Finding the Peace
In this era of political devise, polarization on so many fronts, hatefulness, lack of tolerance and violence, it seems we need some ways to contribute to the good of all. It can feel like a hopeless cause as we don’t feel as if we have any impact in the drama unfolding each day. It is…[ Read the full article ]
Ding. Chime. Notification received. Perhaps we continue through our moment. But our brains caught it, received it and responded. We were alerted. The dopamine was dumped. Conditionally we learn to respond to our phones through the notifications we receive. Ding. Dopamine dump. Respond. Ding. Dopamine dump. Respond. No ding. Quiet. Pick up the phone and…[ Read the full article ]
Most people haven’t thought about emotions being a chemical response in the body. However, according to Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, when we are emotionally triggered, it takes less than 90 seconds for an emotion to get triggered, surge chemically through the blood stream, and then get flushed out. Dr. Taylor, a brain researcher who wrote…[ Read the full article ]
As we, one nation, work to come together and move forward after a difficult political battle, I am grasping for guidance in what comes next. I see and hear about the polarization, the fears, the wounding in families, the separation that has blanketed our citizens. And on some level, it feels overwhelming and useless for me,…[ Read the full article ]
It’s that time of the year again. The holidays are upon us and many of us will undoubtedly be saying, “Where did the year go?” or, “I can’t believe it is time for the holidays again.” And as we recount the holidays of the last few years, what do we actually recall? What mattered? For…[ Read the full article ]
One of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills (Linehan, 2015) we work on in our groups is accumulating positive experiences. Accumulating positive experiences is a skill that encourages you to increase your positive experiences, both short term, such as daily, and long term, such as planning for a vacation you want to do. Having positive experiences improves…[ Read the full article ]
I just got back from another Mindfulness training. During the training session, the teacher used the words, “We often are either rehashing or rehearsing”. We are looking backwards or forward instead of gazing straight ahead and being in the moment. We have all probably been there when we are going over and over an upsetting…[ Read the full article ]
Back in the late 80’s we started hearing more and more about building self-esteem. We had a movement from then on that was about building self-esteem. The goal was to promote stable mental health and help people feel better about themselves. Self-esteem involves a global judgement about ourselves. It often means we have to “be…[ Read the full article ]
I often tell others that if we make an error in listening to our knowing (or not listening to our knowing) and fall back into our old patterns, it will be fine. The reason it will be fine, is that inevitably, we will be given another opportunity to replay the pattern again. This next time, we…[ Read the full article ]
“We are all born an original, but most of us die a copy. Don’t die a copy.’ Agapi Stassinopoulos Allowing our authentic self to be the person that we show the world is a courageous act for many reasons. Our authentic self is probably not the person that everyone else is – our authentic self…[ Read the full article ]
I believe that one of our greatest feats in life is to learn to love ourselves and be our true authentic selves. These accomplishments aren’t the easiest to do. We can certainly take the time to care for others, say good things to others, and realize the potential in others as we see their beauty.…[ Read the full article ]
As I ponder this 2015 New Year and what to write about, I reflect back on 2014. 2014 was a year that was full of lessons for me. It wasn’t one of those years I would want to “replay”, as 2014 had moment after moment of difficulty. Throughout the year, I found myself saying that 2014 was…[ Read the full article ]
We all have thoughts that come and go throughout our day. In fact, 98% of what we thought yesterday we will think today and tomorrow. Some of those thoughts we may be aware of however, most of those thoughts may be in the backdrop of our mind and we aren’t even aware that they are…[ Read the full article ]
The holiday season is upon us and with the commercialism of the season in action, we have been reminded that the time is near by the countdown of days starting well before Halloween. It might be good to take a moment to push the “pause” button. Stop the background commercials that play in your head,…[ Read the full article ]
Sometimes when we think about following our passion and doing what we are called to do, we think about things falling into place and life being an easy journey with this transition. I resonated with Elizabeth Gilbert as she talked about her own journey when she talked about the difficulties in answering the call. I…[ Read the full article ]
Michael Singer says, “Learn to live as though you are facing death at all times and you’ll become bolder and more open.” (Singer 2007) Most of us will not have the luxury of knowing when we will take our last breath. If we live life fully, we will not have regrets when we do die. We…[ Read the full article ]
