The Question Many Mothers Ask If you need medication for your mental health, is it safe to take it during pregnancy or breastfeeding? There is no zero-risk option. Not treating depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder carries risks. Taking medication carries risks. The goal is not eliminating risk — it is weighing relative risk with good information. A Personal Reflection When I experienced postpartum depression over two decades ago, I chose not to take medication because I w

Originally posted March 20, 2017. I’m announcing the grand re-opening of my private psychotherapy practice. I’ll be returning to my...

Radical Acceptance is acceptance of the reality that life is worth living even if there is pain.

Infant Loss is a Family Event The death of a baby is a deep loss. Parents who have lost a baby to miscarriage or stillbirth are struggling to cope with their grief. And often these parents have young children who were looking forward to having a little brother or little sister. Infant loss is not only a parental loss. It's a family event. Even in their time of pain, parents are called to to help their surviivng children process at he level they can understand and to feel

Overview of Miscarriage and Stillbirth You have recently experienced a pregnancy loss. Along with crushing sadness, there are many questions. Was it something I did? Could I have prevented this? Why did this happen? Whether your loss was early miscarriage, second-trimester loss, or stillbirth, you lost your baby. And the grief and need to understand is natural. Pregnancy loss is medically complex. Causes vary depending on the stage of pregnancy. Often, despite testing, no cle

DBT Distress Tolerance is about Expanding Your Nervous System's Window of Tolerance What Are Distress Tolerance Skills in DBT? Distress tolerance skills are a core part of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and are designed to help people cope during moments of intense emotional pain or crisis. When emotions feel overwhelming and a situation cannot be immediately resolved, distress tolerance skills offer practical ways to get through the moment safely without making things w

DBT can help you manage your emotions and achieve better mental health

Infant massage is a great way to create an oasis of calm time with your baby. It helps promote bonding and calm both mom and baby. Studies show that infant massage decreases stress hormones (in both Mom & baby),

Perinatal mental health is deeply shaped by how the nervous system adapts to pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum transition.

Originally posted February 5, 2014. Puff, the magic dragon, Lived by the sea And frolicked in the autumn mist In a land called Honah Lee....

Originally posted January 6, 2014. January is International Child-Centered Divorce Month. Did you know that more divorces are filed for...

The television series Glee quietly broke the fourth wall when it portrayed the characters grieving the death of Finn Hudson, played by Cory Monteith, who died from a drug overdose. The cast was grieving both the fictional character and the real person, and the emotional authenticity was palpable. Through this storyline, the show offered a powerful exploration of grief, addiction, friendship, and the many ways people process loss. Grief manifests differently for different peo

Today I’m participating in Cristi Motto Comes of Life Unadorned in her World Suicide Prevention Day Blog Event. I’m also participating in Kathy Benson’s Bereaved and Blessed’s Time Warp Tuesday theme, Learning. I wanted to honor Kathy and also to honor my friend, Cristi for their work in helping and bringing people together. In reflecting on suicide prevention, I turned to research exploring the internal emotional experience of those who struggle with suicidal thoughts — wha

Be kind to yourself today. Affirmations by themselves are not all that need to do to enact change within yourself, but are a wonderful enhancement to positive self-development. Affirmations are not a substitute for professional care, but they can be a gentle, supportive practice for emotional regulation and self-compassion. Positive parenting and feeling well and confident take conscious, daily effort. The conscious processing of perceived hurts and events helps clear out

Originally posted January 24, 2013. #LifeWellLived Did it. Done it. BOOM. I’m joining a small group of my bloggy friends, including Yuz...

There are no easy tips for coping with the tragedy of the loss the families in Sandy Hook, Connecticut are experiencing. It is normal to feel a lot of strong emotions: grief, anger, helplessness, loss, guilt. To feel strong emotion is to be normal. The northeast United States hasn’t recovered from the massive destruction of Hurricane Sandy. And yet another event brings epic grief to our area and our country. There are no easy fixes for all of these normal feelings, as the

Originally posted June 7, 2012. ”Positive feeling systems must be built and maintained intentionally (as part of couples therapy or...

Originally posted June 4, 2012. I am happy to say that the proofs for my BirthTouch® books have finally arrived! I wrote the first edition of BirthTouch® Shiatsu & Acupressure for the Childbearing Year twelve years ago, in 2000. The second edition is out in proofs now as is BirthTouch®Healing for Parents in the NICU. I have been a shiatsu, Jin Shin Do® and Reiki practitioner since 1996. I studied so many energy healing methods over the years…it is one of my favorite ar

Originally posted May 29, 2012. ”Therapeutic horticulture...provides positive distraction and attentional engagement…(which) mediates ...

Originally published January 1, 2012. Chris Brogan, web entrepreneur, and also a depression survivor himself, has a blog topic/exercise...