I wish I could tell you that I am perfect at setting personal boundaries with others, but alas–as with diet and exercise–I am a work in progress. Boundaries are tricky and sometimes they are hardest to set and maintain with our closest loved ones, family members and friends. Nevertheless, I try to be mindful of […]
One of my daily, never-ending lifelong goals is to eat well and drink plenty of water. Some days I excel at eating healthy food, drinking plenty of water and even managing to squeeze in time to exercise too. Other days, I do not. Eating well and taking care of my physical body is a goal […]
As a therapist certified in EMDR (eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy, I have found this approach to be very effective in helping many clients for a variety of issues. The current treatment guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association designate EMDR therapy as an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress. EMDR therapy is also used to treat […]
Years ago, I spent countless hours delving into the topic of trauma. I worked intensively with some trauma survivors, talked to specialists in the field and read many, many books. Back then two things really stood out to me about trauma.
In the last blog on this topic I talked about how families differ in their handling of emotions. Parents are the primary role-models for how emotions are to be dealt with in family units. Children learn how to process their emotions by watching what their parents do (or do not do) with their own feelings. […]
This week I was listening to a lecture on anxiety and the speaker talked about “optimal anxiety.” Now, when I first hear the word “anxiety” I do not feel warm and fuzzy. However, the speaker stated there is a healthy form of anxiety that motivates people to successfully accomplish difficult tasks and this is “optimal […]
I have had many transitions in my life the past couple of years. Thankfully, most of them have been very good ones. Transitions are funny in that they can be “good” or “bad” and “planned” or “unplanned.” For example, I planned to get married and I planned to have children. But I never “plan” to […]
Are you in the middle of a life transition? Or are you facing one in the near future? Maybe you are about to get married or are pregnant with your first child. Maybe you will graduate high school this year and are preparing to go away to college. Maybe you have just received an incurable […]
A young woman and young man posing for a picture before heading off to their senior prom. A bride and groom standing on a beach reciting their wedding vows. A mother of a new baby getting up at all hours of the night to feed, change and rock her new baby. A kindergarten teacher giving […]
Do you know someone who is the perfect gift-giver? Are you great at gift-giving? The secret to being good at giving gifts is understanding the “love language” of your gift recipient. For example, one of my close friends loves food and gifts in general, so any gift related to food makes her happy. I have given her […]
