Deborah Vinall, PsyD
@dvinall.bsky.social
Author, psychotherapist, lover, fighter, survivor
Books:
- Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide to Heal from Emotional Abuse
- Trauma Recovery Guide for Teens
Books:
- Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide to Heal from Emotional Abuse
- Trauma Recovery Guide for Teens
Pinned
Mental Health Musings | Dr Deborah Vinall | Substack
on loving ourselves enough to become free. Click to read Mental Health Musings, by Dr Deborah Vinall, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
Dvinall.substack.com
To all my fellow misfits, rebels, resisters, and black sheep: join me on Substack for long-form mental health related content in this new era. ✍️ Dvinall.substack.com Let's connect!
Privilege is a fact, not an insult. We must own our layers of privilege, whether innate or acquired. When we accept these truths of different lived realities, we are empowered to become allies for others.
#violenceagainstwomen
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#violenceagainstwomen
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
How to Be an Ally
On fear, privilege, and what real allyship requires
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Privilege is a fact, not an insult. We must own our layers of privilege, whether innate or acquired. When we accept these truths of different lived realities, we are empowered to become allies for others.
#violenceagainstwomen
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#violenceagainstwomen
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
“It’s okay, dude. I’m not mad at you.”
“Fucking bitch!”
The final exchange between Renee Good and the ICE agent who killed her reveals not only the dangerous disinhibition of power-thirsty federal agents, but the ugly undercurrent of misogyny that sweeps along and through the male lust for dominance
“Fucking bitch!”
The final exchange between Renee Good and the ICE agent who killed her reveals not only the dangerous disinhibition of power-thirsty federal agents, but the ugly undercurrent of misogyny that sweeps along and through the male lust for dominance
January 11, 2026 at 5:06 PM
“It’s okay, dude. I’m not mad at you.”
“Fucking bitch!”
The final exchange between Renee Good and the ICE agent who killed her reveals not only the dangerous disinhibition of power-thirsty federal agents, but the ugly undercurrent of misogyny that sweeps along and through the male lust for dominance
“Fucking bitch!”
The final exchange between Renee Good and the ICE agent who killed her reveals not only the dangerous disinhibition of power-thirsty federal agents, but the ugly undercurrent of misogyny that sweeps along and through the male lust for dominance
What are you ready to discard, and what do you want to paint into the fresh canvas of this new year?
What word can guide you forward?
Here’s what I’m opening into this year… (and a guided meditation offering for the new year recorded in my own voice).
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
What word can guide you forward?
Here’s what I’m opening into this year… (and a guided meditation offering for the new year recorded in my own voice).
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
January 4, 2026 at 5:33 PM
What are you ready to discard, and what do you want to paint into the fresh canvas of this new year?
What word can guide you forward?
Here’s what I’m opening into this year… (and a guided meditation offering for the new year recorded in my own voice).
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
What word can guide you forward?
Here’s what I’m opening into this year… (and a guided meditation offering for the new year recorded in my own voice).
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
On the longest night of the year, a gentle practice for meeting ourselves—and one another—with more care. This post includes a guided loving-kindness meditation you can return to anytime. open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Love as Antidote
a loving-kindness meditation for the darkest night
open.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 11:56 PM
On the longest night of the year, a gentle practice for meeting ourselves—and one another—with more care. This post includes a guided loving-kindness meditation you can return to anytime. open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
May you find hope.
May you feel peace.
May you be visited by joy.
And if not this season? That’s okay, too. May it come to you in time.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
May you feel peace.
May you be visited by joy.
And if not this season? That’s okay, too. May it come to you in time.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
The Mystery of Joy
a gentle, unpressured invitation in a brutal, yet beautiful, world
open.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:20 PM
May you find hope.
May you feel peace.
May you be visited by joy.
And if not this season? That’s okay, too. May it come to you in time.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
May you feel peace.
May you be visited by joy.
And if not this season? That’s okay, too. May it come to you in time.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
No one chooses anxiety. But often we lack awareness of how to move away from it and toward inner peace. Here are some practical tips for reducing anxiety and cultivating peace in your heart and life:
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Peace Within, Peace Around
Finding inner stillness in an anxious world—and why cultivating personal peace helps heal the world around us.
open.substack.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:07 PM
No one chooses anxiety. But often we lack awareness of how to move away from it and toward inner peace. Here are some practical tips for reducing anxiety and cultivating peace in your heart and life:
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Reflections on HOPE: what it is, what it does for your mental health, and 5 Steps to cultivating more hope in your life.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
How Hope Heals
advent reflections on loss, light, and rebuilding a brighter tomorrow
open.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reflections on HOPE: what it is, what it does for your mental health, and 5 Steps to cultivating more hope in your life.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Gratitude in Times of Grief
"Gratitude is not a betrayal of the dead or dismissal of the estranged, but a radical act of self-care that softens pain."
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
"Gratitude is not a betrayal of the dead or dismissal of the estranged, but a radical act of self-care that softens pain."
