Are we all basically good? According to Existential Therapy, we are! A main tenet of the existentialists is: that we have the ability for self-awareness and the more we can increase our awareness, the more fulfilling are life will become. That is part of what we do in therapy, increase your awareness of internal structures, how you operate in the world and how come and how you navigate life with other people.
Read MoreJung posited that there were two layers to the unconscious mind: the personal and the collective. He described the personal unconscious as holding information that we are unaware of yet is still actively guiding our responses. The collective unconscious is less personal in that it is shared by society as a whole. What Jung said this means is that there are overarching themes seen throughout culture and expressed in the acts and values people subscribe to.
Read MorePsychoanalysis posits that one’s problems are caused by unresolved tensions at play between the unconscious and conscious mind, with the unconscious mind being the most powerful motivator for behavior. Freud believed that within each of us lies an intrapsychic management of our id, ego and superego.
Read MoreEMDR is a structured type of therapy designed to help people heal as they move toward resolution. To do so, a client will temporarily be asked to go back to the traumatic memory, in an effort to close the processing gap and reformulate limiting beliefs. The goal of EMDR is the desensitize the memory of the event and address a harmful limiting belief related to the trauma, for example, “It’s my fault.”
Read MoreAs members develop and maintain personal goals, bolster meaningful relationships, learn to healthily express their emotions, increase self-awareness, make more choices that align with their aspired sense of self, and discover helpful resources within and outside the group - their quality of life increases.
Read MoreMindfulness practice is an accessible tool to everyone to help calibrate, center and ground. Mindfulness is different than meditation in that you simply pay attention on purpose to the present moment without judgment. It is not attempting to stop thinking, it is observing what you are aware of, calling upon the part of yourself that can observed thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
Read MoreWe come into the world in groups and hopefully, we will go out in the same way, if you know what I mean. Ending up alone, is a huge fear for clients, so let’s give you a conscious and contained place to work on your relationships. Undoubtedly, group work (it is work) will positively impact every facet of your life.
Read MoreEver wonder what is exactly supposed to happen in therapy? Every therapist is different, just as every client is different and no therapy session looks the same. It can depend on the therapist’s own belief of what institutes change and the different modalities they are trained in. For instance, an EMDR session is very structured and follows a strict protocol while talk therapy can incorporate many various components like internal family systems work, somatic work, cognitive interventions, and coping skills. It truly depends on what the client needs.
Read MoreWhy in the world would I ever join a therapy group? Group work can be thought of as yoga of relationships, meaning you participate in the group despite your discomfort, you work your edges and get more robust, more agile, and gain the ability to articulate your dynamic self in an authentic, relational way. Do you find that you are relatively unknown by those around you? Group therapy can help us distinguish between the roles we adopted/assigned in our families and who we actually are.
Read MoreGroup therapy has amazing benefits. This is an evidence-based method that improves a person’s understanding of their own internal experience and how to share that with others. Group therapy increases a person’s sense of connection both inside and outside of the group, helping people get more out of their personal relationships.
Read MoreUsed by many traditions and cultures, begin to explore the healing power of COLOR. Color can have a significant impact on our physical bodies, our minds, and emotional states. Explore your relationship with color and see how color can support your emotional wellbeing.
Read MoreFood is medicine and being more aware of what medicine (food) you are giving your body can have significant impacts on your mental wellbeing. Here are twelve nutrients that directly impact our brain chemistry, energy, mood, and everyday bodily systems. This is an area of your mental health that is entirely in your control.
Read MoreFinding that your social capacity is less than it used to be? Check out this blog about what unhealthy boundaries in relationships look like, what healthy boundaries in relationships look like, and how to handle boundary pushers. We discuss seven different types of boundaries and touch on how codependency can be identified in your life.
Read MoreEntering back into the world, feeling overwhelmed by relationships? If you are feeling resentful, avoidant, or annoyed by certain relationships this can indicate the need for a boundary. Boundaries help us protect our time and energy while being fulfilled in our relationships with others.
Read MoreWondering how to improve your mental health? Check out these thought distortions and see if you resonate or notice them arising in your thinking. If so, this is a place to pause, challenge, correct, and repeat. Our thinking and interpretation (self-talk) influence our feelings and behavior. Remember, you are not your thoughts and not everything you think is true. Find the part of yourself that is the observer of your own thoughts and begin to get curious.
Read MoreHaving issues actually resolving the conflicts in your relationship? Maybe it would be helpful to know that 90% of arguments are actually based in past woundings arising in the present. Using the Imago Dialogue technique can be useful in getting to the roots of present moment issues and fostering connection in your coupleship.
Read MoreEver find that you are upset that you are upset? In this blog, I talked about the detriment of having feelings about “being emotional” and this being a contributing factor to feeling even worse. Also, I discuss the power of the second thought in regards to positive behavior change and mental health.
Read MoreFeeling unmotivated and completely fatigued? It makes complete sense to me given the circumstances. The past two and a half semesters have been unlike any other. Here are 5 tips to support your mental well-being as a student during the pandemic.
Read MoreWondering why you keep doing the same thing even though it does not work and may cause pain in your relationships? EMDR (Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization) is a way through. Together, you can identify the core beliefs driving certain unwanted behaviors and make the necessary shifts to these deep beliefs. This type of therapy is so effective when it comes to making changes and achieving emotional freedom.
Read MoreWondering what to do in the moment when you feel a panic attack coming on? In this article, I have pulled together some resources from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Kundalini Yoga, and other mental health professionals to give you four practical grounding techniques to work with panic and anxiety attacks.
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