Author: Joanne Comstock
Someone very dear to me lives with pain that has become the defining factor in her life. It is difficult, most certainly for her, but also for those who love her. This is an issue that affects families and relationships and it is often not talked about. It is also a difficult road to negotiate […]
READ ARTICLENo one ever tells you how much your heart will swell upon becoming a grandmother. Research studies have determined that women who have grandchildren geographically close by, and are involved in their lives, live longer. It is no surprise to me. But the benefits go both ways in this relationship. A study by the London […]
READ ARTICLEIn a recent article about changes in relationship By Sara Polanchek and Sidney Shaw (Counseling Today, December 2015 – Ten intimate relationship research findings every counselor should know) I was slightly surprised by some statistics. For example, cohabitation before marriage was reported as 60% today as compared to 5% in 1960. Perhaps most surprising was the […]
READ ARTICLEWhat Has Love got to do with it??? So what do we really know about the benefits of marriage, love and/or a committed relationship? Where are the arguments for a stable relationship? One argument that we might not think about too often is better health. Not surprisingly, there are positive health benefits to a […]
READ ARTICLEGiving thanks can be a complicated process. We often don’t appreciate what we have until we lose it. Loss opens our eyes to what we truly value and whom we truly depend on. Growing up Thanksgiving was filled with noisy children, warm moments and the good scents coming from my mother’s kitchen, a superb cook. […]
READ ARTICLE“The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness” (2007) by Williams, Teasdale, Segal, and Kabat-Zinn, is a resource worth knowing about for anyone who suffers from depression. The first part of the book artfully discusses depression and educates the reader about symptoms and treatment. It is a collaborative effort on the part of […]
READ ARTICLEIn Becoming Married (1993), Anderson & Fite talk about having a “room of one’s own.” This concept is not about a physical space, although it can be, as much as it is an emotional space. It refers to the delicate balance between needing connection within a relationship, and the need to still be an individual […]
READ ARTICLERecently I was invited to a bridal shower for a young woman who is marrying a member of my family. A version of the “Newlywed Game” was played as a form of entertainment. The groom had been asked a series of somewhat personal questions about his bride and their relationship prior to the shower, and […]
READ ARTICLEOpening a newspaper can be a grim experience right now. There is much to be concerned about in today’s world, yet many of us continue to look for hope. For some, this is not easy because of an illness that is all too real. According to the latest statistics, one in 10 Americans will experience […]
READ ARTICLEThe beginning of any new year brings a host of possibilities, plus the nagging memories of bygone resolutions. Whatever happened to last year’s promises of change that somehow never happened? In the Washington Post, evolutionary biologist Lionel Tiger, explains that people continue to make promises about changes they won’t keep because of our hunter-gatherer beginnings […]
READ ARTICLE