Manon Dulude Counseling Services

01/27/2026

When I Tell People About My Mental Illness, This is What Happens
By Jessica Ward-King

For 15 years, I hid my mental illness from the world, terrified that if anyone should find out my secret, my life as I knew it – the family I had fought for, the friends I had surrounded myself with, the career I was building – would be over.

My self-stigma and shame were overwhelming, thinking that living with mental illness made me broken and defective. My fear of stigma from others was enormous, fearing prejudice and discrimination that would inevitably (in my mind) come from any disclosure about my bipolar disorder.

When a student at the school where I was working died by su***de, and the school’s answer was to ask the school community not to talk about su***de “out of respect for the family,” I saw the effects that silence around issues of mental health and mental illness can have. The students got the message that mental illness and su***de are not acceptable and should be hidden. I knew I had to do something. So, I began to share my story – my struggles as a student, wrestling with suicidal ideation, undergoing treatments like electroconvulsive therapy, medications, and talk therapy – in the hopes that my sharing could help restart the conversation at that school and make mental illness part of the conversation.

Continued at https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/lived-experience/pwlle/when-i-tell-people-about-my-mental-illness-this-is-what-happens/

01/26/2026

Where Did My Loving Child Go?
by Joshua Coleman Ph.D.

It is not unusual for me to hear from parents whose now-estranged adult child once expressed deep gratitude for their upbringing and for the role their parent played in their life.

Often, these affirmations were written or spoken not long before the estrangement occurred.

Then, sometimes abruptly, communication stops—or resumes in ways that feel hostile, rejecting, or sharply critical. Parents are left bewildered by what appears to be a sudden and dramatic shift in how they are perceived.

Parents are frequently told that estrangement is primarily about “setting boundaries” or holding them accountable for harmful behavior. While boundaries can be important, they rarely require a wholesale reinterpretation of one’s childhood.

What many parents experience instead is something far more sweeping:

▪️A childhood once described as mostly good becomes redefined as fundamentally abusive
▪️Ordinary parental mistakes are reframed as evidence of pathology
▪️Complex, mixed relationships are reduced to a single explanatory label
▪️Context disappears, and intent is no longer considered

This does not mean the adult child is lying.
But it does mean their story has changed—sometimes dramatically.

Continued at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-rules-of-estrangement/202601/where-did-my-loving-child-go-0

01/24/2026

01/18/2026

The Distinction Between Guilt and Shame

Shame is often described as an internal cloak that distorts a person's self-perception and their view of the world. While guilt arises from a specific action that is considered wrong, shame is a deeper feeling of being fundamentally inadequate. This psychological state can lead to extreme behavioural patterns, including chronic over-performance or significant under-performance.

Resolution begins with recognising the presence of shame and understanding that the primary fear is often one's own self-judgment. Seeking professional therapy allows for an exploration of the root causes of this pain. Sharing your personal narrative in a safe environment is an effective method for processing past and current emotions. This process provides the opportunity to rewrite your personal story and move toward a healthier state of mind.

In-person therapy in Halton Hills
Virtual sessions across Ontario
905-703-0003
www.manondulude.com

01/15/2026

Nature-Based Exercise and Mental Well-Being: Why and How
by Brendan Kelly, M.D., Ph.D.

Our environment shapes our psychological well-being. This fact is often overshadowed by a focus on diagnosis, therapy, and medication. But maybe some of the secrets of good mental health are simpler than we thought.

In 2022, a review of research looked at whether the setting in which we exercise matters for how we feel. The findings suggest it does.

Natural settings help more

Across a range of experimental studies, people experienced better psychological outcomes when they engaged in physical activity in natural outdoor environments rather than urban ones. The benefits include lower anxiety and reduced anger, along with increases in energy, positive engagement, and overall affect.

When researchers pooled data from studies, the effects remained consistent: natural settings showed moderate to large improvements in anxiety, fatigue, positive affect, and vigor. There was also a smaller but still positive effect on symptoms of depression.

