Japanese Methods of Quiet Therapy: Self-Reflection, Mindfulness, Values and Meaning, Balance and Gratitude by Stephanie L. Shaefer, Ph.D., L.P.C. Japanese Methods of Quiet Therapy have been shown to have positive short-term and long-term benefits in Japan since the 1800’s. Can they be used effectively and ethically across cultures? Nature therapy, the soothing power of nature, forest therapy and walking, has been [...]
May you be filled with Loving Kindness. May you be surrounded by Loving Kindness. May you know the source from which all Loving Kindness comes. May you live with ease. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe, peaceful, and free from suffering. May you be strong and confident. WHY LOVING KINDNESS MEDITATION? Especially [...]
As COVID lingers on, some wonder, “Will this ever end?” and “How will I ever get through this?” How many times have you asked yourself the latter question? We wonder how we will navigate the tough stuff of life. It’s not until the event or experience is fully in the rearview mirror that we are able to realize that [...]
“Being a [parent] is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” — Linda Wooten. We all know parenting is a difficult job, and this job can feel particularly challenging as we navigate teenage years with our youth. Sometimes we make parenting harder on ourselves. This can be particularly true for parents [...]
A Self-Esteem Adventure and Healthy Self-Esteem In the State of Self-Esteem, in the Country of the Mind, in the Union of Self-Actualization, we embark on an adventure to build self-esteem and self-confidence. We go through the “Land of Think”, then the “Land of Feel”, and then the “Land of Do”. In the Land of Think, we learn that there is [...]
My brain’s default mode is to wander, aimlessly, luxuriously, into a daydream. In fact, I think this came up once or twice on an early elementary school report card: “tends to daydream”. I think I got a check instead of a plus in one of the columns because of that. Someone about that same time called me lazy, [...]
November is often considered the month of Gratitude. It’s a natural time to reflect on those things for which we are thankful as we gather with friends and family. If you are like my household, we seem to rush through November thankful for a few days off before we are launched into the busyness of December. November is a [...]
“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…… II Corinthians 4:7-10 I believe it was the [...]
“All of us failed to match our dream of perfection. I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.” –William Faulkner I swear like a sailor. A sailor with a wide cursing vocabulary, wider than all seven oceans on Earth, maybe even wider than the weird gaseous oceans on Jupiter. I mean, I really do [...]
As the holidays approach every year; we see articles about grief, stress, holidays after divorce, etc, etc. These are an important part of affirming what some folks are experiencing and, hopefully, to help them not feel alone in what they are going through. I would also like to affirm other experiences, even for those going through the above difficulties. Having [...]
