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P-A-C Diagram of Personality Structure and Development

Understanding Personality Development in the Wake of Attachment Trauma

Attachment trauma can significantly impact the development of personality, particularly when an individual is raised in an invalidating environment. I recently participated in an advanced training with Ann E. Potter and Debra Wesselmann who wrote “EMDR and Attachment-Focused Trauma Therapy for Adults, Reclaiming Authentic Self and Healthy Attachments.” I am now incorporating the concepts of […]

A notice held by a hand against the backdrop of the seak. It reads: Kindness. Pass It On.

Family Wounds and Politics

Here We Go It’s that time again, where familial conflict around differing views is at its height.  This past Monday President Trump was inaugurated and it feels as if many are struggling with uncertainty.  Even in my own family, there is a significant divide that brings up lots of emotions, hurt, and assumptions. I was […]

healthy salad lunch

Small Consistent Changes

No Resolution The recovering perfectionist in me has learned to be much kinder to myself in this decade of my life.  There was a time when I set many goals and lived with the rigidity of accountability to try to meet more than was feasibly possible.  Today I embrace smaller changes with the knowledge that […]

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Can a Perfectionist Have Clutter?

If you’ve worked with me you know I consider myself a recovering perfectionist.  I have done years of work on myself to let go of the need to impress or even worry about what others think of me.  Yet, just when I think I’ve done such a great job, there’s that little voice that creeps […]

Autumn leaves on a table with the words give thanks written next to them

Holiday Gratitudes and Boundaries

Thanksgiving Every year it seems that the holidays just sneak up on me and then they’re here.  I always feel challenged to hold onto the holiday decor for Thanksgiving when I really want to put up all the Christamas decorations. This holiday will be quite mild at my house.  We just had all the kids […]

I voted stickers and US flag

Finding Your Safety Amongst the Chaos

Polarized Friends and Family It’s been a rough week for many people.  So much of the country is singing praises of how excited they are about the election results.  Yet, many others are living in fear and have begun to isolate themselves in a state of depression about the loss of hope. It’s a wild […]

T Shirt with Bold Imperfect Action written on it

Uncertainty, Risk and Emotional Exposure

There’s Comfort in Staying Small I remember years ago listening to a podcast with Brené Brown that discussed the fact that when you are bold and speak your authentic story, that it’s not always rosey and it doesn’t always feel heroic.  In fact, I recall her talking about how she would read all the comments […]

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Comparative Suffering

Why I Held Off On a Blog There is a term known as Comparative Suffering that essentially means that we often hold off on sharing our own trials when we compare our suffering to that of others.  I had wanted to share my struggle with a challenging business situation I encountered, but then after I […]

I’m Not Flashy

Vegas It’s been 8 years since I have been to Las Vegas.  A lot has changed over the years structurally, but the one thing that you can always count on is the Flashiness of the Vegas Scene. I’m not a typical Vegas lover, as I hate to lose money… so I don’t gamble, I can’t […]

Gina's mountain bike accident August 2023

The Body Keeps Score

Trauma and The Body Bessel van der Kolk wrote a book in 2014 called The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and the Body in the Healing of Trauma. The book quickly became a famous must-read for therapists working with trauma.  It helped to explain that trauma is not only mental, emotional and neurological, but […]