“The goal here is to create a situation you no longer have to escape, or a life you don’t have to numb. The achievement of sobriety is not the point, it’s a by-product of the work. The work is the point. Addiction is the hook that gets you in the door, and quitting is the catalyst to heal deeper wounds.” Holly Whitaker writes in her powerful non-fiction book, Quit Like a Woman: The Radical…
What is self-love? Why do so many people struggle to love themselves? Self-love is not selfish. It’s not about stepping on others. It’s not about grandiosity or arrogance. Self-love allows us to show up for others with energy and to be happier in our interpersonal relationships. It lets us see when others try to take advantage of us, treat us poorly or do not respect our boundaries. We won’t accept poor behavior from others because…
Sometimes we don’t have the words to describe our pain. Sometimes it feels anxiety-provoking to sit with a new counselor, or even a therapist we’ve been working with for awhile, and share our most vulnerable secrets. Our shame. Experiences that feel unique, lonely, regrettable. As a therapist, I know that there are times when a barrage of questions isn’t the right method for growth between my client and myself. Sometimes sitting in silence isn’t the…
Keeping a dream diary can be an incredibly powerful tool when engaging in therapeutic work. The best time to record a dream is immediately upon awakening from it, when its initial memory and the emotions attached to it are most deeply experienced. I know that the temptation to drift back off to slumber, if you are able to, can oftentimes be too powerful, or necessary, to ignore. But it is my belief that our…
My first talk therapist wasn’t highly skilled. It wasn’t her fault. She was a student intern at the SUNY Geneseo health center. She probably had been trying her best to gain experience in order to become a licensed mental health counselor. It was 2002 and I was entering into my Junior year of college. I had just survived my first psychotic bipolar one episode. Think resources today aren’t very good for people with mental health…
