
The Guest House
If you've ever read a poem by the 13th century poet Rumi, then you know what a delicious treat his words are, even today. One thing I love about Rumi is that his poems always challenge me to expand my mind and look a things in a new way.
In therapy, I sometimes offer clients something called a "reframe," which is a new perspective on their problem. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Rumi pomes, one that always helps me keep my emotions in persp

When You Say You're Fine
Some people may think that feeling that everything is "fine" is a sign that they're "healed" and therapy is no longer necessary. Ask a therapist, however, and they'll probably tell you that this is where the therapy actually begins. For what does "fine" really mean? We say it on auto-pilot probably 5 times a day: Coffee shop clerk "hi, how are you today?" you: "I'm fine, and you?" clerk: "Fine, what will you have?" office mate: "Mornin', how are you today?" you: "I'm fine, an

Where Our Pain Hides
I want to chat about with you an article I found on Oprah's website. I like how the author points out hiding places that are not exactly obvious, but are serious triggers for flashbacks, hyper startle, and perhaps feeling as if you're in the situation that initially created your pain in the first place. These are all symptoms of PTSD. It really gets you thinking, doesn't it. Where's my pain hiding out? What is the pain behind my perfectionism, my defense mechanisms, or even m