As parents, our instinct is to protect our children from harm, to buffer them from life’s challenges and hurts. Divorce can be a difficult experience that tests our abilities as parents to provide our kids with a canopy of safety that keeps at bay the struggles...

Abandon hope. I frowned, flipping back to the front cover of my book. Yep, I was smack dab in the middle of my daily Buddhist meditation reader. I reread the first line of the entry again. Abandon hope. What the...WHAT?!?! Could Pema Chodron--admired, wise and...

The False Gains of Co-dependency   Co-dependency, with all its negative connotations, also brings benefits that make these behaviors difficult to surrender. For the “enabler” (the person who ‘does’ for the other what the other could/should do for themselves),...

  I now know what it feels like to be truly “unplugged.” For the entire week of our Caribbean cruise, I was unable to access the Internet or send or receive emails or texts. I couldn't scan Facebook or Pinterest. I couldn't even confirm the balance in my checking...

Sober Living Abstinence is NOT sobriety. Abstaining from drugs, alcohol or an addictive process like gambling or sex is the beginning stage of recovery, the foundation to living a sober lifestyle. Sobriety is the long, challenging, but rewarding journey of living a...

From the Inside Out We all want to be liked. Having friends, getting positive feedback, knowing people enjoy our company feels ​good. We gain a sense of esteem and value from others’ appreciation of our talents and presence. Many clients have told me that the...

ME Time -- the second 50 years “I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming...suddenly you find -- at the age of 50, say -- that a whole new life has opened up before you.” - Agatha Christie My family is taking every opportunity to remind me that I will soon be turning...

Recovery celebrates the gains people will experience when they let go of their addiction. Improved health, restored dignity, healed relationships -- the gifts of recovery are innumerable, and each day of abstinence brings even more peace and possibility to the...

Making Room for Grief  Grief can stop time. We can be brought to our knees, unable to believe we will ever move beyond the gaping hole of loss that has forever changed the landscape of our lives. Enduring profound loss is one of the most painful of human experiences....

I started my morning in a muddled daze, having spent a sleepless night tracking the results of the presidential election. Considering the outcome, I'd expected to respond to the reality with a sense of outrage, of fear, of concern for all the potential changes that...