Blue Rider Expressive Therapy

03/16/2026

03/15/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1854w6yQgr/?mibextid=wwXIfr

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗦𝗬𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: An ancient Arabic saying suggests that your deepest, most profound desire for self-destruction is actually a desperate cry to destroy something *else* that is suffocating you from within. **Throw yourself into the sea,** and you won't drown; you'll find an instinct for survival so raw and powerful that it overrides your will to quit. 🌊🤯

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 of this profound piece of cultural wisdom lies in the human mind's relentless drive for 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The saying flips our understanding of suicidal ideation on its head. It suggests that the desire to end life is rarely about ending existence itself, but rather a final, extreme, and often misdirected strategy to escape an intolerable **internal reality**. This matters because it reframes deep psychological pain—be it from trauma, chronic depression, or overwhelming stress—not as a fixed state of being, but as an intolerable *condition* that the spirit is desperately trying to purge. The image of the lone man fighting the ocean perfectly captures this: in the face of ultimate physical threat, the will to live is instantly and fiercely reignited.

𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 is rooted in the biology of 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. When we are safe, our brain’s frontal lobes manage conscious decisions. When we face an immediate, life-or-death threat—like being adrift in the ocean—the ancient parts of the brain, the **brainstem and limbic system**, take over.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲: The suicidal thought is a conscious decision driven by psychological pain. However, being thrown into the sea triggers a million-year-old, automatic, 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗗𝗢 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗘. This survival instinct immediately overrides the higher-level, suffering-driven desire to end things.
𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: The struggle for life demands 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The mind is forced to stop processing the *internal* source of pain (the trauma, the grief, the hopelessness) and focus entirely on *external* survival tasks: find wood, stay afloat, bail water. This moment of forced focus breaks the negative rumination cycle.
𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆: The saying correctly identifies that the true target isn't the *sea*, but the **internal agony**—the trauma, the toxic relationship, the crippling debt, or the unresolved past that felt inescapable. The ocean becomes a crucible that burns away the intolerable *internal* thing, leaving only the pure, desperate will to *live*.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 is profound. It suggests that the core issue is not the desire for annihilation, but the desire for an **end to suffering**. The 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗔 comes from countless survival stories where individuals facing impossible odds found a strength they never knew they possessed precisely because the alternative was immediate death. The 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 of reframing the problem this way is that it shifts the focus from self-destruction to 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 through a change in *circumstance*, even if that circumstance is terrifyingly external. The 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is that this level of survival instinct doesn't apply to chronic, low-level psychological distress that doesn't involve immediate, life-threatening danger.

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 is a powerful tool for anyone struggling with their mental health. It offers a way to look at feelings of despair not as a final verdict, but as a **misdirected survival signal**. 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, it demands that we respond to others' pain not with judgment, but with an understanding that their desire to escape is a desire to **destroy the source of the pain**. In the 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, this wisdom could guide therapy toward aggressively confronting the *internal source* of suffering rather than merely medicating the symptoms of depression.

𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸

𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, not action. The wisdom of the saying encourages us to look deeper into our own pain—to identify the *source* of the suffering that we wish to "kill"—which is the real work of healing.

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵

The image of the desperate man wrestling with the waves, set against the backdrop of a religious-style quote, echoes themes found in many spiritual traditions, including the 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀 mentioned in the crop, which place ultimate trust in a higher power (like 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 or a universal consciousness) to sustain life even when human agency fails. It suggests that the deepest source of 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻.

𝗜𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 "𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲?

***

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱? 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀!

03/08/2026

Currently accepting new clients for telehealth EMDR therapy for trauma and anxiety- pm me call or text! Pls share if you have someone in your life who is struggling with trauma issues.

02/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/17mFPTczCS/?mibextid=wwXIfr

"A constricted nervous system cannot hold expectancy for something better. It’s physiologically impossible to expect something better when you haven’t normalized it yet in your body.

Sometimes we cannot imagine more than the struggle we've been through, so survival-mode becomes the norm as a protective mechanism; we settle for what feels familiar because familiarity is the closest thing we have to what we really need: safety.

If struggle happened early and repeatedly, struggle becomes normal. If love came with pain, drama becomes normal. If affection required proving, proving yourself becomes normal in search for love. And what feels normal will always find you."

—Jovanny Varela, excerpt from Gentle Reminder No 127: "What You Find Normal Will Find You: what happens when your body doesn't know how to say yes to good things in life."

This comes from my latest piece on one of the biggest blocks on the healing journey: the ability to receive.

