Musings

Poems and Background

The poems in this book were extrapolated from the author''s extensive writings beginning in 1961 to 1985 during which period she was involved in psychological therapy and at times hypnotism. Erminia''s first twenty years were beset with traumatic experiences. Not knowing whom to trust, she received no help in dealing with them. She had no inkling that she was burring the episodes and their effects thereby enabling her to cope with current difficulties and to succeed academically. She married, bore five children, was involved in her husband''s and children''s activities and in her community and church functions. As a licensed cosmetologist, she operated a small shop in her home.

Struggles and Healing

Erminia did not realize she was running on "empty" until she began to experience strange mental "waves" which she quieted by resting in bed until they disappeared. Because the latter continued, were more frequent and intense, she believed she had no recourse but to seek psychological assistance. She let no one, not even her husband, know that she was having problems. With the support of her therapists, she was able to bring forth the past traumatic experiences. She was no longer troubled by the "waves" which had driven her to seek help. Throughout the many years of therapy she wrote extensively about it and its outcome. She filled dozens of spiral notebooks and single lined sheets of paper about outcomes of her therapy and her return to normalcy. She continues to write about her life and activities but to a significantly lesser degree.