Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM
Blog › Consciousness & Mindfulness
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What Does “Spirituality” Mean at Southwestern College? By Hilary Gunby
Hilary Gunby, student at Southwestern College, reflects on what Spirituality means at this unique graduate institution......
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How to Receive Challenging Feedback Gracefully
Let’s talk about how receiving feedback is related to states of mind—both your state of mind and the state of mind of the person delivering the feedback. When You Get...
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What is Empathic Presence?
When I started learning to empathize with others, at first, I found myself awkwardly guessing their feelings and needs (often, incorrectly). Gradually, I built my feelings and needs vocabulary, and...
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Life Without Scapegoating
In these turbulent times, there are many people promoting their personal vision for the future, and asking for our support in making their vision a reality. This article is about...
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When My World Fell Apart
(This piece is based on a journal entry of mine from January, 2009.) The last couple weeks have been very challenging for me. I've been feeling anxious, off-center, low on...
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I Am That, But You Are Not Me
There's a paradox: from one point of view, I am that. From another, you are not me. I believe it's important to remember both of these viewpoints. Remembering "I am...
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How to Stop Doing Things You Regret When You’re Angry
When I'm angry (that is, "triggered"), I'm often tempted to gain relief from my triggered state by protecting myself in some way—usually, by setting a boundary. The problem with this...
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The Moment When I Started Caring About Others
I had a life-changing moment in my early 30s. I'd just moved to a new city, I was lonely, and I was looking for people to hang out with. One...
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How to Stop Rushing
Why do I rush? Often, it's because I'm trying to finish up something tedious I've been doing (so I can get to do something I actually want to be doing!)...
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Life Is Risky and Ultimately Fatal
I can be good at strategizing. I can also be somewhat anxious. Put those two together, and what do you get? A mindset where I'm trying to anticipate and plan...
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Energizing Yourself Through Contribution
When I'm unhappy, it's often because I'm not getting what I want. What to do at a time like this? I might try identifying the needs behind my wants. Identifying...
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Meditation as a Process of Surrender
I view my meditation practice as a process of surrendering to my "true self." (My true self is the same as your true self.) Surrendering to my true self is...
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Counseling, Consciousness, and Survival in Utah’s Horseshoe Canyon
I never thought that the coursework in a master’s degree in counseling would help me to survive a night of being stuck in Utah’s rugged, remote, and desolate Horseshoe Canyon....
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How to Transform Hostility into Compassion
When we view others with hostility, we're more likely to try to get our needs met at their expense. Transforming our hostility into compassion can shift our approach to conflict,...
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Hello Perfectionism, Meet Patience
“Interesting how you are only using a black sharpie marker in your art today,” says my art therapist, as she gently points out my visible tension with perfectionistic, black and...
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Transforming Uncomfortable Feelings by Fully Experiencing Them
Often, when I'm experiencing uncomfortable feelings and moods, I'm barely conscious of them. It's not that these feelings are subtle and hard to detect—at times they can be pretty intense...
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A Spiritual Journey
In the early 90’s I began studying with shamanic practitioners. At first, I worked with well-known shamanic teachers Michael Harner, Ph.D. and Sandra Ingerman, M.A., as well as other excellent...
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Post Partum Depression: A Story of Hope by Ivy Whisper
WOUNDED HEALER AS MAMA by Ivy Whisper I was eight months pregnant with my first son when Gloria called me and said that she needed to talk to me...
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A Student’s Guide to Southwestern’s Mission
I'm in my second year of a Masters degree program in counseling at Southwestern College, finishing up my last quarter of classes before my internship. Having been here a while,...
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Psyche & the Language of Transformation by Ann Filemyr
Dr. Ann Filemyr tells the story of Psyche in her graduation speech, November, 2014....
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Shadow: an area of darkness created when a source of light is blocked
"Wholeness for humans depends on the ability to own their own shadow." -C.G. Jung...
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Bringing Together Yoga, Ayurveda & Psychotherapy by Melissa Spamer
Bringing Together Yoga, Ayurveda & Psychotherapy...
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When All is Laid to Rest
Exploring my own mortality by making choices regarding a living will and green/natural burial options, heightens my ability to live more fully right now. ...
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Awakening to the Call of the Soul
What a gift, to learn to recognize the call of the soul! Thanks, Southwestern! Here's an excerpt from a paper I wrote for the Addiction Assessment and Treatment class that...