If you are finally getting clarity on what you actually want, but still flinch when goodness/joy/peace shows up at your doorstep, I wrote this one for you 🫂❤️

Read the full piece: jovannyvarela.substack.com

Artwork by Elena Fiorenza Gatti

02/23/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/187qiM4Gw5/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Scientists have uncovered a striking connection between mental health and infection by finding the hepatitis C virus in the brain lining of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. This discovery sheds new light on how viral infections might influence psychiatric conditions that have long puzzled researchers and doctors. Hepatitis C is typically known for damaging the liver, but new evidence shows it can cross the blood-brain barrier and hide in the meninges, the protective lining around the brain and spinal cord. Once inside, the virus may trigger chronic inflammation and disrupt key chemical pathways responsible for mood, cognition, and behavior. This ongoing inflammation could help explain why some patients experience mood swings, psychosis, or cognitive decline even when their liver shows no major damage. The study suggests that for a subset of people with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, the origins of their symptoms might not be purely genetic or environmental but linked to a lingering viral infection. This raises the possibility that targeted antiviral treatments or early screening for hepatitis C could play a role in preventing or managing severe mental health conditions. While more research is needed to understand the exact mechanisms and whether eliminating the virus can improve psychiatric symptoms, these findings open a new chapter in the fight against mental illness. By viewing psychiatric disorders through the lens of infection and immune response, scientists are closer than ever to new therapies that could protect both the brain and mental well-being.

02/17/2026

https://www.threads.com/.foccus/post/DUz7wo5EYYL?xmt=AQF04oKypMLtTiFJ8NDa6ilfhVhRRkBqpFCTmQottReiXOHtheiL-Bd_gHcY5bm6IdxGkpx2&slof=1

02/12/2026

Road Rage Biker Screams at Woman, Until a 2,000lb Bison Decides to Shut Him Up

A woman driving through a snowy rural road found herself on the receiving end of some serious road rage after she honked at a motorcyclist who cut her off. At the next red light, the rider turned around and began shouting, pointing, and flipping her off in a heated display. He was so focused on yelling that he didn't notice the massive, furry tank stepping out of the snowbank beside him.

In seconds, a bison charged forward, seemingly annoyed by the noise, and slammed its head into the bike, knocking it sideways and sending the rider scrambling for safety. The woman pulled over to check if he was okay, but when he stood up still yelling, she simply drove away. Police later confirmed that no charges were filed, no animals were harmed, and the bison "left the scene without giving a statement.

11/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EjiAmXBKj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Negative words linger longer than positive.

Your brain has a remarkable memory for negative experiences. Studies reveal that insults or harsh criticisms can be remembered for up to 20 years, while compliments and positive feedback are often forgotten within just 30 days. This imbalance is rooted in our evolutionary biology, where the brain prioritizes threats and harmful information to help ensure survival.

When we experience criticism or insults, the amygdala—the brain’s emotional center—activates strongly, encoding these events deeply into long-term memory. This heightened encoding ensures that the brain remembers potentially harmful social interactions, making it more likely to avoid similar threats in the future. Positive experiences, on the other hand, tend to trigger weaker neural pathways, which are easier to forget over time.

The implications are significant for mental health and relationships. Negative comments can have a lasting impact on self-esteem, stress levels, and emotional well-being. Conversely, the fleeting memory of compliments may mean that positive reinforcement has less enduring influence unless it is repeated consistently. Understanding this pattern can help individuals and organizations emphasize consistent encouragement to counterbalance the weight of negative experiences.

Experts suggest strategies to strengthen the memory of positive feedback. Journaling, repeating compliments, and mindfulness practices can help reinforce positive experiences in long-term memory. Building awareness of this cognitive bias allows people to focus on gratitude, resilience, and self-compassion.

This research underscores the brain’s inherent tendency to remember negativity far longer than positivity. By understanding these mechanisms, we can actively cultivate habits and environments that amplify positive experiences, ensuring that praise and encouragement leave a more lasting mark than insults ever could.

11/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/16KVx6RyUB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A psychologist discovered that adding just one simple word to the phrase “I can’t” can completely change how your brain responds to challenges. When you say “I can’t,” your subconscious mind accepts defeat—it signals to the brain that the task is impossible and shuts down problem-solving areas in the prefrontal cortex. But when you add one word—“yet”—everything changes.

Saying “I can’t do this yet” keeps the brain engaged. It activates what psychologists call a growth mindset, a belief that ability and intelligence can develop with effort and time. This small linguistic shift encourages persistence, rewires neural pathways for learning, and boosts motivation. The word “yet” tells your brain there’s still potential, keeping you focused on progress rather than failure.

Neuroscientific research supports this: people who adopt a growth mindset show higher levels of dopamine when facing challenges, helping them stay motivated even when things get tough. It’s one of the simplest yet most powerful mental reprogramming techniques in psychology.

Next time you hear yourself say “I can’t,” pause and add “yet.” You’re not just changing your sentence—you’re changing your brain.