Year: 2025
American women are, on average, dissatisfied with their bodies. Twenty-five years ago, almost half of all American women reported that overall, they do not like their bodies. [1] So many women were reporting being unhappy with their bodies that a term was coined, “normative discontent.” And no wonder! So many messages we receive each day are […]
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There’s a poem by Jayne Gumpel that always stops me in my tracks. It’s called Goddamn It, Just Ask Me. It speaks to a part of me that has, for much of my life, been quiet—maybe even invisible: the part of me that has needs. For years, I saw myself as a giver. I was […]
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Divorce or a major breakup isn’t just a separation—it often feels like the unraveling of an entire life. For many women, the ending of a relationship brings layered grief: not just for what was lost, but for who they thought they’d become, the future they imagined, and the version of themselves that was wrapped inside […]
READ ARTICLEWe are surrounded all day by stories. What kind of relationship you have with your coworkers is a story, based on your last few interactions and major events that might have occurred with them. Even how you slept last night is a story. It is shaped by how you feel in the morning and what […]
READ ARTICLEA recent Washington Post article by Yael Schonbrun, “Typecasting others and self as villain or victim can hurt relationships”, explores how we often fall into moral typecasting—assigning rigid roles of villain and victim in our relationships. When we feel hurt or frustrated, it’s natural to see ourselves as the wronged party and our partner as […]
READ ARTICLEImagine you hear a loud thud coming from outside. What thoughts come to mind? Maybe “That’s concerning…” or “Oh, they were doing road work nearby today…” or “That’s that package I ordered…” Any of those might fit with what has really happened; any one may well be reality. Or none of those might fit. What […]
READ ARTICLEI speak three languages — French, English, and Spanish — and I can tell you from experience: understanding the words doesn’t mean you fully understand the culture. You can know how to order un café con leche in Spanish and still feel totally out of place at a family table in Barcelona. You can understand […]
READ ARTICLEImago Therapy is Not Just for Couples “Mom, are you being nice or are you being mean? I’m trying to be nice, so you need to try too.” — A precocious little girl in a viral moment of emotional wisdom We often say that children live in the space between their parents—not just physically, but […]
READ ARTICLEThe Transformative Power of Imago Therapy It’s Not About the Toothpaste In relationships, it’s rarely about the toothpaste. It’s about what the toothpaste represents—what lives beneath the surface of our irritation, what old stories are being unconsciously activated, and how deeply we long to feel understood. Jayne Gumpel, a gifted North American Imago therapist and […]
READ ARTICLEYou may have read headlines about how loneliness is a health threat. Or you’ve heard how cultivating community is the thing that helps individuals stay strong against oppression and adverse circumstances. Connection Makes Everything Seem Brighter One fascinating finding from neuroscience is that when people report having supportive relationships, their cognitive and physiological load is […]
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