Authenticity There are so many influences in life that affect our thoughts, feelings, actions, and choices we make, that we often lose sight of our own identity. To be authentic means representing one’s true nature or beliefs. Many of use lose track of who we are authentically because we have tried so hard to be [...]
Do you have a loved one that is struggling with addiction or in early recovery? Watching someone you love struggle with an alcohol or drug problem is painful for the entire family. It causes many intense feelings such as anger, confusion, sadness, and worry. Addiction is a “family disease” because the entire family becomes consumed [...]
Very often I have people come in to see me and they want their anxiety gone. That's when I take out my wand, swish, and flick. Of course, nothing happens, so I'm either a muggle, my wand is broken, or it doesn't just go away. Obviously, it's the latter of the three, but that's OK. [...]
When a loved one has an addiction the entire family often spirals into chaos. Family members can feel like they're walking on eggshells in order to keep the peace at home. Other times, they may feel like they are jumping through hoops to try to "fix" the problem or help their loved one get better. [...]
This February doesn’t have to be all about sappy cards, overpriced flowers or another excuse to eat candy. This Valentine's Day, show yourself some love. If you’re like most people, you tend to put others’ needs ahead of your own and don’t pause to attend to your own. You may feel you don’t have the [...]
"I'm sorry," we say as we offer an apology. "I'm sorry" we make our children say when they do something wrong. "I'm sorry," nations say to make amends for history. But how do you make an apology that matters? "Don't say it unless you mean it" is often the response to an offhand apology. When [...]
According to the recent article, A Mindful Brain, by writer Laura Vismara, an extensive body of research, carried out over the course of the past twenty years and supported by the relatively recent introduction of refined brain scanning technologies, suggests that practicing mindfulness meditation or just having a more mindful approach toward life can produce discernible changes in [...]
Mindfulness has been shown by researchers to strengthen body awareness, boost attention and increase the ability to regular emotions. Mindfulness teachers recommend it to us as a healthy way to experience the world and ourselves. At the same time, prevalence rates for trauma are high. As pointed out by David Treleaven, Ph.D. in his excellent [...]
Some of us might remember the commercial years ago where a well-dressed character states, "Enough about me, let's talk about what I'm wearing." We have all met narcissists either in our personal lives or in media, politics, or business. Their presence can be incredibly annoying to intolerable. But can there be such thing as healthy [...]
Worry is a common experience for everyone. It serves a function to identify a problem in the future so that you come up with a solution to solve it. This can help make the future more predictable and under our control: to reduce potential anxiety. For more information on how our DBT group can [...]