For the past few days, I have been worried about an elderly friend of mine who lives alone. She was not answering her phone and I suspected that she might have needed help. It turns out that she did have to go to the ER, but luckily she had a friend close by she could [...]
Being a great fan of National Public Radio, I often get ideas for Blogs from the excellent journalists who interview fascinating people. The other day on NPR there was a book review for a writer Ross Gay whose newest offering “The Book of Delights” made me ponder on that word that I seldom hear; even [...]
These days during the pandemic, the demonstrations, and the political climate, I find myself talking more philosophically with my clients, many of them in their twenties, who are trying to stay emotionally regulated. That’s tough in the calmest of times, let alone now! The world seems so fraught and often they are hopeless about their [...]
What I find so interesting about the psychological principles I was trained in ( transpersonal, humanist, somatic), is the overlap between developing insight into oneself, finding self-compassion, and recognizing that this compassion can help smooth the way to connecting with others. The experience of fear, self-loathing and anxiety is not about self-acceptance or compassion. Needing [...]
In the last years of my mother’s life, when she developed vascular dementia, I found myself wondering about my ability to cope. Caregiving is exhausting work and even though I loved my mother dearly, I was still triggered by her decline. Also, since we were so alike, I could see how aging might affect me, [...]
I had been hearing of Brainspotting technique from some colleagues who feel it is very effective for their clients, even though it is a relatively new technique. One said “it's kind of mystical” and there is not a lot of research yet. In 2003, David Grand Ph.D. developed a synthesis of Somatic Sensing and [...]
Recently a colleague introduced me to a very valuable book, “Suicide; the Forever Decision” by Paul Quinnette PhD. In his forthright way, he addresses the reader very directly about the choices folks make (including the ones reading his book) and the Pros and Cons of taking one’s life. Since I have seen the number of [...]
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 [...]
New dates will be released in 2021.
