Most women come into being with hope, warmth, and playfulness. Critical mothers interrupt the trust and safety needed to foster a secure identity. How do their daughters make sense of that as they make the transition into womanhood? Daughters of Critical Mothers are in need of a safe space for healing. As clinicians, we hold […]
A mother’s presence is a powerful thing. It has the strength to uplift and inspire, and the potential to damage and disparage. When the mother is unavailable, critical, or not attuned to the child’s needs it plants seeds that can take years to unearth and transform. Being able to recognize and heal a Mother Wound […]
The word Focusing means something very specific in the therapy world. Think of Focus, Mindfulness, and Stillness. That’s close, but the focusing I am referring to is Internal Relational Focusing (say THAT 3 times fast!). This sort of Focusing cannot be without the body. I’m not talking focusing on your crooked knees or love handles. […]
We all have one, a Central Autonomic Nervous System. We don’t think about it, we don’t have to do anything for it to work, it does everything on its own, and without it, we could not survive. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) never stops doing its job. Put simply, it’s part of our early “let’s […]
EMDR as a tool used in therapy has gained increasing popularity over the years. Yet, exactly what it is and what really happens when it’s practiced remains mysterious. Some will talk about it being used with war Veterans to help with trauma (which is true), but its wider reach is still elusive. Because I’ve seen […]
People often feel anxiety is a horrible thing. It can feel scary and you just want it to go away! But what if it’s like the Wizard of Oz? You think the wizard is this big frightening thing, demanding and yelling, and then it turns out to be a bumbling little person behind the curtain. […]
Anxiety tends to get a bad rap. Most people think of anxiety as a bad thing, or an annoyance to get rid of, but without anxiety we lack motivation, passion and excitement. Excitement, EEKS that can be a double edged sword. When I say excitement here I mean something that really turns you on; an […]