Therapy Speak and Boundaries

I have noticed a lot of discourse on the topic of boundaries - a psychology term used to describe limits and rules for yourself and your relationships. Boundaries can be healthy or unhealthy - porous or rigid - physical, time, mental, emotional, material, internal, conversational (source). Some individuals need more boundaries (ex: codependency, people pleasers),…

Stinking Thinking: Cognitive Distortions

Why is it that we, all too often, are our own worst enemy? Consider it a conflict between the soul and the ego. I relate this to the cartoon trope, where a character’s internal conflict is portrayed by a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The ego, the little devil in…

Identify Your Inner Critic So You Can Challenge It

We all have an inner critic, that critical inner voice, often described as a “subpersonality” that judges and demeans us on a daily basis. It tries to keep us small, self-sabotages, and listens to our fears. The voice stems from our childhood, based on the harsh remarks and criticisms from our caregivers that actually changed…

Learning to find your intuitive voice

Metaphorical, of course, but I like to believe our mind works in layers. We experience the world, where we hear and constantly filter the words of others. That’s the outermost layer. Underneath that, we have thoughts that appear in our conscious mind. All of these thoughts come from a million different sources, like the words…

Lessons I Learned From 2022

Happiness starts from within.  Every New Year’s Day, for the past few years, I chose a theme for the year, an intention. Rather than making a lofty resolution, it gives me something positive to reflect on at the end of the year. 2020 was a focus on my career, after completing graduate school. As a…

Unique ways to connect with your inner child

The hurt of childhood wounds can last a lifetime. Our roots are deep and can be incredibly painful to untangle. As difficult as it can be, healing requires connecting to the child within without judgement. It involves leaving space to sit with the fragmented parts of yourself that experienced things it couldn’t understand - like…

Stages of Change

Do we ever really change? Are we doomed to repeat the same unhealthy patterns for the rest of our lives? We have the ability to rewire our brains and are constantly evolving. But how exactly do we start? There is something called the Transtheoretical Model or the 5 Stages of Change. First, we may recognize…

Taking Risks: The Key to Lasting Change

Our first steps, first day of school, first date, first kiss, first job, first place of our own, first marriage, first child. All of our lives consist of firsts. As children we navigate the world with fresh eyes. We constantly depend on our caregivers, because everything is a risk. Then as teenagers, we dive in…

Cosmic Consciousness: The Healing Power of Meditation

This past week, I decided to venture outside of my usual bubble and get a library card. I’m new to the area, so I was excited to explore their selection for the first time. The library is relatively small with a collection mostly of children's books, local history, and political biographies. After a thorough search…

Journal Prompt Ideas for Autumn Equinox

In the Northern Hemisphere, September 21-24 marks the time of the Autumn Equinox or “Mabon”. This time reminds us that Winter is indeed coming and we are in the middle of a constant, transformative cycle. According to Welsh lore, the great river goddess Madron gave birth to Mabon. As the divine son of a divine…