Posts by admin

Being Naked

Posted by on Mar 29, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Turning 40?!? I just turned 40, and wanted to do something to acknowledge and celebrate this milestone. I decided to go on a meditation retreat held at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. There isn’t a spot on the property from where you can’t see the ocean and hear its continuous roar, an ever-present reminder to “come back” to now. There is a natural hot springs that runs through the property, and tubs have been set up overlooking the ocean cliffs.  By day, the stunning view of the ocean crashing against the rocks, and by night, the unobstructed sky makes the tubs a magical place to be.  A picture-perfect setting for me to celebrate turning...

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Reclaiming Confidence After Trauma

Posted by on Feb 12, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

What is Trauma? Trauma is any experience that overwhelms our normal coping mechanisms.  Some examples of trauma include: parental abuse, parental neglect, emotional abuse, bullying, domestic violence, addiction, war, rape, incest, personal injury, and loss.  This of course is not a complete list.  Because we all have different coping mechanisms, there is a subjective quality to trauma. Trauma Can Be Multigenerational: Multigenerational trauma, sometimes referred to as intergenerational trauma, is trauma experienced in one generation that is passed down to subsequent generations.  For example, a girl that is abused grows up and marries someone that abuses her and her...

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Sandy Hook Elementary

Posted by on Dec 20, 2012 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

  It’s terrifying that just a few months after writing about the shootings in Aurora that I find myself compelled to write about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary.  Over the past few days its all been said.  This is what needs to happen so this doesn’t happen again: More gun control     Less gun control     God in schools     Police in schools     More funding for mental health     Leadership from Washington All of these arguments can be made and disagreed upon passionately and we are still really nowhere closer to resolving this issue.  I’m not saying it’s wrong to have these conversations, however, for most of us the impact of these...

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The Dark Night

Posted by on Sep 6, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

On July 20th, 2012, the unthinkable happened 30 miles from my office.  James Holmes went into an Aurora movie theater and open-fired.  Why does anyone go into a movie theater with a semi-automatic assault rifle to shoot and kill people?  Insanity? Hopefully, because the alternative is too scary. At first I just let it skim my being.  “How terrible,” went the conversation, “What a tragedy.” Then the fact gathering stage:  “Who sold him the guns?”  “Why did he drop out of school?”  “Did he have any friends?”  Trying to make sense of it with the mind proved to be a futile task.  I would have to dig deeper.  So I...

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Confidence Demystified

Posted by on Jun 20, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

      Confidence: Belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities. I’d say that confidence is the ability to be yourself.  That’s easier said than done.  We’ve all been there.  A situation arises and your self-confidence goes out the window.   It can look like: Can’t say no Can’t say yes Can’t make a decision Can’t control your temper Anxiety/Panic Attacks Second guessing oneself Replaying a social interaction over and over Can’t stand up for yourself Can’t take a risk So Where Did it Go? Part of the reason people are so confused about confidence is that there is a misguided view of what...

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