I am sure some of you just now screamed, “But I can’t!” That is a highly common reaction to the feedback, “Just let it go already!” One of the central understandings about emotional experiences is that no two people will be alike in how they react to the world around them. For one person, getting cut off on the highway is no big deal, yet for the other, they are blaring their car horn and screaming profanities. The same is true for any of us who experience…
Read MoreTrigger Alert! Trigger Alert! Trigger Ahead!
Welcome again to the Blog series on Getting into the Feels. Today, I am going to focus on triggers and hopefully bring more clarity as to why you might be noticing more trigger warnings on social media and through other media outlets.
Read MoreWhat is this therapy I keep hearing about...EM–something???
Acronyms never fail to confuse haha! Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidenced based modality of therapy developed by Francine Shapiro, PhD in 1987.
EMDR works on a psychological and neurological level by providing adequate resources for persons to process stressful life events and emotional experiences without the requirement of dictating every detail or aspect.
Read MoreYou’ve made it to another blog post on emotions! Give yourself a woot-woot and a high five because diving into feelings is no easy task! This post will be exploring polar opposite approaches to emotions, and my hope is that by the end of the post, you will increase insight about your willingness to approach or avoid emotions.
Read MoreWelcome back! Give yourself a pat on the back for continuing to lean into curiosity and vulnerability and taking a deeper dive into feelings. This post is going to help you discern whether an emotional experience is shame or guilt.
Quite often, many people use these terms interchangeably. In reality, these emotional experiences refer to two distinct emotional states. When we experience guilt,…
Read MoreFeelings for many of us are messy, annoying, and/or overwhelming.
Throughout this blog series, I will be sharing my clinical perspective about why we have feelings and emotions, their purpose, and specific tools we can use to work through these experiences.
Read MoreHolidays and other special days evoke memories, and memories for those who are grieving may bring pain. As we enter into this time of the year, with the friends and family gatherings that are so much a part of life, we at True North wanted to share some ideas about how to get through the rough times that may be ahead for you.
THERE ARE NO RULES TO GRIEF. EVERYONE GRIEVES THEIR OWN WAY….
Read MoreGrief is a normal response to significant, meaningful disruptions and changes:
Loss through death of a loved one.
Loss through changes in relationships—divorce, separation, end of friendship, changes in work situations.
Loss through physical and other changes that come from illnesses, accidents, and aging.
Life transitions such as retirement, aging, empty nest, relocations.
Loss through change in spiritual/existential values.
Read MoreGrief is the sorrow or sadness we feel when we experience a loss. Mourning is the process by which we adapt to the loss. While grief is usually a normal reaction and response, our mourning process is influenced by our family and cultural beliefs and traditions.
Read MoreI grew up in Kansas where the people who tamed the prairie knew all kinds of hardships. They faced an often-brutal climate of hot summer days, dust-filled winds, and winter nights that chilled them to the bone. The long distances between family farms or between small towns led to lives of isolation and self-reliance.
They shared a sense of community and purpose and supported each other when trouble came. Much of their strength came from belief in the sanctity of the individual. And much of the support came as a bolstering of the spirit to stand up, stand for, stand against, stand alone, and just keep ‘standing it.’
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