We can understand the intertwined experience of the archetypes the same way we understand the harmony of organs within an organism. Our eyes are the Guardian; our hands, the Nurturer; and our mouth, the Communicator. Each serves a distinct role, and yet there may be times when we communicate with our eyes or see with…
Tag: healing
Has Kombucha Gotcha?
A recent stroll past the beverages section of my local natural foods store revealed five brands of kombucha in twenty-five plus flavors. In addition, there was kombucha soda pop—six or seven kinds. At the deli counter, I noticed kombucha on tap—eight flavors. Yet all I had to do to discover this latest health food craze…
Inspiration #2: Be vulnerable? Maybe not
This is another one of the awakenings I had during the unbelievable afternoon I recently spent with a fellow therapist. How often have you heard people encouraging someone to be vulnerable, meaning to put down your guard and be open? Although it made sense to me, I felt uneasy about it, as though there was some inherent…
Inspiration #1: How To Tell Real From Faux Feelings
I just spent most of the afternoon with one of the trauma therapists with whom I work. It was a magical time-the synergy kept sending chills up our spines. I’ll share with you the bursts of awakening that came to me during that sharing. A number of Native languages have no version of the verb “to be”. Curiously, nearly…
The Final Healing
Dementia is typically viewed as mental decline—the irrevocable disintegration of cognitive capacities that terminates with death. From our cultural vantage point, this makes perfect sense, and I am not here to deny or refute it. Rather, I would like to present an alternative reality: Dementia is the final healing journey, where the person becomes demented,…
How to Become Invisible
The following is an excerpt from my latest book, Becoming Nature: Learning the Language of Wild Animals and Plants which can be found in Step 7, Turn Invisible and Instill No Fear. I remember standing at the upper end of a shallow pool on a tiny stream early one morning and watching a large Snapping Turtle…
On Our Unholy Fear of Root Canals
People prefer cockroaches, colonoscopies—and even Congress—to root canals. Yet as dreaded as they are, 26% of us have had one or more, and 25 million of us get root canals every year. I recently had one, when my #20 premolar recently died. In layperson parlance, it’s the tooth between the lower canine and the first…
Resolve Conflict by Becoming It
Common knowledge amongst emotionally intelligent people is that when there is interpersonal conflict, the two most helpful things the involved parties can do are to extend empathy and listen. These practices can truly be helpful, yet I see them as only a first step. By diffusing tension, they set the stage for what I think…
The Right-and-Wrong Trap
When we speak from our hearts, there is no right and wrong. If I tell someone else she is wrong, I am probably either not hearing what she is saying or I am not accepting it. Instead, I am judging, externalizing, or defending. When I tell someone else he is wrong, it is usually to…