In times of discomfort it is easy to look outside ourselves for reassurance, comparing ourselves to another, or asking for outside validation. It is easy to assume or jump to conclusions that we must be doing something wrong or we would not be in this discomfort. But are we really here on this earth to…[ Read the full article ]
I recently read the book, Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD. He is a board-certified neurologist as well as a fellow of the American College of Nutrition (the only doctor in the country with both of these credentials). He is also a founding member and fellow of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine.…[ Read the full article ]
Spiritual muscles are not strengthened as you sit in Church praying on Sunday morning or sit on the mountaintop meditating. Spiritual muscles are strengthened when you turn the corner at the grocery store and come face to face with the exact person you try to avoid as much as possible. This is the person that…[ Read the full article ]
Forgiveness is a difficult subject to broach as each of us has had life experiences when we have been hurt. And sometimes very wrongly hurt. People hold on to their hurts and wronged deeds for a variety of reasons. Authors, Simon and Simon wrote the book Forgiveness: How to make peace with your past and…[ Read the full article ]
I had the privilege to step in as a co-facilitator of our women’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group. I was excited to participate because we teach what we need to learn, so facilitating the group would help me learn the skills better and internalize them after going through the training. These DBT skills are so…[ Read the full article ]
Years ago, I went to a training for treatment of post traumatic stress through guided imagery with Belleruth Naperstak. Naperstak writes guided imagery CD’s that focus on about anything you might want to work on healing from anxiety, to sleep disorders, to diabetes and cancer, to name a few. At this training, there were…[ Read the full article ]
As I stepped outside today, the warmth of the sun on my face took the edge off the winter air. I inhaled the freshness of the moment as I caught a glimpse of the large cottonwood tree showing the starkness of season with its bare branches. Everything felt crisp today. Relishing in the moment, I…[ Read the full article ]
With Thanksgiving comes the obvious opportunity to revisit our own inner habits around giving thanks – gratitude. Although we might feel we have heard all we need to hear about gratitude, and we really do “get” why it is a good thing, science continues to come out with data to support the theory that we…[ Read the full article ]
Life happens to each of us. It is in the happening of the moments where life truly resides. Sometimes those moments are pain filled and it is our wish to scurry through the moment. It might even be that we find ourselves going through the doorway of a life experience only to find that the…[ Read the full article ]
As I stepped outside today, the warmth of the sun on my face took the edge off the fall breeze. I inhaled the freshness of the moment as I caught a glimpse of the large cottonwood tree showing the beginning of its changing colors. Everything felt crisp today. Relishing in the moment, I pushed the…[ Read the full article ]
I recently watched Steven Pressfield’s conversation with Oprah on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday. Pressfield was sharing points from his book, The War of Art. He stated that we all have two lives within us, the life we live and the life we dream of living. And he further asserted that it is the “resistance” to…[ Read the full article ]
It is difficult to watch those we love walk down a path that we feel might be detrimental to that person. And it is just as difficult to watch someone we love struggling as he/she sits in a difficult space. We instinctively want to help, maybe fix the problem or offer our own insight and…[ Read the full article ]
Each of us can probably recall a time when we clearly had an energy drain. Those energy drains are easy to identify. But energy drains can come from numerous sources so it is important to realize what is causing our energy drain. All of us have a certain amount of energy to put into our…[ Read the full article ]
Last week I had the experience of gathering with my paternal family for a reunion. It was my dad’s two brothers and their families with about 60 of us coming together. We hadn’t really gathered as a group for at least 20 years – maybe longer. The gathering seemed significant. My dad is 80 years old…[ Read the full article ]
Finding your life’s purpose is not about finding the work you are suppose to do or being in the right career. It is about all that is in your life including people, opportunities, challenges and talents. It is about putting the pieces of your life together to make sense by using them to serve, create,…[ Read the full article ]
Recently I was listening to Rainn Wilson talking about his co-creation SoulPancake which he describes as a social network where people can discuss life’s big questions. Oprah was interviewing him on her Super Soul Sunday series. He made several comments that made me stop and think. He said, “The making of art is no different…[ Read the full article ]
Recently I listened to Mary Piepher on Oprah’s Soul Series. She was talking with Elizabeth Lessor. Piepher’s latest book is Seeking Peace. In this book she talks about her mental breakdown and how during this time she was focused on a journey of seeking peace. One of her bits of wisdom that she learned through…[ Read the full article ]
