Can an emotional trauma flip a switch in the creative brain? Does profound loss offer a new perspective from which to peer into one’s soul?

For LeRoy Flemming, author of the “Timelightenment” series, and volume one of “Soulsplitting,” the answer is a resounding yes! And, there’s psychological research supporting this idea.

In role-playing, veterans who’ve endured trauma resulting in PTSD “were better able to represent the boundary between reality and the role-playing, to immerse themselves in the scene, to enact identifiable characters consistent with their setting, and produce complex and interactive scenes that told a coherent story,” compared to non-PTSD vets, according to researchers Robert Miller and David Johnson.

The non-PTSD group created more stereotyped, and unimaginative scenes, despite a higher education level and greater role-playing experience, the two wrote.

“I was never diagnosed with PTSD, but I know profound emotional trauma can trip all kinds of coping mechanisms in the brain and soul, including creativity,” Flemming says. “When I suddenly lost my mother, it was a profound, life-altering shock. She was fine when I saw her last – Dec. 25, 1999 and she died on Jan. 1. That’s what started me writing.”

His mother was, by far, the most stabilizing and inspiring person in his life, he says, and losing her rocked him to his core. Rather than seeming abstract, the larger questions in life became the most important, and that’s when he knew he had to write.

“I didn’t have much of a background in writing,” he says. “But since her passing, I’ve been in close contact with a part of my soul that has spawned several books, all of which have helped me heal.”

The creativity caused by pain is a cycle, “because the creative process has significantly healed me,” he says. “I’m not surprised that creativity increases within those who’ve suffered; it makes sense.”

How does a grieving individual make something good out of a heart-wrenching loss? Flemming offers perspective.

•  Don’t force it. One of the last things a grieving person needs is an assignment they don’t want. Grief is a process that entails a host of negative emotions: denial, confusion, anger and more. Prescribing creative therapy to oneself or another before one is ready for it can backfire.

•  Let it flow naturally. We are all unique individuals and, though we know in the backs of our minds that we’ll someday face the loss of a loved one, we can’t predict how we’ll handle it.

“Grieving and creativity actually share some traits,” Flemming says. “Both are processes, and both prompt individuals to express feelings in their own terms. When creativity can be used in conjunction with the grieving process, the catharsis can be profound.”

•  You have many options. When a person is desperate for an outlet, he or she will often gravitate toward what he knows. A onetime aspiring painter, for instance, may return to that familiar and comforting form of self-expression.

“But the mind can be unpredictable; it may be that gardening is the process that is most therapeutic for a grieving person, even though she never pulled a weed or planted a seed in her life,” Flemming says. “In other words, be open to where your intuition guides you. As most grieving people understand, life doesn’t always work out as planned. Be open to helpful new possibilities.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Can trauma spur creativity? It did for this man

Hello, everyone, I'm Misty Smith, the new Okaloosa County 4-H Youth Development Extension agent. I am very excited about my new position and being given this great opportunity!

4-H has been a big part of my life. I joined 4-H when I was 10 years old, and competed in horse judging in the rural area of Kearney, Neb. As a young adult, I moved to Woodland Park, Co., and continued to support 4-H by helping at events where 4-H was present.

Later, I became a parent of two active 4-H’ers: my children are ages 8 and 10. I then furthered my role by becoming a 4-H volunteer and club leader for the Emerald Coast Explorers in the Crestview area.

I hope I can help impact young people’s lives in the same way 4-H has impacted my life and my children’s lives.

'ENGAGE YOUTH'

4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization, empowering 6 million young people throughout the United States. It reaches every corner — from urban neighborhoods to suburban schoolyards to rural farming communities.

4-H's mission is to “engage youth to reach their fullest potential.” Its motto is "to make the best better"; the slogan is "Learn by doing."

With a network of more than 540,000 volunteers, 3,500 professionals and more than 60 million alumni, 4-H helps shape youths to move our country and the world forward in ways that no other youth organization can.

CHART YOUR COURSE

All young people and even adults can benefit greatly from 4-H, because there is something for everyone to enjoy. It includes many program areas and gives all youths a chance to be a part of many activities that they never realized they enjoyed so much.

4-H’ers chart their own course, explore important issues and define their place in the world. 4-H’ers stand up for themselves and their communities.

Adult volunteers and mentors' caring support inspires young people in 4-H to work collaboratively, take the lead on their own projects and set and achieve goals with confidence.

