Blog
Two Types of Stress and One Way To Manage Them
There are a lot of beautiful festivals and holidays during this time of year. But while this time of year can bring much joy and cause for celebration, it can also bring much stress. So, for the next few weeks, I’ll be discussing various topics that all relate to the...
Two Goals For Working Through Psychological Pain
While every therapist has their own style and approach to working with psychological pain caused by trauma, I find there are two common objectives that both clients and therapists share regardless of theoretical orientation. These objectives are: (1) Increase a...
Three Factors Which Contribute To Trauma
Ever wonder why some people get traumatized over something relatively minor while others seem to handle adversity with little stress? While there is no one specific answer, a few factors can contribute to why some people seem to bounce back while others do not. In...
Which Form of Abuse is Most Traumatic?
In Canada, November is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. Since I've been writing about trauma lately, I thought I'd discuss trauma in the context of domestic violence and share what I've learned from working in both of these areas. Which Form of Abuse is...
Trauma Can Sometimes Bring Out The Helpers
Over the last couple of years, I've been finding the word 'trauma' in our social discourse more than I can remember. I think there are several reasons for this. Why We hear More About Trauma First, living in Canada, I am regularly exposed to our neighbors' political...
Trauma and the Nature vs. Nurture Debate
As a student, and in the early years of my career, I put a lot of weight on the role of nature in the whole “nature vs. nurture” debate. I was doing a lot of work in addiction psychology at the time and strongly believed in a person’s genetic predisposition to...
A Different Way of Looking At Your Emotions
Almost everywhere you look, there is some measuring device (or app) or tool. For example, a thermometer tells you the temperature. A scale tells you how much you weigh, and when you’re on the road driving, your vehicle’s speedometer and odometer can tell your speed...
How Spirituality Can Help With A Balanced Life
In researching my book, I came across a lot of research talking about the role of religion and spirituality as a tool for improving one’s mental and emotional health. After thinking about the research in this area a little more deeply, I find it helpful to break it...
How to Balance Your Thinking (and why it’s important)
To have a balanced life, you also need to have balanced thinking. And balanced thinking produces a balanced mind - the fourth letter in PROMISE. Balanced thinking refers to your ability to look at both sides of a situation while avoiding the temptation to...
One way to manage workplace stress
Our jobs can provide us with numerous psychological benefits. For example, it can give a person a feeling of accomplishment, which improves their self-esteem and achievement. It can also provide a person with a sense of connection through the relationships formed at...
Relationships… And The One Quality I Think Can Improve Them
We all go through life experiencing a variety of relationships. Whether it's a romantic relationship, a friendship, a relationship with your parent, child, or even with your community - being in a relationship is part of the human experience. But there is one quality...
Why I need to get more comfortable in front of the camera.
I hope you're doing well and that September is off to a good start!For the last 10-years or so, I've come to really love September. I think part of the appeal to me is that September, along with January, has always represented a fresh start.It's probably because of...
