Anger has no power to move us forward. Unleashed, it can only cause damage. Our anger is a natural part of our humanness. It is a neurochemical event, and its function is to protect us. But we must learn how to tame this wild beast. Anger, like all negative emotions, is a dark lens though Continue Reading

A wise father once shared with me, years after I had worked with him and his family, that the most powerful lesson he had learned was not to get upset when his child was upset. This is of course very difficult to do. We are hardwired to be distressed by our child’s distress, which is Continue Reading

In my work with my clients, I use a tool that I learned long ago from my teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. It is called “Three Breaths.” It is a way to stop thinking for a moment, stop worrying, stop ruminating, and to have a refreshing moment of peace, of solidity, of feeling that Continue Reading

When we change the way we understand something – a person, a situation, ourselves – we change the way we feel about it. When we are suffering, we can ease our suffering by looking at our situation from a different angle. We often think we know the truth about it, and this truth saddens or Continue Reading

One of the things that contributes to our psychological wellness is having a guiding principle. If you know what is most important to you, it will be easier for you to make decisions, prioritize your tasks, and spend your time doing what is most important to you. Think about what is most important – your Continue Reading

For most of my life I have pursued the twin passions of neuroscience and spirituality – the study of the brain and the search for an understanding of life, of humanity’s place in the cosmic order. In my journey I discovered that the ancient wisdom literature from around the world overlaps in a notion we Continue Reading

Let me ask you a question – where does your mind go, day to day? Are you often worried? Angry? Do you have the same worried or angry thought over and over? If you have a free moment, do you tend to think about what you need to do, what other people are expecting of Continue Reading

Much of our unhappiness is the result of thinking through the lens of a negative emotion. When we are angry or afraid or irritable, the only thoughts we are able to have are those that are consistent with these feelings. This is how the brain is wired. The only time we can think clearly, seeing Continue Reading