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Grounded in Gratitude: How Thankfulness Resets the Mind and Body

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Thanksgiving is a time for… well… giving thanks! We do this by sharing copious amounts of food, spending time with the people we love, and trying our best to be present in the chaos. Some families even take it a step further and create intentional moments, like going around the table, saying what they’re grateful for, or playing gratitude-themed games with the kids. What many people don’t realize is that this is actually practicing gratitude. And practicing gratitude isn’t just a “feel-good holiday activity.” It’s one of the most powerful tools we have for strengthening mental health, building resilience, and improving our overall human experience. Gratitude is more than just a feeling. Gratitude is a powerful tool for emotional resilience—strengthening new positive neural pathways and improving empathy, emotional regulation, and connection. It literally helps regulate the nervous system and keeps us more grounded in a world that often moves too fast. Gratitude and Emotional States: Wh...
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Redefining Family: Letting Go of the Ideal and Creating What You Need

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                       “I wish I had a mom like other people.”   “My siblings don’t feel like my siblings.”  “I just want a family that feels like home.” I hear words like these almost daily in therapy. Beneath them lives a longing for belonging, safety, and unconditional love. It’s an ache that’s both deeply human and deeply painful, because it collides with the image we’ve all been conditioned to chase: the ideal family. If You Took a Moment to Think About the Word “Family” What comes up for you? If the first images are painful memories or a sense of loss, you’re in the majority. Most of us carry a disconnect between what we were taught a “family” is supposed to look like and what family actually is in real life. When we think of family, we often picture something out of a holiday movie — ugly Christmas sweaters, warm laughter around a table, and perfectly timed reconciliation scenes. We’re taught that thi...
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From Surviving in Silence to Thriving Forward: The Healer’s Journey

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Case Study Meet Dr. L., a seasoned therapist who has spent two decades in the field. She provides clinical supervision to rising therapists, teaches a class at the local college, and is often described as "the rock" of her community. But behind the scenes, life feels different. She’s in the middle of a painful divorce. Her once-consistent self-care routine — morning yoga, meal prepping, Friday dinners with friends — has fallen apart. She feels heavier, emotionally and physically. Nights are spent grading papers or doom-scrolling, not journaling or resting. She wants to reach out to a therapist herself but feels a wave of shame every time she thinks about it. “I already know the answers,” she tells herself. “I teach this stuff — so why can’t I do it?” Dr. L. is brilliant, experienced, and deeply compassionate. And she’s also human. Her story is one many healers know too well: we’re skilled at guiding others but stumble when it comes to applying those same tools to ourselves. ...
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