Grieving the loss of a loved one is incredibly difficult and hard to understand or put into words. Grieving while living hours away from the home you once shared with this person makes it even more complex. This is an experience I recently went through, and thankfully, while my grandma was sick, I was able to be home many times to spend time with her. What I did not expect was the journey of grief that I have gone on since her death, while being away from the home where I sha

Back in the early days of psychology, Freud described a specific “oceanic” ego condition that he regarded as the root of all religious experience (Freud, 1930/1961). Inherent in this oceanic state is a fusion between the inner and outer world. This state can be found in any creative activity and is, in fact, fundamentally necessary for successful symbol formation. The central feature of the oceanic state is a lack of differentiation, a dissolution of hardened cliches. In this

There is a reason why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used approaches in therapy. It is structured. It has clear rules and protocols. It is considered the “gold standard,” the “safest,” and the “most trustworthy” because it is associated with strong empirical support and measurable outcomes (Hofmann et al., 2012). But is that always the case? We have to ask ourselves whether CBT is always the most useful approach, or whether both clinicians and cl

Recently, I’ve noticed so many of us have been feeling nostalgic - a pull backward, a longing for a simpler time. We hear it in conversations, see it on social media, and notice it reflected more and more in TV and film. There’s a collective desire to go back in time, to remember who we used to be… before constant notifications, before algorithms, before our attention became something to be captured and consumed. Before, life felt like it was happening through a screen. Whi

Mental health therapists are often seen as the people who “have it all together.” They are expected to be calm, grounded, emotionally intelligent, and endlessly patient, not just in the therapy room, but in their personal lives as well. There is a quiet, unrealistic assumption that therapists don’t struggle the same way others do, that they are somehow immune to stress, conflict, or emotional overwhelm. In reality, therapists are just as human as the clients they support, and

The immutability of sexual orientation has long been a topic of debate in political, academic, and legal spheres. Advocates of gay rights have often centered their positions on the “born that way” and “not a choice” arguments. The basic claim of these arguments roughly follows the same form: “If same-sex sexual attractions were inborn or unchangeable, then it would be wrong to discriminate against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LBG people), it would be wrong to criminalize

Understanding Trauma and Vicarious Trauma Trauma is a very common reason people seek therapy, but it’s also a complex topic that can be oversimplified on social media. There are common trauma responses, but trauma also affects people uniquely based on a number of factors. Even defining the word trauma can be difficult. Most people could name examples of traumatic things, but how do we decide that one thing is traumatic and another is not? One of the most essential things to u

Lately, many women I speak with are not just tired, they’re outraged, disgusted, and fed up. There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from watching women’s accomplishments minimized, while men with less merit are elevated and celebrated. From seeing accountability stall. From witnessing misogynistic rhetoric that diminishes women and then gets laughed off as harmless. From seeing predators protected while women are forced to answer and suffer the consequences. It’

Substance use within LGBTQ+ communities cannot be understood in isolation from the broader social and psychological realities that shape lived experience. Research consistently shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals experience higher rates of alcohol and substance use compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. But these disparities are not rooted in identity itself, they are rooted in stress, stigma, and displacement. To approach this t

When people hear borderline personality disorder (BPD), they often think of bipolar disorder. The confusion is common and understandable, but costly. Part of the confusion is linguistic. The abbreviations sound similar. Another part of the confusion is cultural. “Bipolar” has entered everyday language as shorthand for emotional volatility, or mood swings, while BPD remains less understood. As a result, people with BPD are frequently mislabeled, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood,

Have you ever caught yourself thinking about a therapist family member like:  “He can’t even read the room, how is he a therapist?”   “Is that really how he helps other people?”   “I can’t imagine my therapist acting that way.” If so, you’re not the only one.  These thoughts don’t usually come from nowhere. Sometimes they come from frustration. Sometimes from hurt. And sometimes from a quiet belief we carry without realizing it, that therapists are supposed to be especially s

In times of social and political uncertainty, art and creativity are often among the first things to face scrutiny, be defunded, or be dismissed as “nonessential.” When systems feel strained, creativity is framed as expendable - a luxury rather than an essential part of life and the human experience. From a mental health perspective, this could not be further from the truth. We are living in an era marked by polarization, collective stress, and rapid change. Many people feel

As previously discussed in this blog series, queerness challenges underlying assumptions and norms regarding the nature and meaning of intimacy; it challenges us to think more broadly and expansively about human relatedness and connection. The queer paradigm posited by Hammack et al. (2018) explores seven axioms across which these dominant narratives are challenged, elucidating the diversity and creativity inherent in queerness: “A queer paradigm challenges the normative priv

When people hear that someone is “in recovery,” the reaction is usually relief. There is an assumption that things are getting better, lighter, and easier. Social media does not help either; it often presents recovery as an upward, empowering journey filled with before-and-after photos, glow-ups, and captions about self-love. What rarely gets discussed is how messy, difficult, and non-linear eating disorder recovery actually is. People in eating disorder recovery often move t

The theory of queer temporality explores the non-normative life rhythms and alternative futures of queer experience. Heteronormative ideas of intimacy, family building, and reproduction often look different for those whose identities and experiences fall outside heteronormative paradigms. Queer temporality rises in part in opposition to the heteronormative institution of family itself to explore different ways of relating and being. The concept of queer time was most notable

Often, January arrives with a familiar message: reset, recommit, improve. We’re encouraged to re-evaluate our lives, set goals, and show up differently in the new year. That impulse can be meaningful and motivating. I do believe reflection and intention-setting are valuable practices. However, I think it’s also important to remember this: we are allowed to reassess and change course at any point in our lives, not just in January. Growth doesn’t require a calendar reset, and i

For many high-achieving Asian Americans, professional success has come with an unexpected cost: emotional numbness. There's a disconnection between outer accomplishments and inner experience, like watching your own life from behind glass. This isn't a personal failing. It's often a survival strategy shaped by cultural expectations and the "model minority" myth. What helped you succeed may now be keeping you from truly living. If this resonates with you, know that reconnecting

Often, January arrives with a familiar message: reset, recommit, improve. We’re encouraged to re-evaluate our lives, set goals, and show up differently in the new year. That impulse can be meaningful and motivating. I do believe reflection and intention-setting are valuable practices. However, I think it’s also important to remember this: we are allowed to reassess and change course at any point in our lives, not just in January. Growth doesn’t require a calendar reset, and i

The New Year arrives wrapped in possibility. Fresh calendars, new planners, bold resolutions. And yet, for many people, January doesn’t feel hopeful—it feels heavy. Instead of excitement, there’s exhaustion. Instead of motivation, there’s a quiet voice whispering, “Why try? Nothing really changes.” That voice often isn’t laziness or lack of willpower. It may be learned helplessness  speaking. What Is Learned Helplessness? Learned helplessness is a psychological concept first

In the performing arts, the body isn’t just part of what we do—it is the instrument. It is expression, communication, identity, and our livelihood. So when the body is injured, it is never just a physical event. It can shake the foundation of who we believe ourselves to be. Around Thanksgiving, 2015, I experienced this firsthand when I tore my left ACL while in a class—suddenly with no warning or prior pain/injury. My entire world stopped. Overnight, I went from performing, t