Do you sometimes recoil from uncomfortable emotions, thinking that you either shouldn’t be feeling them or that you cannot handle them? The truth is that we’re meant to have a broad range of emotions. We actually need to, since they provide us with valuable information. The key lies in not judging our feelings but becoming […]

“Always move toward your demons. They take their power from your retreat.” (Thom Rutledge) How does fear show up in your life? Is it that dread of facing the day that causes you to hit the snooze button when your alarm goes off in the morning? Does fear lead you to doubt your abilities and […]

What constitutes trauma or adversity? Essentially anything that causes physical or psychological pain or injury. This includes personal illness or injury, witnessing the same in someone else, natural disasters, enduring abuse, the death of someone close to us, job loss, addiction, financial problems, relationship difficulties, and incarceration. The range and magnitude of trauma is vast. […]

It’s been said that we are human beings, not human doings. Reminding ourselves of this concept can help us to keep things in perspective. Busyness can masquerade as “getting things done”, which may temporarily bolster our self-esteem, at least on the surface. However, putting excessive focus on staying occupied can alienate us from ourselves as […]

Anger, sadness, fear, and other “negative” emotions have often been given a bad rap. Given that such feelings are generally unpleasant to experience, our aversion to them is understandable. Also, our society encourages us to be positive and optimistic, which is helpful – to a point. The truth is that nobody is happy all of […]

Many people in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse, compulsive overeating, gambling, or other addictive behaviors eventually realize that while quitting the behavior is crucial, it’s not sufficient to live a happy, serene, healthy, and useful life. The next step in recovery is emotional sobriety, or learning to deal with the uncomfortable feelings, thoughts, and […]

Both psychotherapy and a mindfulness practice can be powerful and effective ways to help us live more fulfilling, useful, and healthy lives. Moreover, being in therapy while having a consistent mindfulness practice can compound the benefits of both processes. How do these two benefit one another? To define terms, mindfulness is nonjudgmental awareness of the […]

“Worry” is such a common term that we may believe it to be part of our natural state and possibly helpful. The truth is that worry runs us down, keeps us in the problem, and can eventually lead to such a frazzled mental state that we sabotage our ability to think clearly and effectively. However, it’s […]

True recovery from an eating disorder, be it anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, or “garden variety” (but no less damaging) compulsive overeating, requires recovery from perfectionism (which doesn’t have to be “perfect”, by the way). It’s so seductive to believe that once we reach the right weight, eat only organic foods, fit into a […]

When we think about the term “acceptance”, many people believe that this means either condoning a situation or behavior. Not so. Acceptance is not an excuse to be passive, to give up our rights in a matter, or resign ourselves to continued abuse. Quite the opposite. Acceptance is actually a proactive stance. Radical Acceptance, one […]