Another vignette I wrote for the Halloween Enchantment Festival of 2014. It's the story of the Night Weaver. (Night Weaver stands at a big loom with long drapes of black cloth.) 1 What a busy time of year it is for me, the night-time weaver! I need to make long yards of cloth to fill [...]
I wrote this vignette for a Halloween festival at my daughters' school in 2013. It's the song of an overworked gnome who is put in charge to write a lullaby for the plants to go to sleep as fall is coming. (Gnome sits on desk with paper and quill composing, crumpling up papers and throwing [...]
If you have ever wondered why my counseling practice is called "For You Are Made of Stars", here is why. Nine years ago my family and I visited beautiful Nelson, British Columbia. Exploring downtown, we stumbled across a small French bakery, tucked away on a small back lane. We stepped inside, and while my kids [...]
As I am utilizing quite a bit of EMDR in my work with clients, here is a brief introduction to this unique healing approach. Initially developed for the treatment of trauma, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has shown high efficacy in the resolution of many mental health problems, sometimes in only one or two [...]
I recently gave a presentation on postpartum mental health to a group of new mothers. Each woman was in different state of attending to her newborn's needs (nursing, rocking, holding, soothing, cuddling, burping) while they were talking with each other, sharing community resources, advice and their trials (and errors). When it was time for my [...]
Entering therapy is often a big deal. It can take a lot of time, money, and mental space, so of course you want it to work. But how does it actually work? What makes therapy effective? In this post, I am not going to talk about evidence-based practices and treatment approaches (e.g. EMDR, CBT etc) [...]
As I was reflecting on the coming of the new year, I decided that this is going to be a Year of Abundance. Over the holidays, we tend to wish each other health, happiness, love and prosperity. We invoke the spirit of abundance. But when the holidays are over, we recycle the greeting cards and [...]
All forms appearing in the vast three thousand worlds I offer as the supreme mudra of the body. Please grant the siddhi of unchanging form. All sound, and sources of sound, appearing in the vast three thousand worlds I offer as the supreme mudra of speech. Please grant the siddhi of unimpeded speech. All the [...]
What a busy time of year it is for me, the night-time weaver! I need to make long yards of cloth to fill those orders without pause or starting to run a fever! As days grow short, the nights grow long, and so do my assignments to weave dark cloaks of winter night in due [...]
Each relationship has a trunk of censored communication. It is stored in a corner far from daily traffic, and has two identical keys. You have one, and your partner has the other. Most days, months or years the key sits on a high shelf because you have no reason to use it. Or maybe you [...]