[Edited June 10, to add that sweet Mason has arrived! This morning at 6:31 A.M. Welcome beautiful grandchild, welcome with so much love and joy 

Keeping the Dream Podcast

Letter to Mason ktd-011

Who benefits from you believing that to be realistic is to be negative, that holding a dream is a fantasy and giving up on it is reality? Those who would have you believe this are not your friends, they are not anyone you can trust... or listen to. "People in power, and those who support a status quo that favors them, benefit from you lowering your sights. They steer you to filling the empty places of abandoned dreams with trinkets that they sell. But your life is worth so much more than being a scavenger’s meal." ~ Demian Yumei SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream Related links: What is the Healing Journey? Keeping the Dream -- What Does it Mean? In the Middle of a Nightmare, Remember to Dream

Who Benefits from Realistic as Negative? ktd-010

When did being realistic become synonymous with being cynical or fatalistic. Who says having a negative, hopeless, "why try?" view on life is being realistic? To deny the potential of humanity for good isn't realistic at all. It's fatalistic, and I'm not about that. It's time to let that nightmare of a fantasy go. "Is it realistic to dream? In a word, yes. It’s not a waste of time, because being who you genuinely are and are meant to be is not a waste of time." Demian, ~ Keeping the Dream SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream Related links: What is the Healing Journey? Keeping the Dream -- What Does it Mean?

Realistic, Not Fatalistic ktd-009

I've introduced myself in earlier episodes, but I thought you might like to know a little more detail about who Demian Yumei is. I share a bit about my background, my early years in Japan and New Mexico, what the creative process means to me and how it fits into my activism. Creativity is central to my healing and spirituality. It's helped pull me through some of my darkest nights and gave voice to the pain I experienced and the healing I received dealing with the incestuous abuse of my childhood. "I began writing songs in earnest two years into my healing journey that began when I was 31. Since then I’ve written a number of songs about the healing journey, and also in honor of other people who cannot speak for themselves or face reprisal if they do... Love is the message and creativity is the language through which I speak." Demian, ~ Keeping the Dream SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream Related links: Who I Am What is the Healing Journey? River of Heaven

A Little Bit About Demian Yumei ktd-008

"As a survivor of incest, I do not diminish the impact of being sexually abused as a child, but I’ve come to realize that the dynamics of covert abuse helped my father to justify and sustain his abuse. As egregious as the sexual abuse was, it was the cover up -- the denying and the recreating of reality, the manipulation of what was into what he wanted us to believe, that inflicted the most harm." Discovering, defining and embracing my dream is a major part of my healing journey. Facing and dealing with the impact of covert abuse is the other. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream Related links: https://keepingthedream.com/wts-series-covert-abuse/

What is Covert Abuse? ktd-007

But we’re not the only dreamers. There is another that dreams. It’s Life, Life dreaming you. This Dream of Life, well that’s the fingerprint of your heart’s desire. It’s your spirit’s dance and your soul’s whispering. It’s the call of every human heart, and it expresses itself through you through your unique vision and inspiration. Keeping the Dream isn't just the dreams we hold. It's about honoring the dream Life holds for us. On my healing journey I have witnessed and experienced the power of holding your dreams. I have also witnessed and experienced the desperate attempt of controlling people and entities to make you give up on them. Maybe you know the importance of holding your dream, but have you ever thought of how important your dream is to the world? Or perhaps just how much of a love letter it is between you and Life? ~Demian SHOWNOTES Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. Links: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream  

