Lavender

  My first foray into essential oils was with lavender. I love the smell of it, the way it makes me feel relaxed and serene. There used to be a big lavender plant in our flowerbed that I would harvest each year...I had grown it from seed. I use the dried flower buds for baking, …

Adventures in Natural Healing

I've been MIA here for a while. So many things have been fighting for my time and attention; school, internship, illness, family stuff, trying to start a private therapy practice, did I mention illness? It's taken so much of my time and energy that I have again become run-down and sick. I survived for a …

So Close I Can Taste It

Grad school was one of the top 5 hardest things I've ever done in my entire life.  Perhaps because of my age and situation in life, I was more fully invested and driven to squeeze every last drop out of the experience as I possibly could muster.  Of course, life continued to happen at home, …

When Dreams get dented

You know the old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."  You also know what a load of you-know-what that really is.  Hurtful words carry with them wounds that take a lot longer than sticks and stones would create.  Especially words that on the surface sound kind and …

A new adventure

This time last year I was excited because I was about to start grad school.  Now, after a year of studying and projects and bonding with my cohort, I'm about to start seeing clients.  Half of my cohort has been seeing clients all summer, and now it's time for the other half to begin.  The …

Forgiveness is a Series of Choices

We all have that person in our lives, the one who lies to us or betrays us, leaving us hurt and confused.  Every time you think of that comment they made, replay the scene where they are screaming at you (possibly with obscenities) accusing you of things that are complete fabrication, or the sudden change …

Not Quite Real Yet

For so many years I have dreamed about being a therapist. I've felt called, compelled, destined, whatever word you use for it. In May, I finished the first part of the process, graduating Cum Laude with my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.  Do you remember when I was counting down to my first day of …

Spend some time saying “I like you” – Avoiding Emotional Promiscuity Part I

Why is everyone in such a rush these days to express every emotion as it is being felt? Our technologically 'advanced' society has instant access to everything. It's easy to blurt out a bunch of nonsense in an email, text or a Facebook message and hit that Send button without a second thought. But maybe …

“Weekly” Top Ten – How to Make Promises You Can Keep

I have good intentions of keeping up on the blog, of keeping up around the house, or working on other projects. I have a hard time saying 'No' to people, and often overbook my calendar. Every time I fail to meet deadlines or let someone down, I pick myself back up and vow to do …

Weekly Top Ten list – Who’s into whom?

Thought I'd start posting some lists of things I have found to be true. I'm hoping to keep to a top ten, but I might end up having more or less than that. This time, I'll talk about relationships. This is primarily about romantic relationships, most likely in the early phases, but sometimes we fail …