Working with human nature, not against it.
Everyone knows the holidays can be stressful. But do you know how your stress manifests and how you can best get it under control? As you know, the Human Emotional System has three channels it uses to communicate with you: thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Did you know that your stress likely shows up earlier...
**Written by staff therapist Anna Pirkl, M. A., MFT, ATR, LAADAC I have experienced significant trauma recovery as a direct result of my training at Gracie University in Torrance, California. My Goal… To start a discussion on the psychological benefits I’ve experienced and how it might benefit other trauma survivors as well. I am...
Adopting a new way of handling difficult things is usually not something you bother to do when everything is going great. Usually you decide you must make a change when there have been tough times. You are built to be drawn toward what is familiar even when that is not in your best interests...
Whether it feels like one thing after another or it feels like big things are not going your way, there is a helpful way to look at it. We all know that there is no “there” to get to where everything is perfect, when we are fully evolved or have our life set up...
When I was thinking about this post, a little scene from A League Of Their Own popped into my head: Well, in the world of emotion, sometimes there is lots of crying! But there is no trying, especially when it comes to feelings you are resisting. Having emotions is about ALLOWING. It is about...
“Emotions can get in the way or get you on the way.” -Mavis Mazhura So, how are you supposed to tell the difference? Are they getting in the way? Or getting you on the way? Let’s break this down. –> We have emotions that are current. –> We...
Anger and guilt are similar in the sense that they experientially disclose true boundaries and values. Not just our intellectual constructs of them. That’s the beauty of emotions, they bypass what we “think” or “expect”. To be fair, that can also be the challenge of them. They can show up without any agreement from our thoughts. And,...
It’s a state. Like stress. Or depression. Anxiety, stress and depression are usually states that wrap around a cluster of emotions, thoughts or beliefs. So what is anxiety? Anxiety is usually an activating state that comes with being over aroused because there are uncomfortable emotions built up. They aren’t getting the chance to process...
Shame is not exactly a feeling. Shame is an experience human beings have—like depression or anxiety. It is also often a numbing agent. This is not a conscious process. You don’t think to yourself: “Oh, I will just feel ashamed in order to numb myself.” If you’ve experienced shame, which you probably have, you...
Emotions are messengers from the internal world. They were designed that way. They are here to help you survive and thrive. Not be a nuisance. When you pay attention to them and keep them clear, you have way more time and energy for the things that are really important to you. That's why I'm...