Category: Mindfulness

Expectations, Mindfulness, Perception and Reality, Self-Care, Trust and Control

A Formula for Suffering (Part 1)

Metaphors come in all shapes and sizes, which is good, because different people resonate with different images or concepts. Sometimes, even mathematics can be helpful in exploring an idea. A prime example is using algebra to better understand the nature of suffering. As a starting point, we will use two formulas that are attributed to Shinzen Young and his Fundamental Theorem of Human Happiness: (1) […]

Mindfulness, Trust and Control

Dammed Emotions

Emotions are not static. From moment to moment, they intensify, shift, move, recede, and transform. I’m not talking about the thoughts and labels we associate with our emotions, which can be deceptive, but rather the underlying sensations or feelings themselves. At this level, our emotions are very much like a body of water (e.g. a stream, river, or ocean), always in motion, seemingly alive, unpredictable, […]

Mindfulness

The Mind as Magic Mirror

The human mind is an amazing thing, both wonderful and terrible, and I often find myself trying to help clients understand their minds in new ways. This is difficult work, because most of us grow up believing that we are our minds, that there is no difference between mind and self. This perception is incredibly prevalent, but I believe it is also misleading and potentially […]