"You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better."- Yann Martel, Life of Pi Once upon a time, our thoughts were made of crap and hay. Hey. Hey. Hey! Now they're solid gold. Ta da! It's not that our grief is…Read more Mental Alchemy
mental health
Surrender
The Oak Bluffs house from the attic bedroom We laid the ground Before the fall Tacking soft padding Under thin polyester skin A metal press Like irons Shoved her into quiet corners Flaying flesh Flushed Insatiable hunger Taken under ground Palpitations Like some bored Proverbial bird Enough already Getting ready to be ready Didn't you…Read more Surrender
All is Calm
Join Michelle and I for our second live Zoom Event this Saturday from 12-1:30 (west coast time) to talk about Self-Care Strategies for the Holidays. Our talk will focus specifically on coping with transitions. If you're facing loss, illness, change or simply wanting to take time to pause, reflect and reconnect, join us. We'd love…Read more All is Calm
Hum
Mute meant obedience All it really meant was cold compliance Dissociation was a welcomed relief where inconvenient rage, terror and consequence should have rightly taken their place Amidst intolerable offense Your lack of accountability is intolerable But what's left To rage against? Hollow egos incapable of bearing the weight of their own shame? Broken brittle…Read more Hum
Friends-Giving
Yesterday's live Zoom event was my kind of friends-giving; a gathering of wise hearts nourishing each other by sharing ways to stay well. Thanks to all who joined and contributed to a lively discussion with a very special thanks to Michelle for her invitation to co-host this event. Here's a summary of what we discovered…Read more Friends-Giving
Memento
Calcified carcass Abandoned by the body An amorphous sucker One born Every day Buried under water weight And all she ate When they were still Attached at the hip Descending deeper down By relentless dictation Of her Mother's illusive light She's empty Fractured Concave Hollow An irregular mathematical miracle Who'll collect dust Mute memento Decorating…Read more Memento
Zoom! Zoom!
Michelle and I would love to have you join us for our first ever LIVE ZOOM event this Saturday from 12 to 1:00 pm, pacific time. We're going to be sharing Self-Care Strategies for the Holidays. Michelle is a fellow clinician and beautiful writer; check out her blog Intimately Worded. I'm excited and honored to…Read more Zoom! Zoom!
Redefining Self-Care
Today I decided to try a little video chat to quickly share some nagging thoughts on the intersection of self-care and healthy reparenting. Western culture has a way of marketing and commodifying our most basic survival skills, leading us to believe we're deficient and therefore in need of a product or service that can clearly…Read more Redefining Self-Care
The Trip of a Lifetime
I hate flying, all that turbulence and being strapped into a ride or die situation with no control over anything. Despite the screaming, shaking, seat kicking, neck spasming, ultimate discomfort of hurtling through space with nothing but jet fuel and some underpaid pilot attempting to defy the laws of gravity; I have this innate yearning…Read more The Trip of a Lifetime
Good Enough
I overthink, overfunction and generally try too hard which gives way to exhaustion and eventually giving up until something happens and starts the cycle all over again. It's gotten better after twenty years of recovery and healing work; better but not perfect. Perfection is static, life is all about movement which makes it messy. Peak…Read more Good Enough