I believe that we humans are endlessly adaptable and neuroscientific research on neural plasticity and post traumatic growth support this idea. And I see the proof every day in my practice. Trauma survivors are living proof of that adaptability. If they had not made the adaptations that they did, … [Read more...]

This is such an interesting take on hope, and it resonates with my experience doing the work that I do. One of my jobs is to be the holder of hope for my clients when they cannot hope for themselves. If hope is based on the conviction that things will turn out well, then that hope is fragile and … [Read more...]

Mr. Rogers was so wise! Emotions are normal. Being able to express them is healthy and normal. Feelings give us data about ourselves and our perceptions. For a lot of folks though, who grew up in abusive, toxic, scary homes feelings may seem dangerous. A lot of the folks I work with feel they … [Read more...]

When I ask people, what coping skills they use, distraction is always one of the things listed. Most frequently it is distraction through social media. And distraction certainly CAN be used as a distress tolerance strategy. That being said, the way so many folks are using distraction is unhealthy … [Read more...]