codependency

Codependency originated around the early 80’s to help families with alcohol and drug problems. It stemmed from the idea that the whole family system needs to be addressed to achieve recovery, and that certain family members may be hindering the process by enabling the substance abuser. The word and the concept are still wildly popular today, and hundreds of self help books exist to serve you.

Read more

Rumi mom and me

Every midwife knows
that not until a mother’s womb
softens from the pain of labor
will a way unfold
and the infant find that opening to be born.
Oh friend!
There is treasure in your heart,it is heavy with child.
Listen.
All the awakened ones,
like trusted midwives are saying,
‘welcome this pain.
It opens the dark passage of Grace.
–Rumi

As I reflect back on my wonderful visit with my mother this weekend, I am so grateful she is still here with me. Peace to all those who may be missing theirs. Take heart in her heritage–you.

Save

anxiety sensitivity

What is going on with anxiety sensitivity? What does it become?

Anxiety comes in a lot of flavors (PTSD, OCD, GAD, SAD, panic disorder, and specific phobias) so understanding which type is present is critical to delivering the best treatment. And of course you prioritize according to what is most immediately affecting an individual’s life if more than one type is causing duress.

Read more

what kind of bored

“Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming round long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again.” – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

What kind of boredom are we talking about here? And is it linked to depression?

Read more

global thinking

We are not talking about the the whole “think globally, act locally” movement here. This is about the utter confusion and inability to sort out your thoughts when anxiety strikes. People who are prone to panic or anxiety attacks often tend to think globally. They have a hard time sifting through information and deciding what is relevant when they are in pain. It is as if they are being bombarded by conflicting emotions, most often led by fear of the future and what it holds for them.

Read more

what do you need

How do you go about getting what you want and need from a relationship?

By stating what you need, not what you think the other person must change or do.

Read more

categories

While I was standing on the corner of the busiest intersection in Wilmington protesting HB2, a recently passed law in NC which discriminates against the LGBTQ population and removes the right of local municipalities to set their own minimum wage and anti-discrimination ordinances, I began to start categorizing those that passed by in their cars. This is a common activity of our brains used to make meaning in our lives; we cannot help but do it.

Read more

anxiety therapy

Gift baskets tend to have a few items that you like and will use, but many get tossed or just sit on a shelf for months because they’re “too good to throw away.” Hanging on to that stuff you don’t need can fill up your, ahem, re-gifting closet, way too fast. Stick with me because both this post and therapy are not a straight line.

Read more

meta reflections

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi

You know how you see inspirational quotes all the time on social media? Well this time I had the happy occasion to feel it as it was happening to me. On many levels.

Read more

emotions

Q: What is possibly the worst thinking habit people with anxiety engage in?

A:  The tendency to overestimate the intensity and duration of their emotional reactions to future negative events, deciding the impact will be much greater than it is in actuality.

Read more