiet wins:
• boundaries you kept
• emotions you finally named
• hard conversations you survived
• steps forward you took… even while scared

As we close this year, we’re holding space for gratitude and grief, joy and weariness. If you’re carrying a lot into the new year, breathe, you’ve come this far.

When it comes to “resolutions,” (we’re not talking about the kind that disappear when January does.) It’s a chance for real resolutions, the steady, soul-level ones like choosing support, practicing honesty, building consistency, returning to yourself (and maybe to God) and taking the next right step even when it’s small.

If 2025 took a lot out of you, let this be your permission slip: rest is productive, healing is real, and you’re allowed to begin again, one healing choice at a time.

Happy New Year’s Eve from The Healing Cottage of the CSRA.
May this next year be one of healing, happinesses, health, growth, and restoration.
🕯️✨

God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3 🕊️✨❤️‍🩹