Beginner’s Mind
Be willing to be a beginner every single morning. – Meister Eckhart Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) refers to the concept of “Beginner’s Mind,” a Zen Buddhist practice of keeping your childlike openness and readiness to experience. Think about how often you...Continue reading→
Coping with a New Medical Diagnosis
Receiving a medical diagnosis can stir up all sorts of emotions, including sadness, fear, and hopelessness. Whether the diagnosis came out of the blue or after a significant period of symptoms and diagnostics, attaching a label to the experience –...Continue reading→
Tips for Managing Anxiety and Maintaining Sobriety During Holiday Family Functions
Some people feel dread when it comes to celebrating the end-of-year holidays. Their dread often centers on having to spend the holidays with difficult family members, who somehow always manage to bring negativity to holiday events, creating the opposite of...Continue reading→
Panic Attack Coping Statements
Panic Attacks Defined You’re on a plane. . . or in your car. . . or in a restaurant. . . or seated in class or at work . . when all of a sudden it happens – a panic...
How Psychology’s Focus on Obesity Does More Harm Than Good
Psychology, taking its tune from medicine, has honed in on obesity as a problem its providers need to fix. Medicine views obesity/overweight as a disease; psychology has co-opted the disease model and posits weight as a behavior demanding therapeutic intervention....Continue reading→
12-Step Approaches: Pros and Cons for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Success of 12-Step Approaches Most people are familiar with AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), NA (Narcotics Anonymous), and other 12-Step (self-help) groups. In fact, many treatment providers, when learning of a client’s alcohol or substance misuse, will immediately suggest that the client...Continue reading→
Mental Heath Insurance – To Claim or Not to Claim?
Mental Health Insurance: Before the millennium, many Americans lacked mental health insurance. The Affordable Care Act (aka, Obamacare) expanded on the Mental Health Parity Act to require most insurance plans to cover therapy and treatment for psychiatric disorders. With it,...Continue reading→
The Good Enough Mom
The Perfect Mom Are you a Pinterest-worthy mother? Do you create edible dioramas, crafted only out of bamboo shavings, low-glycemic fruit, and unconditional love? Have you found the perfect tipping point in meditating alongside little one, balancing modeling a spiritual...Continue reading→
Fighting Insomnia with Reverse Psychology
Do you have trouble falling asleep? Does bedtime create significant stress for you? You might be struggling with insomnia. According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 50 million adults experience chronic insomnia, while even more have periodic bouts of...Continue reading→
The Link Between Exercise and Eating What You Want (Hint: It’s Not What You Think)
I remember spotting a woman at the grocery store not too long ago, wearing a shirt that read, “Will Work Out for Fries.” The problem with this sentiment, along with similar ones, is that it posits physical activity as compensation,...Continue reading→
Rejection Therapy and Social Anxiety Disorder
Meet Jia Jang. He’s an entrepeneur, author, and TED Talker. He’s also the owner of Rejection Therapy, a game designed to help people overcome their fears of rejection. A couple of years back, Jia sought to conquer these same fears...Continue reading→
Avoiding Reality via Alcohol/Drug Misuse
One of the frequent goals of alcohol or drug misuse – which can eventually lead to addiction – is the avoidance of reality. Let’s face it – reality is tough. Whether it’s difficult emotions or circumstances, family members or situations,...Continue reading→