Blog
The human touch for health
Humans are truly social beings and to be honest, touch may be one of the most significant actions which make us human. From the time we’re born, children thrive with the physical connection from family members, and in both friendship and romantic relationships, we...
Trauma and me: A letter to my younger self
Being exposed to terrorism firsthand (my first significant episode of community violence, to boot) taught me many lessons. Looking back, I wonder what the set-point of my life would’ve been, if you had measured it just moments before the bombs went off. Life wasn’t...
The Role of Compassion in Public Conversation
Compassion – the sensitivity to others’ distress with a desire to alleviate it. Seems pretty simple. We’re all different, so we have varying amounts. Some are more attuned to other’s experiences and feelings, others less so. Add to that that we balance our...
Your brain hears what you say
This sounded so silly the first time I heard it: Your brain hears what you say. Of course your brain hears what you say, and it hardly needs to hear anyway since whatever I say came from that very same brain. Right? But once I learned this concept in a mindfulness...
Belonging: “The price is high. The reward is great.”
Poet and icon Maya Angelou said those words in response to the question: What price have you paid for that freedom? A few days ago I had the honor of hearing leadership speaker and bestselling author Brene Brown speak. She talked about this quote, one I also love, as...
Recovering from trauma: You are enough
Recovering from trauma is a lot of work. Early on, you probably don’t even realize you’re doing any work. But everything you see and hear and feel, even the stuff that infuriates you or causes you to feel invisible, is helping you heal. Looking back on my early years...
What do we do now? Critical incident stress management for the workplace
A traumatic event in the workplace affects multiple people, yet reactions to that event are very individual. Referred to in some circles as critical incidents, these are traumatic events (or perceived life-threatening events) which have sufficient power to overwhelm...
Therapies for trauma survivors
Coming to the decision to pursue therapy after trauma can be difficult. There are many therapies for trauma survivors and to decide what is best for you, you first have to recognize what is happening. Next, it’s important to have self-compassion. Finally, you need to...
Creating a resilient company culture
Company culture isn’t just written policies and the details about when, where, how, and by whom work gets done. It’s also the unwritten vibe about the organization, the traditions, the feelings, basically “how we do things here.” These all have an effect on employees,...
Workplace Violence and Mental Health
Violence in the workplace, although still rare, is becoming more common. From domestic violence which spills over to work to client rage, employee grudges and random violent acts which happen in or near your work location, it’s impossible to know what—or...