I have been doing some observing and reading about being sensitive. It seems that many of the people who come in for counseling find themselves in this category. They may not use the word ‘sensitive’ but when they describe their experience it connects with qualities of one with a sensitive nature. It is something I am familiar with because [...]
In addressing the topic of Stress; I always like to start by pointing out the obvious. If you don’t manage stress, it will manage you. Stress is crafty; it takes over your body, mind and spirit. We cannot prevent all stress, so we must learn how to minimize it and fight the negative effects of it as best as [...]
Grief is usually thought of as a response to the loss of a loved one through death. Many people are unaware of the many kinds of losses that evoke grief. The result of this misunderstanding is that some of us have experienced lengthened suffering from unrecognized or incomplete grief. We cannot recover from the symptoms of Grief if we [...]
Today, on a whim, I went on-line to see if I could find anything about Tom, one of my closest friends from graduate school. I don’t have current contact information for him and I wanted to find out how he is. On-line I found the usual links: “Find Tom Irwin* on LinkedIn,” “6 Tom Irwin’s on Facebook,” “15 Tom Irwin’s [...]
I have been reflecting quite a bit about an increased dividedness I have observed and felt over the last couple of years. It is happening globally, nationally and locally. It is happening in politics, on social issues, and in our churches. This exacerbates the stress many experience on a regular basis in the workplace and in our personal relationships. [...]
Happy February - the month of LOVE. What is the meaning of Love? Viktor Frankl in MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING (1984), proclaimed “…that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire [and]….the salvation of man is through love and in love,” and Teilhard de Chardin is quoted (2019): “Someday…we will master for God the energies [...]
During the month of January, so many of us embark upon new habits of self-care and wellness in the spirit of the well-known “New Year’s Resolution.” These resolutions may range from new physical fitness and nutrition commitments to promises of communicating with loved ones more frequently or more calmly. My own self-disclosure and confession—I have started “New Year’s Resolutions” only [...]
“How long will I be in counseling?” This is a question that is often asked when someone is starting in therapy. It is a tough one to answer. The short answer is that it is different for every person. The long answer has to do with various factors such as commitment, support, time, and depth of a problem, [...]
We often do not know what other people are experiencing. And I do not mean just what they are thinking cognitively, or feeling emotionally, I mean, we literally do not know what they see, what they hear, how fast their body reacts to stimuli, how they experience color, sound, sensation, pain. We tend to think just because we have a [...]
Having come to learn more about our “Corrections” system (in quotations by purpose) than I ever would care to; I have also come to know that some of the things that were negative assumptions of mine about the “Justice” system, are in fact true. How many of you out there believe that the corrections system in this country serves to [...]