Every child needs to experience what 4-H has to offer.

Please do not hesitate to call the Okaloosa County Extension office, 689-5850, if you have questions about our camps and programs.

Misty Smith is the 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Say hi to your new 4-H agent

Like many people, you might not particularly enjoy thinking about your estate plans, but such planning is necessary to make sure your assets go where you want them to go.

And it’s just as important to regularly review your plans with your tax, legal and financial professionals in case any changes are needed.

For instance, some of your wishes expressed in your will may be overridden by beneficiary designations you filled out years ago. If these designations become outdated, your assets could be passed to those you didn’t intend.

You might be surprised at how many of your financial assets and legal documents have beneficiary designations tied to them. If you have an IRA, a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan, a life insurance policy, an annuity, a transfer-on-death (TOD) arrangement, or any of a variety of other assets or accounts, you almost certainly named a beneficiary. And this beneficiary designation offers a simple, direct and efficient way to get assets in the hands of your loved ones who survive you.

However, as time goes by, you may experience many changes in your life — and when your life changes, your beneficiary designations may need to follow. But if you are like many people, you might forget to update these designations after a marriage, divorce or other change in your family situation. And because the beneficiary designation is a legally binding document, the asset will go to the person you once named as a beneficiary, regardless of your current relationship status.

It really doesn’t take much effort to look over your accounts and legal arrangements to ensure that your beneficiary designations are current — and if they aren’t, it’s pretty easy to change them. In fact, for some financial accounts, you may be able to update the beneficiary designations online. In any case, plan on reviewing your beneficiary designations regularly, but especially when you experience a change in your life.

Here’s one more thing to keep in mind: Make sure your current beneficiaries are informed that they will eventually be receiving your 401(k), IRA, life insurance proceeds or other assets that require a beneficiary designation. This advance knowledge may help your loved ones as they plan and maintain their own financial and investment strategies.

Although it’s clearly important for you to update your beneficiary designations and to communicate your actions, you will still need to tend to other areas of your estate planning, such as providing care for minor children or dependents, deciding who you want to receive specific items that do not carry a beneficiary designation, naming someone to manage your affairs should you become incapacitated, and specifying the control you wish your beneficiaries to have over their inheritance.

These are just a few examples of estate-planning considerations.

Because everyone’s situation is different, you will need to consult with your legal advisor to determine the level of estate planning you require.

As we’ve seen, updating your beneficiary is one piece of the puzzle — but to leave the legacy you desire, you’ve got to complete the picture.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Update beneficiary designations to avoid problems

CRESTVIEW — To some, the rich red canvas seems punctuated by an aluminum meteor that burst through the back of the painting and dribbled bits of metal when it hit.

To artist Peggy Hollingshead, the “meaning” behind the work was actually a matter of practicality.

“That painting was in my apartment in Tucson and the reason I made the hole was because the thermostat was in the middle of the wall,” she said. “I put a hole in the canvas to go around the thermostat.”

While assembling paintings for her exhibit at the Crestview Public Library, she simply added a wad of crumpled aluminum foil to fill the hole.

Hollingshead said her works almost always go through a metamorphosis before she decides they’re complete.

“It’s like, the paintings talk through me and just take on a life of their own,” she said. “I never know what they’re going to be like. Some paintings go through several phases before I say, ‘Wow, this is it.’

Hollingshead laughs when people try to read too much into her works.

“Once I was making a painting and I got mad and I picked up a sponge and just dripped the paint over it and it just came out like that,” she said. “Then this gentleman I knew who had a master's in art came in and raved about it. I just cracked up and finally told him it was mistake.”

Well, not really a mistake.

Hollingshead believes that creating her paintings is an extension of her deep faith. That God guides her hand when she’s using her gift of visual arts to share her faith with others.

“I let God work through me,” she said.

Sometimes, Hollingshead said, it takes a child to put things in proper perspective, and that includes analyzing abstract art like hers.

“When I was showing a painting at Northwood (Arts and Science Academy), one little girl was looking at it and looking at it,” Hollingshead said. “I asked her what she thought about it and she said, ‘You know, your paintings are like looking at the clouds. You can see anything you want.’

WANT TO GO?

WHAT:Exhibit featuring abstract paintings by Peggy Hollingshead

WHEN:November and December

WHERE:Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive

Email News Bulletin Arts Editor Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'I let God work through me' says local abstract artist