“As a therapist, I get to help people change their stories.” -Lori Gottlieb, Therapist, Author There has been a lot of publicity about therapy these days. People are speaking about their therapy experiences on podcasts and radio shows, writing books about it, and being real about therapy on social media. You might consider this to be a golden age…

I was recently highlighted as one of the recovery profiles in The Sobriety Collective blog. Laura Silverman is the creator of this fun and useful recovery hub for people either “self-identifying as in recovery from substance use disorder and/or mental health concerns or sober-curious.” This profile gives a window into my addiction/recovery story and shares some…

I recently lost a dear artist friend, Marlene Aron. Marlene passed away suddenly, a few days before her last art retrospective in San Francisco. Her death had a strong impact on so many people because Marlene led a life that sent out ripples of inspiration. I did not see Marlene often. We didn’t keep in active…

25 Professionals Share the Best Ways to Support Someone Who is Grieving I was recently approached by Sympathy Messages who have a really useful website that helps people write sympathy cards, and send messages to people who have experienced grief or loss. She asked 25 professionals who work with grief to share their thoughts. I…

“To me, beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.” – Ellen Degeneres As a Somatic Movement Therapist, I help people to understand their bodies better through sensory awareness and self inquiry. We listen to the body’s sensations, memories and wisdom through quiet reflection, meditation or…

Art is vital in my work and I present it in different forms depending on who I’m with and the specific setting. I may use art for pure expression, self-awareness and reflection, community support, as a form of therapy, or as a spiritual practice. For several years I’ve been exploring the idea of ‘art ritual’.…

 Searching for the ‘Real You’ “…false You’s – the imitative You, the too-clever You, the Avoiding You – and (how to) settle into that (sometimes, at first, disappointing) beast, Real You. Real You is all you have, and all other paths are false. And in the best case, Real You is so happy to finally…

I was fortunate to be invited to teach and train professionals in Seoul, South Korea this spring. I spent two weeks in the heart of Seoul getting to know the culture and the dedicated people who live and work there. My host was Jung Myung Lee, the director of Tamalpa South Korea, a branch of Tamalpa Institute in Marin County,…

My  love letter to ART: Art is my deepest love, a love that never fades or abandons. Art is always there for me. Art makes me feel alive, sexy, and deeply nourished.When I engage in art making I fall in love again and again. I fall in love with the people I create with, my collaborators, my film subjects, my…

“I don’t think about myself as a woman when I set out to make art. I do, however, want to see myself, and the issues I care about reflected in my artwork.”  – Soad Kader, Woman of Color Visual Artist How is it to live as a woman today? And to be a woman artist…