From Anxiety to Freedom with Meditation
For all of my life, I have had a certain degree of anxiety. For the most part, I have learned to regulate it in a healthy manner. At times, however, it has spun out of control. The first time this happened was when I first started college. I was depressed, but also intellectually excited and stimulated by the new environment. Unfortunately, I turned too much to my cognitive side and
Finding Hope in Butte, MT: Resources for Those Struggling with Addiction
In my youth, I recall the days when swigging a Bud Light was woven into the very fabric of the Butte experience. The holidays, especially, seemed to be inseparable from this ritual. Yet, regrettably, not everyone in our clan was equipped to navigate the perils of alcohol. My cousin, for instance, succumbed to the grip of its intoxicating allure. We discovered him lifeless in his apartment, a casualty that none
Understanding Devouring Mothers and Devouring Fathers – Missoula Counselors
Most of us have experienced our parents’ protective instincts toward us. However, not every parent’s concern for their child’s safety is healthy. When it goes beyond moderation, it can become an obsession, making them push us to fulfill their own unfulfilled aspirations, or create a house atmosphere where we live in fear, and end up becoming their emotional crutches. Two such terms often used in psychology to describe such parents
How to Break Free From the Karpman Drama Triangle: An Overview of David Emerald’s “TED” Solution – Missoula Counselors
Do you ever feel like you're stuck in a pattern of drama, whether at work, in your relationships, or in your own mind? Maybe it seems like you're constantly playing the role of the victim, or you find yourself rescuing others who are always in crisis. Or, perhaps you're prone to criticizing or blaming others, and you often feel attacked or oppressed. If any of this sounds familiar, you may
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” – A Movie Review – Missoula Parenting
Er, it wasn’t the worst movie I have ever seen. But put it this way - every clever part is in the previews. It was exactly like watching a video game. Suffice it to say, my 5-year-old daughter, Sandy, had a completely different reaction. “Does Super Mario come out today?” she asked. “Yes,” I said. “Holy shit,” she said. But she said it like “Hooooly shit.” When I recounted Sandy's reaction
Making Your Mind Work For You – Missoula Psychology
The columnist Arthur C. Brooks recently quoted Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Garden of Eden in which a character notes, “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” This is, he notes, a fair corollary to the common saying, “ignorance is bliss.” This raises an important question: can smarter people use their brains to simply be happier? Or does knowing and understanding more about the world doom us to