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Gratitude in Times of Grief
finding hope through presence
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Gratitude in Times of Grief
"Gratitude is not a betrayal of the dead or dismissal of the estranged, but a radical act of self-care that softens pain."
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
"Gratitude is not a betrayal of the dead or dismissal of the estranged, but a radical act of self-care that softens pain."
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Politicians and pundits are rationalizing pedophilia, trying to parse child rape on a scale of terrible to acceptable. In their cultish loyalty to the leader described by the trafficker as “dangerous” they are willing to justify the unspeakable.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Burn the Structure Down
Confronting a nation that protects predators and punishes the vulnerable.
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Politicians and pundits are rationalizing pedophilia, trying to parse child rape on a scale of terrible to acceptable. In their cultish loyalty to the leader described by the trafficker as “dangerous” they are willing to justify the unspeakable.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Today, for the first time in history, SNAP benefits were not disbursed as scheduled. 42 million Americans, approximately 1 in 8, will go hungry without this needed assistance.
Join me here for a discussion of 7 Psycho-Social Impacts of Chronic Hunger.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Join me here for a discussion of 7 Psycho-Social Impacts of Chronic Hunger.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
The Psychology of Hunger
The mental and moral consequences of America’s decision to let millions go hungry.
open.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Today, for the first time in history, SNAP benefits were not disbursed as scheduled. 42 million Americans, approximately 1 in 8, will go hungry without this needed assistance.
Join me here for a discussion of 7 Psycho-Social Impacts of Chronic Hunger.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Join me here for a discussion of 7 Psycho-Social Impacts of Chronic Hunger.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Join me for a discussion of how gaslighters use charm, deceip, and lies to manipulate and control - and how you can reclaim your power.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Reclaiming Reality
Recognizing gaslighting, breaking free from confusion, and trusting yourself again
open.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Join me for a discussion of how gaslighters use charm, deceip, and lies to manipulate and control - and how you can reclaim your power.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
On 9/11 terrorists aimed a plane at the White House to reduce it to rubble, but brave Americans took the plane down in a field, sacrificing their lives. This week, the president accomplished what Al Qaïda failed to do. Utter devastation.
October 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
On 9/11 terrorists aimed a plane at the White House to reduce it to rubble, but brave Americans took the plane down in a field, sacrificing their lives. This week, the president accomplished what Al Qaïda failed to do. Utter devastation.
What's at stake in Chiles v Salazar, and why freedom of speech protections don't cover the clinical encounter.
#conversiontherapy
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#conversiontherapy
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Freedom of Speech Doesn't Mean Freedom to Harm
the pseudoscience of conversion therapy and the dangerous push to revive it
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:01 AM
What's at stake in Chiles v Salazar, and why freedom of speech protections don't cover the clinical encounter.
#conversiontherapy
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#conversiontherapy
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Shorter stretches of sunlight and accumulating clouds bring the threat not only of stormy skies but stormy hearts, of heightened depression risk and the return, for many, of Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly SAD in shorthand).
For more on SAD & how you can cope:
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
For more on SAD & how you can cope:
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Through the Gathering Dark
Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder and finding light in the darker months
open.substack.com
October 12, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Shorter stretches of sunlight and accumulating clouds bring the threat not only of stormy skies but stormy hearts, of heightened depression risk and the return, for many, of Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly SAD in shorthand).
For more on SAD & how you can cope:
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
For more on SAD & how you can cope:
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
It is no small thing to speak publicly.
There is little to be gained; only fear, danger, and shame await. To speak up is to sew on one’s own scarlet letter, to cast aside dignity for the cause of justice. When survivors speak, listen.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
There is little to be gained; only fear, danger, and shame await. To speak up is to sew on one’s own scarlet letter, to cast aside dignity for the cause of justice. When survivors speak, listen.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Believe Them
Why listening to survivors of sex trafficking is an act of justice
open.substack.com
September 7, 2025 at 10:37 PM
It is no small thing to speak publicly.
There is little to be gained; only fear, danger, and shame await. To speak up is to sew on one’s own scarlet letter, to cast aside dignity for the cause of justice. When survivors speak, listen.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
There is little to be gained; only fear, danger, and shame await. To speak up is to sew on one’s own scarlet letter, to cast aside dignity for the cause of justice. When survivors speak, listen.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Having returned to their nests after arduous migrations, the swallows symbolize hope, endurance, and the return of sons from war. A Serbian saying holds promise: “When the swallow returns, new life follows.”
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
When the Swallows Return
on collective trauma, shared narratives, and the healing power of community
open.substack.com
July 13, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Having returned to their nests after arduous migrations, the swallows symbolize hope, endurance, and the return of sons from war. A Serbian saying holds promise: “When the swallow returns, new life follows.”
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
This is not the way the USA was designed to operate.
