Healing Childhood Wounds Through Inner Child Work Why Childhood Wounds Still Shape Adult Life Many of the patterns that trip us up in adulthood—anxiety, reactivity, people‑pleasing, avoidance—aren’t random. They’re learned adaptations that once kept us safe. When those strategies become rigid, they block intimacy, confidence, and ease. Inner child work gives us a way to […]
Over the years, I have observed the power of suggestion. Stop for a moment to consider the power of words as one method of conveying suggestions. Using words, a politician conveys an agenda. Using words, a salesperson sells goods. Using words, a teacher teaches. Using words thoughts are imparted from one person to another or […]
The Power of Listening: Why Being Heard Transforms Relationships Why Listening Matters More Than We Think Most people believe they’re decent listeners—yet research shows we typically remember less than half of what someone has just told us. In relationships, this gap can be devastating. When we feel unheard, arguments escalate, disconnection grows, and resentment takes […]
Parenting comes with its joys, challenges, and moments of learning. One of the more difficult aspects can be handling anger in children and teens. Moments of outbursts, tantrums, or even quiet, simmering rage can leave parents feeling confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed. However, anger is a natural emotion—a signal that something deeper may be going on. […]
Across conditions and across the lifespan, women and girls report more frequent and intense pain than men. Large electronic-medical-record analyses and decades of lab and clinical studies find higher pain reports among women for many diseases and experimental pain tasks. Mechanisms are biopsychosocial: hormones and immune pathways, sex-specific neurobiology, higher prevalence of pain conditions […]
Classrooms are more than places of academic learning—they are emotional ecosystems where children bring their full selves, including anxiety, anger, sadness, or fears. When a child struggles to regulate emotions, it can affect not only their own learning but also the classroom environment. Teachers often find themselves managing emotional outbursts without the training or support […]
What That Really Means—and How Couples Therapy Can Help Life gets busy. Between raising kids, working long hours, and managing daily tasks, it’s easy for romantic connection to take a back seat. Many couples come to therapy saying: “We’re not really fighting… we just feel more like roommates than partners.” If this resonates with you, […]
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 […]
The term “re-parenting” is frequently used to describe the process of turning inward and providing our younger selves with the care and love we may have lacked in early childhood. This internal work is crucial because when our younger parts don’t receive the nurturing they need, we can develop various symptoms—many psychological diagnoses are linked […]
You may have been called “too sensitive” or “too much” growing up. Partners, friends, family or colleagues may have made you feel like your deep feelings were a burden for them. The reality is that you are simply wired to feel life deeply. The world around you can often be an overwhelming experience! There are […]
