Mindfulness & Wisdom

Childhood wounding does not always take a physical form. Our society typically recognizes the horror of physical child neglect, but not the emotional pain that comes from inadequate or deficient parenting. Psychological damage can happen in all sorts of subtle and invisible ways, from a caregiver’s lack of awareness, subtle put-downs, neglect, and

Self-help and esoteric literature uses the term ‘empath’ to describe people who are sensitive to the emotions and energy of other people, animals and the environment. Although there is not one unified definition of an empath, they are usually described as individuals who have the ability to physically feel the energy field of others and their surro

You may suddenly feel drastically different, have certain intrusive thoughts, or act in a certain way. When you have a ‘mood flip’, as if you suddenly switch from being a rational adult into a tantrum-throwing child, you are re-living the trauma at the level of that of a child. As a result, you may lash out at your partner, have inexplicable rage,

Existential ideas and attitudes have embedded themselves so deeply into modern culture that we hardly think of them as existentialist at all. People (at least in relatively prosperous countries where more urgent needs don’t intervene) talk about anxiety, dishonesty and the fear of commitment. They worry about being in bad faith, even if they don’t

These children show superior ability to think about global ideas like justice and fairness. Being so intensely aware of world issues and the feelings of others can make them vulnerable to being overwhelmed. In addition, they have to face adult reactions that do not meet their expectations. For example, they may want to help the poor and homeless by

People high in emotional OE are sometimes accused of ‘overreacting’, and their intensity is often misunderstood as a sign of emotional immaturity. Their compassion and concern for others, their focus on relationships, and the intensity of their feelings may also interfere with everyday tasks and hold them back from achieving in life (Piechowski and

As an adult, you may have trouble feeling safe in relationships, due to the early betrayal of trust in your family. You may intellectually understand that you are not the cause of problems in your family, but to shift the internalized shame requires deeper emotional healing.