Emotions

In my work as a clinical psychologist, I am faced daily with stories of tragedy, trauma, illness, conflict, and loss. Each therapy session is a window into private suffering. “Isn’t it hard?” people ask me. “Isn’t it awfu...

“We communicate worse than anyone I have ever seen. I thought my parents were bad…I never expected we would end up here. Every attempt I make to understand her is shot down with more criticism, hate, and blame than I think I’ve ever ...

Many of us have ups and downs. We all encounter both good and bad things during the day. Sometimes it can be more of...

When tackling emotionally-upsetting experiences, often the last piece to fall into place is forgiveness. We can clear our anger, sadness and fear reactions and still not have completely cleared our connection to memories because of a lack of forgivenes...

Compassion is a word that can feel a bit overused these days. Everyone seems to remind us to be compassionate with ourselves and others. When words are overused, they tend to loose their meaning. But there is immense worth to the concept of compassion ...

Grief may be triggered by the loss of a loved one or as a result of a life circumstance. Many people believe that if you have effectively mourned a loss you will then achieve closure. The idea that one can “get over it” to the extent that...

You can be lonely whether or not you have a partner, relatives, or many friends. When you have a need and desire to be interpersonally connected and recognize that it’s missing, you may become wrapped in the emotion of loneliness. Emotions, by de...

You may have blushed at times when you were embarrassed, humiliated, discouraged, or mortified. Although blushing is an innately patterned emotional response, it can be conceived most simply as a reaction to heightened self-consciousness. 1 Blushing ...

Worry is a natural part of the human condition. It has historically played a vital role in our survival and it helps us cope with many of the challenges we face today. At the same time, worry that is too intense, too frequent, and too unrelenting can d...

By Renee Podunovich  “I’ve been able to show that fear closes down our minds and our hearts, whereas positive emotions literally open our minds and hearts… they really change our mindsets and our biochemistry” –Dr. ...