How I Lighten My Mood by Making a Bargain with the Universe
“Pain is what the world does to you; suffering is what you do yourself.” ~Gautama Buddha I don’t expect things to be a steady state of bliss. In fact, I…
The Truth About Mr. S.: The Sexual Predator from My High School Band
TRIGGER WARNING: This post deals with accounts of sexual harassment and assault and may be triggering to some people. “There can be a deep loneliness that comes from not having…
Beyond Discipline: The Real Reasons You Don’t Follow Through on Self-Commitments
The popular self-help culture inculcates in us the belief that in order to become successful, we must have discipline. We are told that discipline is the key to achieving academic…
How to Be a Lot Happier: A Simple Solution
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~Leonardo da Vinci There’s a funny thing with us humans. We spend our lives trying desperately to find happiness, and yet we don’t even know…
10 Signs You’re in a Toxic, Unhealthy Relationship and How to Help Yourself
“Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly…the lover alone possesses his gift of love.” ~Toni Morrison Not…
How Trauma Can Cause Mental Illness (It’s Not Just a Chemical Imbalance)
“What seems to be clear is that we humans are an accumulation of our traumatic experiences, that each trauma contributes to our biology, and that this biology determines, to some…
How My Anger Helped Me Learn to Speak Up About My Needs
“If we are holding back from any part of our experience, if our heart shuts out any part of who we are and what we feel, we are fueling the…
How to Interpret and Break through Creative Blocks
By Ronald Alexander As a mind-body therapist working with creative clients for more than 40 years, I discovered that blocks to creativity can be rooted in old losses or trauma…