Identifying feelings is a vital skill for emotional and sexual well-being. Through mindfulness, journaling, emotion identification exercises, therapeutic dialogue, and body awareness, individuals can enhance their emotional intelligence and foster healthier relationships. Overcoming barriers to emotional awareness and cultivating self-compassion are essential components of this journey. As a psychologist and sexologist, my role is to support individuals in navigating their emotional landscapes, helping to promote greater self-awareness, and ultimately helping to lead them toward a more fulfilling and emotionally rich life.
Read MoreATTUNEMENT: WHAT IS IT? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
There’s a very important factor that determines whether one or both parties in a relationship feel seen and nurtured. It applies to relationships across the board, from romantic to platonic, therapeutic to familial. And without it, miscommunication, fights, and hurt feelings are common. That factor is attunement. I’ll give the clinical definition first because it’s a word we often use in the field of psychotherapy and so you have a full picture of what attunement is and then I’ll describe attunement in layperson’s terms.
Read MoreI spoke with a friend of a friend recently who said he copes with anxiety solely through medication because that’s all he’s been exposed to. It got me thinking about how some people don’t know what else to try for anxiety other than pharmacological interventions because they may not have considered therapy as an option. And even many people who have considered therapy may not be able to afford it. Learning how to cope with anxiety in healthy ways can make such a difference.
Read MoreIn many of my sessions with patients lately, the topic of anger has been coming up. This feeling is often perceived as a dangerous or “bad” emotion that can harm you and others. Thus, many people are scared of anger and are told to do whatever they can to squash it, to keep it hidden. I see this particularly in women (and folx who fall closer to feminine on the gender expression continuum) because we are instead encouraged to people-please and not rock any boats with anger. We’re encouraged to be “nice,” and anger isn’t a “nice” emotion. Men (and folx who fall closer to masculine on the gender expression continuum) experience the opposite – they are socialized to feel and express anger, but not sadness. (Think of common, old school sayings like “Boys don’t cry” or “Don’t be a sissy.”)
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