Articles
When Camels Cry: How Animals Grieve
Animals grieve, not in an identical fashion and, perhaps, not always in an identifiable way. Many, like us, seem to be individuals with hearts that are capable of breaking. The link below is an...
Flies into Butterflies: Transforming the Story of your Life
Do you remember reading Lord of the Flies in middle or high school? It’s one of the books that has colonized school reading lists for literally decades in this country. Originally published in 1954...
Meeting the Dragon of Resistance: How to Overcome Creative Blocks
If you’ve ever struggled with meeting a deadline or starting a project you have encountered what Steven Pressfield in his book, The War of Art, calls Resistance with a capital R. This expresses...
Love in the Time of Covid-19: Forging the New Normal
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s book “Love in the Time of Cholera” set its love stories in the midst of calamity. The title plays on the double meaning of cholera in Spanish - referring both to the disease...
Mortal Anxiety: Transforming Fear into Peace
Come to terms with death, thereafter anything is possible. Albert Camus I first encountered Ernest Becker while I was in college. His book, The Denial of Death, was required reading for a philosophy...
Ephemera: Learning to Let Go
ephemera: things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time The life of this world is wind Windblown we come, and windblown we go away. All that we look on is windfall. All we remember...
Calling Long Distance: Speaking to the Dead
One of the silver linings of working on Saturday mornings is that it gives me the opportunity to listen to “This American Life” while driving on a relatively clear 405 (another silver lining). On...
A Book for November: An Intro to Eco-psychology
Braiding Sweetgrass: a meditation on giving thanks inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beautiful book I have found myself thinking differently about this upcoming Thanksgiving. Of course there are the...
Best Parenting Practices: Hold on to Your Kids | Parenting in Santa Monica
Parenting in Santa Monica is just like anywhere else, here are some good Parenting Practices: Hold on to Your Kids I had the honor and pleasure this past week to watch Gordon Neufeld being...
The Core of Resilience: the ultimate antidote for depression and anxiety | Depression Treatment Santa Monica
There is Depression Treatment Santa Monica, I can assist! I’d like to direct your attention again to the work of Dr. Brene Brown. In an earlier blog I referenced her TED talk on vulnerability which...
Quiet: The Power of Introverts and the renewal of a Culture of Character | Individual Counseling
Maureen Donley offers individual counseling in Santa Monica. Here is a great individual counseling article on the power of quiet. If you haven’t heard about the new book Quiet by Susan Cain I...
Alan Watts on Music and Life
Alan Watts was a British philosopher perhaps best known for his work introducing Buddhist and other Eastern philosophical concepts to the West over the course of the 50’s and 60’s. I encountered him...
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Maureen Donley, M.A., MFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
MFC #53178
