Now as an elder, I have had the privilege of experiencing the deaths of both my parents under very different circumstances. I know that tending to a parent declining over many years has a different quality than losing someone unexpectedly in an accident. I have learned so much about my own mind, the richness of [...]
Last night I celebrated my birthday with some girlfriends whom I had known for almost 30 years. We all agreed we had not laughed so hard in a long time, and I felt grateful to have their loving attention and regard. Although we went out dancing till late, I still felt invigorated and refreshed the [...]
The word “boundary” implies something we can see, but psychologically it is more challenging to understand how unseen boundaries work or can affect you. How do I know what’s effective for me, you ask? Perhaps you are so anxious about trying to respond appropriately to all this social input that it’s hard to figure out [...]
Recently I have been surprised by the number of clients, new or regular, who have become aware of how abuse has been affecting their lives. I am aware that perhaps this theme, particularly of sexual assault, has been more in the media especially with the “#MeToo” allegations of harassment in the workplace and beyond. This has [...]
When I was in my late teens I failed a very important Ballet exam and had a major panic attack. Since I was a high achiever, it colored my feelings about dancing as well as exams of all kinds, and I avoided both for years. I did not want to feel like a failure. I [...]
For me, a lifelong subscription to National Geographic has kept me enthralled. The pictures are always stunning, and now they are publishing books as well. Dan Buettner’s “The Blue Zones of Happiness” referred to in the November issue, details countries where happiness is the most prevalent. The United States has one of the highest rates [...]
After caring for my mother into her demise for about eight years, I noticed that I was very drained and seemed to have lost my creative spark. Having always regarded myself as a creative person and since I had been a dancer and then a creative arts therapist for so many years, I assumed [...]
Last night we attended an annual Halloween dance party which has been part of a nearly thirty-year tradition for our circle of friends. It is always fun to try to guess who the familiar person might be, under some outlandish costume. Sometimes it is easy (despite the elaborate disguise), to pick up a known trait [...]
I often see couples in my practice who are struggling with communicating to each other in their relationship. Sometimes one or both of the partners are burnt out in their jobs, or caring for kids as well as trying to find time to connect. Perhaps due to exhaustion, depression, and anxiety, the couples’ intimacy (both [...]
It’s no secret that our thinking minds are very powerful; we often believe most things we tell ourselves. Then there is the problem of what we interpret OTHERS are thinking, and that can get very confusing in interpersonal relationships…ever gotten anxious about that? Last week I was convinced that I had upset my website [...]
New dates will be released in 2021.
