Articles from Mary Jane Hurley Brant | Selfgrowth.com
- Happy Mother's Day to Every "Good-Enough" Mother
- by
Submitted on May 07, 2013 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantFor many of us, Mother's Day stirs something deeply loving. For others, ambivalent feelings abide. You see, after thirty-three years in the counseling field and drying the tears off many faces, I can accurately say that not every woman feels she had, was or is the "good-enough mother." So, ...
Views:1768
( 5 votes) - When You Are Grieving, Thanksgiving Day Feels Painful
- by
Submitted on Nov 04, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantWhen you lose someone you love and are grieving, Thanksgiving Day feels burdensome and painful. When a brain tumor took away our precious Katie’s life I dreaded that holiday. For seven years we served no rutabagas because they were Katie’s favorite vegetable. The thought of their seasonal ...
Views:5040
( 2 votes) - The 10th Anniversary of 911 - How You Can Help
- by
Submitted on Aug 11, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantOn September 11, 2011, we remember the 10th anniversary of the day when nearly 3,000 victims were killed after two airliners were crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, another plane hit the Pentagon and a final plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. This devastating number ...
Views:1589
( 3 votes) - Loyalty Vs. Blind Loyalty In Families
- by
Submitted on Jun 06, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantLoyalty is essential for genuine family solidarity. But blind loyalty leads to family dysfunction. A loyal family member is faithful to the family's traditions and honors its obligations. A loyal family member is emotionally present with support and encouragement during success or duress. ...
Views:16970
( 4 votes) - Grief Has Its Own Timetable
- by
Submitted on Apr 07, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantAfter the death of someone we love our grief experience and overall healing has everything to do with our relationship to the deceased, the intensity and depth of the love we felt for them and our degree of faith in a hereafter. In the immediate aftermath of a person's death, it's hard to ...
Views:1847
( 4 votes) - Love And Loss Are Naturally Linked
- by
Submitted on Mar 12, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantWhen you open yourself to love, you open yourself to loss. When you suffer the loss of someone you love, you experience the painful emotion we call grief because it's a natural response to loss. Yet, to the person going through this afflictive emotion, the experience feels overwhelming because ...
Views:1626
( 3 votes) - Accepting Change Will Give You Peace
- by
Submitted on Mar 12, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantIn my younger days I was naive enough to think I could control change. I've learned, but not quickly enough, that no one can control or stop change. And, here is an interesting little fact: Charles Darwin believed that those who survive are the people who can adapt to ongoing change. They are ...
Views:1856
( 5 votes) - Five Areas of Healthy Change
- by
Submitted on Jan 26, 2011 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantThere is something wonderfully reflective about a new year: it's another chance to get it right. At the beginning of each calendar year I separate my life into five important areas: physical, emotional, professional, familial and spiritual. I analyze honestly how I'm doing in each category - ...
Views:1729
( 4 votes) - Elizabeth Edwards Embodied The Hero Archetype
- by
Submitted on Dec 15, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantMany are mourning the death of Elizabeth Edwards. I would like to share some thoughts of my own about why we are gripped by her life's story. I believe Elizabeth Edwards embodies two archetypes: the mother and the hero. I will focus on the hero archetype believing it is the more prominent. ...
Views:2137
( 14 votes) - How to Choose a Good Therapist
- by
Submitted on Oct 25, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantEver wonder about how to choose a therapist? Today I would like to share my thoughts on this important question. I believe a client can feel more understood when the therapist has clinical experience with the situation the client is bringing to therapy. And, if the therapist has the same ...
Views:1677
( 2 votes) - Summer Love
- by
Submitted on Aug 03, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantWe simply cannot get enough love, especially summer love. Maybe it's because summer love feels friendlier when we are walking to the beach carrying a chair, a favorite book and an iPod to keep our own delicious thoughts company. Seriously, don't your olfactory sensibilities become completely ...
Views:2103
( 5 votes) - It's Your Life, So Follow Your Dreams
- by
Submitted on Aug 03, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantIt was 1992. Four years had lapsed since my daughter Katie's diagnosis of a brain tumor. She was now healthy and back working in New York City. Because my maternal stress levels were greatly relaxed, my professional dreams began to reemerge. It was time to think about making them come true. ...
Views:3271
( 1 vote) - What it Means to Grieve a Loss
- by
Submitted on May 19, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantWhen you open yourself up to love, you open yourself up to loss. When you suffer a loss, you will experience the painful emotion we call grief. It's a natural response to loss yet to the person going through this afflictive emotion, the experience feels overwhelming. I would like to help you ...
Views:3266
( 3 votes) - Are You A Hero?
- by
Submitted on Mar 24, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantSome say we don't have anymore heroes but I say we do. Let's take a look at what a hero is and decide if you are one. A hero travels the hero's journey. That's when regular people such as you or me are asked to leave our routine life because something serious has occurred and we are asked ...
Views:2667
( 4 votes) - Synchronicity is More than a Coincidence
- by
Submitted on Feb 08, 2010 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantHave you ever had an experience where you said, "Wow, what a coincidence." Maybe it was more. Maybe it was a synchronicity. Let me explain through a Jungian perspective. Carl Jung, the prominent Swiss psychiatrist, believed synchronicity meant 'more than a coincidence.' Jung, the thinker ...
