We are familiar with the knowledge that the quality of nutrition and exposure to pollutants, drugs and infections during gestation affect fetal development and influence child and adult health. However, how does the psychological and emotional prenatal environment affect the fetus? Increasing evidence suggests that intrauterine experience has persisting influences on health and development across […]
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. […]
Taking Responsibility
When we face uncomfortable situations we may find ourselves exclaiming, “She made me feel …,” or “He did it to me again!” We may even believe that if the person only changed then everything would be okay. In these cases, we are not taking responsibility for our part in the situation. According to Jung, being […]
Our Unlived Lives
For everything we choose, some other thing is unchosen. Sometimes, especially during childhood, decisions are made for us by parents and circumstances (e.g., relocations, deaths). Other decisions (e.g., choice of partner, career) are seemingly made consciously by our adult selves. ‘Seemingly,’ because as children we instinctively adapted to our parents’ states of mind. Either we […]
Why We Gossip
The word gossip originally just meant chatting with our “godsibs” or what we now refer to as godparents or people we are particularly close to. Most of us have experienced the sharing or telling of other people’s information outside of these close-knit circles. Research shows that up to two-thirds of all conversations include some reference […]
