Articles

	COMING HOME TO THE SELF I recently had the privilege of traveling to the mystical, undisturbed land of Alaska. While there it occurred to me that Alaska’s raw, mostly untouched beauty is symbolic of our pure selves. Alaska, like all of us with our multiple physical and emotional layers, is rich in inner resources. And just as we all contain the mystical and the unknown.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	LIVING AS A CREATIVE VISIONARY - PT 1 Each of us is inherently creative and able to bring forth meaningful visions – particularly visions about who we are and what we want in our lives. These personal visions are not only expressions of who we are as unique individuals, but also help us define the meaning and purpose of our lives. To live our lives as creative visionaries, we.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	LIVING AS A CREATIVE VISIONARY - PT 2 Kate Maloy says in her book A Stone Bridge North, “We need to go about our business with our eye to the immediate, and we need also to contemplate unreachable, unknowable mysteries. We need both our limits and a vision of limitlessness – and we need to connect the two…” How hard it is to be present in the moment and.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	DOUSING LIFE WITH NEGATIVITY: A NEW ADDICTION? The following stories embody the theme of this article. The first story occurred recently across the street from my office. In a matter of days a gargantuan machine, which looked like a dinosaur, decimated a large hotel. The mechanical monster grabbed parts of the building in its jaws and with amazing ease tore the building.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	STILLNESS IN MOTION For me the last two months of any year are filled with intensity and stress. Not only are there several major holidays, but those months contain multiple family birthdays. By the time the last week in December rolls around, I often feel spent. As much as I enjoy family get-togethers, I can hardly wait to attend my yearly five-day.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF

	AVOIDING THE ASSUMPTION TRAP There is a parable about a group of people traveling in a car who never discuss where they want to go. Each makes an assumption about what the others are thinking. As a result they end up in Kansas – a place no one wishes to be. What an image that creates – silent people trapped inside a moving piece of metal, ending up at.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	CAUTION: MAGICAL THINKER AHEAD! Like most of you my life has contained powerful successes, embarrassing failures, traumatic crises and ecstatic highs. Throughout these times I have learned that positive events can occur without dreaming of them, and that crises can blindside us without warning. There are often no explanations as to why these highs and lows occur.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	CLIMB ABOARD! A man is stranded on an island, hoping to be rescued. Someone in a canoe offers to help, but the man refuses saying he is waiting for a ship. Then a sailboat drifts by and once again the man refuses to be rescued. After many days someone in a motor boat tries to help, but still the man stands his lonely ground on the deserted island.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	SHIFTING FROM SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISMS TO COPING SKILLS Four year old Ashley was awakened by her mother, so Ashley could get up and dressed for pre-school. Upon hearing her mother’s voice, Ashley hid under the covers and said, “Ashley’s not home right now. Please leave a message after the beep. Be-e-e-e-p!” What a creative, humorous, defensive move on Ashley’s part. Of course.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	CREATING AND MAINTAINING INTIMACY We are seeing an epidemic of couples who, because of years of neglecting their relationships, are in trouble. As a married couple, and as therapists working with couples, we realize there are times when all relationships hit emotional “stuck-spots”. These “stuck-spots” are most often caused by a lack of time, attention and energy given.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF

	DISSOLVING SHAME When I was 10 years old, I was told I had a paternal grandfather. On this particular day my father casually informed me that we were going to visit his father “…because he was having a good day.” The fact that my grandfather existed had been kept from me because he was permanently incarcerated in the Toledo Mental Hospital. And so, on.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	HARNESSING ANGER'S ENERGY Think of all the words in the English language connoting anger, i.e. frustrated, irritated, resentful, annoyed, exasperated, vexed, aggravated, peeved, infuriated, furious, ticked-off, pissed off, incensed, and enraged. Isn't it amazing that the words in our.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	MOVING TOWARD THE CENTER I remember living on the Eastern Shore, where each year I watched as the swans arrived early in the spring. Their wings created a rhythmic humming sound, as they skidded onto the water, looking much like an airplane hitting the runway. As spring proceeded, I..... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	PRIVACY VS SECRECY Issues of privacy and/or secrecy, as they impact intimate relationships, have profoundly affected almost everyone’s life, including my own. At first glance the issue seems simple, yet in my professional and personal experience I know that the boundaries between privacy and secrecy can become very fuzzy. What is appropriately.... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF
	WAITING OR WAKENING? i am beginning this article while waiting for a doctor’s appointment. I am not prepared to wait, so I am writing on the back of an envelope while pondering both the positive and negative..... DOWNLOAD FULL PDF