Often listed as a quality we appreciate in others, humour has a double-edged effect. On one hand, humour, defined as the noticing of the amusing or ironic truth of a situation, results in laughter which has psychological, emotional and physiological benefits. Laugher stimulates chemical changes in the brain that help buffer our bodies against the […]
Codependency
Henry Thoreau stated, “There is nothing so rare as an act of your own.” However, why would acting upon one’s own thoughts and feelings be so rare or difficult to do? According to John Bradshaw, “co-dependency is the most common family illness.” Co-dependence is a set of maladaptive, compulsive behaviors learned by a person in […]
The Healing Process
People entering counselling often wonder, ‘Will I get through this? Will the angst or dilemma go away?’ The answer is – there is no cure but there is healing. As Jung observed, “Analysis is no once-and-for-all ‘cure’; it is no more, at first, than a more or less thorough readjustment.” For trauma expert Judith Herman, […]
Inner and Outer Peace
Many messages this time of year remind us of the importance of joy and peace. We can clearly envision outer world peace, yet what about inner peace? From Adult Children of Alcoholics literature comes a list of suggested indicators of inner peace we can be aware of which are present or lacking in our lives. […]
Facing the Dark Lord of Winter
As the number of grey skies noticeable outnumber the sunny days, we often hear about ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’ or SAD. Symptoms of SAD may consist of difficulty waking up in the morning, tendency to oversleep and over eat (especially carbohydrates), lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and withdrawal from friends, family and social activities. All these […]
What Lurks in Your Shadow?
We are born whole, with all the pairs of human traits such as greed and generosity, productivity and idleness, and with the capacity to feel the range of emotions, from grief to joy. However, in order to be accepted and have our basic childhood needs met we learned very early which qualities were valued and […]
