Two steps back, is still progress right? At least movement. In the therapy process we are looking for movement, doesn’t matter which direction. Movement shows struggle, shows vitality, shows emotional effort, even if in the seemingly negative direction. Aristotle defines life as movement between contraries. If we are all composed of many parts, many contradictions,… Read More Three steps forward…
I have the privilege of staying safe at home during this pandemic. Comfortable, well-fed and loved, I’m basking in the simplicity of making meals for my daughters. I can’t complain. As a nerdy introvert lost in my own thoughts, my social scene has not altered much except for lunches with my trusted tiny circle of… Read More Scorched Paella and the Pandemic
If self-awareness is a journey, insights are the “aha” moments along the way. They’re the fuel powering the souped-up sports car on the highway of self-awareness: with them, we can step on the gas pedal; without them, we’re stranded on the side of the road. Eurich, Tasha. Insight . Crown. Kindle Edition. According to Tasha… Read More Inside/Out Self-awareness
Life itself is your career, and your interaction with life is your most meaningful relationship. Everything else you’re doing is just focusing on a tiny subset of life in the attempt to give life some meaning. What actually gives life meaning is the willingness to live it. It isn’t any particular event; it’s the willingness… Read More Life as a career
My initial concern, as a counselor, with social distancing in this time of COVID-19 was the increased potential for social isolation. I worry about the elderly, the children in abusive or unsafe homes, the victims of partner violence, the ones living alone, the ones sick or afraid. One of my first remote sessions caused me… Read More Relief in Social Distancing?
“If I can create a relationship characterized on my part: by a genuineness and transparency, in which I am my real feelings; by a warm acceptance of and prizing of the other person as a separate individual: by a sensitive ability to see his world and himself as he sees them; Then the other individual… Read More How to host personal growth
Imagine, ( you are good at that my artist and creative friends), you walk into my counseling office. You seat yourself in a red mid-century modern chair. No arm rests. You fold your hands on your lap and notice that you are sitting upright. You allow yourself to lean into the back support. You look… Read More Hungry Philosopher and Starving Artists
Yogic psychology says there’s more. Encountering these stuck and painful knots is the path. This perspective teaches us that we aren’t stuck, we’re only identifying with less satisfying “things.” One remedy, Patanjali tells us, is to look for the opposite (II:33). I think of it as the Nourishing Opposite (Fay, 2010) not just any opposite,… Read More The Nourishing Opposite
Chronic anxiety is a crisis of hope. It is the fear of a failed future. Depression is a crisis of hope. It is the belief in a meaningless future. Delusion, addiction, obsession — these are all the mind’s desperate and compulsive attempts at generating hope one neurotic tic or obsessive craving at a time. The… Read More Nourish Hope
Dear Readers, I have a confession. I’ve been converting joy into fear. My desire to help into a fear of hurting others. I haven’t been digesting life or metabolizing my nutrient-rich loving supports in spirit or in body despite this blog’s mission. Mostly I’m guilty of being unaware of my own indigestion. The literal and… Read More Metabolizing Sweet Joy
