Recently, I sat with author Karen Roberts on the Bonnymede deck listening to the soft sounds of surf nearby and talking about her new book, The Blossoming of Women – A Workbook on Growing from Older to Elder. Always curious about the experience that inspires the writing, I asked Karen to share a bit about […]
In our fast-paced world, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, which can leave us feeling disconnected from our true selves and inner voice. Self-reflection is a practice that can help us slow down, turn inward, and gain insight into our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Self-reflection is […]
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May has long been recognized as National Mental Health Awareness Month, yet never before has the issue of mental health commanded the national conversation as urgently as it does today. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has made mental health his top priority, declaring it “the defining public health crisis of our time,” much like when Dr. […]
As a psychotherapist, my primary task is to help people manage their minds to achieve optimal mental health and wellness. I have worked with individuals who struggle with trauma for over 15 years, and one thing is clear: trauma significantly impacts the mind. The mind is how you process and react to your experiences; therefore, […]
This past winter was particularly long, cold, dark, and rainy. We bundled up and tucked in. Our muscles tightened to generate heat and our bodies shivered to generate more heat. Unfortunately, this natural way of getting warm can become a holding pattern that hangs on long after you’ve warmed up. In other words, months and […]
From a somatic therapeutic perspective, stress, unexpressed anger, heartbreak, and grief are believed to be issues in your tissues that make up your internal state. The word “somatic” is derived from the root “soma,” which means “living body,” and your physical body can serve as a valuable guide when you listen to its messages. Somatic […]
Watch most Kung Fu movies and you’re sure to see the protagonist’s “master,” quintessentially depicted as the graying wise man, often cranky and whipping around a long beard. Meet Yun Chao Zhang, or Master Yun as everyone calls him, and he is nothing like those tired clichés, yet he is a master in the truest […]
Every New Year, people create resolutions: Lose weight, eat healthier, drink less, etcetera. However, research indicates that a whopping 80% of New Year’s resolutions fizzle by February. I just learned there’s even a term for it: “The February Fail.” But what if you reframed how you talked about failure (as not the opposite of success […]
Just as the roundabout construction gears up, a new business has opened on the prominent corner: Cottage Health opened its newest Cottage Urgent Care Center at 1298 Coast Village Road in Montecito this past Monday, with the goal of providing complete care within 45 minutes. The new Urgent Care Center is open from 8 am […]
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After another discordant election season, it’s time to heal the rifts and find ways to live together in loving community. As simple as it may sound, singing together helps us come together. To explore this further, I recently sat down with therapist and singer-songwriter Marilee Gordon to ask about her experience using music as an […]
Oxygen and water. These two components make up the essence of life and as far as we know, are the two necessities for being and staying alive. Of course, as air and water pollution continue to escalate throughout the world, finding clean sources of either is an endless pursuit for those hoping to lead a […]
As five-year-old Sky finished a run down from the top of Mammoth Mountain on a recent December morning, an adult snowboarder unexpectedly crashed into him leaving the youngster unable to stand. An X-ray at the local Emergency Room indicated that he had a spiral fracture in his tibia and would need a cast to immobilize […]
Sansum’s excellence in imaging stands out in October October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual effort to raise awareness about the impact of the disease on women, their families, and their communities. Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in women in the United States, with approximately one in eight women […]
Regenerative agriculture has the potential to provide meaningful work and living wages to farmers while feeding millions of people, sequestering large amounts of atmospheric carbon into the soil, building our freshwater resources, and improving wildlife habitat. Despite launching its tiny, 12-acre farm as a proving ground and site for community demonstration, learning, and teaching about […]
