Understanding Anxiety Anxiety is a natural, built-in response to stress. It’s the mind and body’s way of reacting to perceived danger — a survival instinct that can help us stay alert, focused, and ready for action. But when anxiety becomes chronic, overwhelming, or...
More Than a Pet — Understanding the Human-Animal Bond If you’ve ever looked into your pet’s eyes and felt truly seen, you’re not alone — and you’re not imagining things. For millions of people, pets are more than just animals. They’re companions, therapists, exercise...
Understanding the Journey of Trauma Therapy Trauma doesn’t just live in the past—it shows up in your present. It hijacks your calm, keeps you stuck in survival mode, and whispers that the danger isn’t over. Whether it stems from childhood wounds, abuse, neglect,...
Imagine yourself just being born. I mean just being born. And if you are not able to imagine you as a newborn, imagine another baby who has just been born. What do you think of that baby? Perfect? Unblemished? Untarnished? Intact? When we use the IFS model and we...
There is truth to that old saying “Laughter is the best medicine”. Not that laughter really is the best medicine, but it does have both short-term and long-term benefits that help with our physical and mental health. This speaks to the mind-body...
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand;gratitude brings joyand laughter into yourlife and into the lives of those around you.”Eileen Caddy People are happiness seekers. We want to be happy and yet happiness eludes many of us. We say to ourselves, “I’ll be happy if I...
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama Many of us are our own worst critics. When we make a mistake, we often say harsh things to ourselves. If we feel we like we’ve blown it or stepped out of...
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Khalil Gibran Are you amazed by other people’s ability to experience feelings, but not get derailed by their emotions? Do you long for close relationships, but...
In this day and age, it is easy for couples to find themselves feeling more separate than together. Life is busy, filled with a long list of things-to-do. Couples have a hard time finding time together and when they do, it is usually after a long day when they are...
“Trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory.” Bessel van der Kolk Many readers probably know men who are actually depressed and not realize it. Some male readers, in fact may might be depressed and not even know it. How can that be? Depression among men...
If you experience chronic loneliness, ironically, you are not alone. Feeling lonely is on the rise in the United States. Loneliness is a purely subjective experience. It’s a personal experience of whether someone feels emotionally and socially disconnected from...
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has a genius, power and magic in it.” Goethe Carol was a lovely woman, with friends and many interests. She was working on establishing herself in a new career and was making progress. But Carol had trouble...
Therapy is a way to get better at living life. Therapy is about where you’re headed. Whether it is about enjoying life more, feeling more confident, less depressed, less anxious, more productive, having more peace of mind, leading a more meaningful life, a more...
Sometimes, because of work, family, death, relationships, or uncomfortable feelings like depression or anxiety, you want to seek out a mental health professional for help. But finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming. How do you find a therapist and how do...
“If you have a preference, voice it. If you have a question, ask it. If you want to cry, bawl. If you need help, raise your hand and jump up and down!”Kristin Armstrong Sometimes life can be challenging and the problems that come our way seem...
“In our bodies, in this moment, there live the seed impulses of the change and spiritual growth we seek, and to awaken them we must bring our awareness into the body, into the here and now.”Pat Ogden Natural disasters, like flooding, fires, hurricanes, and...
“Before there are words, there is the wordless communication of the body.”Michael Changaris, Psy.D. Whether you’re feeling depressed, anxious, alone, or some other strong emotion (emotional dysregulation), here are some helpful sensorimotor techniques you have easily...
“Inhale the Future. Exhale the past.”Ernest Hemingway Individual therapy is an important part in surviving and thriving through depression and anxiety. But it is only one component. To support our health, it is important for us to take care of five pillars of our...
“Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.” Vaclev Havel Douglas Bloch, author of Healing from...