Tag: Emotional Well-Being
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Happiness Sutras
On September 9, 2020, I woke to a blood orange sky that felt apocalyptic. In the midst of wildfire smoke, a pandemic, and unrest, my son handed me a journal with my “Happiness Sutras,” inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh. Reading those stories of joy shifted me from fear to gratitude. As Dr. Christine E. Dickson…
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Craft Away Anxiety
In 2007, while working as a prison psychologist, Dr. Christine E. Dickson found that crafting was the most effective activity for reducing anxiety in solitary confinement. Years later, she noticed the same calming benefits while crafting with her son during the pandemic—showing that creative, hands-on projects can ease stress in any kind of lockdown.
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Crazy Sexy Anxiety
Kris Carr, author of Crazy Sexy Cancer, has lived with Stage IV cancer since 2003 by redefining illness and rejecting the victim mindset. Inspired by her work, Dr. Christine E. Dickson applies the “crazy sexy” approach to both medical and psychiatric conditions, helping clients view challenges like anxiety, depression, and PTSD not as sources of…
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How to Overcome Nightmares
Nightmares can feel terrifying and uncontrollable, leaving us anxious and shaken. Dr. Christine E. Dickson first experienced them while working as a prison psychologist, when she began using Jungian Dream Analysis to uncover their hidden meaning. By logging dreams, exploring recurring themes, and learning to embrace both the light and dark aspects of herself, she…
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Eating Mindfully: The Cookie Meditation
Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation. – Thich Nhat Hanh Today, I thought it would be nice to write a post about mindful eating. Those of us who are familiar with mindful eating have heard about the cookie meditation. However, most people are unfamiliar with the origins of this meditation. It was…
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The Perils of Perfectionism
When I was young, I was proud of the fact that I was a perfectionist. People rewarded me for doing things “perfectly.” It seemed the more perfect, the better. I remember in graduate school that my friends and I regularly joked about being perfectionists. Perfectionism as a concept is not problematic. The idea of striving…
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Die to the Self: A Mindfulness Meditation
Practicing a meditation to ‘die to the self’ may not be your first priority in life but it’s the only way out of anxiety and fear. Anxiety and fear in life can arise as the result of the illness of yourself or death of a loved one, loss of work, home, possessions, and short term…
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The Present Moment is Free from Fear
“When we are not fully present, we are not really living. We’re not really there, either for our loved ones or for ourselves. If we’re not there, then where are we? We are running, running, running, even during our sleep. We run because we’re trying to escape from our fear.
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The Pebble: A Mindfulness Meditation
Dr. Christine E. Dickson explores The Pebble, a mindfulness meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness. This gentle practice invites stillness and presence, helping us rest deeply in the moment—like a pebble settling peacefully on the riverbed—free from striving, thought, or distraction.
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Dr. Christine E. Dickson, Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Christine E. Dickson, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist [CA PSY20050] with dual PhDs in Clinical and Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Recognized by Wikipedia as a 21st Century American Psychologist, she helps clients overcome anxiety, trauma, burnout, ADHD, and relationship challenges through evidence-based therapy.