I had a frenectomy today. For those unfamiliar with this particular periodontal terror, a frenectomy is the removal of the soft tissue (frenum) that connects lower lip to gum. Mine happened to be pulling my gums down to the extent bone in my bottom front teeth was being exposed. Eventually the teeth would have become loose, and then would be gone forever. The reason I’m writing about this in a mental health blog is because my anxiety caused sweating and nausea before the doctor even walked in the room. and I was certain my thirty-two year no vomit streak was over. I just knocked on wood. I felt vulnerable, helpless,…
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4 Qualities You Want in Your Next Therapist
Finding a therapist who is the right fit can be as daunting a challenge as finding the right mate. Amplifying the challenge is that most people wait until crisis strikes before they decide to search for a therapist. Rather than being proactive and preventative, we tend to be reactive to symptoms or relationship stress, then hope our therapist can fix us. Urgency often dictates we settle on a therapist who isn’t the best fit, but by the time we realize this, we choose to not terminate because starting over is exhausting. Because “fit” is essential to successful therapy, I’m highlighting four characteristics less obvious than empathy or universal positive regard. These…
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Accepting Responsibility for “Self” Is a Precursor for Change
We Cannot Change Negative Behaviors if We Ascribe Blame to Outside Entities
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Exorcising the Negative Voice Within
The Negative Inner Critic Need Not Take Up Permanent Residence Inside of Us
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Relationship Triangles and “Small Talk” Deprive Us of Closeness
When we use small talk to avoid conflict and tension in relationships, we avoid intimacy as well.
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The Birthday Call I Won’t Receive
A word of warning to all who take their mom for granted.
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How Parents Can Respond to Kids Who Self-Harm
When Parents Overreact to Their Child's Thoughts and Behaviors, the Child Feels Isolated and Unsafe.
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Why Some People Die Long Before They Stop Breathing
We Can All Choose to Sit Around and Wait For Death, or Live Until We Die.
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Mental Health Writing Is a Tightrope Walk
There is no way to please everyone in the world of mental health writing.
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Preserving Dignity in a Dying Loved One
Maintaining a Dying Loved One's Dignity Is Achieved Through Caring For the Entire Person