It sometimes can seem like a daunting experience to live in our world right now. Media bombards us enough that we may have the fear that our world is very out of control. Whether we are talking about global warming, the national deficit, the political gridlock or mass shootings, we can find something daily in…[ Read the full article ]
The time will come When, with elation, You will greet yourself arriving At your own door, in your own mirror, And each will smile at the other’s welcome, And say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give Bread. Give back your heart To itself,…[ Read the full article ]
It has been a rough week with the terror of the Boston Marathon and watching the terror continue to play out over the days following. The whole event seemed to require me to go within and reevaluate life, which mostly brought up more questions such as what do we need to be doing differently in…[ Read the full article ]
Years ago, I went to a training for treatment of post traumatic stress through guided imagery with Belleruth Naperstak. Naperstak has written guided imagery CD’s that focus on about anything you might want to work on healing from anxiety, to sleep disorders, to diabetes and cancer. At this training, there were about 500 attendees sitting…[ Read the full article ]
Words impact our mind, our living, our vision of ourselves. Words can be helpful or hurtful. Jerry Jampolsky talks about words in his book, Love is Letting Go of Fear. Finding inner peace is a matter of retraining how we think. Jampolosky states that words often keep us in a “guilty past” or a “fearful…[ Read the full article ]
Jet David Hansen 4/29/2010 to 3/3/2013 “Fly High my Superhero . . . Fly High.” These are the words said by a mother as her young son transitioned from life to death. Jet David Hansen, 2 years old, died today, peacefully, as his family stepped into the final gift they had left to give him…[ Read the full article ]
I think it is fair to say that most of us have had the experience of being high energy and ready to conquer the day, only to encounter someone who left us feeling drained, exhausted and/or negative about ourselves. We may be very aware of the pattern of interaction we have with a certain person…[ Read the full article ]
Recently, a friend said that she often tries to make sure her facial expression includes curling her lips upward while in a neutral position. She liked the idea of a smile gently on the horizon versus a frown. I loved this idea and have incorporated it into my own quiet moments. But I did wonder,…[ Read the full article ]
This is Valentine’s week. We may tend to put the holiday into the realm of “relationships” to be a significant day. But how about looking at this as a “heart-centered” week of sending love out to those we encounter? We have a choice in how we look at life. We can look at life through…[ Read the full article ]
Martha Beck’s recent book, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World, addresses the powerfulness in resorting to a state of Wordlessness. She defines the state of wordlessness as shifting the brain out of the verbal processing region into the regions of the brain where we can access our creative, intuitive and sensory regions. Shifting…[ Read the full article ]
As you usher in 2013, you may be considering what you want to blueprint for the new year. Here is a refreshing idea. Step into living 2013 in your excitement! I recently had the pleasure of attending a conference by Wayne Dyer. Dyer has authored many books over the years and is a well-known spiritual…[ Read the full article ]
This week has brought us another moment to “pause” in the midst of our holiday preparations – in the midst of our lives. Life dealt a cold blow to our country and the families who lost their children this week in the mass shooting in Connecticut. With that cloud hanging over each of us, and…[ Read the full article ]
So how are you doing on your commitment to prioritize and be conscientious during the holiday season? We are entering the big month of December with an extra week under our belts from our early Thanksgiving. Consider making your list and checking it twice. Start with how to be good stewards of your money. Really decide…[ Read the full article ]
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” ― Bil Keane Thanksgiving brings up the opportunity to step into gratitude for our year and reminds us to pay attention to those blessings that are easily taken for granted. As we end our holiday…[ Read the full article ]
With the holidays soon upon us, we may fall into the pattern of having expectations for the season. The media starts early filling our heads with the Norman Rockwell themes which flaunt the idea of family togetherness along with harmony, happiness and closeness that surely fills the soul. I don’t want to be a downer…[ Read the full article ]
Feelings of separation and loneliness definitely can be painful. Byron Katie gives us these words of wisdom. If I think that I know what you are thinking or what is best for you, then I am mentally living in your business. The effect of this is separation and loneliness. If you are over there living in…[ Read the full article ]
With the political scene closing in on the final moments, the air of uncertainty drifts over us like a thick dense fog. It doesn’t matter what our political affiliation might be, most likely the majority is not sure who will win. What we do know is that regardless of whom wins this race, 50% of…[ Read the full article ]
