Life can be stressful, and we all want to suffer less. There is so much information out there, so where do we start? When I was in the Navy, it was 2002 to 2007, I was a Navy Corpsman, aka “Doc” and worked with the Marines. Basically, that is a Medic/EMT ( we did…
December 14, 2020 The year 2020 has impacted practically every facet of our lives as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. This has involved adjusting left and right with how we socialize, work, celebrate, and even go grocery shopping. Living in the midst of a global pandemic affects not only our physical health—it can really…
Deep breathing is proven to help people feel better and live better. Even so, many people find that it doesn’t work for them. If you’ve tried deep breathing but can’t make it work, this article is for you. It’s broken into two parts – the theory of it, which explains how it works, and the…
While I was in rehab in Long Beach, California, I was in a very dark place after loosing my psychological practice, my athletic body, and to a large extent my freedom. Returning from an MRI on a gurney, which terrified me because I am claustrophobic; afraid of both MRIs and elevators, a small Chinese woman…
Last month of 2020! Let’s make it a good one! In this context, making it a good one means making the rest of the Holiday Season as magical as they can be, properly wrapping up this year, and setting up the new one for more success… Today’s topic is the first step in putting a…
Boundaries come in all shapes and sizes. Continental plates, country borders, state lines, property fences, locked doors. Then there are other, more nebulous boundaries: meniscus, the plane between water and air; penumbra, the line between light and shadow. In the individual world, boundaries govern the material, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. Boundaries determine to…
“The body is more than simply another machine, indistinguishable from the artificial objects of the world; it is also the vessel of the individuals’ sense of self, his or her most personal feelings and aspirations… ” (Gardner, 2011). A number of my clients struggle with low self-esteem and body image concerns. Indeed, they are not…
This article is the first of an eight-part series based on the book Eight Dates by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman (2019). The book is a couples guide to the ‘conversations that matter’ – eight topics that couples may try to avoid, but inevitably face as their relationship deepens. Based on 40 years of research data,…
With only two months left to 2020, still pending election results, a ranging pandemic and looming holidays, life can feel pretty stressful right about now. Our plates are full as usual and then some. We are still trying to recoup the year, weather this pandemic, and get stronger footing in our life. The positive coping…
What if anxiety was not the problem? Anxiety, it’s painful, it’s annoying, it’s inconvenient, sometimes it can feel downright unbearable. But what if anxiety itself was not the issue? Anxiety is there to protect us Anxiety is an emotion that we all get to experience. It shows up to protect us from some type of…