Selfishness gets a bad rap in society. As a species that depends on community for survival, we have deep instincts for collaboration and altruism, and look down upon those who might seem to be too focused on themselves. A byproduct of this, though, is someone living...
"Pack lightly," is what my client said during her session. I am often incredibly inspired by the insights my clients have during their sessions. Pack lightly. The journey through life is long, and wee have a limited amount of energy to get us through it. Along the...
One of the analogies I’ve come up with to compare hypnosis to therapy, is that of surgery versus a topical treatment. Some medical conditions can be treated in a variety of ways, either externally or internally. Surgery is often faster, but it is also more invasive....
We all tell ourselves stories to get through the day. Sometimes we tell ourselves there is a God in heaven who loves us. Sometimes we tell ourselves that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we tell ourselves that we're not good at physical activity. In reality,...
I've written in the past about ways in which therapy and mental health can improve (although I've since tempered my language to be more nuanced and less aggressive - the power of personal growth, yo). Here, I'd like to explore ways in which the hypnosis industry could...
When working with clients, I often encounter a seeming paradox. On one hand, I encourage them to experience discomfort in a very overt and direct way. I sometimes describe myself as an “emotional pain tolerance coach”, essentially supporting clients as...
There is a sneaky part that hides behind everything you are trying to work on. It’s a variation of the thing itself, and it can be the hardest to notice. Take for example, anger. You’re working on your anger, and every time you mess up, you get furious at yourself....
I have long known that my therapeutic approach with Navya has been rather unconventional. I typically let clients book with me when they want, by giving them a link to my scheduling calendar. There is no assumption as to how frequently they will return to see me. I...
For much of its history, psychology has focused on solving emotional problems. It started with Freud, and his hilariously cynical goal to convert his clients “from hysterical misery to common unhappiness”. Even more optimistically minded people like the jovial Carl...
One of my many interests in life is the world of finance. While many people’s eyes gloss over as soon the talk of money comes up, I love personal finance, economics, and understanding the complex and creative ways in which money makes the world go around. One of the...
There is an acute shortage of mental health professionals in the world, even as more people than ever before need help. Why more people are needing it may be a combination of factors, such as the world being more stressful, but I like to think that a lot of it is...
As an empath, this is one principle that I wish I had learned earlier: Experiencing other people’s pain or suffering can be disheartening, and if you’re highly sensitive you’re constantly coming into contact with it. It can be very disempowering as it...
Two of my heroes, who greatly influenced my methodologies and even the name of this brand itself, have not had the impact they deserved to have. I am not making judgements about their happiness, or about them fulfilling their potential. But I think what they have to...
We spend so much of our life avoiding discomfort. And it’s fair, because there is always a level of discomfort that is unbearable, and there were times in your life – particularly your childhood – where avoiding discomfort was the best thing you could do to survive....
The foundational point upon which my practice is founded upon, is that life is suffering. This is a basic buddhist idea, one that states that being born guarantees suffering. It starts with the pain of being shoved through a much too small hole, and continues to...
My biggest fear is other people's suffering. It was the first day of processing during my Ayahuasca ceremony, realizing that all that pain I was feeling was in response to other people, but not actually other people. This gave me some control back, these were still my...
My father once told me that he only assumed a leadership role after he realized that "everyone else was incompetent". Although this is obviously a generalization, I relate a lot to this sentiment - to the degree that I'm a leader, I'm a reluctant one. I'd much rather...
When I came out about my traumatic upbringing and emotional struggles as a child and teenager, I was frequently met with disbelief by many people who knew me back then. "You were always such a happy child!" and "You had the biggest smile!" How could it be that someone...
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 I’ve always...
In my hypnotherapy practice, I tend to attract a certain kind of client. These clients and I share a strong propensity for laughing at the darker sides of life – finding humor in death, suffering, and absurd voices that live in our head. My sessions tend to be highly...