Fortune tellerโs omens to the contrary, the thing you fear usually does not come true. One of my favourite quotes from Mark Twain goes โIโve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.โ I found this to be true for my personal anxieties โ I would…
I have long known that I exist within a contradictory dichotomy: an attraction to both freedom and safety. (I use safety and structure interchangeably here, because to me structure creates a feeling of safety) I think others may relate to this as well, but Iโve always…
I have been practicing caring for my inner child for many months now, focusing on providing it with the basic emotional needs I knew it needed but had never gotten. A sense of being held, of being ok, of feeling contained in compassion, of validation and safety. As I…
Shame is a bitch. A motherfucking cuntbusting[1] bitch. Of all negative emotions, itโs the one that hits me the hardest, because it challenges my very existence. To stare in the face of your shame is to stare into the gut clenching void that says โyou suck too much to…
Iโd like to list the features of an amazingly powerful and easy to use assessment tool that can increase efficiency and work satisfaction. Theย PDPย is 22 page report generated by answering a series of this or that questions that seem completely pointless and unrelated….
They say that 90% of success is showing up. I try to live by that principle. Whether it’s quieting the voice in my head that says “thousands of people have already tried that”, or getting myself to take small, seemingly inconsequential steps towards…
I recently discovered a personal productivity app calledย Fabulousย and have actually used it to improve my life. Fabulous (I cannot say the word without envisioning a fabulous gay person) ย brands itself as a digital life coach and is based on the premise that the best…
Eve, a therapist herself, came for treatment because she was having difficulty finding a life partner. Despite being successful, outgoing, and good with people, she had dated dozens of guys with no success. In the course of her treatment, Eve was able to explore her…
Alex used to experience continuous anxiety. Even when speaking with him, one got a sense that he was always on edge, suspicious and tense. This made it difficult for him to focus on his studies and made transitions into new environments very difficult. During his…
Elizabeth was a vivacious and happy young woman with a dark past. Her father had verbally abused her for years, culminating in her running away from home during her teens. Behind her cheerful personality lay a lot of mistrust, fear, and a deep need for affirmation…
Guilt is a recurring theme amongst many clients, two specific instances come to mind because of their similarity: Carl and Danny both discovered during a session that they were being held back in life by an inner voice that told them they were not good enough because…
Brett was a medical school student who had burnt out after several years of study. He no longer connected emotionally to his initial motivation to become a doctor, and as a result was finding his studies tedious and uninspiring. He was finding that other peopleโs…
Donโt feel like doing what youโre really supposed to be doing? Fine. We all experience this, sometimes multiple times a day. Often itโs the most important task, and therefore the most weight, that we feel the least compelled to do. Why this happens is a topic…
I recently saw a TED talk introducing a concept called multipotentialites. (My spellcheck does not recognize that wordโs right to exist. A multipotentialite is someone who is fascinating by a variety of different subjects, dives in and becomes decently good at…
I donโt really believe in top 10 lists (that’s why this list has 9). They are entertaining, and make great lists of fails or lolcats. But if you are actually trying to grow or get inspired, it usually represents information overload โ the exact opposite of what…
ย There is a surprising technique used by hypnotists to put their subjects into a deeper trance. It involves taking people out of trance, briefly. You instruct your subject to open their eyes for a second, and to then close them and sink deeper into trance. And it…
The most offensive word in the English language starts with an S. But itโs not a four letter word. In fact, itโs quite unassuming at first. Itโs the word โshouldโ. Should implies expectation, from either yourself or other people. And expectations are always caustic,…
The 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia are in full swing. And everyone seems particularly into it. ย The excitement, the spectacular light and sound shows, and the hilarious Russian glitches. ย After all, in Russia, Olympics watch you. ย Everyone wants to see the…
ย Why do we procrastinate? This is probably one of the most discussed topics in the self-help literature, and when I say literature, I mean online blog posts. There are endless articles on techniques, strategies, and the reasons behind why we procrastinate. But Iโd…
ย Love, connection, empowerment. When we run meditation workshops, we are able to get an unlimited number of people to simultaneously experience a diverse range of positive emotions. Every person experiences these emotions in their own unique way, but ultimately…