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...
An issue that often goes unnoticed in the process of healing, is the loss of the many selves that we've built up along the way. Being legitimate victims of life's circumstances, if we identify as such, still comes with certain benefits. For example, the excuses you...
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...
In the traditional corporate space, where specializing in one key area is valued, the usual resume makes sense - you clearly delineate the trajectory of how you became that world class specialist in your field, from your schooling to the jobs you've held. "These...
As a hypnotherapist, I have strong opinions about therapy and it's done. Me? Strong opinions? Yes, it's true. I believe therapists, will all their training and compassion, are falling far short of how effective they can be. I have seen from firsthand experience how...
It’s hard to be compassionate when you’re afraid. And charedim are afraid of everything. Of God, of change, of novelty. Growing up, a healthy dose of compassion would have gone a long way, but there was none to be found. Yiras Shomayim, fear of God, is what it was all...
It was my birthday the other day. Which coincided with a period of soul-searching and a struggle for direction. I had a breakthrough this morning and wrote this letter to myself. It doesn’t even make perfect sense, but it feels right at the moment. —...
It’s important to always be able to poke fun at yourself. The line between geninue growth and self-help hogwash is very fine. Check out the Depak Chopra New Age BS generator of an example of this line being crossed. The following poster was created by me as part...
The funniest comedians are those who are able to make fun of daily life. They find the nuances in our own behavior, the contradictions that are part of being human, and they drag them out into the open in a way that causes us to laugh. Louis C.K. is one of the most...
If you need to go from point A to point B, you may as well dance along the way.
I don’t 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 – the exact opposite of what...
The renowned Jewish mystic, The Maharal of Prague, offers a fascinating visual explanation to the meaning of Shalom. In Hebrew, unlike other languages, the names for things are more than just arbitrary, culturally-agreed upon terms used to communicate. Each word has...
I was recently working with a client who was very resentful. Towards himself. He would beat himself up over all his failures, and felt inadequate despite his successes. When I asked him if he’d consider a different way of going about life, he asked me “what else is...
I distinctly remember, when I first ventured into meditation and attempted to quiet my thoughts, that I had a fear that I would completely disappear. My brain chatter was my identity. I had to have a continuous train of thought at any given point in my life, in order...