Psychology – Still In The Stream

Advice on Therapy from Chat GPT

Me: I recently asked you help with a blog post I’m writing for university educated readers that talks about Dr. Aimie Apigian’s idea of Calm Aliveness and compares it to stoic and Buddhist ideas that are similar. Can you give me a more detailed analysis of these concepts and references to the source materials? ChatContinue reading “Advice on Therapy from Chat GPT”

The Roots of My Anxiety

For most of my life, at least until the age of 50 or so, I would not have said I experienced trauma. It wasn’t until I re-entered therapy after a 7 year absence that I began to wonder if I may have been wrong in that beleif. It started with the idea that I mayContinue reading “The Roots of My Anxiety”

Definitions of Trauma

Understanding trauma is hard and the more time we spend with it, the clearer our understanding gets. Here is what I know today. “Trauma is extreme stress that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.” – Katherin Aubrey “If danger, perceived or real causes anything that overwhelms our system, we go into an energy conservation state,Continue reading “Definitions of Trauma”

Good Parent Messages

From Body, Self and Soul by Jack Rosenberg (available at ibponline.com) From the Journaling Worksheet at One Legacy: “According to Rosenberg, optimally, all of the messages below, both the good mother and good father messages should have been given by both of your parents early in your life. … According to Rosenberg, there is onlyContinue reading “Good Parent Messages”

Falling in a Hole

I used to tell this story as a self-deprecating tale about clumsiness. That was when I believed in self-deprecation1. Now I tell it as a story about bottoms and something deeper than bottom. It starts with a meadow. A meadow which was connected to other meadows. My dad and I first visited it when IContinue reading “Falling in a Hole”

A New Year and a New Project

2021 was a tough year for me, but I am looking forward to 2022 as I continue my journey to develop a resilient home-base of equanimity. In fact, like I did with the 100 lakes project, I have set myself a lofty new goal which will keep me motivated (I hope) for the next stageContinue reading “A New Year and a New Project”

The Ball of Wire

Why This Photo? This photo contains a story about how my schema’s developed. My brother and I appear excited to visit a strange and wonderous forest. My grandparents are less excited. If you look closely, I am not looking at the camera, have a look of anticipation, but I also look distracted. I am imaginingContinue reading “The Ball of Wire”

Distancing Myself from Empaths

Over 3 years ago I described my understanding of empaths and acknowledged that I fit the description. I reluctantly admitted that there was something more to the empath experience than just being a highly sensitive person (HSP). Today I revisit the Empath label, and explain why I can no longer identify with it. Firstly, inContinue reading “Distancing Myself from Empaths”

Pros and Cons of Being Highly Sensitive

Defining Terms Sensory processing sensitivity, SPS, is the accurate term for the trait behind a HSP or highly sensitive person. SPS is my preferred term because it describes the trait, rather than making the trait the defining attribute of the person. Variability in sensitivity is common across organisms and gives rise to at lease twoContinue reading “Pros and Cons of Being Highly Sensitive”