Image by ivabalk from Pixabay When we think everything has to be perfect, when we fear the judgment of others because we inevitably fail to make everything perfect, we are causing ourselves (and possibly others) unnecessary suffering. It’s a well known trauma response - something bad happened, I felt hurt and helpless, maybe if I … Continue reading Why Perfectionism Sucks

Image by Evgeni Tcherkasski from Pixabay This week is Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights. While it is not “the Jewish Christmas”, being largely inflated out of proportion by its calendar proximity to the major holiday of the dominant culture, it does have its own importance. In particular, it has to do with the concept … Continue reading Light and Fear

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Lately I’ve been listening to/reading Dr. Gabor Maté’s new book, The Myth of Normal. It’s a large, wide-ranging tome, with the subtitle Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. If you’ve been following me at all, you know that I have lately been very concerned with intersectionality - … Continue reading What is Healing?

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay The Oxford dictionary defines community as follows:  com·mu·ni·ty /kəˈmyo͞onədē/ Noun a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common."the scientific community"a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals."the sense of community that organized religion can … Continue reading What Does Community Mean to You?