Here is one way to think of words and their effects as the elusive phantoms that they are — Roaring Rivers Torrents, currents, and ripples by Christyl Rivers, PhD. Words can hurt you Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Let’s start with that. If, in fact, you can cement the thought that words are harmless, or powerless in your mind, you can program your brain to ignore some…