Practice Heart Centered #Meditation to increase Mental Health and expand self love

Relationships can be complicated, especially in early adulthood. But over time, they should feel grounding rather than confusing, supportive rather than unsettling. Feeling loved isn’t about intensity—it’s about consistency, respect, and emotional safety.

A quiet landscape for observation, presence, and gentle plant-based reflection. Flower Essences as a Complementary Practice Flower essences are a complementary, non-invasive practice that some people use for emotional reflection and support. In my own work, I approach them as a symbolic and experiential form of plant-based care , rather than as a medical or psychological treatment. Flower essences are discussed here as a complementary, symbolic practice  within integrative me

Originally posted August 6, 2019. You are busy! The office is humming! Things are totally running amok today! The phone is ringing and...

Originally posted May 8, 2019. Attachment theory is a complex, broad theory that encompasses human, primate and mammalian behavior. It’s...

Art therapy projects can help express feelings of sadness and process the experience and soothe the nervous system. A wonderful art therapy project for a support group for birth trauma survivors is called “Bead Your Story”.

DBT How Skills: Non-judgmentally, One-Mindfully, Effectively Why HOW Skills Matter in DBT Mindfulness skills can be applied to everyday life, used on an ordinary, everyday basis. We continue with learning the subtle points of DBT Mindfulness Skills for daily life. The first post about Mindfulness Skills for Daily Life covered “What” skills:  Observe, Describe, Participate  as in “What” to do as you incorporated mindfulness into the activities of your daily life. The next s

DBT’s Emotion Regulation skills help a person build up a base of positive experiences that helps stabilize emotion

Are You There Alone? is written by Suzanne O’Malley, an investigative reporter. She followed the tragedy in real time. She was present through Andrea Yates’ 5 weeks of court proceedings. To write this book, she read all of the transcribed trial testimony, 2000 pages of Andrea Yates’ medical records. She interviewed nearly 100 people, including Ms. Andrea Yates and Mr. Rusty Yates, her ex-husband, to write this book. Personal Note: I often review books written by perso

The expressive art exercise called LifeLine is a positive tool in the therapy room. Getting an overview of your life can be a first step step towards self understanding and self acceptance and embodying these new understandings into your nervous system.

Joe’s a pretty emotionally balanced person with pretty good boundaries, yet people still got under his skin. He came into therapy, not because his life was falling apart, but to consciously deepen his coping skills and strengthen his emotional resilience. In his personal life, Joe felt weighed down by his aunt's negative gossiping. She called often to check up on him. He has mixed emotions about their relationship. Growing up, she was a big part of his life and he liked ha

Originally posted January 4, 2019. Today I’m going to sit with my events and dreams of 2018. Like, everyone’s looking back and listing...

Originally posted December 4, 2018. Does Oprah’s Daily Gratitude Journal Really Work? Let’s take a look at this idea of gratitude. ...

Originally posted November 19, 2018. Veterans Yoga Project Yoga for Emotional Healing PTSD Veterans Yoga Project (VYP) is a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping veterans gain access to the healing benefits of yoga with a program called Mindful Resilience. Thanks to the efforts of VYP, the Mindful Resilience yoga program is being used to help veterans and active-duty military personnel heal from the emotional, physical and psychological aspects of war t

Originally posted August 28, 2018. Guest Post: Better Angels – Slowly Bridging the Partisan Divide This week of August 25, 2018, there’s...

Originally posted July 24, 2018. Mental Health: Veterans Yoga Project Healing PTSD I wanted to share with my readers a very positive effort full of positive energy taking place in the world. In 2017 in Hoboken, New Jersey, I first came into contact with the Veterans Yoga Project (VYP) organization. Tam Terry and Helene Graff, residents of Hoboken, arranged a fundraiser. Stevens Institute of Technology graciously offered the use of the university’s Walker gymnasium. Dr.

Originally posted June 19, 2018. I wildcrafted dandelion flowers last week. I missed picking the dandelion flowers in my yard! I kept meaning to pick them, but they all went to seed before I could get to them! Dandelions have gotten a bad rap in modern times. How spraying toxic chemicals onto greenery around your home where you and your family live, eat and play became a thing, I just don’t know. Chemical industry, anyone? Makes my eyes red and itchy just thinking abo

Dyane Harwood, author of Birth of a New Brain. Dyane's lifelong healing journey with bipolar Dyane Harwood battled depression her whole life and then bipolar disorder after she gave birth. Therapy, lifestyle changes, medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) got her life back. Birth of a New Brain , by Dyane Harwood is a very important book. Dyane’s autobiographical account of her life with bipolar disorder is as stunning as Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison’s autobiographica

Originally posted June 8, 2018. You are sorely missed… You matter more than you think… There is always another way…. I guess you all know...

Using self-soothing tools during times of ease helps build an inner reserve of calm and makes it more natural to reach for supportive comfort when stress arises. When emotions start to shift into high gear, these same tools can help you mindfully return to the present moment. Sensory awareness grounds you by gently anchoring the body in the here and now.