Views:6202
( 2 votes) - Happy Family at Holidays? Not So Fast
- by
Submitted on Nov 21, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantFor many people, family gatherings during the Happy Holidays aren't so happy. While most of us enjoy getting together at holidays, mixed feelings of love, anxiety and confusion often collide. But why in the world would family holidays cause consternation or anxious feelings? Why would family ...
Views:1935
( 5 votes) - Autumn Calls Us To Change
- by
Submitted on Oct 05, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantIn my younger days I thought I could control change. I learned, and not quickly I would add, that no one can control or stop change anymore than one can hold back the tides or halt the autumn leaves transforming from green to gold. This brings me to today's topic of change and how to ...
Views:1776
( 3 votes) - My Grandmother: A Model for Positive Psychology
- by
Submitted on Aug 31, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantMy grandmom was a model for positive psychology and she taught me a valuable lesson: it’s easier catching bees with honey than with vinegar. I was given the name “Mary” because of her and her devotion to The Blessed Mother. My mother, father, brother, sister and I lived upstairs in her roomy ...
Views:2310
( 4 votes) - College Bound Blues for Parents
- by
Submitted on Aug 03, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantIt's August, let's talk about your child leaving for college. Yes, I know it brings up many feelings. One minute you're laughing with them at a Blue Light Special, the next minute you're dissolving into tears. The thing about being a parent is that when we finally master one stage of ...
Views:2409
( 14 votes) - Six Steps for Managing Job Search Stress
- by
Submitted on Jun 30, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantMillions of people have lost their jobs in this economy so let's talk about managing the stress of a job search. Anyone who is in this situation, or loves someone who is, might consider these six suggestions…. Step One - Do not internalize a job loss or job search into your personal ...
Views:1320
( 5 votes) - Four Seasons of Marriage
- by
Submitted on Jun 11, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantLet's talk about the four seasons of marriage: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Usually we think of marriage as a relationship with our partner but it can also be the state of marriage solely within us called "the inner marriage." The inner marriage is an intimate relationship with ourself. ...
Views:1661
( 12 votes) - The Four Seasons of Marriage
- by
Submitted on Jun 04, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantLet's talk about the four seasons of marriage: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Usually we think of marriage as a relationship with our partner but it can also be the state of marriage solely within us called "the inner marriage." The inner marriage is an intimate relationship with ourself. ...
Views:1359
( 4 votes) - Compassion for Ourselves After Loss
- by
Submitted on May 04, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantWhen we have lost someone we love, our job, our health, our marriage, or our deepest relationship, we want to feel some compassion coming our way. We want to know that we are going to make it. Here are some ways for your body, your mind, and your spirit to meet every day with renewed ...
Views:1277
( 3 votes) - Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley
- by
Submitted on May 04, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantLoss of those we love is our most painful reality. In Christopher Buckley's newest book, Losing Mum and Pup, we come to journey with him in the aftermath of both his parents dying within less than 11 months of one another. We come to understand, more deeply, the forever ache of that loss. The ...
Views:1406
( 7 votes) - Passive-Aggressive Behavior
- by
Submitted on May 04, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantHave you ever felt confused when speaking with someone? He or she might be smiling but you were uncomfortable by how they were acting? Well, it might be a passive-aggressive behavior you are experiencing. Passive-aggressive behavior is a manner of interacting with others in passive ways as, ...
Views:2430
( 5 votes) - Compassion for Ourself After Loss
- by
Submitted on Apr 02, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantWhen we have lost someone we love, our job, our health, our marriage, or our deepest relationship, we want to feel some compassion coming our way. We want to know that we are going to make it. Here are some ways for your body, your mind, and your spirit to meet every day with renewed ...
Views:1253
( 3 votes) - Psychology and Feng Shui
- by
Submitted on Mar 11, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantThe famous Swiss psychiatrist, Carl G. Jung, said what we deny, fear or don’t address consciously will visit us as fate. I agree and believe, too, if we don’t manifest our intentions, we will manifest our fears. Many people believe therapy is about resolving a crisis or healing a traumatic ...
Views:3324
( 3 votes) - Hello March, Goodbye Fear
- by
Submitted on Mar 11, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantFear is big these days and, like wildfire, it spreads easily and quickly. Fear is a primal emotion; it triggers our reptilian (more primitive) brain to fight or flee. When the reptilian brain is engaged it overrides rationality. Therefore, whatever our fear is about - our safety, our ...
Views:1170
( 3 votes) - Hello March - Goodbye Fear
- by
Submitted on Mar 02, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantFear is big these days and, like wildfire, it spreads easily and quickly. Fear is a primal emotion; it triggers our reptilian (more primitive) brain to fight or flee. When the reptilian brain is engaged it overrides rationality. Therefore, whatever our fear is about - our safety, our ...
Views:1143
( 3 votes) - Febuary - The Month of Love, Mystery and Forgiveness
- by
Submitted on Feb 03, 2009 from Mary Jane Hurley BrantMary Jane Hurley Brant, M.S., CGP Author of When Every Day Matters: A Mother's Memoir on Love, Loss and Life The month of February focuses our attention on love. Cards are bought, candy is given, kisses abound. What is it about love? We simply cannot get enough of it. "I love you" and "I'm ...
Views:1700
( 3 votes)
Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour