…ing them a secure attachment style. A secure attachment comes from a child experiencing what interpersonal neurobiology expert Dr. Daniel Siege calls the four S’s: They must feel Safe in their environment They must feel Seen for who they really are. They must feel Soothed or calmed when in distress. They must feel Secure. When a child doesn’t experience these four S’s, they can develop a damaged sense of self and a destructive model for adult rela…
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…iate support and resources, many LGBTQ+ individuals are more vulnerable to experiencing mental health challenges. In this workshop, Jordan Held, LCSW (he/him) and Beck Gee-Cohen, MA (he/him) will discuss how clinicians, as well as family, friends, and community members, can be an integral part of creating spaces of healing and safety for LGBTQ+ individuals of all ages through increased education, visibility, and awareness. Learning Objectives: Des…
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…However, our brains are always open to change, especially within empathic relationships. By directing our attention toward the old wounds in the presence of someone who can provide comfort and understanding, the actual structure and function of our brains will change, providing us with new internal patterns for greater joy and healthier relationships. There is something quite wondrous and completely hopeful about being human because as we develop…
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…ess of thoughts and emotions, when you tune in in this way, it’s a kind of relationship. Awareness and the objects of awareness. Our attention and the objects of your attention. OK? But it’s not separate. There’s actually not a “you observing” and then everything that’s being observed. That’s kind of a figment of our, the way the brain works. But what we’re actually experiencing in meditation, or at least it’s possible to experience, a kind of uni…
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…rd they used to describe us, or their persona may resemble someone or some relationship that was significant in our past. This especially occurs in our closest relationships, those with our partners and children, where we may project traits of our early caretakers, the persons we were originally most vulnerable to, onto these new figures in our lives and react to them based on our old projections. When we find ourselves having a strong emotional r…
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…it can be a red flag that they are taking more than they are giving in the relationship. If a parent feels their child is “filling up” a part of them, for example, that they are their sole source of joy, it can be a further warning that they are experiencing emotional hunger toward their child. Love is an offering of encouragement, support, and affection. Emotional hunger provides just the opposite. The Effects of Growing Up with Narcissistic Pare…
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…tening our awareness by being aware of all our senses and everything we’re experiencing through them. So meditation practice is being with the breath as it goes out and dissolves, tiny gap, in breath, tiny gap, awareness of the five senses and stimuli coming through them. And then what you do is you notice when your mind is gone from this particular practice and you’re thinking about what Joe said to you yesterday that hurt your feelings or the pr…
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…al understanding by examining the origins of childhood pain, subsequent defense formation, and the pervasiveness and destructiveness of resulting maladaptive, addictive behaviors in adults. The authors point a way toward reversing the damaging process that keeps individuals from experiencing genuine satisfaction. The clarity and empathic tone of the book make it a valuable adjunct to psychotherapy. Many clinicians have recommended it to their pati…
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…e, parenting, and psychotherapy. She dispels myths regarding feminism that have pervaded both professional discourse and popular media for the past three decades, describing how “patriarchy creates a rift in the psyche, dividing everyone apart from themselves.” She discusses relationships and parenting, including the dynamics of mother-son and mother-daughter relationships. Finally, Dr. Gilligan addresses the dilemma of pleasure, stating that “ple…
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…sitive self-reflection. When we are in the point of view of our anti-self, experiencing thoughts that focus on us as “bad,” we should make a conscious effort to avoid ruminating. There are seven other activities on the Healthy Mind Platter that are far more favorable when in this state, including play time, physical time, and connecting time. Mindfulness meditation is another healthy practice we can adopt that has been proven, not only to improve…
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