Tagged With "self-help"

Building Resilience with Children During Racial Discrimination & Violence: This attached Resilience Brief for Children has been the hardest one I have written yet. I have been an active advocate for the equal treatment of people from all backgrounds, religions, ethnic heritages, orientations, and families my entire life. It is hard to see the pain present today, not only due to COVID19 but also due to the harm and anger we see daily in the news. I want to share a story about the person...

Hello, The Ethical Self-Care training has been updated, and while I don't have it set up as a webinar yet for CEUs, the video of the live training from 12.29.21 is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktkBwFjh5HA for learning purposes. Whether you want to be as ethical as possible in your field, or be more informed and able to hold others accountable as needed, the materials provided in this training are for you. Description for the training: To optimize ethical practice, it is...

The disturbing neural imprints from adverse childhood experiences need not be a life sentence. Imagery is an extremely helpful tool to modify the circuitry of the brain, utilizing the principle of neuroplasticity. Imagery strengthens and stabilizes the brain, while laying down alternative neural pathways.

What is emotional intelligence? How does it help us cope in the present and heal the hidden wounds from childhood that continue to disturb us?

Deeply rooted shame from childhood adversities can lurk beneath conscious awareness, even after early memories are reworked. New understanding of the brain provides hope for breaking the painful grip of shame that’s imprinted in childhood. Traditional therapeutic strategies might not be the best starting point. This blog introduces the first of several healing strategies.

Deep-rooted shame resulting from adverse childhood experiences can weigh you down. These skills can help.

These three cognitive countermeasures round out the skills for neutralizing shame imprinted in the first 18 years of life. They complement the right brain strategies described in recent articles.

Once the suffering resulting from adverse childhood experiences is managed, we can turn toward creating a more satisfying life. Pursuing the honorable life leads to self-respect and inner peace. Compassion for mistakes, understanding their reasons, and applying integrity skills starts us on the path to flourishing.

The well-timed choice to forgive deep injuries from childhood, though difficult, can greatly improve psychological wellbeing and free us to move ahead. Four keys to forgiveness lay the foundation for cultivating healing forgiveness skills.

While the process of forgiving painful offenses from childhood can be very difficult, efforts to forgive bring great rewards. The process begins with acknowledging the pain, applying self-compassion, and taking even small and faltering steps to get the forgiveness ball rolling.

Adverse childhood experiences understandably can numb feelings, including feelings of joy, happiness, and pleasure. Making time to be joyful rewires the wounded brain. Once healing has progressed, the capacity for joy can usually be expanded through the repeated application of proven joy strategies.

Once the healing of hidden wounds from adverse childhood experiences has sufficiently progressed, attention can turn to developing a richly satisfying future. Your innate inner strengths, experiences, and acquired skills will help rewire your brain for a brighter future.

Shame-based memories imprint primarily in the non-verbal right brain, largely beneath conscious awareness. When our usual attempts to cope with the inner turmoil of shame fail, mindfulness can help. Bringing the various aspects of a disturbing memory to awareness gives the brain a chance to change the memory.

Disturbing thought patterns linked to shame are learned. They can be challenged and replaced.

Anxiety rooted in the hidden wounds from childhood need not be a lifelong sentence. A combination of effective strategies offer hope and help to alleviate anxious conditions, including excessive worry and panic attacks, that originate in childhood.

Three burdensome happens learned in trying to cope with adverse childhood experiences can be changed. Efforts to drop and replace these troubling habits can be extremely liberating.

Worry rooted in adverse childhood experiences can rob you of energy and joy, and cause a variety of anxiety symptoms. This post explains the ACEs/worry connection and the principles for managing worry.

Pretending is the imposter’s exhausting attempt to conceal hidden wounds that often trace back to childhood. Most people relate to at lease some aspects of the syndrome. We discuss ways to drop the mask, counter insecurities, and live authentically.

The Mr. Nice Guy Syndrome is a curious mixture of appealing strengths, insecurities, and problematic behaviors rooted in adverse childhood experiences. Mr. Nice Guy compensates for hidden childhood wounds by struggling to do everything right, but the syndrome's limited gains come at a cost. The syndrome suggests strategies for a more satisfying adulthood and better relationships.

The Mr. Nice Guy syndrome's dysfunctional thought patterns are common in survivors of adverse childhood experiences. Uprooting these patterns can improve self-esteem and relationships.

The rigid pursuit of perfection poses a high risk to health and performance. A kinder, more flexible approach to pursuing high standards leads to better health and performance. Perfectionism, which is motivated by fear and self-doubt, is often rooted in adverse childhood experiences.