Many of us go through our daily lives on automatic. We have our daily tasks in front of us and we move forward through our day, sometimes without much thought. In our automatic state, we often can move through the moments unaware of what we are thinking or saying to ourselves. 99% of what we…[ Read the full article ]
As a parent of adult children, I have come to realize that my role as a parent is rather limited. When my children were growing up, it was never easy to watch them struggle when life was sending them a series of twists and turns. I was reminded that life didn’t always make sense. My…[ Read the full article ]
Validating feelings is an important skill in having good relationships. This skill is deeper and more advanced than the skill of reflective listening. Reflective listening is used by reflecting back to the other person what you heard him say. And while reflective listening is a very good and necessary skill for good relationships, validating feelings…[ Read the full article ]
I often talk to clients about riding the wave of magical moments when they come in. You know, those moments when it feels like you are accessing something deep – like tapping into abundance or the good things in life. It is those times when doors open that you didn’t expect and things line…[ Read the full article ]
I recently listened to Greg Mooers, a motivational and spiritual speaker who spent eight years living as a monk. He was searching for his soul and what life was about and decided to go to into the monastery to pray and find his answers. He studied heroes such as Mother Teresa. He found that each…[ Read the full article ]
A good friend recently turned 87 years old and in celebrating at a dinner out, I asked her share her words of wisdom from her 87 years of life. She stated that probably the biggest change in life, as you grow older, is to not think about the future, but just to go until midnight…[ Read the full article ]
Feeling a bit under the weather this morning, I found running our Sunday errands to be a task that I had to pull myself through. I noted that I had low tolerances and bit my tongue a few times so as to not take my frustrations out on my husband. We persevered through the heat…[ Read the full article ]
In two previous blogs, I talked about Miguel Ruiz’s book called The Four Agreements. It is a small handbook that carries great wisdom for us as we journey through life. Mr. Ruiz calls it a practical guide to personal freedom and subtitles it “A Toltec Wisdom Book”. In the previous blogs, I covered the first…[ Read the full article ]
This past week, as we spent time on the deck with family and friends, we experienced an unexpected guest. Under the table, where bare feet encircled, was a fuzzy caterpillar. This very big, fuzzy friend seemed to make its way to one guest in particular over numerous evenings. No matter where she moved, the caterpillar…[ Read the full article ]
It has been hectic at our house. We have more family around than usual along with more gatherings. It adds to the fun of the holiday week and is probably very similar to what many of you are experiencing during the holiday week. I love the time to connect with others and a change in…[ Read the full article ]
Yesterday I moved another year closer to being middle fifties. I am now 54 years old. And even though I am now considered closer to death having crossed over the half way point to the 80s, I find the “fifty-something” times to be quite liberating. Yes, I have more to deal with in the physical…[ Read the full article ]
Life is Impermanent. Nothing stays the same. Change is an inevitable part of what we need to accept about life. What is happening in this moment will soon move on to the next moment where the flow of life moves and brings something new. On some level we know this because we have each experienced…[ Read the full article ]
Secrets impact our brain. Yes, physically, our brain feels the effects of secret-keeping and this, in turn, may impact our body, our mood and our perspective. Of course, we all have secrets in the sense that we don’t share everything that we have going on inside ourselves. But, it would behoove us to at least…[ Read the full article ]
For many years now I have practiced learning to “be” more and “do” less. I have known for some time that when I incorporate more moments of “being”, I am in better balance with my tendencies towards overdoing the “doing”. This state of learning to “be” is easier now for me than it was back…[ Read the full article ]
The lost mode of prayer is what Gregg Braden calls the fifth mode of prayer. (Braden, 2000) James Twyman calls it the Moses code (Twyman, 2008), and Wayne Dyer speaks of the same methodology in his book Wishes Fulfilled. (Dyer, 2012) The fifth mode of prayer is praying without words. It is accessing the feelings that…[ Read the full article ]
I like to think of our life experience as “earth school”. I have thought of life like this for years, but today listened to Gary Zukav on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday Series (Zukav, 2012)and wondered if I had picked up the idea from him back in 1987 when I was frantically searching for meaning in…[ Read the full article ]
