Blog Posts:
In Part V of this blog, we talked about curiosity. Now, let’s talk about the capacity to connect with others and ourselves through our hearts. Often when people reach out for therapy, they aren’t sure whether it’s because of the current challenges they are experiencing in the world today, past challenges that are being triggered… read post
This poem is adapted from Rumi’s poem “The Guest House.” The lines in italics come directly from Rumi. Can you meet them at the doorway of human curiosity and the present moment? Curiosity and the Present Moment From the adult self, present-moment place, you might recognize that some of the dark thoughts and shame are… read post
In Part IV, we will talk about how the use of intentionality in therapy can help you separate from old survival strategies and move towards being your authentic self. “Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.” —Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code Role Of Intentionality… read post
Where Does Poetry Come From? Does it come from a series of events that have left physical and mental scars on us? Is it the emotions of everyday life escaping from our souls and into words for us to try and make sense of it all? Are they just pretty rhymes and ideas sparking the fires… read post
Looking for a survival strategy example? Here’s one. I remember as a child and teenager that I had a hard time being still. I had memories of family trips when we would go to beautiful places. My mom and brother wanted to stop along the way. I remember feeling impatient. I wanted to know when… read post
The concepts and principles described in this series of blog articles about survival strategies come from training I’ve received in an approach called NARM which stands for Neuro-Affective Relational Model. For more information about this model, please refer to the book, Healing Developmental Trauma, by Laurence Heller, Ph.D., and Aline LaPierre, Psy.D. Someone calls me… read post
Let’s pick up where we left off in our analysis of the Encanto generational trauma. Mirabel continues trying to save the Madrigal family, trying to anticipate everyone else’s needs and to be helpful, to be there for everybody. Though Mirabel is telling the truth about the cracks in the house, Abuela accuses Mirabel of making… read post
As a therapist, it’s heartening to see a recent trend in popular culture: movies like “Inside Out” (2015) and “Encanto” (2021) are bringing issues people struggle with in psychotherapy into the mainstream media. The Disney movie “Encanto” tells the story of Mirabel and the Madrigal family and incorporates dynamics of intergenerational trauma, which is something… read post
Exploring The Challenges Of A Deeper Heart Connection When a conversation about needs and how one partner can meet the other’s stays at the cognitive level of communication skills and techniques, it’s staying on the surface. But what feelings underlie these unmet needs? What history? There can be a tendency in your communication in a… read post
The most common reason couples give for coming to therapy is that they want to be able to communicate better. Couples communication issues take a variety of forms. Here are some common complaints: “We just have problems communicating.” “My partner doesn’t listen.” “My partner doesn’t make space for me or take my needs into consideration.” “That’s… read post