Guilt is a Cruel Dictator
Beth feels guilty because she doesn’t want her mother to watch her 2-year-old son. She would prefer to use her mother-in-law, her husband Sam’s mom. Why? Because Beth doesn’t want her son to be exposed to the same belittling treatment she experienced as a child. Beth feels strongly about her position, but teeters at times. […]
Anchored By Fear
Chronic boredom is the sting of non-being, The pain of the unlived life, The roads not explored, The risks not taken, The persons not loved, The thoughts not thought, The feelings not savored. […]
Reject Spirit Zappers
When we tune in to the outrage of being violated, no matter what the degree, it’s the beginning of putting up a protective shield. We’re designed to be invested in self-preservation. It appears that for the duration of our lifetime, we’re assigned to one person to fully watch over, to love unconditionally, and bathe with […]
The Cookie War
It’s not about the power another person wields or takes; it’s about the power we surrender. That is what I conveyed to Amy in our counseling session. She needed an answer for dealing with her demeaning husband, and it didn’t entail placating him or being little around him. It entailed boldly standing up for herself. Read […]
The Latest Wow: Waste Your Time
Carlie is an over-achieving teenager. She’s driven to excel academically, athletically and socially. She has trouble with that word “relax.” But in a moment of clarity, she wowed me with this: “I would like to know my future to see if I’m wasting my time, because if I am wasting my time, I want to waste it better.” […]
It all took place in a sunny cafe . . .
My partner, Don, and I had just sat down to enjoy lunch when a stranger approached our table. I thought he must be a manager and was about to ask how we felt about the food. Instead, with a concerned tone he asked me, “Are you feeling better?” That was so out of the blue! […]
The Latest Wow: Set Yourself Free!
Here’s a poem written by a client who set herself free: The wind blowing across the sea Makes me wonder what it feels like to be free I am trapped by my memories wondering why I chose that path for me Never letting go of the past, you see always punishing myself indeed […]
Don’t Spend Your Life Being Little
Stalled in Chicago traffic wasn’t Carrie’s idea of a wonderful day. Planted in the driver’s seat, she silently broiled. Her anger didn’t stem from her two passengers, her husband and mother-in-law. Instead, she was furious with herself. Getting trapped in traffic was ohhhh soooo avoidable, because Carrie was adept at driving Chicago, maneuvering skillfully and comfortably […]
True to Ourselves
“Why doesn’t he leave her! I’m tired of this! I’m tired of waiting … for what … more disappointment?!” That was Jill, Trent’s girlfriend, who’s at the end of her rope. Although he claims she’s #1, he has chosen to hang on to a relationship with Laura, a woman he no longer loves. What stops […]
The Latest Wow: Fire Your Inner Critic!
I had a client tell me once: “Every time I put myself down, I’m affirming that my mother was right.” Click here to read about Dawn and Doug and how their childhoods were fertile soil for the formation of negative self-talk and low self-worth.