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Web site challenges life crises photo by Bob Pennell By Jonel Aleccia Can a computer�s glow brighten a dark night of the soul? An Ashland woman who�s endured blackness says the answer is yes, thanks to a new Web site that offers solace through the screen. "I literally woke up at 4 a.m. with the idea," says Alissa Lukara, president of the nonprofit group Life Challenges. "I was thinking about all the other people waking up at 4 a.m. with no place to turn." What Lukara, 49, had in mind was a Web site that could provide information, advice and inspiration for people enduring a wide range of life crises. "Issues of faith and trust and forgiveness cross the boundaries of job loss and divorce,�� says Lukara. She knew firsthand the need for such a resource. In 1985, Lukara was stricken with what eventually was diagnosed as chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome. At the same time, she started manifesting symptoms of childhood sexual abuse. "The entire structure of my life was ripped apart," says Lukara, a writer and former public relations worker. Years of medical care, counseling and solicitude from family members, including husband Jonah Anderson, 68, helped Lukara cope with the effects of illness and abuse. Yet there still were times when she was left alone to grapple with pain and despair. Those moments, she says, spawned the site. "I imagined other people feeling alone, as so many who are dealing with life challenges do, not wanting to wake a friend or family member, unable to call a therapist or spiritual adviser, even if they had one," she says. With the financial backing of longtime friends, Lukara and Johnson formed a nonprofit agency and hired an Ashland firm, GMR Design, to construct a Web site. Posted at www.lifechallenges.org, the site launched in April features 250 pages of essays, instructions and advice. Visitors can click on categories such as "dark night of the soul," "opening to the light," "challenge as teacher" and "surrender and acceptance." There they�ll find lists of specific actions � pour yourself a cup of tea, remember to breathe � along with articles and essays from a range of local and national authors. There are even words of wisdom from the Dalai Lama. So far, Lukara�s site has recorded about 12,000 hits a month, including inquiries from around the world. "We�ve heard from Malaysia, Singapore, Canada and Spain,�� she says. "It�s trippy." Among the first visitors to the site was Elaine Heiman, 60, of Ashland, who heard about it from friends. Heiman, who suffers from migraine headaches, says she has found information that helps her cope with chronic pain. "It has been very inspirational when I�ve needed it at low times," she says. Unlike books, magazines or counseling sessions, the Web format is convenient and accessible for anyone with a home computer. "It�s because it�s so available," Heiman says. "It�s there whenever I need it. In the middle of the night, I don�t have to go out and buy a book." Lukara hopes to expand the site soon, perhaps to include a discussion group. Right now, she�s happy updating it once a month and scanning far-flung responses. "This has gone way beyond what we started here," she says. "It�s a 250-page Web site! That�s a pretty large manifestation of a vision." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA