Reparenting & Healing Your Inner Child
In recent years, the expression "inner child" has made its way to the general public. But it is rarely well understood. Yet it is a personal development tool commonly used in therapy. A person who is cut off from their inner child is parasitized by many toxic feelings, they may experience emotions such as shame, abandonment, guilt, feeling of helplessness without consciously knowing where these emotions are coming from.
How Self-Awareness Can Help You as a Parent
What you go through in childhood impacts how you show up as an adult today. Experiences that hang out in our brains and bodies without being fully processed become unresolved issues. Sometimes a state of avoidance and/or dissociation can be preferred; it might feel safer to ignore past experiences or maybe you have a hard time recalling that experience altogether. The tricky thing about trauma, is that even though it seems like you've disconnected from hurtful experiences, the pain is still there and may trigger unexpected or unwanted emotional responses.
Melting an Ice Sculpture: A Metaphor for Treating Depression
Depression is a real struggle that affects millions of people worldwide. It can be tough to deal with and can leave you feeling sad, worthless, unmotivated, and uninterested. Many of us know from experience that these feelings can be overwhelming and lead to a sense of helplessness and despair. But, don't lose hope! Much like melting an ice sculpture one degree at a time, depression may not show progress until it reaches a specific threshold, but gradual efforts towards mental well-being can lead to significant change.
Ring Theory: Supporting Individuals in Crisis
When we are in crisis, whether from grief, trauma, or illness, we need support. It can sometimes be difficult to know what kind of support we need, and it can be hard to let support in due to feelings of overwhelm, pain, and shame. Sometimes people offer us “support” that doesn’t feel quite right, and we may not be sure how to tell them or set boundaries that we need. At other times, we might want to support someone else that is in crisis but feel unsure of what to say or do that will ease suffering and not contribute to their distress. This is where Ring Theory can be helpful.
Eating Disorder Myths vs Facts
Ever since I started working with individuals who suffer from eating disorders, I have noticed that there are many myths and stigmas that people believe about eating disorders, diet culture, etc. These myths and stigmas perpetrate harmful stereotypes and ideas that harm all of us, especially individuals struggling with eating disorders and body image issues. For that reason, here are a few big myths I have noticed as a therapist working with this population that perpetuate harm.
Healing Sexual Trauma with Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Sexual trauma is an unfortunate reality for many individuals, often leading to a myriad of mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and difficulties with intimacy. Traditional therapeutic approaches can sometimes be limited in effectiveness, but recent research into psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown promise in treating PTSD and other trauma-related disorders.
Therapy Resources for Autistic Children and Teens
Though autistic people have existed throughout history, research and discussions about how to support autistic children are relatively new. Adults who are trying to navigate how to parent and support their autistic children may be unsure of where to start. As a child therapist who specializes in working with autistic and other neurodivergent children, I’ve compiled this reference of my most recommended resources for parents of autistic children. Every child is different and has unique needs, but hopefully, this list will provide a place to start and experts to reach out to learn more.
Give the Gift of Love
While there are many parenting books, there is not one way to parent a child. Children are unique, and therefore, need to be parented in different ways. What works for you may not work for your sister or your neighbor.
Resilience Songs- A Playlist to Remind You of Your Strength
Music can help set the tone for our life. How many times have you heard a song and been transported back to high school, or that one road trip, or been reminded of a special person in your life? As a parent what tone do you want to set for your kids, or yourself?
How to Find the ‘Right’ Therapist
The word right is in quotation marks for a reason, right is subjective and will depend on the individual, therapist, and situation. That being said, having a good rapport, relationship, safety, and connection with your therapist is one of the most important aspects of a positive and effective therapeutic experience.
Stopping Negative Thought Patterns
As individuals, we often get stuck in negative thinking patterns. When we are in this head space, it is often accompanied by feelings of self-criticism, doubt, insecurities, self-blame, guilt, or worthlessness.
Am I a Monster: Hidden Fears and Harm OCD
Thoughts about OCD usually are accompanied by stereotypical images of someone scrubbing their hands or straightening a crooked picture frame. The truth this, OCD exists in many dimensions. Contamination and symmetry are two of the better-known dimensions where people with OCD may struggle. However, they are not the only two areas that exist. Two other dimensions where OCD can reside include harm and unacceptable thoughts. Although these areas may be lesser known, they are also very common.
The What and Why of Couples Therapy
Couples therapy is a form of therapy that helps couples improve their relationship and work through challenges they may face. It's important to note that the goal of couples therapy is not to keep a couple married or encourage them to get divorced. Instead, it's about providing a safe space for couples to heal wounds, gain insight, and work on their relationship.
Why is Faith Transition so Hard?
Faith transition is a complex process. Sometimes clients attempt to minimize their experience or feel they are not managing the transition well. The reality is this process is very difficult and can be overwhelming and disorienting.
Ketamine for Depression
Ketamine is a medication traditionally used as an anesthetic but has recently gained recognition for its potential as a treatment for depression. Studies have shown that ketamine can have rapid and significant effects on depression symptoms, even in patients who have not responded to other treatments.
Worry Monster Part 2: Trust your Child will Survive Being Scared
After reading Worry Monster Part 1 you better understand that your child has an extra sensitive alarm system that is triggering fight or flight unnecessarily. Now that you understand the underlying mechanisms, it is time to jump into what we can do that will actually help address this underlying system that is wreaking havoc.
What Do I Do If I Just Don't Like Sex?
“I think I’m broken.”
“I hate the thought of being touched anymore. I could live the rest of my life without having sex again. Does this mean I am asexual?”
“Sex is the last thing I want to do. All my partner and I do is fight about it.”
These are just a few of the statements I have heard over the years, working with women as a Certified Sex Therapist and relationship counselor.
Play Therapy for Adults: How Play Therapy Can Help Your Healing Journey
When people hear that I use play therapy with my clients, frequently I am asked if I ever use play therapy with adults. And the answer is yes! The questions that follow are, “Really? What is that like? And why is that helpful?” Play therapy is an approach that uses play to access emotions and beliefs in order to facilitate change and healing. Though it may look different at each life stage, play is essential for all ages. And play therapy may look different for each life stage as well.
Creation and Telos
Creation stories have always been a bit of an obsession for humanity. The ancient Greeks told of the original Chaos from which emerged Gaia (the Earth) who birth Uranus (the Sky). The Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) teach that God created the Earth over six days, beginning with the separation of the heavens and the earth. The tradition of Jukurrpa or “The Dreaming” of the aboriginal people of Australia describes ancestral beings (human and animal) who wandered the deserts, bringing form to the land and establishing culture. We also tell stories of our own lives and where we come from.
10 Steps for Defeating Procrastination
I am a great procrastinator. I like to over-analyze whether I am actually procrastinating in different situations or whether I am being productive (this is a great procrastination behavior, by the way). Sometimes I like to think that my excuse for procrastination is that I have too many other things to do… I cannot know for sure whether this is true. Notice, when I over-analyze my procrastination, I am not actually taking steps toward doing the things that I need to get done. It is really easy to be tempted to then analyze why I know I am not doing things that need to get done…which leads me to further procrastination. Since I have experienced procrastination myself, I totally can understand if/when you choose to procrastinate AND I have specific steps you can take that WORK to resolve procrastination.