“So much has happened that has been so tragic. . . it’s totally out of anything we have ever experienced.” — Dwight Hurst PermalinkBy Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

“Imagine feeling weightless, flexible, supported and comfortable, completely relaxed and your body is exactly where it wants to be. Your mind is quiet and calm. ” — Hilary Marshall Hilary Marshal, LMT and Watsu and WaterDance practitioner shares her experience of providing this “water and shiatsu,” aquatic and body-work therapy. I was fortunate eno…

“You survived and your’e okay now. And it will settle. . . So what I’m doing is, I’m not erasing the memory, I’m resolving the biochemical charge.” — Michael Brightwood In Episode 38, Michael Brightwood describes craniosacral therapy during this conversation on the science, healing framework and practice of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. With ext…

By Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

“We actually have the ability to heal ourselves with a lot of good guidance.” — Arthur Westinghouse In Part 3 of this series on Addiction, Intervention and Recovery During a Pandemic, we focus on long-term recovery. With 30 years of sobriety at the time of this episode and many years of working with clients and their families as an interventionist,…

“ Relapse is optional. It’s not necessary. It’s also not something to shame yourself over. ” — Arthur Westinghouse We continue our conversation about addiction, intervention, recovery during a pandemic. In part 2 of this series on addiction, we focus on relapse prevention during this time. Arthur Westinghouse CIP, CADC, with Westinghouse Interventi…

In a podcast series on addiction, intervention and recovery, I speak with friend and colleague, Arthur Westinghouse with Westinghouse Intervention and Family Coaching . Arthur is a Certified Intervention Professional, Family Recovery Coach, Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor, Consultant. We talk about intervention, recovery and relapse prevention d…

NBA talk followed by miscellaneous banter.By Michael and Marshall on the Couch

Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone, and boy, were we treated to hours of pure entertainment. To kick off today's show, we discuss what in the world we all just witnessed (1:10:00). In addition, we give our thoughts on the breaking news of Josh McDaniels bowing out of the Indianapolis head coaching position, and choosing to return to New England (1…

Volume 5 "Animal Ally Challenge" by Michael and Marshall on the CouchBy Michael and Marshall on the Couch

Your hosts Michael and Marshall recap the championship games from Sunday, followed by their glorified miscellaneous talk. The show is closed with the two fools playing role as captains for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game.By Michael and Marshall on the Couch

Guided Meditation Music: In a Moment by Lee Rosevere Things that support calm: Have a routine with flexibility: Routines help create foundation and help us to feel more settled because they offer intentional predictability. They anchor us. When we have the awareness that yes, of course things are going to change within those routines, we can better…

In Episode 32, I share The Guest House by Rumi. Each and every time I encounter this poem, whether it is shared by a meditation teacher or colleague, I gain a sense of comfort and footing. I am reminded that our inner worlds are vast and wide and no matter what is arising within ourselves, we are going to be okay. Here are a few things that came up…

Evan Center, MS, LCPC is a psychotherapist, business coach, mother, and co-founder of an independent high school. She is a go-getter, yet somehow manages to stay super grounded — perhaps because she has chosen to live in a mountain town where she skis, bikes, hikes, rafts, canoes, gathers huckleberries, goes to the farmers market, and carves out ti…

The Walking Dead follows this cast of characters as they navigate a world where zombies are predictably dangerous and the living have the potential to help or cause harm. The living are on an ongoing quest for survival and safety. Along the way, they encounter unimaginable traumas within the context of the zombie-plagued and human relationships. Th…

The aftermath of any kind of trauma can have a significant impact on one's life. Even when one makes it to safety and the trauma is over, the mind, body and brain can experience a storm of post-traumatic stress reactions. Knowing and understanding the potential traumatic effects for oneself, friend, family member or person read about in the news, c…

Sally Frau, LCSW, is the owner of and sole practitioner at Compatible Counseling Solutions where she specializes in providing counseling and therapy to individuals going through life transitions, who struggle with conceptualizing alternative ways to create a happy and joyful life. In addition to her ongoing practice with individuals, Sally also pro…

Dwight Hurst is owner and director of Innovate Mental Health Solutions. A fellow therapist and expert in addiction and recovery, Dwight shares his insights and perspective on the human experience of coping. In this lively conversation, we discuss the many forms both healthy and unhealthy coping can take, why people may cope in the way they do and t…

Guided Meditation Music: Still Water by Lee RosevereBy Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

Episode 25 In Episode 25, I speak with Jason Hacker, Ph.D, an expert in gaming and internet addiction. Jason is a licensed adolescent and adult psychologist with a private practice in Chicago. Jason's interest in treating problematic technology use grew out of his experience treating a wide range of mental health concerns as a trainee and staff psy…

Guided Meditation Music: Gone by Lee Rosevere PODCAST ARCHIVE: PermalinkBy Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

By Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

In Episode 22, R. Scott Boots, Founder and Director of The Health Cares Exchange Initiative, Inc., shares his insights on his own personal path of being a caregiver and shares why we need to celebrate and support other carers. The Health Cares Exchange Initiative confirms the need to celebrate the dedication and spirit of caring persons, while teac…

