Tag: counseling

Coping, counseling, Mindfulness, PTSD, Resources, secondary trauma, self care, self worth

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness exercise abbreviated and adapted from Dan Siegel's wheel of awareness exercise. Mindfulness is the art of being aware of our internal and external experience. Mindfulness allows us to recognize and stay curious about each part of our experience--our thoughts, our emotions, our sensations--without being swept away by them. After all, each of these is … Continue reading Mindfulness Meditation

change, Complex trauma, Coping, counseling, PTSD, secondary gains, self worth

The Benefit of Shame

Shame is the feeling or belief that we are somehow flawed and unworthy of love and belonging. If we are capable of connection and empathy, we are vulnerable to shame. It is a common human experience. Unlike guilt, which is the conviction that I did something bad, shame is the feeling that I am bad. … Continue reading The Benefit of Shame

boundaries, change, Coping, counseling, Resources, self care, self worth

3 Assumptions for Compassionate Living

Compassion. Easy to preach and difficult to practice. If you know me personally or have read my previous blogs you may know that I am a recovering perfectionist. Perfectionism is often accompanied by harsh judgment of self and others which is in stark contrast if not the complete opposite of compassion. As a result, in … Continue reading 3 Assumptions for Compassionate Living

change, Coping, counseling, eating disorder

Working with Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses and potentially life threatening, and they are very complex. Many people want to see the illness as a “disorder of choice,” as if the person made the “choice” to have an eating disorder and should make the “choice” to stop having one. It’s important to understand that well meaning advice may be going to a brain that has been hijacked by a mental illness.

change, Complex trauma, counseling, EMDR, Post Traumatic Stress, PTSD

Understanding EMDR Therapy

What is EMDR? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is “an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches” (www.emdria.org). EMDR essentially makes traumatic material less powerful. For example, if you … Continue reading Understanding EMDR Therapy