Think Well Live Well Counseling and Telepsychiatry

05/25/2026

A psychologist interviewed 26 people across 26 countries asking one question: What makes you feel truly alive? 🌍

The answer had nothing to do with success, money, or even happiness.

The answer was awe.

That specific feeling when something is so vast, so beyond you, that your brain has to physically restructure itself to make sense of it.

Researcher Dacher Keltner spent decades mapping this emotion and found eight distinct triggers. The most powerful one isn't a mountain or a symphony it's moral beauty.

Watching an ordinary person do something quietly courageous or kind.

And here's where it gets physical: those goosebumps aren't just a reaction. Your vagus nerve is firing dialing down your body's inflammation, resetting your nervous system in real time.

Awe isn't a luxury emotion.
It's biological maintenance. Your body is literally built to need it.

💾 Save this for the next time the world feels small and suffocating.
It isn't. You've just forgotten to look up. ✨

05/23/2026

Here's the thing nobody tells you about finding peace:

It isn't always found in silence.
Sometimes, it's found in other people. 🌍

We often think of awe as a grand sunset. But the #1 source of awe worldwide is actually moral beauty the feeling you get when you witness someone else's quiet courage, kindness, or resilience.

In my work with trauma, I see how witnessing these acts serves as a biological reset. It triggers your vagus nerve and releases oxytocin, which physically cools the body's inflammatory response to stress.

Looking for the good in others isn't just positive thinking.
It's a neurobiological tool for your own healing. 🧠💚

👇 Share this with someone who has shown moral beauty lately.

05/21/2026

New on the blog: What is DBT Therapy and Who is it For? If intense emotions feel overwhelming — where small things trigger big reactions — DBT could be the tool that helps you regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and build better relationships. Read a clear, compassionate introduction and find out if DBT might fit your needs. Read more: https://wix.to/1ZWfziC

There is a specific, agonizing exhaustion that comes from living with a nervous system that feels like it’s missing its outer layer of skin.You know the feeling: A minor disagreement feels like a physical blow to the chest. A delayed text message sends you into a four-hour spiral of "what did I do...

05/21/2026

The reason you're stuck has nothing to do with how hard you're working.
It's that your world has become too small. 🌍

Science defines awe as the feeling of encountering something so vast that it literally forces your brain to update its map of reality.

When you witness moral beauty like a stranger's courage or feel the rhythm of nature, your brain quiets its internal anxiety center.

This isn't just a metaphor.
It activates your vagus nerve and cools the inflammation in your body caused by long‑term stress.

You don't need a mountain peak.
You just need a moment that reminds you: you are part of something larger. ✨

💾 Save this for the next time you feel like the walls are closing in.

05/18/2026

I'm going to teach you in 45 seconds a tool that improved emotional regulation in older adults for six years after just one study. 🧠✨

It's called the Awe Walk.

Unlike a regular walk, you intentionally shift your focus:
🌿 From the minuscule – the texture of a leaf
🌅 To the immense – the entire horizon

This perceptual shift synchronizes your breath and moves your nervous system from fight or flight into rest and digest.

It turns a mundane break into a profound neurological reset.

💾 Save this as a protocol to use between your most intense sessions.

05/14/2026

Stop trying to be happy. Seriously. 😌

If you're struggling this Mental Health Awareness Month, the hardest thing you can do is chase happiness. In fact, the harder you chase it, the faster it runs away.

It's called the happiness trap.

We've been told we need to fix our anxiety or delete our stress to live a good life. But as a therapist, I see it every day: fighting those feelings is like struggling in quicksand. The more you kick, the deeper you sink.

I've been diving back into ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). The secret isn't getting rid of bad feelings it's learning how not to get hooked by them.

It's about letting the thought "I'm not good enough" exist in the room… without letting it drive the car. 🚗

I'm Becky VanDenburgh. This month, let's stop fighting and start noticing.

👇 If you're ready to unhook from the thoughts that hold you back, schedule a complimentary consultation. Let's talk about how to actually move forward.

