Addiction/OCD

What do OCD, addiction and self-discipline have in common?

By Nicole Urdang | September 16, 2021
Posted in

What do OCD, addiction and self-discipline have in common? They all involve some form of repetition compulsion. At first glance, it looks as if self-discipline involves using self-control to benefit oneself while addictions and other OCD behaviors look as if someone is out of control. But, as you will see, the essence of all three […]

Your body is a portal to essential knowledge.

By Nicole Urdang | March 13, 2021
Posted in , ,

Your body is your ever present home on earth and houses a wealth of information you can tap into anytime. Yet no one teaches you how to use this innate somatic knowledge. The field of psychotherapy, especially trauma therapy, is In the midst of a mini revolution as somatic awareness is now recognized as a […]

The Struggle of Perfectionism

By Nicole Urdang | March 3, 2021
Posted in , ,

Doing things well is satisfying, but perfectionism can turn almost anything into a struggle. Every time you strive to be perfect, the best, or better than you were before, you put pressure on yourself. Not only does that pressure accrue, it robs you of joy. In addition, it’s almost impossible to be mindful and live […]

Family Secrets: How to Overcome their Toxic Legacy 

By Nicole Urdang | December 14, 2015
Posted in ,

Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets. Paul Tournier We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows. Robert Frost, The Secret Sits In families where there is addiction, abuse, criminal behavior, or mental illness, there is usually a code of silence that dictates the actions […]

Addiction Recovery: Techniques for Staying Sober

By Nicole Urdang | April 9, 2013
Posted in ,

All addictions, like all obsessive-compulsive disorders, serve one purpose: To push unpleasant feelings out of your conscious awareness. It makes no difference if you are addicted to alcohol, shopping, pornography, pain killers, pot, food, cocaine, gambling, or anything else, the key to recovery is finding peace. Peace from incessant thoughts urging you to obsessively repeat […]

Secrets: What we reveal can heal.

By Nicole Urdang | January 21, 2013
Posted in , ,

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack “What you didn’t tell someone was just as debilitating as what you did.” Jodi Picoult, Handle With Care “Nothing weighs on us so heavily as a secret.” Jean de La Fontaine “If I only had three words of advice, […]