Shana Tova

So in preparation for the high holidays-- I contemplate the meanings and lessons stemming from resisting Lashon Hara. With the hope that this year we can create classrooms, schools, relationships, and spaces where we hear, see, feel and understand each other better than we did before. Even when we may disagree or see the world in different ways. Listening, talking, reflecting, understanding, being more thoughtful-sensitive-honest and careful with our words-- may help us do better.

Someplace to start, to work on, and to grow from. Shana Tova

Weapons: Lashon Hara
how does one speak to
another
without saying what the
other wants to hear?
how does one hear
another
without the other speaking
and looking away?
how can we see one another
when our minds are cluttered with a vision of ourselves
and there is no other?
how can they say those things
when they know the words are
heard and they see your face?
how can they listen to words
sharpened into swords?
thinking only of themselves
yet unable to see
themselves or others?
throwing out sharp words
that deafen our ears

The SHOCKING Meaning of Row Row Row Your Boat

Letting Go: Radical Acceptance

We're growing

In September two more of our therapists will complete DBT training.  We will be ready to expand including additional Skills Group sessions.

Such an exciting development to be available to create a healthy community!

Contact us (310/440-2021) to ask questions.

Treat yourself gently and breathe.

Soundtrack of my Life

The Hollywood Bowl, a lovely summer evening and a concert by Paul Simon.

And so I spent an evening totally immersed in the music that provided the background to heartbreak all those years ago.  What fun.  The music still brings tears to my eyes and the sounds still sound fresh.

The whole musical experience is a reminder that sometimes the very best experiences bring even richer experiences as it is repeated.  Listening to those songs, the classic "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover," and "Mrs. Robinson" had an even deeper resonance today when heard in the context of all those sad and fun events in which I first listened.  They remind me of all I have survived in moving from the youthful exuberance of the adolescent to the experience of today's adult.

Thank you, Paul Simon for reminding me of how much I have seen to reach the understanding I now have. . . . slip out the back, Jack.  Making new plans, Stan.

Take care of You

Resources for you when you're feeling overwhelmed:

What to Do If You Need Help

We have been getting an overwhelming response to this article and wanted to add a few things. The National Institute of Mental Health recommends this site. It also warns that reporting on suicide can lead to so-called suicide contagion, in which exposure to the mention of suicide within a person’s family, peer group or in the media can lead to an increase in suicides.
There are many groups that help people having suicidal thoughts. One, Crisis Text Line, inspired by teenagers’ attachment to texting but open to people of all ages, provides free assistance to anyone who texts “help” to 741-741.
If you prefer to talk on the phone, N.I.H. recommends the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Happy Year of the Monkey

Monkeys are creatures of humor and surprise.  Perhaps those are the traits that will dominate this year.  I can already sense that all the uncertainty of coming events are presaging fun and surprise.  I will have a lovely and surprising visitor from Ireland in April.  A chapter I wrote for a book on working with individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder is being published and there is more travel on the horizon.

All of these changes demand the discipline of getting enough sleep (when???), eating healthy meals and keeping up with my yoga practice.  I have the preparation for classes that takes several hours for each class, then I have the preparation for seeing my clients and I have those basic tasks of paying bills, walking the dog and (argh) cleaning house.

My goal for the next months is to get sufficiently organized  to manage all of those tasks and still have the fun that is required for the year of the Monkey.