Flow Psychotherapy and Mental Health Services

09/30/2024

Have you ever read something that really made a positive impact on your life? Something that shifted your mindset and added a newfound depth to living? It's rare, but when it happens, OH BOY, it's exciting! I recently had that happen to me when I took on the beast of a book, The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate. This book was gifted to me last year (thanks mom!), but I only just got to reading it this summer. His writing and framework on compassion had me floored. Really good stuff yall. So much so that I dedicated a whole blog post to talking about it. Enjoy! And would definitely recommend the book as a whole.

I recently completed Gabor Mate's most recent book, The Myth of Normal. There's a lot of wisdom packed into this book. Some ideas new to me, other ideas offering a different lens on familiar concepts. One of these re-frame moments came about in his section on compassion. Specifically, 'The Five Comp...

08/26/2024

"Grief is not a problem that needs to be solved, it is an extension of love that needs to be tenderly held and honoured." Whether we recognize it or not, the way we're socially and culturally conditioned treats grief like it's a problem to be solved. It's the equivalent of treating the love you hold for someone as a problem - it completely misses the point! This week's post is meant to validate and honour what is often not talked about regarding grief.

Grief comes in many forms. Loss of a loved one, anticipating the loss of a loved one, non-bereavement grief (e.g. job loss, a breakup, some significant life change, etc.). And just as grief comes in many forms, how it is felt and expressed will differ greatly between individuals. Whatever the case m...

08/20/2024

Upcoming workshop✨ A unique and affordable opportunity to connect with your inner powers for nervous system regulation.

08/19/2024

Today's post was inspired by an upcoming virtual workshop I'm hosting. The workshop is called 'Return to Center', and is designed to provide you with a moment of calm and relaxation in the comfort of your own space as well as tools to help you stay present and connected to your authentic self in your daily life. It is open to the public! You can access this week's writings here. I will be posting more about this upcoming workshop shortly!

Whether it's through meditation, connecting with the present moment, breathwork, or simply asking yourself, "What's happening inside me right now?"—as well as learning about your different nervous system states or combining these practices—embracing each state is crucial for feeling present, saf...

08/12/2024

Have you heard of the term "Window of Tolerance"? Coined by Dan Siegel, it describes the optimal range of arousal in which we can effectively manage our emotions and experiences. Each of us has this window, but many find themselves frequently operating outside of it, swinging between states of fight or flight and hypoarousal (i.e. shutdown). That's why working with a trauma and nervous system-informed therapist can be crucial. A therapist can help you connect with and regulate your nervous system, allowing you to engage with challenges while remaining present and within your window of tolerance.

Today, I wrote a blog discussing this phenomenon and the importance of finding a therapist who can help you navigate and stay within your Window of Tolerance.

When a new client comes to me for trauma processing, my first step is to assess their "window of tolerance"—a term coined by Dr. Dan Siegel. This concept refers to the range of nervous system arousal where a person can effectively manage their emotions and experiences. Do they feel safe feeling th...

08/06/2024

Life is hard. And sometimes we can be really good at making things harder. Similar to last week's post about radical acceptance, this week is focused on a simple perspective shift to help reduce some of that self-perpetuating suffering - namely, checking in with the INTENTIONS behind your actions, not just focusing on the actions themselves. It sounds simple, but it's not necessarily easy. Just like with any shift in habits, behaviours, or patterns, it takes time and practice to unwind what we're used to. I wanted to provide you with a good starting point for you to make an important shift, so read on!

This is going to be a quick but important message. Maybe even a vital message if you are hoping to make the most out of life and reduce your suffering as much as possible.I’ll start with this: The intentions behind your actions are nearly as important as the action itself. In other words, the same...

07/29/2024

Ahhh the inner critic...have you befriended yours? Taken away some of its power? Today we're talking about the inner critic with regards to body image, something many of us are familiar with.

One thing to point out right off the bat is that how you feel about your body CAN change, without changing anything about your body itself. Hating your body is not a natural process. The inner critic has been informed by messages and stigmas we've learned over time. This is by no means an exhaustive...

07/23/2024

So often we conflate acceptance with complacency. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Practicing radical acceptance doesn't mean that you can't get excited about goals/changes/outcomes that are important to you. What it means is embracing your reality exactly as is so that you can make any desired change from a place of self-love and nurturance. This is one of the most beautiful perspective shifts to see in clients, and there is almost always lowered anxiety and increased confidence as a result.

One of the most common responses when I broach the topic of radical acceptance with clients is a conflation of ‘acceptance’ with ‘complacency’. For instance, “But if I accept myself as I am right now, aren’t I resigning to how things are?”. We are often taught that to create change in ...

06/24/2024

This week, we're talking safety-seeking behaviours. We all have them! But did you know that they are most likely maintaining and worsening your anxiety? Check out this quick read to learn more!

In our quest for security and well-being, it's natural to seek safety in various forms. Yet, when this inclination becomes excessive and starts hindering daily life, it might be indicative of safety-seeking behaviors. These behaviors, while initially comforting, only offer a short-term solution to w...

05/28/2024

One of my favourite topics and something that I love working with clients on! ✨ Developing a healthy set of boundaries is such a personal journey, unique to every individual. Although there is no cookie-cutter approach to this, I hope to offer some tangible guidelines for a sometimes elusive concept in this week's post.

Boundaries have become a popular concept in modern self-help and pop psychology. But this concept can be elusive and leave people confused as to how they should be applying boundaries in their own lives. The reality is, boundaries are a vital component to a person's well-being and interpersonal rela...

05/20/2024

One of the most common questions I receive from others about emotion-focused therapy is this: "What's the point of feeling my emotions? Won't that just make me feel worse?". It's a wise and understandable question to ask given we're not taught in our conventional schooling system the importance of how we relate to and process our emotions. I addressed some of these questions in this week's post :)

When I start working with a new client, one of the first pieces of information I want to understand is how they experience and relate to their emotions. How comfortable are you to feel your emotions? How about expressing them with yourself and others? Do you tend to avoid them altogether? Do you hav...