Deepak Chopra’s book, Fulfilling Your Dream with the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, teaches us about the seven spiritual laws of success. (Chopra, 1994) I want to talk about the fourth law – The Law of Least Effort. I recently heard Deepak talking about this law of least effort. It resonated with me. I will…[ Read the full article ]
As I am reading Wayne Dyer’s book, A Wish Fulfilled, I find it interesting how he talks about dreaming and imagination. Dyer’s idea about imagination is that when we allow ourselves to be in a dream state and bring in our own creations, imagining all we can be and all we want to be, we…[ Read the full article ]
As our April month ends, we have experienced a refreshing rainfall over the past week making the April showers very real in our area. And the gift of the rainfall is apparent. Last night as I sat outside, I couldn’t help but marvel at the plush green landscape that the rainfall has helped along. Our…[ Read the full article ]
In her book, Take Time for Your Life, Cheryl Richardson talks about mastering the art of connection. She is talking about having intimate relationships with others in our lives. Intimate relationships are relationships that are real where each person knows the other in a true way. The desire for intimate relationships resonates deeply within me.…[ Read the full article ]
“To accept your littleness is arrogant, because it means that you believe your evaluation of yourself is truer than God’s. “ (Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975) I love this quote because it reminds me that just as the ego can get in the way of acting grandiose, so can the ego get in the way…[ Read the full article ]
Jerry Jampolsky wrote the book Love is Letting Go of Fear. Even though I read the book back in the late 80’s, the message of the book has always stuck with me. Basically, Jerry states that there are really just two emotions, love and fear. This is also the primary theme of The Course in…[ Read the full article ]
If there is one thing about myself that I sometimes wish I could change, it is my transparency. Usually, with me, what you see is what you get. This can be a strength and, at times, can feel like a weakness. The weakness comes from not being good at playing “the game”. You might ask,…[ Read the full article ]
I recently read these words, “You are the one you are waiting for.” (http://www.dailyom.com, 2012) You are the one you are waiting for. I have to say the words struck me deeply touching my soul. Human nature seems to have a predisposition for searching outside ourselves. Searching . . . for that perfect mate .…[ Read the full article ]
Are you one of those people that will bend over backwards for others? You do for others, give to others, serve others and care so much about how others are feeling and what their needs are, you have lost touch with your own feelings and needs. In fact, you may have no clue about what…[ Read the full article ]
For me, this past week was one of being over-scheduled and over-loaded. I knew it before the week started, but gritted my teeth, got as organized as I could, and proceeded down the path of making my way through the week. Yes, I do preach about self-care, balance and being loving to ourselves. And yet,…[ Read the full article ]
The other night I had the fun of being out in the Jacuzzi with my four-year-old granddaughter. We hadn’t been out there long when she grabbed me around the neck and landed herself on my lap. I asked her what was going on and she said, “It is really dark out here. I am afraid…[ Read the full article ]
With the onslaught of tributes being made to Whitney Houston from across the world, the depth and breadth of Whitney’s impact can be found in the stories being told, the memories being recited, and the sound of the particular song being played that touched our heart. With Whitney’s death, I immediately went to her song, “The Greatest…[ Read the full article ]
Some people believe that it is in our very nature to be competitive with each other. We bring children up starting competitiveness early. Survival of the fittest is the goal and mastering all somehow will put us at the top. The question might be asked what we get when we get to the top. But…[ Read the full article ]
It seems to me that the greatest gift we have within ourselves is our own wisdom and knowing. We can call this inner voice many things: our inner voice, our intuition, our wisdom, our Source, Great Spirit, or God. And it falls to reason that if we listen to our inner message, we will also align…[ Read the full article ]
Last week Grand Island seemed to have more deaths than normal. Death was in our faces. It seemed that everyday there was another death being talked about. I went to two of the funerals. Both were acquaintances, but I went to support those whom I knew that were grieving. Funerals bring us an opportunity to…[ Read the full article ]
Wayne Dyer states, “There’s no coincidence. In fact, coincidence itself is a mathematical term. Remember in geometry, they would say that two angles that coincide, fit together perfectly – so now we’ve taken a term that means ‘two things that fit together perfectly’ and interpreted it to mean ‘something that fits together accidentally.’ We’ve just…[ Read the full article ]
I have written and published a book called Finding the Peace. This book is a memoir of my journey through depression and finding the peace, finding wholeness. I first decided to write this book because of my work with clients over the years. As clients struggled with anxiety, depression, or other difficulties that left them…[ Read the full article ]
