Alua Arthur: “Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life”
“Death creates context for our lives. My entire life is leading up until that point. How we die creates the period at the end of the sentence but it is the period that makes it a sentence at all.”
“There is only one of you in all of time”
Creative encouragement from American dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham
My journaling practice
I discovered journaling in 1998 as a way to manage my anxiety. Since then I've tried journaling with audio, video, watercolor, collage. I’ve written by hand, typed on a typewriter, typed on a laptop or iPad. I've written on napkins and scraps of paper, handmade journals, and cheap notebooks from the grocery store. It all works.
What does “parts work” mean in therapy?
Parts work is a way of conceptualizing our inner experience, and it’s something many of us do naturally. It’s an effective way to explore internal conflicts, complex responses to a situation, or the ongoing impact of early life.
BJ Miller and what really matters at the end of life
BJ Miller is a hospice and palliative medicine physician whose passion for palliative care stems from his own near-death experience.
Rituals and the Winter Solstice
Remembering my mom’s dying and death on the Winter Solstice, 2010
“love, this will be excruciating”
In August 2015, I wrote this letter to the February 2011 version of myself. It took me many years to be able to write this letter, to develop a compassionate, realistic understanding of my grieving experience.
Brené Brown and the power of vulnerability
Brené Brown is a researcher and storyteller who’s spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. Her 2010 TED Talk on vulnerability took the world by storm and since then has been viewed and shared by millions. It remains a delight to watch, and foundational concept to the therapy work I do.
(Photo by Maile Wilson)
How to set up for virtual sessions
Sometimes clients choose virtual over in-person therapy sessions because the logistics make more sense for them, but virtual sessions can also be helpful when life throws us a curveball — the car breaks down, a snow day, or you’re home with a sick kid. That being said, a shaky internet connection or crackly-sounding headphones can make virtual sessions feel frustrating and not very therapeutic. Here are a few ways to set yourself up for success in virtual sessions.