Avoidance is a behavior that is adaptive to not wanting to feel something the nervous system and brain deem is too uncomfortable or unsafe. It is a early adaptive behavior and we needed it to survive a particular time. The thing is, avoidance of distress perpetuates and maintains the experience of distress. So what we work so hard psychologically to avoid, we keep close by.

Let's talk about it.

There is a significant biological and psychological transformation that female bodies undergo in midlife - perimenopause. With the mind-body connection feeling deeply destabilized, bringing light to this journey is pivotal to finding the right navigation tools for you.

Today I invited Registered Clinical Counsellor Leanne Dorish to share her experience and discuss the Grandmother Hypothesis that roots the purpose of being a women outside of the reproductive lens. What purpose can we serve beyond having children? Apparently something evolution has deemed critical or else we would simply die in the river like spawning salmon.

You can reach Leanne at [email protected] and you can reach me at [email protected]

June is Men's Mental Health Awareness month and so let's talk about it.

We know a lot is going on individually, socially and politically that is rooted in the dysfunction of patriarchy and men aren't not doing well. They haven't been for a while. We are interested in the Manosphere, how the dysfunction shows up in their lives and the implications of it on them and others around them.

What do we need to do to help men take control and redefine what it means to be a strong man?

Today my guest shared their personal story through a family trauma of abandonment and loss that unraveled into anger, addiction, loss of Self and emotional isolation. Mike Brown's openness and humility is laudable and how he harnesses his love for Self and others will inspire you. Mike talks about what it is like to turn towards what we fear most and look at it in the eyes.

As counselling therapists we can assume that everyone has a shared understanding on pillars of health. Sometimes it's surprising how people over look the most important aspects of health. Hilary from Wholehearted Counselling reflects on her past two years of practice and reminds us of the simple things we can easily overlook that can perpetuate unnecessary mental struggles. I think you're going to like Hilary; she wears many hats.

Should you? Are you? How is that going? Using AI is quickly becoming a go-to for many people to address their mental health issues. We don't know enough about the long term impacts of it. I have feelings about this because while I do see a use for it, I do feel strongly that parameters need to be placed by each person on what you are expecting from it. Most of us have a distorted idea of what psychological changes entails so let's get clear on that first.

Feeling stuck in your life is such a deeply normal human experience. It shows up in the chair every week for me. Packed in there are so many maladaptive beliefs and misconceptions about ourselves and our relationship to the world. Not being good enough, that something bad happens when we fail or make a mistake. The list goes on. Let's talk about the anatomy of hesitation, the arenas where this shows up, where it could come from and how it impacts our mental health.

I also share a deep quote by an activist bible, Days of War, Nights of Love. You gotta hear it.

It a hyper connected world where most of us live in saturated social environments, loneliness is at an all-time high. Loneliness can hold deeply problematic internal narratives for each of us. What often hides in disconnection is negative self beliefs and maladaptive coping behaviors to protect ourselves from interpersonal pain. What is an antidote to disconnection? Let's talk about.

We often find ourselves wondering why we feel so taken advantage of or disrespected in our relationships. We can find ourselves emotionally exhausted and/or depressed.

When we whittle this down, boundaries are being cross repeatedly and we are not aware of our role in why or how it happens.

Let's talk about it.