Ever wonder why you might have the same expereince again and again? Whether it’s with a boss, partner, friend or family member, you find you are in the same dynamic, feeling the same thing over and over. Or perhaps you seem to attract a similar kind of person to date repeatedly. This happens when one way of relating to others is strong and others are underdeveloped.  The strong reaction or habit is often something we did to get through a traumatic or challenging experience. At the time, it helped . This is wonderful. The downside is that we will use the same reaction as a way to navigate all situations unconsciously. This is how we end up in with the repeated experiences named above. If the above sounds familiar, you might benefit from relational therapy.

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This meditation is intended to support those who want want to feel more relaxed, calm or present but have a hard time unplugging from busy-ness. Busyness is defines as a state or condition of having a great deal to do. But busyness can also be in our minds at times, even though we are not consumed with doing much but thinking. Being able to pause from thinking or doing, allowing ourselves to just ‘be’ is vital to our mental health and well-being, particularly for those who suffer from anxiety, depression, and PTSD. It’s a skill that can be cultivated and strengthened. We often can do it when circumstances are right and do it without being conscious of it.

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A few different approaches to psychotherapy have a framework that names aspects of our psyche as ‘parts.’ A part is sort of like character inside us who has particular way of thinking, behaving, feeling, reacting. For example, you might have a part that when faced with a new situation, that part worries about every little detail, or when you are instructed to do a task a certain way, your initial reaction is often or always to rebel. The image from fiction and pop culture of an angel siting on one shoulder and a devil on the other is a version of this. Parts are generated in our emotional landscape to meet needs inside us. Identifying ‘parts’

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Sadly, the kind of split described in the poem above can be common. In stress and mental illness, people can cut off from the body to cope with their pain. In American culture, we often try to think our way through our problems to a solution. My clients are frequently confused why they can’t shift a relational dynamic or make a change in their mental health through rational thought process and cognitive analysis alone. The idea that thought, emotions, sensation and the body’s processes are interconnected is foreign. Our felt sense or lived,

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I am writing this because there is increasing interest in psychedelic assisted therapy and I get a number of inquiries about this kind of therapy that indicate folks need some 101 level education on what is available in California. 

Many are watching Michael Pollen’s series on Netflix or reading his book without realizing that not all the psychedelic therapy featured in the media is readily available in their area. So here’s some quick, simple FAQ’s. For more in depth information you can visit MAPS’s website here. 

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When you are a new mom, everything is new. Every. Single.Thing. Everything. Every decision. Every day. And you get a pattern or routine down, then it changes. Even if you have been around babies, it's not the same. They weren’t yours. It’s totally different.

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Becoming a mother, you are becoming something new. It’s the biggest transition of your entire life. Dads have a different experience. Moms are already giving up things as soon as you become pregnant… your body's changing... it tugs on your life force. You have to walk through fire to become a mom, you have scars, it changes you, you are different. Instead of being alone in the suffering of that, because there is suffering --

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One of my favorite online resources for therapists and clients alike is the podcast Therapy and the Body with Lu Johnson.

Lu Johnson is a body-centered psychotherapist based in Oakland, CA. In her private practice, she specializes in working somatically with individuals and queer couples. She has a Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology AND Counseling Psychology. (!!!)

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There’s no question that 2020 was a hard year for everyone. People are stressed, stretched and emptied out. Others are restless, bored and feeling hopeless. The need for quality mental health care has been high.

Due to COVID, therapists shifted the way they work with their clients overnight. In March 2020, both clients and therapists

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For those of you who don’t know, I am an organic gardener. Most of my free time is spent tending fruits, veggies and flowers. The direct outcome of my hard work is food I can eat. The joy I get from watching plants grow is one of the best parts of my days.

For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than connecting with the cycle of life this way.

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It’s easy to take our thoughts for granted. However, our thoughts can have a huge impact on our moods and mental health. Often, we get hooked into assuming that our negative thoughts are the truth of our experience or the circumstances around us. Getting to know our thoughts and how they impact our mood, body, self image and more can free us from their negative impacts.

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In my therapy practice, I see a lot of pregnant and postpartum moms. I see a correlation between women who are disappointed in their birth experience and afterwards have postpartum anxiety or depression. My background, prior to being a therapist was as a Licensed Midwife. My training specialized in

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This guided meditation contains several nervous system calming elements for a quick and simple come down from stress, anxiety and trauma. I work with a lot of busy people, in particular new parents and postpartum moms. Time is a an element SERIOUSLY lacking from their days. That’s why I lean towards short meditations and tools that just take a few minutes.

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When I started this article, we were not in the midst of a global pandemic. While I am seeing a range of responses in my clients to COVID- 19 Shelter in Place orders, disrupted travel plans, childcare challenges, job insecurity and more, there’s no denying that collective emotions are running high and fears are prevalent.

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How many times have you heard yourself saying something like this? Or heard your partner? Have you felt misunderstood or misinterpreted? Are there time when your partner took something you said to a place that made NO sense to you? Do you end up in arguments with your sweetie about what you said or didn’t say? What happened or didn’t happen?

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