Paul Russell LPC

08/28/2025

Why Human Connection Still Wins

Over the last week I have been trying to do business with the banking industry. I have been trying to set up business accounts for several reasons.

What I have encountered is cold, impersonal and mostly unsuccessful computer processes that have left me, not only unable to complete my business but feeling like human interactions is all but lost!

Let me list a few of the reactions I have had:
Feeling isolated unable to talk to a person,

Impersonal it all about the data over people.

They seems to have expectations that I know how to do things they don't tell you how to do,

Abandoned - you will figure it out just follow the computer prompts when there are none!

In a world racing toward automation, let’s not forget: No algorithm can mirror the nuance of a knowing understanding glance, the pause before a hard truth, or the grace of someone holding space when things don't make sense!

I work online as a therapist, I understand technology rather well and that is what scares me! AI can process data faster and most of the time more efficient -

BUT people process pain, sorrow, fear, anxiety, anger and confusion.

Then with humans you hopefully can find healing — real healing — requires presence, not just precision, data and speed. Personal service isn’t just “better.” It’s relational. Ethical. Human!

It’s the difference between being heard and being scanned.
Let’s keep choosing each human empathy for each other.

Not because tech is bad, but because empathy isn’t programmable.

08/27/2025

I did not make this but it is a good information to have!

08/25/2025

Good information from
Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network

08/25/2025

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08/22/2025

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08/22/2025

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08/22/2025

🛡️ Fear of Criticism Isn’t Weakness—It’s a Signal.

It means you care.
It means you’re risking visibility.
It means you’re growing.

You can not let fear get to drive the car!

Here’s how we gently move it to the passenger seat:

1. Name the fear.
Is it fear of rejection? Shame? Being misunderstood?
Naming it shrinks its power and gives you control.

2. Reframe criticism as data, not identity.
Feedback is information. You are not the feedback.
You are the one that has choose what to do with it.

3. Build your inner circle.
Not all voices deserve equal volume.
Surround yourself with people who critique to build, not break.

4. Practice exposure.
Post the thing. Say the truth. Share the art.
Each time you survive criticism, your nervous system learns: “I can handle this.”

5. Ground yourself in purpose.
When your “why” is stronger than your fear, criticism becomes background noise. You don’t need to be fearless.
You just need to be faithful—
to your belief,
your truth,
and most importantly your OWN voice.

08/21/2025

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08/19/2025

News report Ai chatbot told autistic 17yr to harm self and (unalive) parents!
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AI is here—and our kids are already using it.

Whether it’s asking ChatGPT for homework help, generating images for fun, or exploring new tools in school, artificial intelligence is becoming part of their daily lives. But just like we teach road safety, emotional regulation, or online boundaries, we need to teach AI literacy and safety—before the tech teaches them.

Parents, this isn’t just about screen time anymore. It’s about shaping how our children think, create, and relate to the world around them.

AI can be a powerful tool for learning and imagination—but it can also distort reality, reinforce bias, and tempt shortcuts that erode integrity.

Here’s what intentional guidance looks like:

Teach discernment -
AI can sound confident even when it’s wrong. Help kids ask, “Is this true? Is this kind? Is this mine to use?”

Set boundaries
life isn’t just about answers—it’s about learning. Encourage AI as a tutor, not a substitute for interacting with other people.

Model ethical use
No cheating. No plagiarism. No using AI to harm, deceive, or manipulate. Kids learn more from what we do than what we say.

Talk about values
Ask: “What does it mean to be human in an AI world?” “How do we stay curious, kind, and accountable?”

Stay curious together
Explore AI tools with your child. Let them teach you. Let them ask hard questions. Let them see that wisdom grows through dialogue.

AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a mirror. It reflecting values, biases, and it helps with creativity! It can also trigger and paly on our fears.

Let’s raise the 1st generation of AI daily users that uses it wisely, humbly, and with heart.

08/18/2025

Blog version of my shorter post

Therapy, counseling, psychology, mental health

08/18/2025

I used to think healing was a destination. It would be like a mountaintop moment where the pain would vanish and the view would be clear.

Healing is more like tending a garden in soil that’s hard and w**d filled. When you start the ground is hard and takes a lot of work and tools to just break up the ground. Then you have to water the broken hard soil, then get in there and till and work the ground until it is usable for planting and with work you can grow amazing things out of dry old ground but it takes HARD work.

The water comes and you remember how to grow.
You pull the old w**ds like old beliefs, buried shame.
You plant new seeds like truth, tenderness, and boundaries.
And slowly, something green and NEW pushes through. Not perfect. Not symmetrical. But alive and NEW (self esteem, hope).

once you have grown you need to share your harvest or your story!

Sharing your story is like opening the gate to that garden.
Letting others walk the path you’ve cleared.
Letting them see the thorns and the blooms.
You don’t owe anyone a manicured landscape.
But if you’ve grown anything in hard lifeless soil then it’s worth showing by sharing your story of overcoming!

Please share a story with us in the comments!

Negative energy comment will be deleted - we do not allow the use of poison in our mind gardens!



Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash