Affairs can surface in a long-term relationship. Can healing occur when the affairs have been covert, repeated and ongoing? Several years ago a couple, Peter and Sherri (not their real names), a married, het/cisgender couple, came to see me. They had been married for approximately 25 years. As are my usual questions when I first […] Read more “Healing from Affairs — Cheating is not Polyamory”
Healing from Affairs — Cheating is not Polyamory
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Estimated: 6 minutes to read
Cultural Competence and Bias
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
As therapists, we recognize our ethical obligations to know and acknowledge the limits of our training and skills. We know that our expertise grows over time with experience and supervision, training, reading, dialogue and further training. These activities contribute to our mastery of specialized areas, methods or skills. But what about cultural competence? How do […] Read more “Cultural Competence and Bias”
The Pain is Our Pain
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
The pain is our pain. It is the wound in the world and we are of the world. I know that all moments, across the whole of humanity, are occasions of suffering and joy, beyond my scope. I suppose that when a blow lands so close to heart and home, the perimeter I hold […] Read more “The Pain is Our Pain”
In the Shadow of Disney World
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Estimated: 6 minutes to read
ORLANDO SHOOTING JUNE 11, 2016 When I think Orlando, I think of sun filled days, blue skies, parents and grandparents offering up days of fun and excitement, showering their children with the time of their lives at Disney World. But from yesterday on, I will think of Orlando in a different way. I will think […] Read more “In the Shadow of Disney World”
Building Trust
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Estimated: 9 minutes to read
Julie Diamond, Ph.D. is a colleague and former therapist, who has turned her attention to the issues facing organizations. In the blog below she talks about a human dilemma that is not limited to work life – trust. As you read it, consider where in your life trust is missing and what you might do […] Read more “Building Trust”
Bad Dreams Have Meaning
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
In honor of the season, we are looking at things that scare or frighten us and why that is. Our colleague and process worker, David Bedrick, helps us understand how inner critics sometimes appear in bad dreams and how we can make use of the messages they bring. The following article originally appeared in Psychology […] Read more “Bad Dreams Have Meaning”
Becoming a Polyamory Ally: How to Start
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
This blog was inspired by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) blog How to Be a LGBTQ Ally. I am grateful to HRC for their groundbreaking leadership in the fight for the rights of LGBT people in US and around the world. To read the original HRC blog, click http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/how-to-be-an-lgbt-ally For a lot of people, learning […] Read more “Becoming a Polyamory Ally: How to Start”
8 Ways to Take Action Against Islamophobia
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Estimated: 5 minutes to read
Prejudice, stereotyping, bias—however we understand these tendencies and attitudes, we can learn to identify, confront, wrestle with, accept, and change them within ourselves. Sometimes, however, doing so is possible only with great difficulty. Discrimination takes many forms, including harassment, bullying, hate speech, and scapegoating. Such behaviors put others at risk, cause harm and—at times—may even […] Read more “8 Ways to Take Action Against Islamophobia”
Returning to Therapy — A Profound Act of Self-care
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D., Dipl. PW & Rami Henrich, LCSW, Dipl. PW “I can’t believe I’m here… again.” Some people returning to therapy for the second, third, or fifth time often wonder “why do I need to go back to therapy?” “was there something I should have handled the last time around?” “maybe I am […] Read more “Returning to Therapy — A Profound Act of Self-care”
Growth and Decay in Life: What Sustains Us?
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
“Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden underground in the rhizome. The part that appears above ground lasts only a single summer. Then it withers away-an ephemeral apparition. When we think of the unending growth and decay of life and civilizations, we […] Read more “Growth and Decay in Life: What Sustains Us?”
Five Steps to Mindfulness Meditation
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
Basic meditation is the practice of doing nothing and being tuned in to your own mind at the same time. At first, it can be frustrating, but research shows meditation reduces stress and increases focus. Mindfulness is an exercise in training the mind to notice thoughts, sensations and emotions, and not get too attached to them […] Read more “Five Steps to Mindfulness Meditation”
Meditation Is Not What You Think: Meditation Practice Tips
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Often, when we take up meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness practices, we inadvertently create obstacles for ourselves. We fall into assumptions, believing there is a “right way” to meditate. If you are struggling with meditation in any form, here are a few practice tips gathered over time that may help you. 1. Relax When you are working […] Read more “Meditation Is Not What You Think: Meditation Practice Tips”
Going Down with Depression
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
Process work or process-oriented psychology often takes a paradoxical point of view on disturbance and conflict. In his post below, fellow Process Worker, David Bedrick shares insights on the ups and downs of depression. DEPRESSION The word comes from the latin “depressare”- to press down. Our culture heavily favors being “up” and many of us have […] Read more “Going Down with Depression”
How To Be a LGBT Ally
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Estimated: 1 minute to read
This post originally appeared on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) blog on October 5, 2105, in advance of National Coming Out Day. It was written by Hayley Miller, Senior Digital Media Associate. We think it contains valuable information for anyone wanting to become more affirming and supportive to LGBT friends and family members. For a […] Read more “How To Be a LGBT Ally”
Thich Nhat Hanh
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Estimated: 5 minutes to read
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his powerful teachings and best selling writings. This quote got such a strong positive response when we posted it on Tumblr, that we wanted to share with you too. People have a hard time letting go […] Read more “Thich Nhat Hanh”
The Long Haul
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Estimated: 1 minute to read
The following is an excerpt from a recently published article by Rami Henrich, that can be found in Elizabeth Sheff’s book, Stories from the Polycule: Real Life in Polyamorous Families. The first of its kind, this anthology collects stories and essays written by and about real people living in “polycules”: the networks between people in […] Read more “The Long Haul”
Unconditional
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
One of our readers was inspired to send us the poem below, Unconditional, by Jennifer Welwood. Her website offers an insight into her work, “Jennifer was propelled onto the spiritual path at the age of 15 by the sudden and unexpected death of a close friend, which catalyzed a profound recognition of impermanence and a yearning […] Read more “Unconditional”
Meditation on Weathering
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Weathering My face catches the wind from the snow line and flushes with a flush that will never wholly settle. Well, that was a metropolitan vanity, wanting to look young forever, to pass. I was never a pre-Raphaelite beauty and only pretty enough to be seen with a man who wanted to be seen with […] Read more “Meditation on Weathering”
Impermanence
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Pema Chodron, in her book entitled Comfortable with Uncertainty (2002), writes: “Nothing in its essence is one way or the other. All around us the wind, the fire, the earth, the water, are always taking on different qualities: they’re like magicians. We also change like the weather. We ebb and flow like the tides, we […] Read more “Impermanence”
We Are One
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Recently, as a way to express his gratitude for deep and vulnerable sharing in a group, a friend of mine spoke these words, in the Lakota language “Mitakuye Oyasin,” meaning “we are all related,” or similarly understood as “we are one.” The effect it had on me was visceral and profound. As I had been […] Read more “We Are One”