It’s summer and most kids are having fun. While kids are having fun, parents are thinking about the upcoming school year, especially if their children are beginning High School, College or Kindergarten. However, there is another important beginning for children, Middle School. This is a major transition for pre-adolescents. As a psychotherapist who works with […]
Trapped in Survival and Silence You know, I spent so much of my life stuck in survival mode, always afraid, always trying to keep the peace around men’s anger and criticism. Growing up, it was like walking on eggshells, scared I’d get screamed at or berated for any little thing, like I could never just […]
A Childhood Shaped by Fear Growing up, I navigated a world where intense emotions, like my dad’s unpredictable anger, taught me to stay quiet and keep the peace. My nervous system adapted, wiring me to be cautious, always sensing the mood around me to feel safe. That early pattern carried into adulthood, where I found […]
Letting go of a narcissist you love hurts like hell. Love is how you navigate life, how you feel your way through the world. But if you were wired to love people who hurt you—people who demanded you sacrifice yourself, manage their emotions, and abandon your own needs while being treated in ways you didn’t […]
It is common to feel nervous or stressed in sports. However, when nervousness intensifies beyond a window of tolerance to heightened anxiety, athletic performance can decline. Anxiety An anxiety disorder requires a clinical diagnosis and is different from ordinary feelings of nervousness. Symptoms are often defined as “excessive” and “persistent”. Anxiety disorders often consist of […]
Anger, excitement, sadness, and frustration are all normal emotions in childhood. But school-aged children don’t instinctively know how to manage these big feelings. Emotion regulation—the ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify emotional reactions—is a crucial skill they must learn from the adults around them. As art therapists, caregivers, and educators, we play a critical […]
Let him go. Die to the self and hurt like hell once. Endure his narcissism, and it’s death by a thousand cuts, hurting forever. Both paths sting, but which one do you choose? I’ve been there, and I can tell you—the path of no longer tolerating narcissistic abuse is the one that heals your health […]
“What do I do? What do I say? How do I say it? How should I look? How do I pull this off? What’s he gonna think of me? I gotta do this for everyone else. I can’t screw up. I’m so freaking anxious.” Sound familiar? These words are like a soundtrack stuck on repeat […]
It’s gut-wrenching to admit that the person you love is breaking your soul and body, piece by piece. The truth is, when you’re caught in a relationship with a narcissistic partner, their hurtful patterns can erode your confidence, self-worth, and emotional well-being over time. It’s tough to face because, deep down, you might feel you […]
Warning Signs of Narcissistic Abuse in Toxic Marriages and Its Impact on Gut Health Navigating a toxic marriage marked by narcissistic abuse can leave deep emotional and physical scars, often manifesting as chronic health issues like gut disease. The pain of narcissistic abuse—gaslighting, emotional manipulation, and neglect—can trap you in a cycle of denial, dissociation, […]
