culver city

Connecting in Couples Therapy

Connecting in Couples Therapy

Brown’s profound quotes and speeches have made their way into the hearts, minds, and ears of so many different people that they’ve almost become anthropological. (Basic = Popular, and that’s usually for good reason). Rational, researched, and relatable, Brown’s concepts have also found their way into the therapy room, sometimes constituting the language of many psychological principles discussed between therapist and client.

Identity Lag

Identity Lag

When a big life change happens seemingly overnight, even something positive, your body is often left behind and needs a chance to catch up. Sometimes, life changes before our identity can.

Attachment in Female Friendships

Attachment in Female Friendships

We talk about attachment a lot when it comes to romantic relationships. But for many women, some of our deepest attachment wounds - and some of our most powerful healing - live inside our friendships.

Anger: The Bodyguard of the Psyche

Anger: The Bodyguard of the Psyche

People often come to therapy because they are struggling with anger. They describe snapping at a partner, feeling constantly irritated, or reacting in ways that feel disproportionate to the situation.

How To Set Goals Without Pressure

How To Set Goals Without Pressure

When we think about goals, we often default to familiar categories: working out more, eating differently, and being more productive. These can be meaningful goals, but they tend to fall apart when they’re too vague or disconnected from who we actually are.

What Is Complex PTSD?

What Is Complex PTSD?

You've probably heard of PTSD — It tends to be discussed in connection with a specific, overwhelming event, something clearly identifiable that the nervous system struggles to recover from. Complex PTSD (or C-PTSD) is chronic and talked about less often, even though it affects many people whose experiences don’t fit that single-event narrative.

Breaking The Self-Doubt Spiral

Breaking The Self-Doubt Spiral

When we experience disappointing responses to our efforts, it’s tempting to make that mean something about how unskilled we are, how incompetent we must be, or even how unlovable or undeserving of a person we feel we are. We tell ourselves a story that if we had just worked a little harder, or said the right thing, or “mastered” the extremely simple art of toasting toast, then we would receive a more favorable response and thus, feel better about ourselves.

Emotional Suppression vs. Regulation

Emotional Suppression vs. Regulation

We often hear the words “emotional regulation” and think it means: “be rational instead of emotional” or “maybe just don’t feel your emotions at all!” Maybe you’ve even heard that if you let yourself feel the emotions, then people will view you as “emotionally unstable”. If you’ve heard any of the above, it totally makes sense.

Shifting Your Attention: Valued Living

Shifting Your Attention: Valued Living

Everywhere we turn, there’s a gut-wrenching headline that grips us, a new app competing for our time, or a notification that demands immediate response. Quick PSA: if you are finding it difficult to focus, it's. not. your. fault. We live in a world designed to fragment our attention.