Diane Petrella

𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁 & 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀.

I'm a holistic psychotherapist and author of Healing Emotional Eating for Trauma Survivors: Trauma-Informed Practices to Nurture a Peaceful Relationship with Your Emotions, Body, and Food.

04/26/2026

A happy Sunday to you!

Yesterday, Carl and I went to Wicked Tulips Flower Farm. Thousands of tulips to admire and pick. It was so beautiful and fun!

Then we went for a 5-mile hike in the Great Swamp area and found this cool stone lounge chair. Perfect for a much-needed rest.

How are you spending your weekend? I hope it's joyful!

04/23/2026

Body positivity sounds reasonable enough, doesn't it? But what if you don't feel positively about your body?

So hear me out: It's okay if you don't like or love your body.

You feel what you feel and that's okay.

Instead of holding a body positive mindset that may not feel true and authentic for you, how about holding a Body Supportive mindset? For example:

“I may not love my body AND I’m willing to take good care of it.”

“I’m critical of my body AND I can be attentive to its needs.”

“I feel ashamed of my body AND I can treat it with compassion.”

You're on this earth having a physical experience because of your body. No matter how you feel about it, your body depends on you for its health and vitality. It needs your willingness to treat it with loving attention.

What are your thoughts about a Body Supportive mindset?

04/18/2026

Whether in the home or in schools, hitting children is just not right. Corporal punishment is shame-inducing and traumatic.

These states below allow corporal punishment in public school classrooms. While it's legal, some districts in these states fortunately have banned it. But it's still legal and happening:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

If you live in one of these states and feel as I do, will you contact your government officials and voice your concerns?

Shame-filled and traumatized children become shame-filled traumatized adults. We could stop violence—towards self and others—if we stop tolerating child abuse.

Children need us to protect them. Will you help?

04/14/2026

I was looking at some photos from my trip to Hawaii and wanted to share this. It's from an elementary school. I loved that school officials valued teaching this message to their students.

It's a good message for all of us.

Because the harsh words you say to yourself are your worst enemies. And the kind words you say to yourself are your greatest friends.

Be a kind friend to your mind today (and always), okay?

04/12/2026

Years ago I read Emmanuel's Book: A Manual for Living Comfortably in the Cosmos. I refer to it regularly for spiritual sustenance and guidance.

These beautiful words inspire me. I hope they inspire you, too.
💜

04/08/2026

I started my career working with abused and neglected children. It always troubled me that someone could hit an adult, or threaten to, and that was a crime. But unless it was of a greater magnitude, it was okay to hit kids. And even then, some people still think it's okay to use harsh discipline.

This makes no sense to me.

What do you think?

04/05/2026

Calabrian Walnut Cake. THE best cake to have with coffee/tea. Recipe below.

For those who celebrate, Happy Easter! 🐣

04/03/2026

I'm more spiritual than religious and this quote by Marianne Williamson speaks to me.

For those of you celebrating Easter, I wish you a blessed holiday weekend. 💜

04/02/2026

I’m sharing these wise words from Marianne Williamson
because our mental health does not live in a vacuum. And platitudes of “light and love” aren’t enough in this current environment.

“We won’t be the land of the free much longer if we’re not willing to be the land of the brave.”

04/01/2026

For those who celebrate, wishing you a peaceful and happy Passover. ✡️

03/30/2026

I've admired Dr. Jeffrey Rediger since reading his book, Cured, which is about healing and spontaneous remissions. He is a Harvard-affiliated psychiatrist who was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey to discuss his experience with, and to promote, the Brazilian "healer" Joao Teixeira de Faria (aka John of God) who was convicted of sexually assaulting over 600 women.

Prior to this interview, Dr. Rediger and Oprah's staff had heard rumors about "John of God's" assaults but nothing was as yet verified. So the show went on.

Especially in this time of continuing secrecy and overall lack of transparency with the Epstein files, I greatly admire Dr. Rediger for speaking out, holding himself accountable, apologizing to survivors, and encouraging Oprah to do the same.

We all know that silence is complicity. I want to live in a society that takes a strong and clear stand against child and adult sexual assault.

Thank you, Dr. Rediger, for leading the way. I'll post his powerful Substack article in the comments. Please take the time to read this.

Address

11 South Angell Street #355
Providence, RI
02906

Telephone

(401) 831-1341

Website

http://www.dianepetrella.com/

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