How Are You Dreaming? A Very Simple Question to Screen for Suicide Risk
Your dreams are an excellent barometer of your emotional life. And for those at risk for suicide, they can be a warning sign that is too often ignored. I have been calling for more clinicians to ask about dreams when their clients are dangerously depressed, and am pleased to see that others are joining the
How to be a Soothing Presence: Keeping Nothing Between
The essence of working with another person is to be present as a living being. And that is lucky, because if we had to be smart, or good, or mature, or wise, then we would probably be in trouble. But, what matters is not that. What matters is to be a human being with another
The Vagal Paradox: A Current Summary of Polyvagal Theory
Porges’ recent article has two main purposes: first, to set out a clear, complete description of the Polyvagal Theory in accessible language to clear up confusion and misconceptions among those who apply and describe it; second, to systematically address criticism of PVT in the literature. This is a summary of the former, especially as it
Dreams of the Dead: Normal or macabre?
In my daydreams, my grandmother and I sit on beach chairs and look out at the ocean. We’re on a deserted beach like something from Pirates of the Caribbean. She’s always there, contentedly sitting in a low-slung Adirondack chair amongst the grass tufts and dunes. When I drop in, she often tells me to slow
How to Have Beautiful Daydreams: Reassign the Inner Critic
The minute you turn your attention inside, are you greeted with a cruel, relentless voice that hits you in the most tender, wounded places? For some people, the invitation for the mind to wander leads directly to the inner critic. Below are some ideas to help make your inner world a more supportive place. In
Go Play Inside: Cultivating a Compelling Inner Life, Three Ways
Chasing external sources of happiness may have failed you, as ultimately our deepest satisfaction comes from within. But often when people turn their attention inward, they don’t like what they find. Dr. Leslie Ellis offers three ways to constructively engage with your inner life. We all know the road to greater life satisfaction has more
Daydreaming is Our Baseline State, Not Something to Avoid
We spend half of our waking lives daydreaming. This may or may not be a good thing – it depends what your daydreams are like. A Harvard study on daydreaming entitled ‘A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind’ may be giving daydreaming a bad rap. In a culture dominated by a drive for productivity, there
To Sleep Better, We Need to Surrender to Our Dreams
A podcast review by Dr. Leslie Ellis The main reason people don’t sleep is that they have a bad relationship with dreaming. – Dr. Rubin Naimin I was so inspired by a recent conversation between Nikos Patedakis and Dr. Rubin Naiman on the Dangerous Wisdom podcast, I want to share some of their surprising
Our state of mind and body prior to falling asleep can affect the way we dream, and this can be a target for treatment for those who experience frequent trauma-related nightmares. If you are someone who has trouble falling asleep because you can’t quiet your mind and body, you are also more likely to have