Keeping the Dream – What Does It Mean? ktd-006

In the middle of this nightmare, remember to dream. Turn the energy around...  Whatever challenges you are facing within the greater context of the world's, know that in the midst of a nightmare, you can turn it into a dream. There is no greater time for you to hold to your dream and keep it safe than when it's most threatened. You can do this. We can do this together. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. Links: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream ~  ~  ~ Body of Transcript: For the Sake of Love: Opening Music [Intro Omitted] If you find yourself in the middle of a nightmare, remember to dream. It seems like we’re in the middle of a nightmare. Every day brings something to our awareness that’s just so unreal. You want it to be, don’t you? I do. I want to wake up and say, “Oh… that was weird… but it was just a dream, a nightmare”, and then drag myself out of bed, take a pee, and get on with my day. But that’s not going to happen. Because if this is a nightmare, we’re living it. My choice is to turn that nightmare into a dream — maybe not for the whole world, but right where I’m standing. It’s a small space. Big enough for two feet. But it’s my space and what I do in it can make a difference. ~  ~  ~ Personal Nightmare This global living nightmare is being talked about non-stop. The world acknowledges it… and even those who don’t, it’s becoming increasingly harder to do that. But personal living nightmares are often experienced in isolation, where people often look away. I want you to know you are not invisible. If you’re having difficulty dealing with your challenges right now, that’s not a reflection on you. It’s a reflection of the very real harm that dehumanizing other people can do. It’s not like you’re weak or something. Abusers may want you to believe that, but then they would. You’re strong, even if you feel powerless to exert any kind of control over your life right now, never mind what’s going on out there. ~  ~  ~ Taking Care of Your Dream That’s why it’s so important to take care of your dream, to keep it safe in your heart… even if you feel you can’ embrace it just yet. You need to hold on to the idea of growing and thriving, of living a life where you can be your authentic self. Whether through an environment of malice, greed or ineptitude, you need to keep your dream alive. That is the seed you need to protect. That is the blueprint of the house you want to build, the map that leads you out. In the middle of this nightmare, remember to dream. Turn the energy around. Even if it’s in your own itty bitty little world, you can do this. And it’s important. If it’s important only for you, that’s enough. But it’s not… only for you. Nothing we do is ever only for us. Everything we do affects others — our selfishness, our generosity. Whatever kindness you afford yourself gets added to the overall energy that is part of our world. ~  ~  ~ Spreading kindness, courage and bravery It’s not just the virus that’s spreading. There’s also kindness and courage and bravery — in vast amounts — adding to the story, humanity’s story, our story. Claim your space to dream. Right where you are. Right where you’re standing, in that space just big enough for two feet, but powerful enough to walk the distance. ~  ~  ~ Look Inside You: Closing Music: Thank you for listening to Keeping the Dream Podcast. Music by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. To learn more about me and my work, please visit me at keepingthedream.com. And remember, Subscribe, Like and Write. Subscribe to the podcast, like this episode and write a review. Doing these things will make this podcast and its message easier for people to find. Until next time, stay true to your journey, to the light in your heart,

In the Middle of the Nightmare, Dream ktd-005

Things won’t fall back nicely into place. But they can fall into a better place, and we have a say in what that will look like. That is the way of healing. In healing from the trauma of sex abuse, I have learned that I get the last say in my life. Not my father. Not the relationships I had afterwards. But who I am now, the present moment where I am rooted and the future I am helping to define. Everyone is affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who were not traumatized beforehand may be, and those who already were will struggle even more. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, don't apologize for what you're going through. Be honest with where you are and take care of yourself. ~ Demian  ~  ~  ~ SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. Links: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream ~  ~  ~ Body of Transcript: For the Sake of Love: Opening Music [Intro Omitted] Yesterday, I talked about people who are traumatized on top of trauma: 1) by the pandemic 2) by the personal trauma they already have going into the pandemic. It may vary in degree, but no one comes through this unscathed. And it’s not an all or nothing situation — like you’re either traumatized or you come out skipping. Regardless your background or your experience, you need to practice self-care. There’s no scorecard that says this counts and that doesn’t. People can get that way, judging either their experience or another’s as trivial. ~  ~  ~ I know I’ve performed before where afterwards someone will come up to me, and just because they didn’t suffer sex abuse as a child, they’ll preface whatever they want to share with me with “Well, I never went through what you went through but…” , almost apologetically, like somehow because they didn’t, they didn’t really have the right to share what did hurt them with me. I don’t look at it that way. Yeah, okay, a person with cancer has more suffering and challenges than a person with a splinter in their finger. But there’s a whole lot of in between, and on another very real level, every person has the responsibility to own what they feel and what they experience. In that regard, how your difficultly compares to another isn’t the issue as much as what you do to take care of it. ~  ~  ~ So, if you feel your world has turned upside down, no matter how that upside down compares to another, I want you to know that your feelings are valid. They’re yours, so own them and feel them. This pandemic, the manner in which it has been treated by our leadership, the lives that it’s costing and will cost will have an effect on us all. It’s normal to feel angry and fearful. It’s normal to feel grief, and to be disoriented and in a state of shock as we all face the unknown. There is real leadership arising from this … just not at the helm. But we’re going to make it. The world will right side up again. It may not look the same. Things rarely do after you’ve gone through such an upheaval like this. ~  ~  ~ When the truth of my family hit me in the face, I knew there was no way I could go back to “unknowing the truth”. This is a “Things were never the same again” state of our lives as individuals and a nation. There will be people who will try, and they may get really ugly if others don’t go along. But it’s too late. Things won’t fall back nicely into place. But they can fall into a better place, and we have a say in what that will look like. That is the way of healing. In healing from the trauma of sex abuse, I have learned that I get the last say in my life. Not my father. Not the relationships I had afterwards. But who I am now, the present moment where I am rooted and the future I am helping to define. ~  ~  ~ We’re all in this together. All of us impacted by what we’re experiencing and what we’re seeing.