As we enter 2012, consider spending time evaluating and anchoring your inner growth during 2011. We all have years that we fly high and other years that we experience the dark night of our soul. And if you have had one of those difficult years then you especially are probably ready for the fresh start…[ Read the full article ]
We certainly experienced the landscape of a “winter wonderland” here in Nebraska with two hefty snowfalls this week. I found myself feeling quite content with the snow as I hunkered home and let myself be satisfied to stay put. It seemed like a good opportunity to slow down the pace of life (even though we…[ Read the full article ]
With the holidays comes a more hectic schedule often leading to stress. Stress weakens our immune system. As stress is experienced our body dumps cortisol to maintain a level of arousal. This hormone suppresses the protective enzyme which counteracts our body’s ability to restore itself. Chronic stress will set us up for a variety of…[ Read the full article ]
Sharing a very full week with numerous family members and gatherings leaves my heart feeling full this Sunday afternoon. And as family members ventured home, I find myself dealing with the tasks of remaking beds with freshly washed sheets, replenishing towels for the next guests’ arrival, and considering recipes to use up the over abundance…[ Read the full article ]
It is that time of the year. As I write this Thanksgiving is on the horizon and December feels like it will be here only tomorrow. And as much as the “holiday season” brings with it the “auro” of being a wonderful time, we all know that the reality of it is not always that for…[ Read the full article ]
Even though I am not really an avid “Nebraska football fan”, I was curious to watch the game Saturday against Penn state. With the sexual abuse scandal, the firing of Joe Paterno and the general public working to figure out what really had happened, I wondered if something great wasn’t really taking place. Perhaps, we…[ Read the full article ]
When we have an encounter with someone it is important to pay attention to how that encounter felt. Did spending time in conversation with that person make us feel better about ourselves, give us more energy and leave us feeling hopeful about ourselves and our lives? Or did the encounter leave us depleted of energy,…[ Read the full article ]
“It took years for me to realize that the very twists and turns and shadows I labeled ‘problems’ were really sacred ground, grace disguised as obstacles, the whole path a pilgrimage, mysteries baring themselves before me all along the way.” ~Danna Faulds. Excerpted from “Every Step is Holy” in From Root to Bloom. We…[ Read the full article ]
Eckhart Tolle suggests that the ego’s sense of self needs to complain and fight against in order to create the illusion that I am “right” and you are “wrong”. This creates a sense of separateness which the ego needs to survive. And, ultimately, this need takes away our ability to be in peace and joy…[ Read the full article ]
Did you know that your mind cannot tell the difference between an imagined action or a real action? The brain activates the same whether you visualize an act or actually do the act. There is physiological evidence that changes happen in the brain when using visualization. Consider using visualization as another tool in your journey…[ Read the full article ]
Writing is the process one follows to learn what is already known deep within: It sharpens the spirit, disciplines the mind and leads to solutions. In the spaces between words and solitude, Observe what happens when words and silence meet. Words matter. Pay attention. Write to learn what you know. By Maryanne…[ Read the full article ]
Previously we talked about Miguel Ruiz’s book called The Four Agreements. It is a small handbook that carries great wisdom for us as we journey through life. Mr. Ruiz calls it a practical guide to personal freedom and subtitles it “A Toltec Wisdom Book”. In a previous blog we talked about his first agreement: Be…[ Read the full article ]
It is really hard to believe that September 2011 is almost over. It kind of takes my breath away as I realize we are coming upon yet another year being complete. Perhaps it is because of my age, having turned 53 years just a few months ago, that I am finding myself taking inventory of…[ Read the full article ]
A few weeks ago I experienced a stressful day at work. We had lots of things going on in the office regarding computer issues, phone problems, and server difficulties. Late in the morning I realized that I could feel the cortisol being dumped into my body. The feeling is similar to an adrenaline dump but…[ Read the full article ]
I love the words of Donna Brazile, author and political commentator, who comments on “the bitch label” saying if everyone likes you, it probably means you aren’t saying much.” Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Donna-Braziles-Advice-for-Living-Without-Fear#ixzz1WuwvxKoF I often ask women when they say they are “PMS-ing” or menopausal if they are just being more honest than ever before. Sometimes…[ Read the full article ]
Perhaps one of my favorite poems is the poem by Derek Walcott. “Love after Love” The time will come when, with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror, and each will smile at the other’s welcome, and say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who…[ Read the full article ]
