Blog
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What is Kindness?
The modern dictionary defines “kindness” as being good, benevolent, humane, and gentle. Now consider the Buddhist definition: loving benevolence. Let’s delve deeper; what is benevolence? Goodwill, charity, a desire to do good. Now that we have a context, it is easy to see that kindness is not simply an act or a behavior, but instead…
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Truth Telling and Therapy
Living an authentic life means that we are living closer to our souls. We are no longer carrying the desires others have for us, whether well-intended or not. We are no longer “whittling away” the parts of ourselves pieces we feel are unpleasing to others, to try to fit into the mold in which others…
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Dreams and Therapy
Processing dreams during therapy sessions is often a rich and rewarding experience. Many believe that our dreams come to us to teach about ourselves, and if we listen to their messages, we can learn about our deepest desires, fears, and even receive answers to why we are here and how to best move forward in…
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Are You Listening?
Kindness begets kindness. And if the seed of kindness is within us, then we must nurture it by paying attention to cues from others as well as ourselves. We communicate in so many ways, verbally and non-verbally, face-to-face and virtually. Words of course are important, but so are the silences. Be more observant of the…
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How to Heal Worry
Many of us go about our days in our normal routines, not consciously aware of our thoughts. How much time might you spend in a day worrying about something? I need this sale to go through. What if it doesn’t? Does s/he really love me? What if s/he doesn’t? What then? How am I going…
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How to Heal Phobias
We have discussed panic attacks in a previous post. In this post we will offer some insights into the origin and treatment of phobias, a common disorder. The Mayo Clinic defines phobia as “an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger but provokes anxiety and avoidance.” We are…
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Clear the Mental Clutter
When you walk through a cluttered home, filled every which way with items that are not used or needed, it’s easy to trip or fall. And the same is true of mental and spiritual clutter – when the mind is filled with old, outdated and unnecessary thoughts and beliefs, it is easy to stumble or…
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What is Animal Assisted Therapy?
There is an increasing understanding of the role animal companions can play in our mental and physical well-being. On a basic level, regular interaction with an animal companion is known to improve our emotional state, cognitive function and social ease. Living with animals can improve mood, bring calm, and lower blood pressure. Caring for an…
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Divorce and the Support System of Therapy
With even the best of intentions, sometimes a marriage does not last, and even when the decision is mutual and amicable the breakup of a marriage is extremely stressful for all involved. Reasons for separation and divorce are many. Although specific behaviors, events or personality traits can contribute to the marriage ending, usually the foundation…
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How to Live What You Value
Values…morals…ethics… the same concept, right? Although these ideas are related, the concept of values carries a different meaning. Our morals, our ethics are in a sense our governing mores. They are the guidelines by which we live and how we know what is “right” from what is “wrong” for us. Values, on the other hand,…
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Are You Planting Seeds or Pulling Weeds?
Every moment of every day we have the choice as to where to place our awareness and focus. Your life will reflect the result of that choice. Let’s say you feel unhappy with your spouse, as an example. Your focus is upon a disappointment – for instance, he spends too much time away from home…
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Healing Grief
We’ve been exploring the power of Somatic Therapies in a variety of situations. Today we’d like to explore how we heal grief and loss. First, let’s set the stage by examining loss. We can feel a sense of sorrow or loss for many reasons: death of a loved one, job loss, separation or divorce, natural…