Never the Same ktd-004

I don’t care how many issues you have. I don’t care how much you may have messed up in your life, because you didn’t have it together. If you are here — no matter what condition you’re in, you are a warrior. Many who make it through this pandemic will come out traumatized. But what if you went into it already traumatized? This is the time to take good care of yourself, not to apologize for your weaknesses. Be proud of your strengths and that you are a battle tested survivor. ~ Demian Keeping the Dream SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream

Only Warriors ktd-003

If you have to put up with sudden flareups, and words that seek to tear you down, lift yourself up with the sound of your own beautiful spirit and it’s beating heart. Having to self-isolate with an abusive person or in an abusive situation is additional stress on an already stressful situation. You may be hearing a lot of negative messages about yourself. Remind yourself of the truth that you are a beautiful person, and you are not alone. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream

Like the Treasure It Is ktd-002

 Life is strong. Even in the midst of turmoil and crisis, there’s always something within us that keeps urging us forward. In the darkest night something nudges us to reach for a sun we can’t see yet . And yet we do. And it always rises. I want you to know that this time is no different. I want you to know the sun will rise, and it is, right now as we speak, on its way to you. In this re-launch of the Keeping the Dream Podcast, I want to reach out to those who are trying to weather the pandemic while isolated with their abusers, and walk with you on this healing journey after the storm as passed.  Not as a counselor or therapist, but as someone you would sit around a kitchen table with for some tea and conversation. We're in this together. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2020 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written, narrated and produced by Demian Yumei Songs: For the Sake of Love and Look Inside You, by Demian Yumei and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com Patreon.com/keepingthedream

The Sun on Its Journey to You ktd-001

Your walk on the healing journey has its own timing, as well. Your healing has its own timing. And that’s kind of what happened to me this past month. Unplanned events, serendipitous happenings and surprises -- both welcomed and unwelcomed or just accepted as is. I share some of my unexpected happening this past month, what it means to me on my healing journey and this podcast. And as always, some thoughts about timing for you on your journey. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2019 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written and narrated by Demian Yumei Opening and closing song, For the Sake of Love, by Demian and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com  

Timing and the Healing Journey – Morning Tea ktd-015

Morning Tea, A Sip of Inspiration No matter how much other people may empathize or understand or even have similar experiences, their story still isn’t your story. You need to be given the time and the space to tell your story as you experienced it. Characteristic #2 of a true healer and any healthy relationship is that they respect your story. They allow for its uniqueness — the experience, its impact, your feelings and whatever outcome that is right for you. Be careful of those who project themselves onto you and over your story to where they essentially erase you. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2019 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written and narrated by Demian Yumei Opening and closing song, For the Sake of Love, by Demian and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com facebook.com/demianyumei facebook.com/WTSseries.covertabuse

Telling Your Story to Someone Who Can Respect It – Morning Tea ktd-014

Your voice has value. Let it carry your story to someone who can hear it and honor it. Characteristic# 2 of a true healer goes beyond listening to respecting another person's story. It can be tempting to some to hijack your story, to project their experiences and impact onto you. This basically erases you. Be aware of this phenomenon with anyone you turn to for help. They can’t help you if they can’t see you. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2019 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written and narrated by Demian Yumei Opening and closing song, For the Sake of Love, by Demian and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com facebook.com/demianyumei facebook.com/WTSseries.covertabuse

Telling Your Story to Someone Who Can Hear It – Morning Tea ktd-013

If you decide you want to work with a healer, there are eight characteristics you will want to make sure they possess. These characteristics are important in any healthy relationship, and no less in the relationship you have with your facilitator of healing. I list each one in this episode. Over the next few days, we’ll take a closer look at each trait per episode. ~ Demian SHOWNOTES: Copyright 2019 Demian Yumei, All Rights Reserved. Written and narrated by Demian Yumei Opening and closing song, For the Sake of Love, by Demian and Stacey Young. LINKS: KeepingtheDream.com facebook.com/demianyumei facebook.com/WTSseries.covertabuse

Characteristics of a True Healer – Morning Tea ktd-012

Conversations on the Healing Journey with Demian Yumei

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Keeping the Dream Podcast

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