Idle moments and relaxation are that brief span of time, lasting for a few minutes or longer when we stop doing everything we're doing and just let ourselves breathe slowly and focus, at least initially, on nothing in particular. These moments occur too infrequently in our fast-paced lives. They are a helpful antidote to the [...]
This blog post will introduce in detail simple mindfulness exercises for beginners. My previous post was an introduction to mindfulness practice for DBT clients. As mindfulness is an essential part of DBT, helping beginning clients develop their skills in performing daily simple mindfulness exercises is a priority one. In this blog, I will lead the reader [...]
The best explanation I have heard for DBT Mindfulness Practice is from DBT trainer, Randy Wolbert, who said "mindfulness is simply the state of being completely awake right now." Mindfulness has attracted significant attention in the media in the past few years. It has emphasized the benefits of mindfulness meditation. From mental health to medical benefits, to performance enhancement, [...]
Being shy and bashful seems to have some inherited basis. According to the Monitor on Psychology (November 2014), children can show evidence of shyness as young as 4 months old. While most shy children learn to overcome social reticence, about 30-40% are likely to develop social anxiety, a more intense and debilitating condition. Shyness impacts development [...]
Childhood Trauma and Resilience It's not uncommon for a survivor of childhood trauma to ask of themselves - and sometimes their therapist - what is special about them. In other words, why me? Why did I have to experience sexual abuse, witness domestic violence, be raised by a drug-addicted parent, or experience the loss of [...]
So often I am asked, “Do you think people can really change?” or more importantly, "Can I Change?" My answer is always “Yes” because I see it happen right in front of me every day. Now that doesn’t mean that it is easy or there is a secret formula to make this happen. Neither does [...]
In considering what gifts to give to your children for the holidays, or their birthday, or any other occasion for giving the gift of experience, there are a few points worth remembering. Children's thinking tends to be focused on concrete objects. This style of thinking, combined with the onslaught of media advertisement, leads to children [...]
Avoidance and Procrastination is something a lot of people experience. Have you ever struggled to start something you’ve been avoiding for a long time? Often anxiety is at the root of our procrastination. The act of avoidance initially provides relief to our feelings of anxiety but soon makes the task we are avoiding seem that [...]
I sometimes hear parents lament about Kids and the Anti Work Ethic. I reflect on the wonderful lifestyle parents worked so hard to provide for their children, and how they may have inadvertently taught their children that they don’t have to work too hard to be entitled to the good life. Many sources are referring [...]
Looking at a surprisingly high credit card balance, people wish for willpower. After eating that extra piece of cake, people wish for more willpower. After spending so much time on-line that work projects suffer, people wish for self-control. There are many situations in our daily lives that would benefit from willpower and self-control. There certainly [...]
