Attachment​
Resilience
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Growth​
The Transformative Power of Caring Relationships
We live in a world where loneliness has become an epidemic. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory published a report highlighting this issue and emphasizing the "Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community." Yet, we are often told that "self-care" is the solution to our psychological struggles. While self-care is important, the truth is that we are creatures of attachment. Humans are inherently social beings—children rely on their parents for survival, and relationships remain the most powerful source of psychological protection and growth throughout our lives. In a culture that prioritizes individualism, we have lost sight of this truth. It’s also undeniable that relationships can be the source of our deepest pain and wounding. Therapy helps us grapple with, come to terms with, and integrate this contradiction in a healthy way, guiding us to better understand our need for connection while managing the vulnerabilities that come with it.
Emotion
The Role Of Relationships
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Children depend on adults for their physical and emotional survival. Although they gradually become their own person, this process unfolds over the first quarter of their lives. They need us to hold onto them while also giving them room to grow. Similarly, adults need relationships to support us through difficult experiences and to share our lives. Relationships have the power to inspire us to help others and, in doing so, heal ourselves.
Feeling Stuck
There are times when we can feel trapped. We might be afraid to make changes or lack the psychological or financial resources to do so. Or, we may be stuck in a loss we can’t seem to move past. In these situations, we face the challenge of either mouring and adapting to what we cannot change or moving forward with mixed feelings. Parents can help their children by creating the conditions for these resolutions to happen. As adults, we rely on relationships built on genuine, caring, reciprocal exchanges rather than instrumental ones. Cultivating these connections allows us to find the support and understanding we need to navigate life's challenges.
We Are Here to Support You
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​Call to speak
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613-862-9995
Or email at
glebepsychological@gmail.com
Adapting to Loss​
Life comes with inevitable losses - ranging from the subtle, like disappointment in the eyes of a parent, friend, or spouse, to the profound, like the death of a loved one. Under the right conditions, nature has a way for us to feel this loss, grieve and bounce back. However, when experiences are overwhelming, nature can block our feeling and sheild us from losses that are too much to bear. If this is temporary, nature has done it's work. However, if this becomes pervasive, we can become stuck, unaware of ourselves and unable to navigate our lives.
The Importance of Play
Relationships are not always available to help us heal. Fortunately, nature provides us with an alternative—a safe way to feel and understand our emotions and to get unstuck. Play is nature’s answer when relationships fall short. True play is not outcome-driven, carries no consequences, and allows us to freely experience our emotions. It is an important source of healing.
Integration
Integrating Mixed Feelings
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Both adults and children are guided by their emotions, which are crucial for navigating our lives. However, emotions can lead us astray if we lack awareness of the direction they are taking us or allow raw emotion to dictate our actions. A fully mature person is integrated, acknowledges life’s contradictions, and can temper their feelings for their own sake as well as for the people around them. This emotional maturity not only fosters individual growth but also helps counter the polarization we are seeing around us.Parents play a vital role in helping children mature in this way. Adults can support each other in this way.
Vulnerability