Continued at https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psychiatry-and-society/202511/nature-based-exercise-and-mental-well-being-why-and-how/amp

01/13/2026

Why Some Trauma Survivors Can't Cry
Albert Wong Ph.D.

You've been there.

The funeral where tears wouldn't come. The breakup that felt like nothing. The moment someone asked, "Are you okay?" and you realized you genuinely couldn't feel anything at all.

Maybe you wondered what was wrong with you. Here's the thing: Nothing was wrong with you. What you experienced wasn't a malfunction. It was a feat of engineering.

The Gazelle Problem
In the 1970s, a young biophysicist named Peter Levine noticed something puzzling. Animals in the wild face life-threatening danger constantly—chased by predators, narrowly escaping death—yet they don't develop PTSD. Gazelles don't have flashbacks. Zebras don't go numb.

What Levine observed was this: after a close call, prey animals do something odd. They tremble. They shake, sometimes violently, for several minutes. Then they stand up, shake once more, and return to grazing as though nothing happened.

Continued at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-body-knows-the-way-home/202512/why-some-trauma-survivors-cant-cry

01/10/2026

Objective preparation is the most effective way to handle difficult conversations and avoid conflict escalation. Writing down your points beforehand allows you to separate factual events from the personal meaning you have assigned to them. This structured method prevents a dialogue from being derailed by emotional triggers or extraneous information that often leads to defensiveness.

To reach a resolution, clearly state the facts, your interpretation, and your specific feelings. Follow this with a request for change and a reciprocal offer of how you will respond in return. By sticking to a written script, you ensure the conversation remains productive and focused on future growth rather than past blame.

In-person therapy in Halton Hills
Virtual sessions across Ontario
905-703-0003
www.manondulude.com

01/06/2026

What to Do When All You Feel Is "Bad"
Marwa Azab Ph.D.

Have you ever tried to tell someone that you were simply "in a bad mood," unable to tell them why?

Maybe you were angry, sad, disappointed, and anxious at the same time—or maybe you hadn't the faintest idea what you were feeling at all. That fuzzy, indistinct sense of misery is typical, but emerging research indicates that it comes with a psychological cost.

Over the past decade, a growing body of research has uncovered a surprising truth: people who can distinguish their emotions more precisely—who can tell frustration from guilt, or sadness from shame—cope better with stress and are less likely to develop depression. Conversely, when emotions blur together, life’s challenges can hit harder and linger longer.

Psychologists call this ability "emotion differentiation" or "emotional granularity"—essentially, how finely tuned your emotional awareness is.

The Science of "Murky" Emotions

Emotion differentiation isn’t about avoiding emotions—it’s about understanding them. High differentiation means being able to identify exactly what you’re feeling and why. Low differentiation (what scientists call “low NED,” for Negative Emotion Differentiation) means emotions blend into a vague sense of feeling bad.

Continued at https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/neuroscience-in-everyday-life/202510/when-all-you-feel-is-bad

01/02/2026

Bids for Repair: The Small Gestures That Save Relationships

A "bid for repair" is a crucial tool for navigating conflict within any relationship. These are small, intentional gestures designed to re-establish connection, even when tension or frustration is still present.

Reconnecting after a difficult conversation can feel awkward. A bid for repair bypasses the conflict by inviting your partner into a neutral, shared activity.

Examples of bids for repair include:

- Offering to make a cup of coffee.
- Inviting them to watch a show together.
- Asking them to join you for a walk.

The goal is to move the relationship back to a place of neutrality and connection without immediately needing to resolve the underlying conflict. It is an invitation to start moving forward together once again.

The next time you experience tension with your partner, try extending a bid for repair and notice how it shifts the dynamic.

Manon Dulude, Ph.D., RP, PCC
📍 In-person therapy in Halton Hills
💻 Virtual sessions across Ontario
📞 905-703-0003
🔗 manondulude.com