I was inspired last week to think of my role as a therapist in a different light. Then in sessions, these words came out - #hopedealer
It seems fitting.
Why Mindfulness? By: Susan Stork
Yoga? Mindfulness Health Solution?
In 1999 - I took a deep dive into {Mindfulness} unknowingly!
I was dealing LOTS of young adult angst {family, career, relationships, friends & next steps} and I needed an outlet for my anger & frustration - so I entered a yoga training for daily Hatha lessons and guided meditation for 6 months daily at 4 am!
{{ Side-Note: At the time, I was an evening server, who got off work most evenings after midnight & never did a day of yoga in my life.}}
My yogi, never judged me for falling asleep during guided meditation (which I often did because at the time I didn't value MYSELF, sleep schedules & self care ) - instead my yogi pushed my awakening forward by suggesting "walking" meditations (she was slick).
For almost 18+ years - I think about this phase of life almost daily. I grew in ways - I never really appreciated it until later in adulthood.
For me: "Mindfulness" via walking meditation and permission / direction to "be in the moment" promoted my inner growth. Back in '99 - I wasn't aware enough (or mindful enough) to understand -- BUT... "I was where I needed to be to start the work".
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I tell this story because it's never too late to gain control of your mind by harnessing your superpower and increasing your well-being.
Sunday {{Couples Sessions}} with Susan
Coupleship in Baltimore || Sunday Sessions w/ Susan
Are you both busy professionals?
(Parents) Maybe having a difficulty finding a weekday sitter? AND /OR having difficulty being in the same place at the same time?
Are you desiring more from your "Coupleship" ?
Wanna meet on Sunday?
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If so, reach out ONLINE for a complimentary 15-minute consultation to ensure fit.
Schedule the phone call ONLINE for a time that you BOTH are available : http://www.spacebetweencounselingservices.com/contact/
Dating, Relationships & Carnival Rides:
A roller-coaster relationship feels similar to a roller-coaster ride. At first, the relationship moves at a nice steady pace forward. The person you’re dating is making time and effort to see you and it feels great, putting a smile on your face that’s bigger than Julia Robert's.
Relationships are bound to have moments of ups and downs; that’s normal. However, the downs should never exceed the ups. Those should also be far and few between.
If your relationship starts to have more unexpected jerking and swerving from left to right, back and forth leaving you nauseously dizzy, confused…that is obviously not a fun ride (or a healthy relationship).
If you start to feel more stress then excitement, sadness then happiness and more down’s than ups, it’s time to get your booty off this emotional roller-coaster relationship ride!
What does a "Foxhole" have to do with Couples Work?
Partners can be helped immensely by having an "owners manual" for each other and their relationship.
Does your relationship have one in place?
Part of that "owners manual" or being an "expert on your partner" can be created by using the principles in the Couple Bubble by Dr. Stan Tatkin.
It's like being in a "fox hole" together and having each others back consistently both privately and publicly.
Does your partner have YOUR back and YOU, theirs?
Are you struggling within your couple bubble❓
OR
Maybe you two need help forming YOUR couple bubble❓
{{ Yawning }} every creature that has a spine YAWNS
Yawning is a built-in repair circuit which triggers the Parasympathetic Nervous System, which calms everything down in your body.
We most associate yawning with boredom or being sleepy, but new research suggests it can be good for your health - by cooling down your brain.
Yawning is particularly useful when your body is stressed, injured, or ill. If you’ve got a headache, try yawn “surfing”– where you literally try to yawn over and over–in most situations, your headache will ease up.
Scientists at Princeton University found a big yawn can regulate the temperature of the brain and prevent over-heating. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which increase blood pressure. Yawning activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which attenuates the sympathetic nervous system, reduces stress, and lowers the risk for high blood pressure.
Because #yawning disturbs your current sympathetic tone and forces the parasympathetic nervous system to act in order to restore your body to a resting state because yawning discharges STRESS from the body.
Feeling stressed or drained? Make an effort to yawn as a self-care strategy to help your blood pressure!
Be well and #bmore #aware, #Baltimore!
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What is PACT? How can it help MY relationship?
Baltimore Couples:: Are you desiring a deeper understanding and connection?
Well then... Let's get OFF the couch and get face-to-face via PACT.
Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT) - Founder: Dr. Stan Tatkin
PACT teaches both #partners how to #soothe each other's brain during times of #stress. The result is two brains that are chemically wired together and a #securelyfunctioningrelationship .
A PACT session is unlike any couple's therapy you may have experienced before.
** If you've been to standard couple's therapy, you may have left your session feeling worse than when you started.
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PACT sessions are 90 mins - 3 hours in length to ensure a positive result with each experience.
Couples will face each other in rolling chairs, along with other postures as determined by the clinician while maintaining eye contact. Prolonged eye contact between partners allows defensive walls to come down, allowing the clinician to access core issues with less resistance.
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In Baltimore & needing more information? Call Susan for a 15 minute complimentary phone consultation @ 443.527.2042
Music: 1st Therapist for many.
What do you get when you mix #logotherapy with #Phish lyrics?
This.
"as time leaks out, my life leaks in"
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Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy is based on the premise that the human person is motivated by a “will to meaning,” an inner pull to find a meaning in life. :: The following list of tenets represents basic principles of logotherapy:
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#Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones. • Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life. • We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stand we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering. •••
Mash-up: #viktorfrankl + #phish + @space_between_counseling = meaning! #musictherapy
Space Between :: White Space = Pause
Happy Saturday. Don't forget to provide #whitespace. After this BLOG post - I am on a whitespace break for the whole weekend.
:::::: Weekends (especially, summer weekends) are more enjoyable when #busyness isn't on the agenda. All that rush: Go here! Do that! Must do! ::::::
::What is Whitespace? ::
"Whitespace,” or “negative space” is the #spacebetween between elements & events. { It's the white-zones on your calendar OR within your day that is NOT planned but is purposely placed. }
What does providing whitespace do for you?
It heals. It connects. It repairs. It creates. It pauses.
Whitespace is extremely important in maintaining a positive and healthy mental state.
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So many times we make ourselves ridiculously busy. We think we have to do everything and get as far as we can. If we provide whitespace. We provide a space for calm, creativity, connection & repair from busyness.
*** Also know as the {space between} hence one of the many reasons my therapy office has the name @space_between_counseling
Please consider joining me in my "Whitespace Weekend"! If you do, tell me about how YOU felt after your "whitespace weekend" - on Monday 😉✌🏽.