Mental Health

The Dangers of Repressed Emotions

Repression and Suppression are words that often get mixed up. Suppression is a defense mechanism that we use voluntarily to hide what we are feeling. Repression is the “unconscious blocking of unpleasant emotions, impulses, memories, and thoughts from your unconscious...

Mentally Well with Animals

Mentally Well with Animals

You come home after a long stressful day and sit on the couch. Zoning out before you suddenly feel the softness of your dog’s head on your lap looking up at you. Your dog understands you’re feeling off today and has taken time to try and comfort you. You look down and...

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based behavior therapy. In contrast to Western-based psychological theory, ACT does not have symptom reduction as a goal. This is based on the view that an on-going attempt to eliminate symptoms causes...

Dealing with Resentment

Dealing with Resentment

The word “resentment” is defined as “bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.” How often do we find ourselves dealing with resentment? Resentment can happen with any relationship; friends, family, co-workers, but the pertinent question is: how do we deal...

Recognizing your body’s feelings?

Can you recognize what your body feels? Did you ever feel so anxious that you felt sick to your stomach? Do you ever feel so angry that you felt like your head was literally going to explode? Have you felt so joyful that you got butterflies in your stomach? Can you...

Counseling Can Lead to Discovery

During a recent session, a client said to me, “Wow, you just uncovered that”. The client had an epiphany and saw something from a different perspective. Counseling can lead to discovery. I remind my clients that they are responsible for the work they do on healing and...

EMDR can help with old traumas.

Are old traumas tainting moments of joy? If you answered yes to that question, EMDR can help! EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is an 8-phase, 3-prong therapeutic approach that “rewires” our brain. It can relieve the symptoms of past...

Good Grief! 6 Things to Know When Facing a Loss

Good Grief! 6 Things to Know When Facing a Loss

Loss is not something that people like to think about. Rather it is something that we all have to address at some time in our lives. These days we learn about stress management in school, at work, even in our doctor’s office. However, no one tells us how to handle...

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

30 days of Crushing Anxiety!

Do you avoid certain activities because you are anxious about them? 30 days of Crushing Anxiety was an experiment I created for myself when I was feeling stuck in anxious thoughts and stuck in a less then wonderful lifestyle. Here's what I did. Commit The first step...