In this day and age, these activities may sound familiar to you... Examples include incessant thinking, thinking, thinking;"following" social media mindlessly; binge watching on Netflix (I've been there); saying "Yes" to everybody's requests of you; running from one appointment to another, or going from one task to another. We just can't stop. We find ourselves reacting [...]
Caroline Myss in her book "Anatomy of the Spirit" writes about "power targets" that draw power from our own energetic field into the target(s). How are we losing power on a daily basis? What are the power objects or people that are draining the life-force from our bodies? We can be tied to a pattern of [...]
This afternoon at my peer consultation group we discussed we need to be mindful that, because the human body comprises of 60 - 70% water molecules, we have the power to toxify or purify ourselves. Our thoughts (whether positive or negative) have a direct impact on our physical and emotional wellbeing. I invite you to read [...]
Check out this amazing and touching Ted Talk by neuroanatomist Joan Bolt Taylor who experienced a blood vessel explosion in her left brain. This talk is entitled "A Stroke of Insight" - it also reinforces for me why modalities such as focusing-oriented therapy propels the work for clients, as it facilitates "moving forward" through our connection [...]
Some couples come into therapy to heal from affairs/infidelity. The process of therapy can shed light into the "root" of the "problem," as affairs are often a symptom of a more deeply-rooted issue. While one party is dealing with grief and loss, as well as shame, the other party may be dealing with intense anger and [...]
Just as we "digest" food in our bodies, for good health we also need to "digest" our emotions and feelings. Some of us may have the tendency to sweep feelings under the carpet, or to tell ourselves to "get over it." This build-up of undigested stuff could be contributors to a sense of anxiety and/or depression, [...]
This week I presented an "Adaptation to Canada" talk at the "Welcome to Canada" series organized through the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. When we relocate to a new country or city, many stress factors come into play, i.e. navigating job search; cultural/language differences; new friendships/relationships. In addition, we are grieving the family/relationships, country or city/hometown [...]
Our modern society seems to thrive on activity, accomplishments, "being on the go." The costs include the following: running on adrenaline, running on empty, lack of rest and restoration, and being out of balance. Check out this quiz to see if you are suffering from being overscheduled? This link also includes useful information about sleep, stress, [...]
I am familiar with that tendency towards my own auto-pilot, i.e. reacting in a particular way to someone close to me (getting angry, or avoiding). Pema Chodron, in her book Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears asks us to think about which wolf we want to feed -- the wolf whose stomach [...]
Many of us, including myself, have played the role of "pleaser" in order to be loved and accepted. We may be familiar with being guilt-prone and with living with the voice of "shoulds." The following paragraph is excerpted from Wikipedia's description of Guilt (emotion): {Alice Miller claims that "many people suffer all their lives from this [...]