<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Piecing together peace]]></title><description><![CDATA[Healing Hearts, Finding Inner Peace]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:11:47 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Pieces of the Puzzle]]></title><description><![CDATA[There's no reason to put together a 10,000 piece puzzle alone. I have moments of great clarity when I walk in nature. One day, while moving through the trees and surrounded by quiet, things started to come together, like this enormous puzzle with thousands of pieces finally starting to make sense. I didn't have this realization from one specific therapy session or a single breakthrough conversation. It was hundreds of moments, accumulated over years, all falling into place at once while I was...]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/pieces-of-the-puzzle</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4edaaceb09451ed9ad65a3</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 23:32:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_5345730e013c4dd2a8dac2d27965cc36~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_700,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Piecing Together Narcissistic Abuse]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s a truly sickening paradox in healing from narcissistic abuse. You want peace and you want all the questions answered. ]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/piecing-together-narcissistic-abuse</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9f6412810c122bb1cfb95d</guid><category><![CDATA[Personal Liberation]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 06:48:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_e523308001164c0ab75762bfed4faafc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let's Play a Game: Predator and Prey]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ever played this game? Predator and Prey. It’s a hunting game, a game of power. Here’s how it works: Round One: Selection Player one, The Predator, walks into a room full of people. Scanning the environment, picking up on subtle cues—a look, body movement, a voice that sounds kind, a hand that instinctively covers the mouth when they laugh. They spot their prey quickly. Player two, The Prey: they notice something different and exciting. They are genuinely impressed. They are surprised by the...]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/let-s-play-a-game-predator-and-prey</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa304de5462f0629b99f719</guid><category><![CDATA[Understanding Psychological Abuse]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 06:23:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_84a4ac6ac2ec4a51a4f6750eb408635f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Interior World: What it means to feel the need to cleanse your inner world after manipulation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Anybody remember how you used to have to rewind a cassette to hear your favorite song again? Or what about rewinding the same song over and over and over? I still do that but now it’s so much easier on Spotify. This song, these lyrics specifically "Sometimes I feel cold, even paralyzed. My interior world needs to sanitize" (The Hype by Twenty One Pilots) were on repeat for more than a year. They were hauntingly specific as if someone else wrote these words to explain my inner world exactly as...]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/your-interior-world-what-it-means-to-feel-the-need-to-cleanse-your-inner-world-after-manipulation-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a98de2e791a324bc100cd3b</guid><category><![CDATA[Personal Liberation]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 05:07:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_89a46c9fee624825a602cfb66113a7f3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tuirse: Deep Soul Exhaustion]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tuirse, an Irish Gaelic word, that I came across. Ever heard of it? Maybe it will resonate with you like it did with me.  Beautifully described by someone as a deep “soul exhaustion” of the body and spirit that cannot always be fixed by a simple night of sleep.  THIS is what I have felt for so long.  Don’t misinterpret it for weakness, it is more closely associated with depletion.  I had never heard of the word yet when it found me, there couldn’t have been a more perfect word to describe...]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/tuirse-deep-soul-exhaustion</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8d05c991ea1d0846e35ae4</guid><category><![CDATA[Random Thoughts]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 04:38:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_e655adf57abf43a593f46198755ce039~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Munnin: Why memory matters when you've been manipulated.]]></title><description><![CDATA["Huginn and Muninn fly each day over the wide world. I fear for Huginn that he may not return, but I fear more for Muninn."— Grímnismál Every morning, Odin sends two ravens into the world. Huginn, whose name means Thought. And Muninn, whose name means Memory. At the end of each day they both return, bringing him news of everything they have seen and everything that has happened across the world while he waited. Most people assume Odin would fear losing Huginn (thought) most. After all, what...]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/munnin-why-memory-matters-when-you-ve-been-manipulated</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8613850c4e42126384a510</guid><category><![CDATA[Personal Liberation]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:35:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_6c45269c38314b57925be4d323434342~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Toothpaste to Trauma: How manipulation and control sneak up on you]]></title><description><![CDATA[Twenty-five years ago, I was given a life lesson on the “proper” way to use toothpaste. Every time you used it, you were supposed to apply pressure to the end of the tube and squeeze the displaced toothpaste back toward the top. It was the correct way. Looking back, after the charm, charisma, attention, and desire had done their job and I had already started thinking, How could I be so lucky to find someone like this? the small suggestions began. At first, the suggestions can seem like they...]]></description><link>https://www.piecingtogetherpeace.com/post/from-toothpaste-to-trauma-how-manipulation-and-control-sneak-up-on-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a70342616cff318c18735ef</guid><category><![CDATA[Understanding Psychological Abuse]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:05:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/882fb7_f2ca51b8cf5f413786bf830733e1a18f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cecili Wertz Eckert</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>