Inner work

The Holy Grail of Psychotherapy: What It Is And How You Can Achieve It

By Nicole Urdang | July 13, 2017
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After 45 years as a psychotherapist I now believe the holy grail of therapy is helping people feel safe. If that sounds too simplistic, just think about it. Whatever you are dealing with: anxiety, depression, grief, guilt, or anger, the best possible outcome is feeling safe in your body, mind, emotions, and environment. If you […]

How to adapt and thrive through life’s transitions and transformations

By Nicole Urdang | March 7, 2017
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The only constant is change. Heraclitus It’s easy to think of certain life events, like marriage, divorce, or an empty nest, as big transitions. Yet, not all transitions are so obvious. Daily life is a stream of them, whether shifting from sleep to wakefulness, hunger to satiety, calm to annoyed, concentrating to distracted, or healthy […]

Why Do Most Therapists Care So Much About Your Childhood?

By Nicole Urdang | September 16, 2016
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“What’s past is prologue.” William Shakespeare, The Tempest The thing about the past is that it’s not the past. Irish saying People are often deterred from starting therapy because they think they will have to dredge up unpleasant things from their childhood, which can feel daunting. Yet, childhood experiences will surface, as they typically influence […]

Finding solid ground when you lose your way

By Nicole Urdang | September 27, 2015
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I got lost but look what I found. Irving Berlin When you lose your way and forget who you are, your beauty, your kindness, your connection to all that is, come back home. There is a trail of breadcrumbs leading to your true self. A self capable of curiosity, creativity, confidence, courage, unconditional self-acceptance, and […]

Mental house cleaning for a new lease on life

By Nicole Urdang | April 12, 2014
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What would happen if you never took out the garbage? Pretty soon, it would become intolerable. Yet it’s all too easy to let the inner detritus of negative thoughts and feelings accrue, building on each other until they create a malodorous mess. Actively cleansing your mind of unnecessary and unhelpful old material can give you […]

Self-Soothing

By Nicole Urdang | February 18, 2014
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Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Haruki Murakami If you grew up in a family where there was little nurturing, or unpredictable nurturing, especially during the first 18 months of life, you may have a difficult time self-soothing. Alternatively, if you were lucky enough to have had parents, or any caregiver, who was adept at […]