In the first part of this series on children in polyamorous families, I explained how these kids have age-dependent experiences and why they appear to be doing so well in general. This second blog in the series details the advantages and disadvantages that children report in my study of polyamorous families. Advantages Children and young […] Read more “Children in Polyamorous Families Part 2”
Children in Polyamorous Families Part 2
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Estimated: 6 minutes to read
What Basson’s Sexual Response Cycle Teaches Us About Sexuality
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Estimated: 8 minutes to read
The following article has been adapted from “Taking a Closer Look at Basson’s Model of the Sexual Response Cycle,” Jo Flannery’s article for Sexology International. It has been edited from its original format. To read the original article, click here. There is no one reason people choose to have sex. Rather, human beings become aroused […] Read more “What Basson’s Sexual Response Cycle Teaches Us About Sexuality”
Anam Cara: Soul Lessons From Anxiety & Panic
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Estimated: 7 minutes to read
There is a phrase in Gaelic, anam cara, which means “soul friend.” According to the Anam Cara Therapy Center in California, anam cara is: A teacher, companion or spiritual guide … where consciousness is dulled, distant or blind, its presence grows faint and vanishes. Therefore awareness which brings integration and healing, is one of the […] Read more “Anam Cara: Soul Lessons From Anxiety & Panic”
Refueling: A Guide for Self-Care
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Estimated: 5 minutes to read
As a therapist, I focus on self-care a lot because I think it’s a vital life skill that no one really teaches us to do for ourselves. Self-care allows us to have emotional energy to respond thoughtfully to life’s bumps and obstacles instead of reacting without awareness. That reservoir of emotional energy gives us […] Read more “Refueling: A Guide for Self-Care”
Why Do Sex Workers Need Our Support?
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. and Cassandra Damm, LCSW In a previous article, we introduced the topic of sex work, considered its history and politics, and explored some identifying attributes of the diverse population of individuals sometimes referred to as sex workers. In this article, we would like to offer a few guidelines about the many […] Read more “Why Do Sex Workers Need Our Support?”
Eating Meditations: A Practice of Equanimity, Gratitude and Blessing
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
Can mindfulness be useful for difficulties with food and eating habits? Many think so. Here is an exercise I came across years ago that may help you slow down, name your experience, start to tune into your body and be thoughtful about how you nourish yourself. For this approach, at first, try using a small […] Read more “Eating Meditations: A Practice of Equanimity, Gratitude and Blessing”
Managing Fear After the Election
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Managing fear has been difficult for many people in the days following the 2016 US Presidential Election. No matter which candidate you supported, you may find yourself overwhelmed by distressing news reports, tense conversations with loved ones, and your own complicated feelings. LifeWorks is an explicitly inclusive therapy practice that welcomes all people. We know how […] Read more “Managing Fear After the Election”
Finding Possibility
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Umair Haque is a thought leader, consultant and author whose personal journey from the achievement and trappings of success to a devastating fatal diagnosis and beyond helped him find peace, happiness and a passion to give to others. Here is an excerpt from one of his reflections called The Sky in Us: Holding Possibility, an argument […] Read more “Finding Possibility”
In the Shadow of Disney World
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Estimated: 4 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”
Becoming a Polyamory Ally: How to Start
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Estimated: 2 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”
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: 2 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”
The Colorful Wisdom of Autumn
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
This post comes from Sarah Evenson of Bridge Between Retreat Center, in Denmark, Wisconsin, just south of Green Bay. It spoke to me of the power of nature to connect us to the earth and move us to recognize something greater than ourselves. The picture above was taken this fall in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area […] Read more “The Colorful Wisdom of Autumn”
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”
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”
We Are One
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
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”
Thanksgiving Meditation
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
The holiday season is a time to reflect on the people, experiences, privileges and events for which we can be thankful. I discovered this mindfulness meditation in Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening. It reminds me that the whole of existence is a miracle. May it bring you a sense of connection, gratitude and appreciation. […] Read more “Thanksgiving Meditation”
Am I a Marginalizer?
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
What do you think of when you hear the word marginalization? People living in poverty, persons of color, those who do not share fully in the privileges some of us are enjoying these days? I would say yes to all of the above, and would include a list that would be broader and more inclusive […] Read more “Am I a Marginalizer?”
My New Companions — Curiosity & Fear
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Why should you befriend experiences and things that you are afraid of? Things that unnerve you, disgust you or freak you out? A week ago, I had a moment when my curiosity overcame my fear and I started to reflect on how curiosity can help us overcome inner as well as outer fears. Curiosity is […] Read more “My New Companions — Curiosity & Fear”