Short Essays and Blog Posts Featuring Dr. Susan Pollak
In these uncertain times our lives have become much quieter, but people tell me that their inner critics are blaring at full volume on loudspeaker. "As if things aren't hard enough, the critical voices in...
For those experiencing trauma, it's often best *not* to focus on the breath. Here are some alternatives for meditation techniques that are safe and grounding for those who have been traumatized...
In this new reality in which we are living, many of us now live the bulk of our lives online. From work negotiations, to talking with friends, to family interactions and even holiday celebrations, we depend...
For many of us, being confined to quarantine because of the coronavirus has been the most challenging time in our lives. The very scaffolding of our world, all that we had depended on to sustain us...
The other day I was standing in line at the pharmacy, waiting to pick up a prescription. It was a long line and it was moving slowly. People were getting irritable. Suddenly, a man ahead of me turned started yelling...
"I'm so distressed," Stephanie said, immediately reaching for the box of tissues in our first session. "I've never felt this much sadness in my entire life. The last few months have been hell. I'm having...
Lionel and Kyra's son, Tyrone, had significant developmental delays from his premature birth. Now seven years old, he's playing Little League, but he can't run as fast as the other kids, doesn’t have good...
"I don’t have any time for self-care. I know I need it, but I feel like I'm a bad mother if I take time for myself," said Michelle, a participant in my Self-Compassion for Parents workshop. "I simply don't have...
Recently I was helping some cousins with preparations at a family
wedding in the countryside. One of them was a mom who had three young kids, including a newborn. We began to talk about parenting."So...
It was one of those mornings. The baby hadn't slept, Amy's husband was out of town, and three-year-old Sophie insisted on wearing her new tutu to nursery school as snowflakes began to pile up on the...