therapy

What do you do when anxiety arises? How does your body feel when those trickling anxious thoughts become a steady flow? Perhaps a sinking pit plunges in your stomach; a heavy pressure begins to squeeze your chest; your heartbeat and pulse start pounding, well above normal; or pins and needles engulf your neck, shoulders, and legs, as a cold sweat develops down your spine. Needless to say, no one would classify those physical feelings as particularly pleasant, even though they’re a universally present feature of human existence. We all deal with fear, and anyone can find…

My good friend, Debbie, got divorced 22 years ago after a nasty breakup between her and her ex-husband. He had cheated on her with her brother’s fiance, publicly declared he no longer loved her, then left her, “in a pool of my own tears,” as she described it. The breakup was so sudden, so painful, and so traumatic that she swore off romantic relationships-- of any kind, from single dates to long-term partnerships-- from that day forward. “That heartbreak was worse than any joy I ever felt with him, and I can’t look at any part…

Consider what’s happening right now. Seriously, what is literally happening to you right now? Where are you sitting as you read this: the type of chair, how your body feels resting atop it, or how your legs and torso feel against the chair’s surface? Are you cradling your phone with your hand: the bottom resting on your pinky knuckle, supported upright by your three middle fingers behind it, as your opposable thumb scrolls up and down the smooth screen? Knowing, and being aware of, what’s happening to you in the moment is a process known as…

Over the past few months, there’s been a lot of focus on the side effects of modern medicine, particularly those related to medicines we ingest into our body. While the current medical hesitance appears misguided, at best-- seriously, folks, please get vaccinated when you can-- on a broader scale, a cautious approach towards any medication is understandable. No medical decision should ever be taken lightly, and for many people, deciding on whether or not to take a prescribed medication comes down to weighing the risk versus the reward. But what if I told you there was…