Gratitude Isn’t Always Simple

For many, gratitude comes easily this week. For others, this season stirs up complicated memories — and both experiences are real. Some hurts are small and fade quickly; others shape us in profound ways. Even those deeper wounds can reveal surprising gifts when we’re ready to look at them. What Research Tells Us Much has been written about the uplifting effects of gratitude, making lists, counting our blessings, and some research shows that gratitude practices can reduce depression. When compared to neutral writing (journaling), the effect was small, but significant. So, it may help, especially in times of confusion and uncertainty, times like these. Reframing Changes Everything A technique I learned when I read The Goddess Within by Jungian psychologist Roger [...]

Gratitude Isn’t Always Simple2025-11-28T08:24:41-07:00

Awakening Through Depression ✨

Who is the “I am” you tell yourself you are? What is your mission—your dharma, your raison d’être? The journey begins by discovering who this “I am” truly is. It isn’t as hard as it seems when you have tools that help clear the constrictions of story and mood. Even for a moment, you can glimpse your own true nature. True nature is called by many names in many cultures. But it is not just a concept. Thoughts and beliefs about true nature are still too small to contain it. True nature is a felt sense—wordless and profound. Paths and Silence My own journey of discovery has followed many paths. What they share is a settling into the silence [...]

Awakening Through Depression ✨2025-10-15T11:13:38-07:00

Dancing Through Self-Limiting Beliefs

Although I lived by the Atlantic Ocean for much of my adult life, I never learned to surf or sail. My childhood clumsiness created a self-limiting belief that followed me for decades—one I finally released through IFS and Yoga. I CAN'T SO I WON'T   As a kid, being picked last for dodgeball was the norm. With athletic parents and an undiagnosed eye-muscle disorder, awkwardness on the playing field felt unavoidable. Labeled the “family klutz,” the safe choice became solo activities where no one else depended on performance—first dance, later yoga. Fast forward to today: in the early 70s, dancing is a joy-filled part of life. After years of believing partner dance was off-limits, Zydeco, Swing, and Salsa now prove [...]

Dancing Through Self-Limiting Beliefs2025-09-07T18:42:41-07:00

When Outer Turmoil Moves Inside

Managing a Crisis - When Outer Turmoil Moves Inside...    In a crisis, do you have a part that rises to the occasion, maybe even garnering praise from others for how well you are managing a major change? That’s certainly the case with me. That manager part kicks into action, and I feel focused and at the top of my game. There is neither time nor the desire for introspection or deep feelings. Then, when the outer turmoil subsides, what happens? If you’re like me, when things finally settle down, and I have the time to go inside, and that’s when the inner turmoil rises to the surface. Boy, it’s uncomfortable! But for me, it’s necessary. This is when [...]

When Outer Turmoil Moves Inside2025-08-11T07:21:27-07:00

Loss in a time of Thanksgiving

Loss in a time of Thanksgiving. ???? When life upends our plans, and the love and companionship we’ve cherished explodes into a toxic cloud, or we face some other inconsolable loss, there are two options: We can numb out and put one foot in front of the other. Or we can stay present and put one foot in front of the other. Either way, we keep going. Choice number one constricts the heart, literally putting us at risk for heart attack and immune system dysregulation. The second choice risks us burdening our friends with TMI, blubbering at inconvenient moments, and spending too much time in bed. Having spent way too many years unconsciously tamping down my feelings (a childhood habit [...]

Loss in a time of Thanksgiving2022-11-22T07:31:14-07:00

Embodied Movements of Compassion (free) LIVE virtual “unchallenge” 

Embodied Movements of Compassion: Harnessing anger, outrage, fear, disgust and turning toward compassion, hosted by Deirdre Fay. MAR 6-10 LIVE virtual (free) series! On Zoom each day at 1pm ET for about an hour. Like so many of us, Deirdre felt the impulse to “do something” with the feelings arising in response to Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine. She quickly set up this (free) global “UnChallenge”: Embodied Movements of Compassion. The 5-day practice is designed to acknowledge the threat that comes when a person is feeling bullied, taken advantage of, or enraged, utilizing that energy and turning instead toward compassion. Come shift those “red zone" feelings into compassionate action. We’ll do this by exploring and embodying compassionate qualities: ·      Harnessing the inner protest [...]

Embodied Movements of Compassion (free) LIVE virtual “unchallenge” 2022-03-02T17:26:05-07:00
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