05/12/2026

You can spend 10 years talking about your trauma… and only heal 15% of the problem. 🗣️🔁

Want to know where the other 85% is hiding?

It's not in your memories.
It's in your fascia, your gut, and your nervous system.

Your brain speaks in words.
But your nervous system speaks in tension.

When people ask me how to get trauma out of their muscles, they're finally asking the right question. Because you can't talk your muscles into relaxing if they still think it's 2014.

This is why you feel fine in your head… but your chest is still tight. Your amygdala is stuck on a loop.

To break it, we have to stop talking about the past and start reprocessing it through your body.

If you're tired of understanding your pain but still feeling it every single morning… it's time to try a different door. One that doesn't require more talking.

I'm Becky VanDenburgh, a licensed clinical social worker.

👇 Click the link to schedule a consultation. Let's reach the part of you that words can't touch.

05/11/2026

Feeling like something’s “off” but can’t name it? That could be Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) — an invisible wound from unmet emotional needs in childhood. Learn common signs (hyper-independence, chronic indecision, apology reflex) and how to begin healing by recognizing those survival strategies as armor you can shed. Read more: https://wix.to/cVOIxJD

Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) is the "invisible" trauma of what didn’t happen. Unlike overt abuse, CEN is defined by a parent’s failure to respond to a child’s emotional needs. Adults with CEN often struggle with extreme hyper-independence, chronic indecisiveness, and an "apology reflex," ...

05/10/2026

If your heart feels heavy while the rest of the world is buying flowers… I want you to know: you aren't doing Mother's Day wrong. 🌸💔

For many, this Sunday isn't just about brunch. It's a day that triggers:

The grief of mother loss

The ache of the relationship that never was

The bittersweet weight of healing from your own childhood while being a great mom yourself

As a psychotherapist, I'm giving you full permission to opt out of the highlight reel.

Mute the hashtags. Skip the dinner. Or simply sit with the messiness of your feelings.

Healing isn't about performing joy.
It's about honoring your truth.

You are seen. You are resilient. And you are not alone in the quiet today.

Be gentle with yourself. 🤍

I'm Becky, and I'm here if you need to talk.

05/08/2026

Most people go to therapy to vent about their past but leave without a single tool for their future. 🛋️💭

If you feel like you're just over‑analyzing your problems instead of actually solving them… you're probably in the wrong chair.

There's a massive difference between CBT and DBT and picking the wrong one is exactly why you feel stuck.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is your brain's logic manual.
It's for when your thoughts are lying to you. We look at the glitches those always and never statements and rewire the input so it stops triggering your anxiety. It's about changing the story.

But if your emotions feel like a physical wave that's about to drown you? Logic won't save you.

That's where DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) comes in.
DBT isn't about thinking better it's about surviving the moment. It's a toolkit for distress tolerance and emotional regulation. It's for when the house is on fire and you need to know how to use the extinguisher, not why the fire started.

One helps you change your mind. The other helps you handle life.

If you're tired of just talking and ready for a strategy that actually fits your nervous system…

I'm Becky VanDenburgh, a licensed clinical social worker.
👇 Click the link in my bio to schedule a consultation today. Let's find the toolkit you've been missing.

05/06/2026

Stop trying to discipline the parts of yourself you hate. 🧩

Your inner critic and the part of you that's always anxious aren't your enemies. They're just exhausted employees doing a job they were never hired for.

In IFS (Internal Family Systems) , we stop treating the mind like one big problem—and start treating it like a team.

You have managers trying to keep you perfect. And firefighters who show up with distractions or addictions the second things get too intense.

Most therapy tells you to ignore these parts. We do the opposite.

We find your Self the core of you that is actually calm and we use it to lead.

When your parts realize they don't have to carry your oldest heartbreaks anymore… the inner civil war finally ends.

I'm Becky VanDenburgh.
👇 Click the link in my bio to schedule a consultation. Let's get yourself back in charge.