There doesn’t seem to be anything redeeming about disappointment. It’s not exactly a feeling one appreciates. But there actually IS a gift inherent in disappointment. This post is #4 in a series of 10: Ten Basic Emotions and their Messages. The central point is: The human emotional system is built as a messaging system. Each...
Why Your Sadness is All Good
I know, being sad is a bummer. Most people don’t want to sign up for experiencing sadness. It’s not exactly pleasant. However, sadness is actually an important part of the human experience. Just like it is important that our cells die off and replace themselves. If they did not, we would not grow taller...
The Single Most Important Factor that Determines Whether You Can Get Through an Issue
Willingness. It is the one thing that determines how successful my clients are in therapy, and ultimately, in their life. Why? Because it is a state of openness. Ultimately, if there is a challenge showing up, it is happening because there is an adjustment needed. A lesson wants to be learned. A shift wants...
These are 2 Reasons Therapy Works
We use this format of healing all the time: talking with people we trust. So, why not talk with your trusted friend? Why pay money to talk with a therapist or coach? If you find the right therapist, it should feel like talking to a trusted friend. Here are 2 reasons why therapy works...
The Best Way to Start Trusting Your Feelings
Feelings don’t exactly have a good reputation in terms of being accurate, so I know they might be hard to trust. How can you trust your feelings? The best place to start (bear with me for 2 seconds) is by understanding a basic tenet of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The idea is that thoughts, feelings...
This is How You “Become an Adult”
Becoming an adult. Emotional maturity. The freedoms are kind of awesome. But the responsibilities are the ones that make all the “no adulting” memes so popular. How do you know when you turn that corner into becoming an adult on an emotional level? We all know people who we think “should be an adult...
3 Reasons You Need to Know Your Feelings Are About You. No One Else.
The way human beings experience emotion makes it seem like the feelings are about someone or something else. Like, it would be normal to think or say that your partner made you angry. Right? It might take a couple of mental cartwheels and somersaults to get your head around this. But you will get it. Marshall...