by Richard Amaral | Dec 8, 2021 | All Entries, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Psychology, Stress, Trauma
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...
by Richard Amaral | Nov 25, 2021 | Abuse, Anxiety, Family Violence, Mental Health, Psychology, Relationships, Trauma
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...
by Richard Amaral | Nov 15, 2021 | All Entries, Anxiety, Balance, COVID-19, Mental Health, Trauma
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...
by Richard Amaral | Nov 6, 2021 | Anxiety, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Stress, Trauma
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...
by Richard Amaral | Oct 30, 2021 | All Entries, Balance, Change, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Emotions, Mental Health, Psychology
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...
by Richard Amaral | Oct 23, 2021 | Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Psychology, Spirituality
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...
