A Few Book Recommendations
All available on Amazon Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell What is the primary mythology by which you live in life? Do you know? This is a broad exploration by the wonderful comparative religion scholar. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes PhD A…
WINDOW OF TOLERANCE: WHEN YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM IS STUCK ON “ON”
All of us have a certain amount of trauma because life rarely meets our needs perfectly. More severe trauma leaves us with symptoms that interfere with our optimum functioning in life. You may not think your trauma qualifies as Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) but if your life is not functioning the way you wish…
Co-dependence
When we grow up in a family, our brains are like blank slates. We are born with our own personalities, but not how to navigate in the world. We do not know that the family dynamic in which we live may be dysfunctional. We are born with our brains only partially developed so everything about…
TRIANGULATION AND THIRDS, TWO THREATS TO A COUPLE
I am sure you have either seen or participated in “triangulation”, a term coined by Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist who is the father of Bowen Family Systems therapy. Triangulation occurs when the emotional dynamics between two people are stressed and one person turns to another and talks about the first to relieve stress. It is…
Your wounding is probably not your fault, but your healing is your responsibility. ~ Denice Frohman
One thing I love about being a therapist is the ability to share tools for transformation! We all want to go through the door which allows us healing, happiness, better relationships and more. All we need are the tools. Therapists can be useful in helping you do that. You may be nursing some old wounding,…
Tips for Tackling Anxiety
Not intended to replace medical or psychiatric care. If in doubt, do not follow or else check with your mental health provider before proceeding. Stress is part of being human and can be helpful in protecting us from harm and making the wrong move in a situation. Stress can also evolve into anxiety which can…
Bullying in Families
Bullying is a topic that frequently comes up in the news these days. It truly is a social problem that causes lasting damage for both individuals and the larger society. It can lead to health problems, lost productivity at work, difficulty in building strong family units and even a shorter life span. It has always…
Mindfulness goes beyond your mind!
From a long-time meditator, I have some good things to share with you about meditation. I will first address why it is so hard to begin meditating or to meditate alone. ~ Meditating takes focus which takes work, but once you are there, you can relax in your focus, oddly enough. ~ Before you get…
Why We Don’t Remember Names
We all have two sides to our brains. One side records long term memory and the other only records memory for a short period. I have heard people say “I am not good with names”. Actually, we can safely say that no one is. Can you guess which is which and what does this have…
Video counseling is now available with Catherine!
I now have secure “telecounseling” as my sole way of doing therapy. I can do counseling for anyone in the state of California. I can do Brainspotting and all the therapy interventions I would normally do in an office setting. Please contact me by email therapybycatherine@gmail.com (best) or by phone 408-246-4385 for more information. I…