October 1, 2013

The Collyer Brothers Revisited





Salutations Gentle Reader,

I was recently contacted by Dr. Darnita L. Payden who has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and is a featured expert on A&E’s hit show “Hoarders” in which she compassionately helps those living with this disorder. To my pleasant surprise she had discovered a post I had written back in January of 2012, called “The Hoarding Collyer Brothers” and asked to use it as part of a series of trainings she would be giving in the Washington, DC area.
In the post I tried to humanize the cold facts of the story I had researched, showing the different rationalizations Homer and Langley had utilized and which ultimately resulted in their being buried alive by their stuff.

Though my blog receives approximately 200 hits a day from around the world, it is the rare reader who acknowledges my writing, and so I was gratified and honored when Dr. Payden asked to use this cautionary tale. I admire her work and the help she brings to those who try to fill their lives with things.

You can find out more information about Dr. Payden’s work at http://drdclutter.com/
and if you missed my previous post on hoarding you can read it at
http://thevictoriantimes.blogspot.com/2012/01/hoarding-collyer-brothers.html

Best regards,
Rosa Morgan