Reading List Bringing Home the Dharma by Jack Kornfield Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson Now is the Time by Patrick Lindsay Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn Other Resources Tara Brach talks and guided meditations Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfulness guided practice Rick Hanson TedTalk: Hardwiring Happiness Permal…

Guided Meditation Music: Artist: Lee Rosevere Song: In A Moment This guided meditation focuses on noticing your own energy that enlivens and brings forth awareness and consciousness to your here and now.By Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

By Kathleen Brennan, LCPC

PermalinkBy Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

This guided meditation focuses on encountering the unknown. Waiting on the "what comes next" can be uncomfortable, painful, overwhelming or be experienced as even dangerous or unsafe. Letting go of how something needs to turn out or a vision of how it has to be can offer space for something new. Uncertainty can involve fear, anxiety, hope, waiting …

Honest Interventions Arthur Westinghouse is a Credentialed Intervention Specialist and Substance Abuse Counselor. He is the founder of Honest Interventions, a Las Vegas based empowerment education company that provides intervention services. Arthur has provided hundreds of successful interventions over many years and remains very active in the fiel…

Take a break and participate in a guided meditation.By Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

In The News addiction drug abuse EMDR guided meditation health Health meditation Meditation mindfulness PTSD relapse prevention self-care self-help stress therapist therapy trauma Trauma trauma healing yoga Are Smartphones Killing our Conversation Quality? 10 Steps to Effective Listening Text Me? Ping Me? Communications Overload in the Digital Age …

D. Michael Coy, LCSW, LICSW, is a clinical social worker currently in independent practice in Chicago. Michael’s treatment interests include attachment trauma, pre-verbal trauma, addictions and compulsions, PTSD and complex PTSD, and disorders spanning the dissociative continuum, including Dissociative Identity Disorder. Most recently, Michael has …

Mentioned in this podcast Click on Image: Pranayama App Click on Image: Breathe: Stop Breathe & Think Click on Image: Headspace APPS Pranayama (Free) Pranayama Breathe: Stop, Breathe and Think HeadspaceBy Kathleen R. Brennan, LCPC

Whether you are a first-time meditator or have previous meditation experiences, discover meditation from the perspective of a meditation teacher. Listen to this podcast interview with Andrew and join us for a guided meditation. An ordained Priest through the Holy Order of MANS, Andrew is both owner and teacher at meditate. He is also the author of …

The Walking Dead television series follows the lives of people trying to survive a post-apocolyptic, zombie-ridden world. We follow and witness this cast of characters navigating a world where zombies are predictably dangerous and the living have the potential to help or cause harm. The living are on an ongoing quest for survival and safety. Along …

On Trauma: Capturing the nature and gravity of trauma and its aftermath can indeed be daunting. To convey what one experiences in that traumatic moment, ongoing moments or aftermath requires some attention to wording and a balance of sharing the truth of it without overwhelming. For people who have experienced trauma, conveying the nuances is not n…

This podcast will focus on how to make a solid goal or resolution and walk you through reflection and creating a plan that is realistic and fits your life. You can set an intention at any time of the year and this podcast can serve as a guide whenever change moves you. Differentiate between not-so-great habits and addiction. Know that you may need …

With another set of societal and self-made expectations and pressures, holiday-season life can become busier, more rushed and stressful. Encounter the season and make small changes that can help you to create more self awareness, do what makes you happy and navigate the season in a meaningful way. This podcast will include information on: potential…

Listen to this interview with Kerry Maiorca! Founder and Director of Bloom Yoga Studio and its Teacher Training Programs, Kerry has been teaching yoga since 1998 and is an experienced registered yoga teacher (E-RYT), registered prenatal yoga teacher (RPYT) and author of her blog, Thinking Yogi. Kerry brings her years of yoga experience and teaching…

Welcome to Episode 05! This podcast will: Provide the mindfulness basics to begin or continue the practice of mindfulness. Connect and differentiate mindfulness and meditation. What is the difference? Illustrate what mindfulness can look like through the character of Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Chocolate Room scene. Introduce …

Build more self-awareness and observation muscle around your own stress. In doing so, you can bring together your own knowing with doing and move into action. Invest in your health today. This podcast will: Walk you through getting in touch with your own strengths, people and resources that can make your life better. Help you to identify and acknow…

This podcast will: Define stress. Discuss why our continued conversations about stress are important. Identify factors that lead to stress reactions. Talk about stress reactions. Fight-or-flight (or freeze). Look at the impact of Chronic Stress. Focus on your own internal map of stress and the intersection of mind, body, brain with your world. Help…

Whether you have been thinking about going to therapy for some time or might need a therapist in the future for yourself, friends or family, finding the right therapist can be done! I will take you through steps that will make your search more seamless. From laying the foundation for your search all the way to making it to your first appointment, w…

Listen to the first podcast of On The Blue Couch PermalinkBy Kathleen R Brennan: Therapist. Wanderluster. Podcaster.