What drives our addictions? Every one of us has had some adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Recent studies have shown a link between adverse childhood experiences and addictions. Our self-identity is formed early in life, based on our life experiences. The good news is that we also have the ability to develop resilience and recover from our
A New Therapy Group Starting Soon Everyone I know, including myself, suffers from some form of addiction. I use the term addiction to include not just addiction to alcohol or drugs, but also addiction to social media (Facebook, email, Instagram), gambling, Netflix, porn, sex, relationships, exercise, work, food, coffee, shopping and most importantly – thinking.
A Class Divided This is an invitation to watch this powerful movie. It brings me to tears everytime I watch it. The reason I am sharing it is that the topic is still very relevant today. We live in a world that is divided. Conservatives vs. Liberals, Rich vs. Poor, Black vs. White, Educated vs.
The secret to mental health is to move our attention from the imagined reality to the simple presence of being here.
One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good.
True meditation is not something we do while sitting on a cushion for “x” minutes a day– true meditation is simply being open to the moment-by-moment experience of being alive. He explains: Meditation is a direct experience of the uninterrupted moment we commonly call the NOW. In true meditation, we are not trying to get
The Container Exercise: Many years ago, I came across this simple yet powerful exercise for couples or anyone experiencing stress or conflict in a relationship. The greatest gift one human being can give to another is the gift of listening with compassion and without judgment. You don’t have to agree with what they are saying
Stressful thoughts pop into our awareness every day. For many of us, they tend to be persistent and cause uncomfortable emotions and bodily sensations. We try many methods to deal with these thoughts – we try to suppress them, express them, change them into positive thoughts, deny them, and distract ourselves. We even try to
Here is a short (3-mins) meditation practice for busy folks. This technique was adopted from the book “Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression”, by Segal et al. You can use this as a coping meditation during times of stress or as a daily practice. Try doing it several times a day. It is a very
