Music has always been more than sound — it’s medicine. For generations, people of color have used rhythm, song, and movement to express emotion, connect with spirit, and sustain hope through both joy and struggle. From African drumming and spirituals to gospel, jazz, and hip-hop,...
1. Ground Yourself in the Present When your thoughts race ahead, your senses can bring you back. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method: 5 things you see 4 you can touch 3 you hear 2 you smell 1 you taste Slow your breath: inhale for 4, exhale...
Introduction In the journey toward holistic wellness, one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools is our body’s own nervous system. More specifically, stimulating the vagus nerve—a central channel of the parasympathetic (rest & digest) system—can help us regulate stress, heal trauma, support emotional balance,...
Introduction Too often in mental health work, we stay in the realm of thoughts, feelings, and verbal exploration. But what if healing also lives in the body—in breath, sensation, movement, posture, and the felt experience of being alive? Somatic techniques invite us into that territory....
Narcissistic personality disorder—a mental health condition characterized by an excessive need to feel important and impress others—often causes narcissists to have an inflated sense of self-worth, lack empathy, and fantasize about possessing success, power, intelligence, and beauty. Narcissism differs from self-confidence in that it causes...
Is shopping always on your mind, whether you’re thinking about items you plan to buy or feeling guilty about previous purchases? Do you often feel a sense of euphoria after buying something, causing you to turn to shopping whenever you feel sad or stressed? Has...
In many cases, grief occurs when someone has already suffered a loss. But grief can also result from a loss that is impending but hasn’t yet occurred. When this happens, it’s referred to as “anticipatory grief” or “preparatory grief.” Anticipatory grief commonly affects individuals who...
You may have heard about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but what about post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED)? PTED is a condition that produces chronic feelings of bitterness and resentment after someone experiences a negative life event (for example, being bullied, assaulted, or fired from a job)....
You’ve probably heard of “self-care Sunday,” a recent trend that involves devoting one day a week to nourishing your mind and body. Whether you want to start practicing self-care on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays—or every day—good for you! Depending on the practices you adopt, self-care can...
Many people throw around the term “narcissist” very casually, using it to describe an individual with high self-esteem rather than one who actually has narcissistic personality disorder. Below, we explain what narcissism is and how it differs from self-confidence. What Is Narcissism? Narcissistic personality disorder...