41 results for tag: Meditation & Mindfulness

We Can Still Be Crazy – Pema Chodron

We can practice meditation, Yoga, and Qi Gong every single day and night, and we can still be crazy! We can still be crazy if we practice all of the above, eat organic "healthy" foods, take herbs, and drink kombucha daily, and we can still be crazy. We can meet with an acknowledged expert in therapy or counseling, and we can still be crazy. In fact, it is possible that we may even become crazier if we diligently commit to these practices and follow them up with a 7-day cleanse and a weekly water fast. Nothing can guarantee that we will not be crazy. Nothing. Is the goal not to be crazy or to live an amazingly imperfect life that we get to be ourselves on a regular basis? Would you agree to practice daily if you knew you would never stop being crazy, BUT you would begin accepting yourself for who you really are? If you are curious about how we can still be crazy after daily meditation for years or decades, and that is OK, I invite you to read this short essay by Pema Chodron below. If you are unfamiliar with her and her work, please follow the link in the previous sentence; she is a living gem!  We Can Still Be Crazy - Pema Chodron - Michael Swerdloff - Providence Holistic Counseling, Coaching and Reiki ...

Meditation Training in Rhode Island!

I am very excited to offer a Meditation Training in Rhode Island! This three-part series will be excellent for beginners and those who already have a meditation practice. We will cover the basics of meditation, and various styles and methods. We will have real life experiences with each style plus time to practice. This meditation training series is constructed so that you will have two weeks between each session to practice.
Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better, it’s about befriending who we are. – Ani Pema Chodron ...

Personal and Spiritual Development Group!

Personal & Spiritual Development Group Elements  1) Each group session will begin with a quick check-in to help us be present. 2) We will move into a guided meditation. 3) A topic will be introduced. 4) A discussion of the topic will emerge. 5) The group will engage in processing the topic, along with anything that comes up organically in discussion.This will be the largest allotment of our time together. 6) We will complete our session with a closing meditation together.   What forms of meditation will we experience? We will practice and experiment with several forms of sitting meditation including breath watching, mantra, chanting, ...

Anger A Secondary Emotion – What Are We Protecting?

Many years ago, the psychologist who turned my life around once told me, "Michael, anger is a secondary emotion. You must feel another emotion first before you can experience anger. The primary emotion is typically fear, sometimes sadness or pain." Of course, I became even angrier when she said this! I remember thinking, "Fear, I am not scared of anything. I'm pissed off, not scared!" Her words haunted me. In the following weeks and months, every time I became angry, I often heard her in the back of my head whispering, "Michael, anger is a secondary emotion. You must feel another emotion first before you can experience anger." Notice how the fear part was left out of my process? Eventually, the part about fear also made its way into my process. That is when the shift began for me.

Anger - A Secondary Emotion - Providence Holistic Counseling Services...

Rules For Fair Fighting In Relationships

Rules for fair fighting. It sounds like an oxymoron. If you take a minute to reflect, most of us suck when it comes to arguing and fighting with the people we love. I was not talking about your partner, I'm talking about you. Me too. Of all the things that we are taught by our families, friends, schools, and culture, it is rare that children are well-trained in how to manage conflict in a meaningful and productive way.  Let's explore one of the many sets of rules for fair fighting in relationships together.   Rules For Fair Fighting In Relationships - Providence Holistic Counseling Services ...

You’re Basically Good — The Benefits of Contemplative Psychotherapy

You're basically good. This perspective is often left out of modern, Western counseling, therapy and life coaching. Here in the West, the typical approach focuses on what is wrong with you and what needs to be "fixed". The counselor, therapist or life coach gets paid as long as you are "sick" or "need" them to function in the world. This is not my approach to working with clients. I assume you're basically good. You have inside you what you need to be successful in life and relationships. You know what you need.  You have as much strength, courage, wisdom and love as necessary to enjoy your work, family, friends, relationships and the world around you. I see my role as the facilitator in helping you bring these qualities to the surface, so you can be a productive member of society and achieve what you came here to do in this life.

The practices described in the article below are not exactly what I do. There are many similarities and the concepts feel like they come from the same place.  I hope you enjoy reading this piece. I  think it is fascinating and inspiring. How about you?

You’re Basically Good — The Benefits of Contemplative Psychotherapy - Providence Holistic Counseling Services

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Spiritual Bypassing, Relationships and The Shadow

I first started becoming aware of spiritual bypassing a few years ago. My eyes opened wide as I was reading the page in front of me. "A spiritual bypass or spiritual bypassing is a "tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks" John Welwood & Tina Fossella. This was it! This was the thing I had been aware of for years in myself and others that I had not known what it was or how to describe it! I was so excited that there really was such a "thing" and it had a name. I have cut out parts of the article below, but most of the content on spiritual bypassing is included. Spiritual Bypassing, Relationships and The Shadow - Providence Holistic Counseling Services...