Working with human nature, not against it.
How many fulfilling conversations are you having in a day? I know life is busy and it’s easy to slip into auto pilot, so that might even be a hard question to answer. You and everyone else you are talking with in your life, from strangers to loved ones, fundamentally want one thing. To...
Everyone is familiar with those acute moments when life feels unbearable. Because you feel incredibly overwhelmed. Because you feel so lost. Because it hurts more than you think you can handle. The good news is that level of intensity, what you feel in those exact moments, cannot last. The body and the psyche just...
Defenses are kind of tricky because they are usually employed without your conscious consent. They are part of the workings of the unconscious mind to protect you. That doesn’t mean you can’t see them. It just means they can be sneaky! I wanted to write about this because I have been seeing it as...
You are not alone! Many people have the experience of these conflicting states at times and this Huffington Post article brings together what people have to say about it. I find it helpful when I know there are others who have similar experiences. And I see my clients experiencing relief when I normalize their...
Anna Pirkl, MFT, ATR, LAADAC, one of our One Heart therapists, partners with South Bay Families Connected to do outreach in the community on her own time, outside of her work with OHCC. South Bay Families Connected is a non-profit organization whose mission it is “to improve the social and emotional wellness of South...
Buying something nice for yourself, planning a vacation, or getting organized can feel good. And you know there are times when those things barely scratch the surface of what you actually need. These are times where all you want to do is avoid, fix or stop what you are feeling. You want relief. These...
Self care has gotten a lot of press lately, which is good. The distinction between being selfish and caring for yourself is an important one. Knowing that your cup needs to be full in order for you to be able to support others is also important. Here’s the one thing that is not being...
There is more and more talk about HSPs (Highly Sensitive People) and about empaths. And, I love that. Finally, there is a way to understand what many people have been living. These are people who have long felt there is something wrong with them because they are not like the majority of people. And,...
Yes, social media is a topic of discussion in therapy. Every day. And, we are right at that time of year when people are posting about their holiday activities and we might have a little more time or temptation to be keeping up with what’s going on. This is going to be short and...
We have all either thought or said this at some point: “you wouldn’t act like this if you loved me.” I have to tell you something: this belief is probably causing unnecessary pain and suffering. There is this prevailing thought that people act one certain way when they love someone. They talk in a...