Kathleen Dunbar Psychotherapy

Dogs Don't Care
by Kathleen Dunbar

Dogs as a whole  
don't care what they look like 
(except perhaps for poodles).  
Let yourself find that dignity 
and freedom 
that creatures know 
—let the sense of you being you 
in the moment …

Shaman’s Stone 
by Kathleen Dunbar 

At the heart of your experience is You.  
And though your Essence may not be weighed,  
is not palpable or seen,  
that Mystery makes you all the more Sacred.  
Seek for yourself, and love the…

I always love how this practice makes me feel, whether I’m doing it on an already-great day, or whether I’m down in the pits. It shifts something, brightening the dark, or making my light shine even more brightly. 

• Declare, “Today,…

"When you love you fall under the waves, 
if you never fall you can never be saved— 
sometimes it’s grace, sometimes luck 
when a hand reaches out and you take it up." 
—Kathleen Dunbar, from my album The Storm…

There are essential acts and states of consciousness which we can identify and use to create a foundation to help us ground, grow, connect and thrive in both good times and times of stress (like during COVID-19). 

I’ve boiled down…

You can do this anywhere, anytime. Gratefulness and appreciation of things like beauty, nature and witnessed or received acts of kindness switch our neural circuits. It's like changing the channel on the radio from a dire news story to a…

Comfortably seated, close your eyes and wiggle your sitsbones. Now imagine your feet on grassy earth. Breathe deep. Let go with a sigh. ⁣ 
⁣ 
Inwardly track your body for a pleasurable sensation—the chair supporting your back, the feel of…

You matter. You have always mattered. Let the dust settle that contains all the reasons you thought you didn't matter. Ah!--there is your gem self! Welcome home, my love, welcome home. 

Here's a self-friendly compassionate perspective to help you shift:

• …

The Body says: 
I am a fiesta.  
-Eduardo Galeano 

Here's an easy practice to press your reset button. It quickly gets your brain and body producing harmony-hormones instead of stress-hormones. 

• Take-Anywhere, Awesome Reset Practice:
• Big stretch
• Yawn
• Sigh out loud…

One of the first songs I ever wrote arrived in my heart and mind when I was on a wilderness quest in Death Valley many years ago. It’s called Send You Love. You can find the words below. I send…

At The Beach* 

*A variation is to go into the forest where a river is flowing nearby. 

• Sit or lie comfortably in a quiet room. 
• Let yourself softly breathe in and out several times. On the outbreath make a sighing…

While you are at home during COVID-19, take a tour of a famous museum! Here are 12 famous museums that offer you free virtual tours of fascinating exhibits that you can enjoy from your couch! Follow the link: Take A…

Listen to me read this poem for you at this link: 
I Want To Tell You That You Are Okay 

I want to tell you 
that you are okay 

I want to be 
the flower for you 
the small diamond…

All your choices have brought you to this moment. You did the best you could. Thank the voices that criticize you by telling them “I know you’re only trying to help.” I mean it--really do this--thank them! That's an audacious…

When you literally stop and smell the roses, your heart lifts, and your brain and body give you feel-good signals that help shift the rest of your day. Where are the roses for you? Here's a photo of my neighbors'…

Change up your dinner plans by emailing your favorite recipes with friends! I'm gluten free, but hands down these are the best brownies I've ever had, gluten or no gluten. 

Paleo Brownies a la Yum! 

1 cup blanched almond flour…

Here's a short video from Stephen Porges, one of the leading specialists on healing trauma through social engagement. It's so important right now to reach out and both see and hear our friends and family on video and phone because…