Articles

The ABC PLEASE skills are the first floor in the House of Happiness. Train yourself to develop habits of joy and contentment.

Many people learn to minimize their own pain, grief, anger, or disappointment. Discover how emotional self-disenfranchisement develops and practical ways to reclaim your voice and emotional well-being.

Why did so many people wait years for a bipolar disorder diagnosis? This article explores the evolution of diagnosis, treatment, and the real lives behind the diagnosis.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a painful, frightening and frustrating condition.

Creative expression can help transform confusion into clarity, giving shape and voice to experiences that are difficult to put into words. Expressive Arts as Part of Healing from Narcissistic Abuse In this article, we revisit Susan as she works through healing and reclaiming her sense of self after a long, emotionally abusive relationship with Donald, the narcissist. The other articles about Susan and Donald are Am I Losing My Mind? and Reclaiming the Self. Susan has been wor

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.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD., is a philosophy and a set of learnable skills about managing painful emotions. You might be interested in reading an overview about DBT here.

I get alot of questions about friendship in my psychotherapy practice. What does research say about friendship?

After a long relationship shaped by distortion, the experience of being heard is healing. With Susan, the person she trusted the most betrayed her by tearing her down and blamed and confused her. Deep listening and validation helps counteract the trauma of betrayal.

Mindfully becoming in touch with the five senses is a body-based way to slow down the stress response and initiate the relaxation response.

Ttraumatic memories are physically encoded differently in the brain than regular, non-traumatic memories.

Susan began to realize that her breakup with Donald was not just a breakup. In the weeks after the separation, she found that the relationship was not actually over. She had expected to go through the familiar pain of loss — to mourn, to grieve, to slowly recover from the comfort, the love, and the confusion of a six-year relationship that had meant a great deal to her.

Advances in neurobiology – knowing how our brains and nervous systems work – help us understand how PTSD symptoms persist and how they heal

Radical acceptance means embracing the present moment and reality as it is, without trying to change it or deny it. It involves recognizing facts, feelings, and situations—even painful or uncomfortable ones—without judgment or avoidance. This concept originates from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, who emphasized acceptance as a key skill for managing emotional distress.

Learn how developing an internal locus of control can strengthen resilience, improve decision-making, and help you focus on what you can influence.

The nervous system detects safety and threat before thought. How Emotions Are Processed in the Brain Trauma affects not only how memories are stored, but also how emotions are experienced and interpreted . For individuals with PTSD, emotional and physical symptoms often arise automatically, shaped by underlying neurobiological changes that occurred under conditions of threat. Understanding how emotions are processed in the brain can help explain why trauma reactions feel imme

Women's mental health develops naturally through several phases in a lifetime.

Shared experiences stabilize friendships Is it healthy to end a friendship over politics? Let's explore some nuances. That's a developmental question. Research: Majority of Americans Do Not End Friendships Over Politics Have Americans been ending their connections, their friendships, over political differences? The cultural narrative suggests that Americans are severing ties left and right over political disagreement. The research tells a more nuanced story. A 2024 study f

For centuries, survivors of sexual assault weren’t able to speak out. They were shamed and perversely, blamed.

Burnout, Anxiety, and a Nervous System Stuck in “On” Many people have access to time off and still don’t take it. Others technically take vacation but remain tethered to work—checking email, thinking about deadlines, worrying about what they’re missing or what will await them when they return. This is often framed as a motivation problem, a work ethic issue, or a cultural flaw. But from a mental health perspective, something deeper is happening. For many people, rest does no