“ I cannot think of anything more important than us dedicating time and energy to making sense of this crazy, beautiful journey called life. Together.”

“ I cannot think of anything more important than us dedicating time and energy to making sense of this crazy, beautiful journey called life. Together.”

I want to remember that is was all real, that we happened, that we were here, that we mattered.

Sharing ideas of mindfulness, compassion and gratitude through a marriage of personal practice and professional expertise.

What's New

July 2, 2018

41

As I enter into my 41st year, I felt a sudden desire to return here to my blog and write. It has been awhile. I have shared poems and other words on social media, and a few here as well. But, it has been some time since I have sat down to reflect, write out

Instagram

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Just honored and grateful I get to do this. Thank you to everyone who believes in my words.

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The most magical part of this work, the work of psychiatry, is the talking and the listening. Which perhaps sounds obvious. But how often do we have the chance these days to pause, sit together without the gravitational pull of our phones, and simply share what is on our hearts and minds? It is rare, so rare. These moments of asking the hard questions, looking back at how growth has unfolded, anticipating what is next, rejoicing, grieving, laughing, sometimes just being in silence, together, are the moments where we come to know ourselves and each other. To have the opportunity to see and be seen, over time, is precious. I cherish the opportunity to witness my patients in this light. I also cherish the opportunity to be seen like this by my own therapist, which is perhaps the only way i have truly learned how to offer my presence to others. All of it reminds me that in the end, all we have are the ways in which we loved, deeply loved, one another.

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Thankfully,
your beauty
is not your body—
not confined by
the limits of skin,
nor the reaches
of space and time.
Thankfully,
your beauty rests in your heart,
radiating, infinite,
through your eyes,
through your words,
through your touch.
So let your body be—
let it settle into
the shape of you.
Soft, creased, used.
And instead,
embody the beauty
of wisdom, of kindness,
the spirit that flows
through this form
and changes the world.

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In the slowing down,
we discover a moment—
Exquisite beauty,
maybe deep pain,
often both.
Perhaps the hardest thing
is to be grateful for it all—
the pause, the noticing,
the glory, the hurt—
reminders of how
human and alive
we are.

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But how,
how do you listen to your body?
The subconscious signals of
skin and bone, hair and nails,
sometimes soft, sometimes loud.
A quickening of the heart,
a holding of the breath,
a tightening of your chest.
The release of allowing
the abdomen be soft, round.
Your hand on your own cheek.
The furrow between your brows,
the ache in your knees,
the restlessness in your ankles,
the rumbling craving in your belly
for something that fills you.
The words—
stuck in your throat.
Our bodies,
with their whisper and song,
an echoing dialogue within.
Yet—are we listening?

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Thrilled to officially launch The Deck, in collaboration with @allswellcreative and @lauralrubin. We created these write/draw journaling prompt cards to match her line of notebooks, in the hopes of providing fun, accessible, and thought provoking entry points for journaling. Such a beautiful launch event at @santamonicaproper this morning, where we witnessed the cards finally being put to use, during an intimate journaling workshop. Now available at allswellcreative.com. #journaling #thedeck

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What if there are no answers?
Only living the questions
in midnight moments—
gazing up at the moon,
breathing in, breathing out.
Finding the beauty in
looking, together—
at the hints hidden
in morning coffee
and words on the page.
Perhaps answers become
dead ends, while asking
opens us wider and deeper,
until there is no more distance
between you and me
known and unknown
beginning and end.

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It was truly a transformative experience to bring individuals from all around the country together for the “Relaxing Into Resilience” retreat with @themhcollective and @caycehowe. These curious and courageous individuals took three days out of their busy lives to pause, slow down, and explore, learn, and practice the intersections of mindfulness and creativity. We meditated, wrote, reflected, painted, ate, and walked, while cultivating a deeper sense of presence and self awareness. My favorite memory was our mindful group walk around the labyrinth under a sky full of moonlight and stars—beautiful and haunting as one participant so accurately described the moment. I am proud to be a part of the path for those who joined us, and hopefully many more in the future. Thank you @miravalresorts for providing a peaceful space for our retreat to unfold.

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What I needed to know then,
and what I need to know now—
is that bringing a human
into this world
makes me no less human myself.
No less in need of my own
safety, kindness, patience.
No less in need of
food, water, sleep.
No less in need of a
good cry in the shower,
the water finding its way
down a body trying to find
itself again.
No less in need of a run
under the open sky,
one full breath,
a moment of grace,
and permission
to still be me.
What I needed to know then,
and what I need to know now,
is that being a mother
sometimes means kneeling
at my own altar,
respecting the wishes and wants
of this body, mind and spirit,
before I can serve anyone else—
including my children—
with true devotion.
*****
A poem inspired by the amazing #momsneedtoknow campaign by @poojalakshminmd, as well as the #chooseselflove campaign by @randdiabmd

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