Homework: Read this Article

Hey there folks, I seem to be on a blog posting roll this week. Probably because this course I'm taking is endlessly thought provoking!

So, I came across this article on Psychology Today and am very interested in responding to it and posing some questions and statements on the differences between Western and Eastern philosophies that makes acceptance of mindfulness so difficult for us at times. But before I do that, I thought I'd give you all a chance to read it so you'll know what the heck I'm talking about!

Happy reading! (Also, I have no idea at all why the lines of the article following are highlighted. My limited technical skills have been trumped on this one, my apologies if it's bothersome! Just head straight on over to the article, it's much more pleasant to read there!)

Pumpkins, Burning Leaves, and Apple Picking, oh my!

I fully recognize that my next statement may be quite polarizing and controversial.

Source: http://www.naturepicoftheday.com/archive/2008-11-05

I LOVE FALL; especially because it means the end of summer!!!!

Okay, go ahead, call me names, I can take it and I won't back down. For me, it's quite the toss-up of what I like better, fall or spring. The thing is I'm pretty sure I like winter a smidge more than summer too. (feel like I should have whispered that last sentence)

Anyway, beginning yesterday there was that particular nip in the air that heralds the coming of fall. Don't get me wrong, I love sand between my toes and diving into an ocean wave, but I hate mosquitoes, sweating, moving from air-conditioned box to air-conditioned box, feeling lazy because the heat has sucked the energy out of me, and not being able to run outdoors. (Some people still run outside in the dead of summer, God bless the crazy fools!)

Today I went to Starbuck's and got my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. I sipped all that yummy goodness while taking a stroll in my neighborhood park under blue skies and crisp sunshine. I had long sleeves on, jeans, and sandals. True and utter bliss. I took in the sounds of the kids playing, checked out what might be ripe in the community vegetable garden, felt the slight breeze on my skin; everything felt more colorful, more rich, even my coffee tasted better! Now that I'm thinking of it though, maybe this is also due to the fact that I've just started a "Mindfulness and Psychotherapy" course. In my experience as a therapist, I've learned to doubt that events are just coincidence. Most often, when something feels different within, especially if it seems out-of-the-blue, something else coincides with it, and that other thing ends up being the source of the change, whether positive or negative. The following is a scenario that happens more often than not during a session:

Ten Years Later

Yesterday morning, I settled into my seat on the Metro on my way to a meeting and opened up the day's Express newspaper. The issue delved into the effect that 9/11 has had on people ten years later. I hadn't thought too terribly much about 9/11 in recent years but as soon as I read only the caption of the picture I found tears pricking at my eyes. I paused to get myself together (I was on the metro after all), continued to read and got about three sentences in before I could feel a for-serious "ugly cry" welling up! First of all, I should say that I am not a crier. I used to wonder if I didn't have as much depth of emotion as others because of my general lack of tears. So, the fact that my emotions are still so close to the surface when I'm reminded of 9/11 is, in a way, surprising. Needless to say, I decided to tuck the paper back in my bag to be opened again in privacy later.

Phew! What a week...

Okay, this post doesn't really have much to do with therapy or wellness, but I'm feeling the urge to write and share, so apologies if I end up boring you! This past week has been one interesting roller coaster, right? It all started on Tuesday at around 1:50PM. I was at my kitchen table working on some invoices for my practice when all of a sudden I thought I'd been transported through space back to NYC right next to or on top of a subway line because the whole house started to shake and I could hear a slight roaring sound. Then I realized that no, I'm still in DC and the sound and the shaking are getting louder and worse, could this possibly be, gulp!, an earthquake?!

What's in a name? That which we call a "therapist"...

So a couple of months ago, a client shared with me that when she speaks of me to friends, she calls me her "special friend." (I was given permission by the client to share the following story.) One day, she was relating to a friend what she had learned about herself in a recent session and her friend responded, "I wish I had a special friend!" How awesome is that?! Hahaha!