What 2-year-olds model about releasing frustration and restoring calm — Imagine the familiar scene — a 2-year-old gets frustrated about not getting something they want or not being able to do something that excites them. They throw themselves on the floor, stomp their feet, pound their arms, and shout or scream. No one teaches them this behavior. The response comes…

Start by considering — what do you want? — Magazine ads, commercials, and songs lead us to believe that the holiday season is “the most wonderful time of the year.” We expect happiness, abundance, and joyful family togetherness. But this season often brings a mix of feelings and experiences. Even families that look perfect from the outside have conflicts…

Four lessons from Simone Biles about trauma and life — After the flame from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics extinguished and I reflected on the events, my attention focused, more than anything else, on the experience of Simone Biles. In her conduct, she exemplified excellence as a role model and a teacher. …

Your fear may have an important message for you. Paying attention to it doesn’t mean you let it stop you from doing things you want to do. — In my psychotherapy practice, I recently received a call from a potential client stating she wanted help “getting rid of anxiety.” Anxiety, which I think of as fear in motion, manifests in ways that cause discomfort — a fast heart rate, sweaty palms, tense muscles, worry or racing thoughts, and…

You’re not alone! An exercise from bioenergetic psychotherapy can help — As life begins to return to normal, many people still experience high levels of anxiety and depression. For myself, I’ve had periods of strong emotions, along with a confusing contrast of wanting time alone and an urge to be around people. I learned that several of my friends felt this…

This science-based approach to therapy explores the mind-body connection as a healing modality — Modern psychotherapy generally occurs with the therapist and client sitting on chairs or on a couch. The client(s) talks about their problems, the therapist listens, asks questions, and offers insights. While bioenergetic therapy starts in this way, it doesn’t end there. Bioenergetic therapists incorporate movement as part of the therapy…

How principles from bioenergetic therapy can inform your experience and give you clarity about setting your own boundaries — A friend recently asked me to look over an email conversation with her father. She wanted feedback about how to proceed in their relationship and asked for my opinion as an objective professional. She explained that she had told him in no uncertain terms that she did not want to…

A simple exercise from Bioenergetics can help, with a caveat — Ah, stress…! We are all too familiar with it, from the impacts of the pandemic, finances, racism, the political situation, etc. One of the ways stress affects people is muscle tension. Our bodies tense to brace against injury or attack. We also tense to hold back emotions or expressions we…

As we arrive at this moment, bidding adieu to #45, and Welcome to #46!, I take the advice of our new President Biden, who said that in order to heal we must remember. …