Reflection Archives - Page 3 of 6 - David Chang Counselling

The Darkest Season of the Year: Notes on Difficult Family Gatherings

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Mental Health, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis

What difficult family gatherings reveal about us It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so goes the carol. But is it really? December days are dreary and dark. Rain presses down, and the chill of winter seeps into our bones. It’s hard to rise from bed. The holidays brim with stress: children’s activities and social occasions every week. The shopping spree

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Death, Sex, and the Middle Passage

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Spirituality

Fear of death and the search for vitality A few summers ago, the plants on my rooftop patio wilted after a long heat-spell. I was busy preparing my dissertation defence and neglected to water them consistently. Baking in the sun, the plants struggled in the swelter – Delphinium, Hosta, Nepeta, and Euphorbia all. However, I noticed that instead

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The Danger of Deep Listening

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Mental Health, Philosophy, Spirituality

The challenge and possibility of deep listening As a counselling therapist, I listen to people everyday. It’s a demanding skill that requires constant practice. Listening is the crux of my profession, but it also feeds my soul and nourishes my mind. I hold a space for others to the best of my ability. Often this

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In Praise of Mortal Coil

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Mental Health, Philosophy, Spirituality

Finding meaning in mortality Shakespeare described the human form as a “mortal coil” that we shuffle off in death. For Hamlet, life is a dreary work that holds neither mirth nor meaning. To slip the mortal coil is to find release from the sorrows that batter us. Yet, there may be another view of mortality

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What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

Reflection, Mental Health, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis

Cognitive behavioural therapy examines the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. The examples below explore this practical approach and its roots in reflective dialogue. Understanding cognitive behavioural therapy through everyday examples When set in the very midst of troubles one should say: Perchance some day the memory of this sorrow will even bring delight. Seneca,

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The Misuses of Mindfulness

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Mental Health

Keeping mindfulness practice grounded in awareness Mindfulness has enjoyed a stellar career in the last 30 years. Rooted in Buddhist meditation, mindfulness is now widely practiced in schools, hospitals, companies, and therapy offices across North America. This blooming popularity stems from its reputation as a portal to inner stillness, a balm that soothes the stress of modern

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Living a Beautiful Life: Habits for Mental Health

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Mental Health, Philosophy, Spirituality

Habits for mental health take shape in the ordinary choices of each day. These reflections explore movement, stillness and connection with nature as parts of a flourishing life. Habits for mental health in everyday life People come to counselling because they are hurting. Something has gone awry. A relationship ends, a career stalls, health declines.

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Each Day I Begin Again

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Philosophy, Spirituality

To begin again is to meet the day with fresh awareness. These birthday reflections explore aging, mortality and the quiet possibility in ordinary moments. The invitation to begin again There was a time when birthdays were about cakes, balloons, grainy photographs of toothless children. A while later, birthdays were about friends, campfires, beer-soaked nights at

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Faith without Belief: How to Face the Terror of Living

Reflection, Contemplation, Mental Health, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Spirituality

Faith without belief asks whether trust can remain when certainty falls away. These reflections consider aging, vulnerability and the challenge of facing our mortality. Faith without belief in the face of uncertainty One of the challenges of growing older is dealing with the panic that comes with time’s passing. The days might be long, but

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Boys, Toys, and the Middle Passage

Reflection, Contemplation, Culture, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Spirituality

The middle passage of life can unsettle familiar sources of comfort and identity. This reflection explores possessions, mortality and the invitation to grow into maturity. Meeting the middle passage beyond possessions A man reaches middle age. Half his life is behind him. The slip of vanishing days catch him in panic. Not long ago a

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The Darkest Season of the Year: Notes on Difficult Family Gatherings

Death, Sex, and the Middle Passage

The Danger of Deep Listening

In Praise of Mortal Coil

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

The Misuses of Mindfulness

Living a Beautiful Life: Habits for Mental Health

Each Day I Begin Again

Faith without Belief: How to Face the Terror of Living

Boys, Toys, and the Middle Passage

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