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Living with chronic fatigue can feel like moving through life with an invisible weight on your shoulders. Each morning you wake hoping to feel rested, yet the exhaustion lingers not only in your body but deep within your emotional being. Many people describe it as feeling disconnected from themselves, as if their inner spark has dimmed. While chronic fatigue is often viewed through a medical lens, emotional and psychological factors play a profound role in how the body holds and releases energy. In Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Dr. Leslie Greenberg, we understand that emotions…

Childhood heart surgery is not just a medical procedure; it can profoundly reshape a young person’s connection to their body and movement. For many, finding a pathway to physical activity can feel emotionally challenging. https://www.handstoheart.online/ This piece was inspired when I was in yoga the other day and I had a physical memory of how I felt swimming as a young person who had had ongoing medical interventions including assessments, surgeries and procedures. I didn’t know in my 10 year old brain that my experience of noticing and worrying about every little sensation in my body was…

As a child with congenital heart disease, I had big feelings about how different I was from others at school—not just because of my surgical scars and very tiny body, but something inside me. I remember so clearly an experience when I was 5 and back to school from open-heart surgery, where all the other children in the classroom seemed to know what they were doing on a math sheet, except me. It didn’t make sense to me. The numbers wobbled all over the page and I could feel myself going into my imaginary world. In my imaginary world, I didn’t feel my panic, uncertainty and confusion. At around…

It's not uncommon for people living with persistent pain to be reluctant about seeking help from a therapist. For some, it feels like admitting that their pain isn't real and that it is "all in their head." Others don't see how a mental health provider could help with something they see as a physical issue. This blog explores what we know about pain and how therapy can help. What do we get wrong about pain? We tend to misunderstand pain as a symptom of tissue damage. But we didn't just make this idea up. It dates back to nineteenth-century medical textbooks, which stated either that pain had…

My Heart Story Every life tells a story, and mine begins by being born "blue" with Tetralogy of Fallot, a complex congenital heart defect. As a newborn, I quickly learned how much strength I needed, even to breathe, move and eat. I was born with a mountain to climb for even simple human experiences. As I grew up, I learned to to hide my scar, both the physical one on my chest and the emotional one in my heart. I longed to blend in, to be seen as 'normal' and brave, but the truth is that my hidden story was far too powerful to remain silent. Like many others with congenital heart disease, my…

October is breast cancer awareness month. Having worked with breast cancer patients since 2017, I have heard from so many patients about how this disease has impacted them. I thought I would share a few themes that I have noticed over the years (in no particular order): Navigating the medical system can be confusing and/or stressful – With a diagnosis of breast cancer, patients can find themselves with multiple doctors and medical professionals involved in their care. It is typical to have a surgeon/specialist, a medical oncologist (a doctor who prescribes chemotherapy if needed and monitors…

When people get in a car accident or have another type of sudden injury, we notice that some people seem to heal just fine and others can get stuck with chronic pain. There’s nothing fair about it. For those of us who get stuck with chronic pain, we can also get stuck feeling helpless. If this has been your experience, I’m deeply sorry. I really want you to know that often, there is more that we can do. Let me explain. Our nervous systems are intelligent and know just what to do when we get in an accident. They kick in something we call the threat response cycle. This cycle comes from part of…

Anxiety and depression can often feel like a battle. There may be thoughts that “it shouldn’t be happening” or that “you should be able to overcome this”. Ongoing anxiety and depression trigger natural responses to fight, escape or give up - but none of these responses seem to work. In fact, these responses keep anxiety and depression in place. There is another option that brings you back into your power - allowing. The battle ends when depression and anxiety are no longer seen as a battle.