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
While California burns, it has to beg Trump for its own troops
It’s tough to believe it has been almost a month since President Donald Trump illegally commandeered thousands of California National Guard troops to help with his nativist assault on Los Angeles. Now...
www.dailykos.com
July 6, 2025 at 12:21 AM
This is not the way the USA was designed to operate.
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
Hm. It's almost as though these violent criminals shouldn't have been pardoned? 🤔
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
Pardoned Capitol rioter sentenced to life for assassination plots
A military veteran who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and was pardoned by President Donald Trump, has now been sentenced to life in prison—this time, ...
www.dailykos.com
July 6, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Hm. It's almost as though these violent criminals shouldn't have been pardoned? 🤔
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
On Vicarious and Collective Trauma in the wake of ICE raids, and how to take care of yourself and others.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#vicarioustrauma
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#vicarioustrauma
June 30, 2025 at 12:29 AM
On Vicarious and Collective Trauma in the wake of ICE raids, and how to take care of yourself and others.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#vicarioustrauma
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#vicarioustrauma
What happens when a baby's first experience is separation, not safety?
What impact on a child when their family is punished for pursuing the scraps of opportunity?
And how can we support the vulnerable in our communities?
Please read & share.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#attachmenttrauma
What impact on a child when their family is punished for pursuing the scraps of opportunity?
And how can we support the vulnerable in our communities?
Please read & share.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#attachmenttrauma
Torn
The Science and Soul of Attachment Trauma in the Shadow of ICE
open.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 8:43 PM
What happens when a baby's first experience is separation, not safety?
What impact on a child when their family is punished for pursuing the scraps of opportunity?
And how can we support the vulnerable in our communities?
Please read & share.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#attachmenttrauma
What impact on a child when their family is punished for pursuing the scraps of opportunity?
And how can we support the vulnerable in our communities?
Please read & share.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#attachmenttrauma
If they're taking “our” jobs, why haven't there been turf wars in the Home Depot parking lot? 🤔
#abolishICE
#abolishICE
June 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
If they're taking “our” jobs, why haven't there been turf wars in the Home Depot parking lot? 🤔
#abolishICE
#abolishICE
I'm not willing to sit scared when homophobia exhales its odious breath, calling out impotent protests. I won't wait while trauma is instilled, so to pick up the pieces in an avoidable aftermath. I stand proud and defiant in allyship.
SHARE if you’re an ally too.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
SHARE if you’re an ally too.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
June 9, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I'm not willing to sit scared when homophobia exhales its odious breath, calling out impotent protests. I won't wait while trauma is instilled, so to pick up the pieces in an avoidable aftermath. I stand proud and defiant in allyship.
SHARE if you’re an ally too.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
SHARE if you’re an ally too.
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Join me for a discussion of:
The ripple effect of childhood trauma
Why we minimize trauma—& how this delays healing
The transformational power of self-compassion
Re-creating a sense of safety after trauma
EMDR & Brainspotting for deep healing
#traumahealing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3acN...
The ripple effect of childhood trauma
Why we minimize trauma—& how this delays healing
The transformational power of self-compassion
Re-creating a sense of safety after trauma
EMDR & Brainspotting for deep healing
#traumahealing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3acN...
What No One Tells You About Healing from Trauma & Gaslighting
YouTube video by Jill Hart
www.youtube.com
May 24, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Join me for a discussion of:
The ripple effect of childhood trauma
Why we minimize trauma—& how this delays healing
The transformational power of self-compassion
Re-creating a sense of safety after trauma
EMDR & Brainspotting for deep healing
#traumahealing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3acN...
The ripple effect of childhood trauma
Why we minimize trauma—& how this delays healing
The transformational power of self-compassion
Re-creating a sense of safety after trauma
EMDR & Brainspotting for deep healing
#traumahealing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3acN...
You don’t need to be a therapist to reduce stigma.
You just need to be a person willing to say:
“I’ve been there too.”
#mentalhealthawareness
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
You just need to be a person willing to say:
“I’ve been there too.”
#mentalhealthawareness
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
When Shame Begins to Melt
What one child's authenticity taught me about getting help for mental health
open.substack.com
May 18, 2025 at 8:43 PM
You don’t need to be a therapist to reduce stigma.
You just need to be a person willing to say:
“I’ve been there too.”
#mentalhealthawareness
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
You just need to be a person willing to say:
“I’ve been there too.”
#mentalhealthawareness
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
Mother’s Day was founded in intention not to call every birthing woman the “Best Mother Ever” or promote the conservative trad-wife ideal of barefoot and pregnant make-me-a-sandwich subservient kitchen maids, but in social justice.
#mothersday
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#mothersday
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
For Every Woman Left Out of the Frame
why Mother's Day belongs to all of us: childless, motherless, and moms
open.substack.com
May 10, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Mother’s Day was founded in intention not to call every birthing woman the “Best Mother Ever” or promote the conservative trad-wife ideal of barefoot and pregnant make-me-a-sandwich subservient kitchen maids, but in social justice.
#mothersday
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...
#mothersday
open.substack.com/pub/dvinall/...