Portland Therapy Blog
Local experts share the latest information and resources on all things mental health.
Three Ways to Live with Less Resentment
Posted: February 09, 2015 by Jesse Johnson LPC
It’s no mystery to most that holding onto anger for long enough can be as exhausting as it is painful for people in relationships. In couples and families, some people call this holding in a “cold war” style of conflict. Righteousness burns as loud as the fear that keeps us from speaking up and, if it doesn’t end up making us physically ill, resentment like this can be quite toxic to the organism of a relationship. With very few of us taught healthy and effective skills for conflict and emotional regulation in our early years, I believe there is a desperate cultural need for better ideas, skills, and modeling. With that spirit in mind, here are three ways to practice releasing resentment.
Tags: mood and feelings, relationship and family, anxiety
Read MoreShortcut to Love?
Posted: January 16, 2015 by Jeff Guenther
Want to be in love but hate the tediousness of getting to know someone? Try asking your date this question: “Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?” According to one (decades old) study, you’ll be 1/36th of the way there.
Tags: relationship and family, news
Read MoreThe Agony of the New Year’s Resolution
Posted: January 05, 2015 by Rebecca Hyman
There’s something both alluring and terrifying about a New Year’s Resolution. The attraction is simple—who hasn’t wanted to abruptly transform themselves? It’s part of the excitement of drugs. Who will you be? How noble to eliminate a bad habit others have struggled for decades to overcome.
Tags: mood and feelings, life transition, addiction and behavior
Read MoreIn Case of a Craving
Posted: January 05, 2015 by Ursina Teuscher
Guess what the most frequent New Year’s resolution is? Yes, losing weight. We all know that's not an easy undertaking . One thing in particular gets in the way of even the best goals and intentions: cravings. They mess with our plans by telling us exactly what we should eat right now. They grip our thoughts. Suddenly it feels like we don't have a choice anymore. We won't get peace until that chocolate is gone.
Tags: mood and feelings, addiction and behavior, body issues
Read MoreHoliday Attunement
Posted: December 04, 2014 by Nani Waddoups
Imagine an old-school radio with a dial. A certain subtlety was needed to tune in just right to a radio station: a little to the right, a little to the left, until you tuned in just right and got it. In very much the same way, we project ourselves out into the world on a certain frequency, and others out there are broadcasting themselves on their own stations. The psychological use of the word “attunement” refers to being able to hone in on the “tune” of another person, and to have others tune into us. Much relational discord, both minor and major, is due to a lack of attunement between people. And much personal distress is due to a lack of attunement with ourselves.
Tags: mood and feelings, relationship and family, anxiety
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