Mental Health Reads

When I reflect on the nostalgia of the Canadian Indie scene during my twenties, I think back to that song Ready to Start by Arcade Fire. There’s a line in it—“I would rather be alone than pretend I feel alright” which opens up this possibility that we can choose to shift from enduring the emotional exhaustion of one-sided dynamics to choosing a more honest and loving decision to stand by ourself when someone else can't. Sometimes we also have the option to see if there is roo

I’ve begun to notice trends working with straight couples or women on the brink of marriage — standing at that threshold between the independent shape of their lives and the subtle shift that begins when a shared future comes into view. There is excitement there, devotion, and deep love. But oftentimes there are also trends surrounding the same questions seem to emerge: “Why doesn’t he know what to say when I’m upset?”“Why won’t he plan a date?”“Why do I feel like the manager

Emotional Neglect as a Structural Outcome, Not an Individual Moral Failing Research and social analysis increasingly show that a lack of love is not a core culprit for childhood emotional neglect. Much more often, it emerges from chronic stress, limited support, and systemic conditions that overwhelm parents’ emotional capacity. Across countries and cultures, parenting does not occur in a vacuum. It is shaped—or constrained—by economic pressure, social expectations, isolation

I've observed enough patterns with automatic defenses that can surface in therapy once the wading into emotions or the details of family history. If those defenses had a voice, they might sound something like: " Okay, is that a compliment or just a superficial ploy to inflate my ego?", " Are you just going to nod along and agree with me?" - or sometimes even - "if we talk about the highs and lows with my upbringing, are you just going to make me out to be a victim?" My client