We often don’t realize how sometimes, when we get ticked off at someone, it is less about what s/he is going and more because s/he’s messin’ with our heads. While we may not like what a person is doing, we may not like, even more, what it does to the internal unspoken but very real …
What happens at a first counselling session?
With a few trips to the electronics store, and a little trial and error, me and mine (well, mostly the “mine”, to tell the truth) have figured out how to make and upload videos. I’m kinda liking how it turned out. Although I’m a bit of an introvert by nature, and being in front of …
Validation for Childhood Trauma
Those who struggle with memories and bodily effects of childhood trauma won’t be surprised by the news in The Winnipeg Free Press today. Hypervigilance, which is a super-aware-alertness to the world around, with particular attention to impending danger is exhausting, and wears on a body. Those who grew up in a chaotic, dangerous household, that …
The Whole without the Sum of its Parts
Guessing what the puzzle looks like when you haven’t got all the pieces means you end up with something that feels right, but may be far from the truth. That isn’t rocket science. But unwittingly, we live out lives in the fantasy that we know what the puzzle looks like, even when we don’t have …
Dance, Joy, Unity
There’s something about dance that elicits joy. Something about moving together in rhythm that even when a common language isn’t shared, the beauty of moving together unites people with smiles and laughter. Something about someone dancing badly that gives license to those around to feel comfortable to join in. I may be one of the …
In da press…
Today’s edition of the Winnipeg Free Press has the announcement that Jennifer Lockhart and Stephanie Albiani are beginning to provide services at Bergen and Associates Counselling. Jennifer Lockhart began just a few weeks ago. It has been great to have her gentle and professional presence around. She pays attention to detail …
Finding a Path to Change
Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein A friend of mine is quite fond of this phrase. He is a faithful and successful AA member who repeats this line to people who ask him for his support on their journey of sobriety. This line comes in very …
Impersonating Ourselves
In All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum tells of the day he was left with eighty boys and girls, all five years old. It was his job to keep these children occupied for one hour, a seemingly, impossible task. In desperation he remembered the game “Giants, Wizards, and Dwarfs,” …
Silence–Freedom or Fear?
As you probably know, the Amish believe in living a simple life–no electricity, no telephones, no motorized vehicles. Yet in many of the communities there is a pay phone. When asked about this apparent discrepancy one elder explained, ’If the telephone were in our home it would control us. As long as it is out …
Marriage Maintenance and Enhancement
To say I’m a little bit passionate about helping couples find ways of staying married in a vital, life-giving way is like saying the pope is a little bit Catholic. Although of course there are times when it makes sense to end a marriage, no one sets out to have their marriage fail. And yet …