Right Brain, Left Brain

Check out this amazing and touching Ted Talk by neuroanatomist Joan Bolt Taylor who experienced a blood vessel explosion in her left brain. This talk is entitled "A Stroke of Insight" - it also reinforces for me why modalities such as focusing-oriented therapy propels the work for clients, as it facilitates "moving forward" through our connection with our right brain, as well as integration of the right and left brain.

https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight

Affairs and Attachment Styles

Some couples come into therapy to heal from affairs/infidelity. The process of therapy can shed light into the "root" of the "problem," as affairs are often a symptom of a more deeply-rooted issue. While one party is dealing with grief and loss, as well as shame, the other party may be dealing with intense anger and obsessive thinking. The journey and process of healing can bring about closer connection and attunement to each other, greater self awareness of tendencies/coping mechanism/"old programming," as well as depth work related to our family-of-origin.

Check out these links which shed light regarding affairs/infidelity and attachment bonds.

http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/infidelity
https://kinseyconfidential.org/sixtypesofattachmentaffairs/

Simplify your Life

I watched a thought provoking documentary "Minimalism" recently.  Here's the link to the trailer.  It made me reflect on what we value as our "currency" - there's a way where we can get stuck on the monetary currency only, with all its trappings. Perhaps its time to create new currencies such as "connections," "friendships," "time"? Lastly, the two authors/presenters remind us that in a world where we love material things and consume more than we need, it is important to remember to "Love people. Use things" and not the other way around.

A new perspective on the teenage years

As parents, we can get frustrated with our teenage kids during the transition phase of adolescence, and end up in a relentless power struggle, as well as place of judgment. Daniel Siegel, in this 13 minute video clip, provides the facts of what is actually happening as the teenage brain develops and how to support this creative and transformative stage of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLULtUPyhog

Hungry for Change

Last night, I viewed a great documentary called "Hungry for Change" - I took away a lot from it, and it has helped to increase my awareness about food choices. The film talked about shifting your paradigm from, “I want that and can’t have it” to, “I can have it but I don’t want it.” This shift in thinking is very empowering. It can be applied to different issues in our lives, whether they be our role as "pleaser," tendency to enable, or addiction to substances, negative thoughts, toxic/depleting relationships.

For more, check this link: http://www.hungryforchange.tv

Emotions need to be "digested" too

Just as we "digest" food in our bodies, for good health we also need to "digest" our emotions and feelings. Some of us may have the tendency to sweep feelings under the carpet, or to tell ourselves to "get over it." This build-up of undigested stuff could be contributors to a sense of anxiety and/or depression, and can be in the way of a healthy well-being. In his book When the Body Says No, Gabor Mate notes: "The gut, or intestinal tract, is much more than an organ of digestion. It is a sensory apparatus with a nervous system of its own, intimately connected to the brain's emotional centres."

I found this article in the link below very interesting, by author Vaishali who talks about "The Physical Dynamics of Emotion  – how emotions travel through the body, what emotions stress and undermine which organs and how unresolved emotional experiences can literally get trapped inside the body."

http://www.purplev.com/mediakit/archives/834

Immigration and Adaptation

This week I presented an "Adaptation to Canada" talk at the "Welcome to Canada" series organized through the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society.  When we relocate to a new country or city, many stress factors come into play,  i.e. navigating job search; cultural/language differences; new friendships/relationships. In addition, we are grieving the family/relationships, country or city/hometown we just left behind.  The settlement period can take anywhere from 1 - 5 years or more. This period can be challenging, and depression, anxiety, and grief can set in. Healthy ways of coping include self care and physical exercise, building a routine, initiating contact with new friends, and resourcing/asking for help.

http://canadianimmigrant.ca/settling-in-canada/the-3-stages-of-re-settlement