Category Archives: sadness & pain

Heavy – Mary Oliver

Deeply sad to hear of the death of Mary Oliver, who has accompanied many of us over the sunlit grasslands and through the tight ravines. Gratitude for all she offers, and to Vera de Chalambert on Facebook for reminding us … Continue reading

Posted in beauty, consciousness, creativity, dying, emotions, grief, love, Mary Oliver, poetry, presence, relationship, sadness & pain, spirituality, surrender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Maya Luna, on staying with….

Beautiful, accurate poem from Maya’s Facebook page. Here are the words, for anyone who has difficulty reading FB links:- “If you cannot help me If you cannot heal me  If you cannot solve  My problem  Will you stay anyways?  Just … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, core conditions, cultural questions, emotions, empathy, encounter, grief, healing, interconnection & belonging, kindness & compassion, Maya Luna, person centred, power and powerlessness, presence, relationship, sadness & pain, surrender, tears, therapeutic growth, therapeutic relationship, vulnerability, working with clients | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thanks by W.S. Merwin

“Listen with the night falling we are saying thank you we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings we are running out of the glass rooms with our mouths full of food to look at the sky … Continue reading

Posted in core conditions, cultural questions, Disconnection, gratitude, grief, loss, love, meaning, natural world, paradigm shift, perception, poetry, sadness & pain, spirituality, violence, vulnerability, W.S. Merwin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Poem for the Blue Heron – Mary Oliver

A Poem for the Blue Heron     1 Now the blue heron wades the cold ponds of November. In the gray light his hunched shoulders are also gray. He finds scant food – a few numbed breathers under a rind … Continue reading

Posted in creativity, Disconnection, Mary Oliver, natural world, poetry, sadness & pain, suicide | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jeff Foster on Sadness and anger

Some extraordinarily important words from Jeff about our relationship with emotions perceived as ‘difficult’ and the judgments these attract…. We are often struck by how common those judgments are, even among the ‘spiritual’ and even among therapists – as if … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, anger, boundaries, congruence, Disconnection, emotions, human condition, Jeff Foster, loss, love, meaning, perception, power, presence, sadness & pain, self, self concept, shaming, spirituality, surrender, transformation, vulnerability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reasons not to use ‘timeouts’ or ‘naughty steps’

Useful short film, explaining how ‘timeout’ or the ‘naughty step’ harm your relationship with your child and damage their ability to connect helpfully with their feelings and with you. Palace Gate Counselling Service, Exeter Counselling in Exeter since 1994

Posted in anger, blaming, boundaries, child development, communication, compassion, cultural questions, Disconnection, emotions, empathy, empowerment, encounter, family systems, growing up, interconnection & belonging, parenting, relationship, sadness & pain, self concept, shame, shaming, teaching, vulnerability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Joanna Macy on the effects of refusing to feel

“The refusal to feel takes a heavy toll. Not only is there an impoverishment of our emotional and sensory life, flowers are dimmer and less fragrant, our loves less ecstatic, but this psychic numbing also impedes our capacity to process … Continue reading

Posted in awakening, cultural questions, Disconnection, emotions, grief, Joanna Macy, power and powerlessness, sadness & pain, shadow | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thich Nhat Hanh on those who harm others

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.”  Thich Nhat Hanh  This feels wholly … Continue reading

Posted in 'evil', communication, compassion, conflict, congruence, core conditions, cultural questions, Disconnection, emotions, empathy, encounter, fear, friendship, growth, healing, human condition, interconnection & belonging, love, person centred, person centred theory, presence, relationship, sadness & pain, Thích Nhất Hạnh, therapeutic growth, therapeutic relationship, transformation, trauma, trust, vulnerability, working with clients | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nayyirah Waheed on loving ourselves

“If someone does not want me, it is not the end of the world. But if I do not want me, the world is nothing but endings.” Nayyirah Waheed Yes, yes, yes. The core of therapy is about coming home … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, cultural questions, Disconnection, identity, interconnection & belonging, love, presence, sadness & pain, self, self concept | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hearing the Cries of the World – Mark Nepo

https://parabola.org/2016/06/14/hearing-the-cries-of-the-world-by-mark-nepo/ “True connection requires that a part of us dissolves in order to join with what we meet. This is always both painful and a revelation, as who we are is rearranged slightly, so that aliveness beyond us can enter … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, awakening, community, compassion, consciousness, cultural questions, Disconnection, emotions, empathy, encounter, ethics, fear, flow, grief, growth, interconnection & belonging, kindness & compassion, loss, love, paradigm shift, perception, power and powerlessness, presence, relationship, resilience, sadness & pain, surrender, tears, transformation, trauma, violence, vulnerability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment