Posts by Laura K. Schenck, Ph.D., LPC
Explore Mindfulness Through Walking Meditation
“The living moment is everything.” – D.H. Lawrence Most of us spend a considerable amount of time walking – to and from appointments, errands, or meetings and walking for enjoyment or exercise. Since walking is a relatively simple activity that we engage in on a regular basis, it is a wonderful opportunity to integrate mindfulness…
Read More
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Memory
“Fatigue is the best pillow.” – Benjamin Franklin Many people began to experiment with “pulling all nighters” when they were in high school or college in the attempt to study or “cram” for an upcoming test. Some people seem to swear by this strategy, while others would never (pardon the pun) dream of such a…
Read More
Clear Your Relationship of Psychological Smog
“Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” – Kahlil Gibran We all have ideas in our minds about the type of partner that…
Read More
Apply Opposite Action to Guilt & Shame
“The guilty think all talk is of themselves.” – Geoffrey Chaucer In yesterday’s post, I discussed some of the important functional differences between guilt and shame that were discussed at a recent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) workshop run by Dr. Marsha Linehan on emotion regulation. Guilt and shame can both be very painful emotions to…
Read More
Guilt vs. Shame
“Shame occurs when you haven’t been able to get away with the ‘who’ you want people to think you are.” – Carl Whitaker We have all had moments in our lives when we are not feeling particularly proud of something that we have done. It could be as minor as making an inappropriate joke to…
Read More
How to Calm Down from Extreme Emotions in 30 Seconds
“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” – Publilius Syrus This week I attended a 2-day workshop on emotion regulation in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), conducted by DBT’s creator, Dr. Marsha Linehan. The past two days (along with a thick binder) have been filled with copious amounts of information on specific skills…
Read More
Don’t Drain Love From Your Relationship
“When you struggle with your partner, you are struggling with yourself. Every fault you see in them touches a denied weakness in yourself.” – Deepak Chopra Healthy, stable, and loving relationships don’t happen by magic. They happen as the result of two people actively working together to be a team, empathizing with the other’s point…
Read More
6 Core Processes of Psychological Inflexibility
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” – Lao Tzu Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses a variety of mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies, along with behavioral changes and commitment to cultivate psychological flexibility. What does it mean to say that one is “psychologically flexible?” In the context of ACT,…
Read More
Depression & Getting Stuck on Negative Thoughts
“People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.” – Epictetus What makes the difference between an individual who suffers a devastating loss or tragic life event and bounces back versus one who spirals into major depression? About four out of five cases of major depression resolve on their own…
Read More
What We Can Learn From Pessimistic Bees
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill It may not be a great surprise to hear that people who are depressed, anxious, or just plain stressed are far more likely to view the proverbial “glass” as half empty than their cheerful, optimism, or…
Read More