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Surfing the Urge: Implementing Skills for Emotion Regulation
By Amanda Stutz, MA, LPC To stand in the sea, immersed in the water, at the mercy of the powerful surf, is awe-inspiring and incredibly humbling. To be surrounded by the vastness of the ocean and see the power of the waves can cause one to pause. To splash about near the beach, being playful, and experiencing the water can be fun and exhilarating, but may leave one wanting to experience more. It may leave you with a desire to swim out further, explore the depths of the ocean and have a different kind of adventure. Leaving the comforts of the beach can evoke fear as the waves hurl themselves…
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Parenting Through Relationship
by Carolyn Knarr, MSW, LCSW, Director of Children’s Therapeutic Services From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals that He is relational. Because of his love for his people, he does whatever it takes to protect relationship with them, to the point of sending His only son to the cross. He understands their weaknesses and temptations. He seeks them out when they turn away from him. This relational aspect of the Gospel is a primary difference between Christianity and other religions. Christ responded to those he taught by caring, touching, healing, engaging. He not only had a significant effect on those he came into contact with. He was affected by them as…
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What is Sandtray Therapy?
Introduction Sandtray therapy was created by Margaret Lowenfeld, who got her ideas from reading H.G. Wells’ book Floor Games, where Wells spoke of the use of miniature toys while he played with his sons on the floor. This technique was adopted by many others, including Dora Kalff, a Swedish therapist who modified Lowenfeld’s knowledge of the use of sand and miniatures according to Jungian principles, and named her technique Sandplay (Homeyer & Sweeney, 2011). Sandtray therapy can be used with adults, children and groups, and it is a safe way for those who have experienced trauma to use miniature figurines to express themselves through metaphors. Resistance to exploring past trauma…
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Neurochemistry of Committed Relationships
Researchers have noted that there are three stages to the development of love, each with their own set of neurochemical responses. Different “happy chemicals” are released during different stages. Since God made our brains and designed them to meet the needs we have in life, our brains have been specially wired for these stages of falling in love and staying in love. For the purpose of this article, we’ll touch on the first two stages, and concentrate in particular on the amazing chemicals in the emotional attachment stage of a relationship. Stage 1: “Romantic Feelings During this stage, your partner can seem “perfect” for you because all the crazy endorphins we…
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