Some of the most important solid tools I teach people in counseling are breathing exercises. The way you breathe is really important and can have a significant effect on your mental health. Chances are good that you probably breathe wrong. Check out this post to learn more about this.
Sesame Street just introduced an autistic character. I collected a few videos about it and put them in this blog post.
Have you ever had a time when someone important to you wasn’t there for you when you needed them and you really felt abandoned? Like you were reaching out for him or her and he/she wasn’t there or was cold and unresponsive. This can be a particularly painful experience that can damage a person’s sense of safety and ability to open up and reach out to loved ones for help. In this blog post I share a video that speaks to many people who have had this kind of experience repeatedly or in a big way.
Mindfulness encourages us to be present in the moment and recognize thoughts as fleeting things that we don’t have to give power to. In this blog post I talk about mindfulness and couples relations as depicted through a music video from the tv show Steven Universe.
I was published in a local magazine this month! I wrote about five of the most important things I wish for all of the couples I work with to learn. This blog contains the article before it was edited for publication and a few videos.
There has been a lot of disagreement over the years as to whether addiction is a disease or a choice. Lots of recent research into neurochemistry has shown that addiction makes actual physical changes to the brain. Addiction hijacks our natural hierarchy of priorities and claims a space in the brain that can supersede all other needs. Check out my blog post to learn more about why addiction is a disease.
Most people don’t have a clear understanding of the differences between extroverts and introverts. This brief blog post talks about those differences.
Have you ever heard someone describe their pain after a breakup or the death of a loved one as having a broken heart? Turns out there is an actual condition known as Takotsubo syndrome, or broken heart syndrome, in which the heart is physically changed after a person experiences a severe stressor such as the loss of a loved one. Check out my blog post to learn more.
Every now and then I like to document whats going on in the world of substance abuse. In this blog post you will learn about:
A drug that has been available OTC for many years that the DEA has recently made illegal.
A California proposition that would legalize recreational marijuana use.
And an update on powdered alcohol, which I wrote about in April of 2015.
As human beings we experience lots of complicated emotions that are hard to explain. This blog post contains several of my favorite obscure/foreign words for emotions.