Tag: Mindfulness

Accessing Your Inner Relaxation Resources

May 3

By Sarah Beardslee, LCPC

In this previous post, I discussed how the imagination can help us feel empowered, calm, and confident or can bring anxiety, depressed mood, and insecurities. When you feel stuck with negative thoughts and images scrolling through your mind like an unending film reel, here are some things that may be helpful. 

Developing a Container

A mental container is something you create to hold all the distress, tension, and negative images that overwhelm and feel unhelpful to you. The mental container is not simply another way to dismiss, avoid, or ignore thoughts and emotions. It is … Read more

Mindful Imagining: Leveraging The Power of Your Inner World to Feel Different

March 12

By Sarah Beardslee, LCPC

Imagine – eating a favorite meal, hearing a favorite sound, smelling a favorite scent. You may notice your body connecting with such an image. Perhaps you smile as you imagine a funny story, feel warmth and comfort imagining a loved one, or your heart rate increases and muscles tighten when imagining something scary.

The imagination lets us explore our world in new ways. It allows us to create solutions, connect with things we cannot see. However, the imagination may also make us feel trapped within a world fueled by fears, insecurities, anger, or hopelessness. It can … Read more

Healthy Eating During Quarantine

April 23

By Maggie Thompson, LCMFT

During these stressful times, so many of us are struggling with over-eating, and we are not sure what to do about it. Let’s first discuss why, then discuss what we can do about it.

There are 4 eating styles that can be employed on any given day.  The first is Fuel Eating.  This is eating to give your body all the nutrition and support it needs to run at an optimal level.  The second is Fun Eating.  This is the eating we do to get pleasure.  The third is Fog Eating.  This is when a person … Read more

A Single Tree Podcast #2: Small Self, Large Self

October 25

Brandon and Joel recorded Episode 2 of A Single Tree Podcast about the “small self” and how to connect with the “Large Self.” You can find all episodes of A Single Tree Podcast here and subscribe on Soundcloud or iTunes. You can also listen to the latest episode from October 24, 2017 below.

Description: More about the “small self” (or ego) and how we can take a proper stance toward it to shed layers and become our fullest selves, connecting with the “Large Self,” where we find connection and wholeness.

… Read more

A Single Tree Podcast #1: The Larger Context of Which We Are A Part

October 22

Brandon and Joel recorded their first podcast! It’s called A Single Tree Podcast and you can find all episodes here and subscribe on Soundcloud or iTunes. You can also listen to the first episode from October 17, 2017 about connecting with “the larger consciousness” below.

Description: We all search for context to help us find meaning in our circumstances. The largest context that exists is consciousness itself. We are all a part of it and it is that from which we came. If we go back and connect with this largest context which we can call “being-ness,” then we … Read more

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Adult and Teen Groups Enrolling Now

July 17

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Training Group is now open for new members to join both our Adult and Adolescent groups!

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a broad-based cognitive behavioral treatment aimed to enhance your ability to regulate emotions, improve interpersonal relationships and crisis management skills.  Emotion dysregulation has been linked to a variety of mental health concerns stemming from patterns of instability in emotional management, lack of impulse control, ineffective interpersonal relationships, and a distorted self-image.  Helping clients find true balance in emotion, thoughts, and behavior and/or choices is the fundamental practice of DBT.

DBT Skills Training Group is … Read more

Harnessing the Power of Your ADHD

April 28

Joel Ybarra, LCMFT, originally published April 28, 2017 on joelybarra.com.

We tend to think of problems with focus and attention as impairments in brain functioning. Forgetting things, losing things and not being able to focus on the task at hand are all problematic, but it is important to understand what is actually going on in our ADHD brains and how we can use them optimally.  It is not that we are incapable of focus; we may just need to put in a little extra effort to be able to harness all our brains are capable of doing. The … Read more

Mindfulness – Finding Peace in the Present

November 15

By Shauna Meier, LSCSW

There is something powerful we all have within us, something we can practice any place and any time. It is known to ease anxiety, lighten depression, interrupt impulsiveness, and bring more happiness and peace into our lives. This powerful practice is called Mindfulness. Simply stated, mindfulness can be defined as  “Paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn).  Although mindfulness has been around for centuries, it has just recently received the attention and accolades it so rightfully deserves.

Mindfulness, being fully present in the moment, takes perseverance and patience as our minds are … Read more

Working Through Anxiety

December 23

When we are working through our anxiety, we often hear in our minds the decidedly unhelpful mantra “don’t worry about it.” We believe we should not have a care in the world and any anxiety at all is bad. Most of us probably know, however, anxiety does have some function. It helps us focus on things that need attention. When you are in danger, anxiety is there to help you avoid the danger. On a lower level, anxiety helps focus our attention on things we need to take care of and things that need to change.

If you have ever … Read more