“Every life is a story. Whether it is a story worth telling and talking about, though, is up to you.” Donald Miller. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is Donald Miller’s latest book that walks the reader through his journey of what he learned while “editing his life”. The process takes place when Donald…[ Read the full article ]
It has been said that laughing each day keeps the doctor away. This may, in fact, have some truth to it. Laughter has a very positive impact on our wellness. Laughing increases our immune system and strengthens our bodies’ defenses against invading germs and bacteria. People who laugh experience less sickness and colds, or if…[ Read the full article ]
I have some news that I’m excited to share with you! My first book, Finding the Peace, is finally officially released and available for purchase. I am incredibly grateful for your support throughout the years; I could not have written this book without encouragement from family, friends and colleagues like you. Although I first decided…[ Read the full article ]
How much integrity do you have with your words? We have talked about being impeccable with your word which is generally a very powerful principle to live by. If we are not being impeccable with our words, it may be because we are involved in gossiping. The dictionary defines gossiping as casual or unconstrained conversation…[ Read the full article ]
It is important for each of us to learn to listen within to ourselves — our inner wisdom, our intuition, our higher power. Regardless of what you name that whisper within you, it is part of a greater good. It is part of your authentic self. That whisper has your answers. That whisper guides you…[ Read the full article ]
There is lots of talk about setting vision for your goals. It might involve dreaming – what do you really want to have happen? Dreaming involves getting creative and really starting to see what it is that you want. And then moving further with this dream and actually visualizing yourself at your finish line, feeling…[ Read the full article ]
Noise surrounds us every day. There is noise from our outside environment which we really have no control over. As I write this I can hear construction work on a road nearby with big trucks moving. And although we don’t have control over some of our environmental noises, there are many noises that we allow…[ Read the full article ]
Finding the peace and maintaining it is about balance in our life. A big part of that balance is about self-care. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves then there is not balance in our life. Self care encompasses mind, body and spirit. And it seems to be the task that most frequently gets overlooked…[ Read the full article ]
Change in life is inevitable, yet we often push against change. We don’t necessarily like change; it can make us uncomfortable. And even more than that, it can be extremely painful to go through transformation moments which require significant change. But we do have a choice. We can look within ourselves and find the strength…[ Read the full article ]
Smile Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it. ~Author Unknown Have you ever experienced being somewhere and someone you know is angry, scowling, and frowning? It can be quite uncomfortable and make the best of us want to find an exit. I recently experienced this in a…[ Read the full article ]
The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz is a little handbook that carries great wisdom for us in our journey towards wholeness. Ruiz calls it a practical guide to personal freedom and subtitles it “A Toltec Wisdom Book”. I use these principles when I need guidance in a situation. The first agreement is: Be Impeccable with…[ Read the full article ]
I believe that everything and everyone that comes into our life is in perfect order, that there are no accidents. I connect with the people I am supposed to connect with today. It means that the clerk at the gas station and I were to meet today, if only in a brief moment. Perhaps our…[ Read the full article ]
Life certainly has its moments. We can be moving along nicely and feeling like we are really handling all that is happening in our day. And we turn the corner, whether is it to show up after lunch for that meeting or to take that unexpected phone call, and find ourselves getting “stomach-punched”. We have…[ Read the full article ]
In our western culture we have been conditioned to work hard, keep busy, get things done and keep moving. We keep our schedules in overdrive maxed out in activities often not shutting the noise down in our environment with something constantly stimulating us. We work from morning to night without a break crossing things off…[ Read the full article ]
It is sadly true that as human beings we gravitate to comparing ourselves to others. We do this knowing, on some level, that this act of comparing will ultimately make us feel bad about ourselves. Whenever we start to compare ourselves to someone else, we will lose because we are not like anyone else. We…[ Read the full article ]
Do you have dreams of accomplishing a specific goal? While action is certainly a big part of accomplishing something, there is the emotional and mental work to do as well. It is the act of setting your intention, setting the goal. Setting intention, for me, is focusing on blueprinting (as my good friend Vicki calls…[ Read the full article ]
