Blue Wave Counseling and Psychotherapy

03/05/2026

Lotsssss to unpack

02/20/2026

Venting when angry seems sensible.

02/17/2026

https://www.psypost.org/childhood-trauma-changes-how-the-brain-processes-caregiver-cues/

A new study finds that children exposed to violence show increased activity in the insula when seeing or hearing their parents. This suggests trauma changes how the developing brain processes caregiver signals.

02/16/2026

A theme I see often in therapy: people don’t struggle to change because they lack insight—they struggle because their nervous system protects the familiar.

In this ManTalk video, Connor Beaton explains self-worth as something built from predictable patterns (our default behaviors under stress) and reinforced by biology. When you attempt change, your brain can experience the unknown as threat—so it steers you back to old routines, even if those routines are self-sabotaging.

The encouraging part: self-worth isn’t built by hype, affirmations, or “just try harder.” It’s built when you create small, repeatable wins that your nervous system can trust—until you become someone you genuinely respect.

I break down why self-worth isn’t a motivation problem and why trying to “think” your way into confidence rarely works. I explain how your identity is built ...

12/10/2025

Australia has enacted the world’s first social media ban, under which Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok must remove accounts held by users aged under 16

12/10/2025

Solution – Respect
"We learn to reparent ourselves with gentleness, humor, love and respect." BRB p. 590

As we learn to reparent ourselves with respect in ACA, we oftentimes find ourselves at odds with our Inner Child. Maybe our child is clamoring for an expensive cup of tea at a nearby coffee shop, or just wishing for a better car. We might have once squashed that inner voice in a shaming manner, and said things that we heard as children, like "Stop wishing for what you can never have." We can now be a responsible parent and respectfully say, "No, we can't afford that right now."

With the help of our program, we also learn to put things in perspective. Maybe we can decide that even though a chai tea latte is never going to be a daily habit, we can afford it this once if our Inner Child is having a bad day and wants a treat. And yes, the Lamborghini is out of our price range, but we can allow ourselves to visit the mental Lamborghini showroom, sit in the car with our Inner Child and say, "It's okay to wish for things we may never have." It's a tiny gift not to squash our hopes and dreams, but it is a lasting tiny gift.

On this day I will show respect for myself, my Inner Child, and others. I will remember that wonderful things I never thought possible have happened to me because I dared to dream.

09/27/2025

What is Anorexia in S.L.A.A.?Within S*x and Love Addicts Anonymous, s*xual, social, and emotional anorexia may take a variety of forms.
This document is intended for s*xual, social, and emotional anorectics, that they may see themselves, and
know they are not alone.Possible Signs of Social, Emotional, or S*xual Anorexia:• we may not have had s*x or been in a close personal relationship in years
• we may be in partnerships but find it difficult to be emotionally close
• we may have many acquaintances but no one we’re really close to
• we may have close relations with only certain people, our children, say, but keep distance from anyone else
• we may feel overwhelmed in social settings
• we may feel incapacitated by shyness in relationships with others
• we may be emotionally invested in a relationship but remain s*xually or socially unavailable
• we may have an overwhelming dread of making phone calls
• we may function well in the workplace where intimacy is not usually valued, but find we are distant with
family or friends
There are many other varieties of anorectics, but whichever kind we are, all of us in some important way have
distanced ourselves from experiencing love. Faced with getting our needs met, we are baffled because we
can’t even name these needs. However, beneath the surface, anorexia consists of not doing something. Not
trusting, not committing, not surrendering. Here, unlike picking up a drink or shooting up a drug, anorexia’s
symptoms are obscure, and uneventful. We observe that we are engaged in a policy of dread of others and a
strategy to keep them at bay. Whether our anorexia is social, s*xual, or emotional, we awaken to the fact that
we are not experiencing the giving and receiving of love that is so precious to human life.Hope and RecoveryYou are not alone. There are many who respond as you do and who feel as you do. Or who once felt that way.
We have begun to do the work of recovery and change in S*x and Love Addicts Anonymous. We endeavor to
stop a pattern of s*x and love anorexia and we work the Twelve Steps of S.L.A.A. We have found, no matter
how different or alone we feel, that reaching out to others – to give help and to ask for it – helps us to recover
from our anorexia.
Some S.L.A.A. meetings have a specific focus on anorexia. If there isn’t an anorectic meeting near you, you
may want to start one. For more information about recovering from social, s*xual, and emotional anorexia,
including anorexia-focused meetings and literature, contact the Fellowship Wide Service Office of S.L.A.A,

S*x and Love Addicts Anonymous is a Twelve Step, Twelve Tradition-oriented fellowship based on the model pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. The only qualification for S.L.A.A. membership is a desire to stop living out a pattern of s*x and love addiction. S.L.A.A. is supported entirely through the co...

09/22/2025

https://www.rageaholicsanonymous.org/

Rageaholics Anonymous is a 12-step recovery program, a fellowship for mutual help around our problem of rage and around the solutions we have found to that problem.

08/14/2025

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14997853/Dirty-habit-18-million-Americans-schizophrenia.html

A collection of studies has revealed a concerning link between people who use a controversial drug daily and mental health problems that could turn fatal.

08/13/2025

https://youtu.be/K3fjOFaYq6g?si=cB6pwAl7CFXOe1up

🎶🌍 Order our latest album Songs For Humanity now! https://shop.playingforchange.com/collections/songs-for-humanity 🎧✨Get ready to be uplifted and filled w...

06/21/2025

https://youtu.be/P-voRs6qAqc?si=2M4venvTRfmkc-Os

We do a live show! And we're touring the world. See our list of dates and what cities here...LIVE SHOWS ➡ http://www.foilarmsandhog.ie/tourIf you'd like more...

05/10/2025

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5T9uV0ClT87Ve9DvNGatYz?si=fm6tnRFHR8SQE1-Jgt8Mqw

D15 Today · Episode