Understanding the Building Blocks of Human Connection Think of your closest relationships for a moment. What makes your best friend different from a work colleague? Why does a romantic partnership feel distinct from a deep friendship? The answer lies in a fascinating framework that views relationships not as fixed categories, but as unique combinations of […]
Over this past week, the main topic of conversation around the house has been around the subject of emotions of hopelessness, less than, and helplessness. These cheery topics have been raised because Ellen is working up a therapeutic process for helping her clients to overcome these emotions. That means we had to dive deep into […]
Ellen and I spend a lot of time wondering about things that some people call psychological or spiritual. Like, I was making lunch today and I thought, “Wow, when we die and don’t have bodies anymore, we won’t have anything to worry about. It seems like it will be all about connecting.” Ellen said, “No […]
Someone asked me this question the other day, “How does one go about feeling?” This may seem like a silly question to the average person, but the person asking me this understood that I distinguish between feelings and emotions. They may seem similar, but I use the words to describe two very different states of consciousness. Most […]
Guidance from our feelings is a critical part of our spiritual growth. The common phrase “let your feelings guide you” or “be guided by your heart” is standard advice from the spiritual growth crowd. The problem is no one really tells us just what this means or how to do it. It is like it is […]
Way back in 1972 mind-body interactions were the subject of philosopher’s arguments. No one had any inkling that this subject would have any real world applications. Back then I was a sophomore at UC Davis pursuing a double major in physics and psychology. My goal at that time was to become a parapsychologist. I wanted to […]
I have been contemplating social gatherings and discussions I have been a part of over the last couple years. One particular point appeared obvious to me – people like feedback. People like to tell their stories, both the triumphs and the tribulations, and then like to get feedback from those listening to them. With the […]
What do you want from life? We all have certain basic survival needs – air, water, food, shelter, and safety. Most of us have these basics met. If you don’t then the focus of your life will pretty much be on securing these needs or else you won’t survive. But aside from these needs most […]
Ellen asked me this the other day. We were sitting in the car at the farmer’s market. I had just picked up some persimmons with which to try to make persimmon jam. She was not feeling ok and had me do a silent muscle test to see if the not ok feeling was a “I’m […]
Remember those little cartoon angles and devils that would sit on people’s shoulders whispering into their ears? The devil would sit on one side and urge the person to do all sorts of things that were “bad” and likely to get them into trouble. While the angel would sit on the other shoulder and warn […]