Has the phone ever rang just when you were thinking about someone? Or someone showed up on your doorstep just after you thought about them, even though it had been years since you had thought about them? These are examples of intuition. All of us have a sense of intuition. It is just a matter…[ Read the full article ]
Are you aware that our thoughts are often acting like a tape replaying over and over again? Not only that, 99% of what we thought yesterday, we will think again today. Our thoughts are often unnoticed even though we are thinking them. And we often are still carrying the thoughts that we developed during our…[ Read the full article ]
Yesterday someone said to me, “What good would it do to get upset? It is like getting mad at a computer. It will not change anything.” She had a good point. There are certain things that happen in our day that we really can’t control. Being upset about what happened isn’t going to change it.…[ Read the full article ]
As we enter a holiday weekend consider whether you are carrying expectations for it. Holidays often carry history, memories of what once was, or what made it the perfect time. Or maybe yearly you continue to strive to create the perfect time as nothing quite measures up. As I look over my own Fourth of…[ Read the full article ]
Generally speaking, in my practice I work with people – clients – that come in because they are experiencing some kind of “dis-comfort”. And because the clients are in this state of discomfort whether it is pain, discontentment, or unhappiness, they makes an appointment and come in to look at what is going on in…[ Read the full article ]
Are you one that worries? Do you spend time catastrophizing and thinking about the worse possible scenarios or wondering if something you said was just not the right thing to have said? Often times we can get caught up (literally in our brain looping over and over again) with thinking about something that happened in…[ Read the full article ]
It’s Monday! How are you choosing to see this day? It can be an opportunity, an open day awaiting you to create your best day, your best person. Or it start off to be the worse day ever just because it is named Monday. Consider setting your intentions today for what you wish to bring…[ Read the full article ]
How many of us woke up this Thursday morning to think that “tomorrow is Friday and then I have the weekend”? And then the weekend comes and we relish the moments, making sure we sink into it as the time will surely go so fast. And then good Monday morning arrives and we sigh because…[ Read the full article ]
As a woman and a mother I have spent many hours in my life trying to help those around me. Women are good at service and so we often naturally do this without a thought. However, sometimes we get so engrained in the pattern of giving to others, servicing others, doing for others that we…[ Read the full article ]
In my own journey of finding the peace, I mistook working towards achievements, and accomplishing those achievements, as somehow, finally arriving. I just knew that if I did achieve my dream, my goals, I would be there. For a while, after an accomplishment, I felt elated. But before long that restlessness would start to move…[ Read the full article ]
The focus of this blog site is to create dialogue and provoke thoughts within ourselves and amongst each other regarding how we attain peace within. Does peace and contentment within mean we are happy? Each of us has an idea of what we believe we may need in order to be happy. Where is this…[ Read the full article ]
Finding the Peace is the story of one woman’s life journey to wholeness. After many years of denying her own inner voice and ignoring the wisdom of her soul. Janie Pfeifer Watson plunged into a depression for which she was eventually hospitalized. During her hospitalization, she learned to use her personal hardships as stepping-stones to growth and self-trust. Set against the deeply spiritual backdrop of a three-day vision quest on an Ohio mountain, this riveting memoir will help readers find their own paths to peace.
Finding the Peace can be securely purchased online through the Wholeness Healing Center by clicking HERE; Janie will happy sign all copies purchased through the Wholeness Healing Center.
The book can also be purchased at Hastings Books or in e-book form through Amazon.com by clicking HERE.
For those who fear going within, Watson’s “Finding the Peace” is a must read and a masterpiece on inner growth.
I am author of the recently released book, Finding the Peace: A Journey to Wholeness, a story of my own life journey to wholeness. It is my hope that through reading this story, you will see the greater good in your own story. It is through adjusting how we look at life that we begin to see and use life challenges as a path to finding the peace within ourselves.
In private practice since 1992, I am also the owner and director of the Wholeness Healing Center. As a mental health practice, we focus on the mission of helping others heal as we walk the journey with the client and they begin or continue the process of reaching their fullest potential. Because the journey to wholeness is about mind, body and spirit, we also have Holistic Services, which is housed in the same center. Every other month we publish Wholeness Healing Today, a newsletter that addresses areas of the mind, body, and spirit.
You can contact me at the email address listed below or find me on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.
E-mail janiepw@wholenesshealing.com
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