by Lisa Holland, PhD | Mar 22, 2012 | General
“I never thought of forgiving my eight year-old self,” Amanda said. We were discussing her reactions to a talk I’d just given to a women’s group titled, How What We Say To Ourselves Affects How We Feel. In the talk, I’d asked the women to think about a mistake they’d...
by Lisa Holland, PhD | Jan 13, 2012 | General
A few weeks ago I ran into one of my favorite professors from graduate school. We hugged and squealed and then I asked if she’d like to have coffee and catch up a bit? Oh, my gosh – well – I could – no – I better not, I have a million things to...
by Lisa Holland, PhD | Dec 13, 2011 | General
“Just give it time and you’ll be fine,” he told Allie. “I’m not worried about being fine right now Sam, this is sad and I want to feel it.” Just give it time, is a common fix-all response of people who mean well and of people who want to avoid feeling an emotion....
by Lisa Holland, PhD | Nov 25, 2011 | General
In my years of doing therapy I’ve come to see that acknowledgement is one of the easiest ways to calm an anxious heart. Acknowledging another person’s feelings can also help you make early connections as well as build and rebuild relationships. It’s...
by Lisa Holland, PhD | Nov 7, 2011 | General
She taught me my first professional lesson about the power of discussing the emotional events in our lives. I was in my first year of training as a therapist and she was in her early 70‘s, articulate and pretty with short-cropped salt and pepper hair. “My children...
