Living Well Blog Category

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3rd Annual Belly Monster Healing Retreat: Healing Through Grief

Grief is an energy we all carry, and more often than not, it settles deep within us—especially in our bellies, where emotions are stored and processed. That’s why we call our retreat Belly Monster—a space dedicated to acknowledging, honoring, and releasing this held grief so healing can truly begin. For a limited time, we’re offering ...
Gut Health

Is Your Grief Affecting Your Gut?

Grief and how it messes with our gut: How Grief Affects the Vagus Nerve:Grief triggers a strong emotional stress response, which can activate the vagus nerve. This can lead to a “fight, flight or freeze” response, where the vagus nerve is constantly engaged, even when there is no real danger. Digestive Issues: The vagus nerve plays ...
Expert Depression Treatment near Wilmette, IL

Tools To Live Well in Challenging Times

At Living Well, we deeply respect and care for ALL individuals, irrespective of their citizenship, race, gender, economic status, or sexual orientation. Our mission is rooted in love, and we strive to spread this love throughout our world, making everyone feel valued and respected. You are an integral part of this mission, and we are ...
Martin Luther King Jr

Dr. King Jr.’s Legacy of Love

We honor your memory, and your dream Dr. King Jr. Love is the path to light & hope! On this special day, we celebrate the life and legacy of a truly remarkable leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His unwavering spirit, a beacon of hope in the face of hate and discrimination, continues to inspire ...
Blank Book

Setting Vision for 2025

One practice we like is setting visions. We do it for meetings, projects, people – anything really! With the New Year underway, it’s a great time to take a moment to think about WHO and HOW we want to be this year. What is visioning?  Visioning is: Visioning can be useful in almost any situation. ...
Couple on their phones

Managing Executive Dysfunction and Adult ADHD

Those of us who have lived with executive dysfunction can often feel like a tangled ball of challenges. These can intricately affect how we manage emotions, motivation, and behavior in everyday life. Adults grappling with these invisible hurdles often struggle with conditions such as ADHD, autism, depression, and more. This week, we will focus on ...
Holding Each Other

Grief: Not a Solo Journey

Written by: Elyse Naples, LPC with Ruth Minnick, NCC, LPC Grief can be sad, angry, silent, powerful, or beautiful. All in all, grief is complicated–An understatement. Grief is not meant to be a solo journey, It can be very lonely and isolating. Those who have experienced loss know the powerful effects it can have on our ...
Women Standing

We all need A RX of Responsible Rage Expression: Why Rage Rooms Are ALL the Rage

What does a Rage Room have to do with therapy? A lot, surprisingly. Rage Rooms, where participants can go and express themselves cathartically, have appropriately become all the Rage lately. These are rooms where people get together for the sole purpose of breaking stuff. Why is this cathartic desire to break things so appealing? It ...
Woman sitting alone

Healing the Wounds of Childhood: The Role of Psychotherapy in Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur during a person’s formative years, shaping their emotional, physical, and mental health throughout their lifetime. Living Well Psychotherapy understands the far-reaching effects of ACEs and is committed to helping individuals overcome the challenges they face as a result of these experiences. The Connection Between Childhood Trauma ...
Man and Woman

Deepening Relationships and Nurturing Your Well-Being through Attachment-Focused Psychotherapy

Are you seeking to cultivate more meaningful and fulfilling relationships? Do you notice recurring patterns that hinder the quality of your connections with others? Delving into the realm of adult attachment and its influence on your relationships can open the doors to lasting transformation. Attachment-focused psychotherapy provides a nurturing environment to help you reshape your ...
Psychologist consulting concept. Doctor consult in psychotherapy session or counsel diagnosis mental health of female patient, toned

Trauma therapy offers a safe and supportive space for you to explore and process your traumatic experiences. Our trauma counselors at Living Well Psychotherapy are trained in numerous evidence-based treatment models, such as EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Somatic therapy, which can foster real change and empower you to live a more fulfilling life.

Mental health counselor. Young woman during therapy session talking with a psychologist in the office.

One of the reasons that EMDR is so effective is that it helps to activate the brain’s natural healing processes. This healing can lead to a decrease in symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks. You may also find that you feel more connected to yourself and others and that your relationships improve.

Anxious Woman

Did the title get your attention? This is an important topic. Let’s face it; we are usually our worst critics. How often this week already have you thought, “I should have done this…”, “I shouldn’t say that…,” or your form of self-shaming? Our thoughts, when left unchecked, can get dark, unsavory, and sometimes even scary. We can … Read more

Darth and Anakin

As I mentioned in my last article, I am kicking off a series in time for summer on the shadow or darkside.

Woman Silhouette

In honor of the Summer Solstice and the celebration of the longest day of the year, I wanted to kick off a new article series on loving what’s in the dark. You might think to yourself, what the heck does that mean? Quite a bit, actually. The dark could refer to what Jungian psychologists might consider the … Read more

Be Here Be You

This week’s strategy for success is looking at the importance of community. The word community comes from French, old English, and Latin words meaning ‘to share with others.’ Your drive for social connectedness and belonging is the essential ‘old friend’ that has been with you your entire life. It is that innate seeking to be … Read more

Belief definition

This week’s Strategy for Success is centered around Spirit. Huh?! How does that relate to mental health?  Quite a bit, actually! To start, let’s look at the definition of Spirit according to Oxford: “An animating or vital principle; the immaterial or sentient element of a person.” The conversation around Spirit could be considered controversial if we get … Read more

couple

National Infertility Awareness Week is upon us! Take part in the 5 Day Challenge from now through Friday, April 29th. To learn more about what the challenge is for each day, visit https://infertilityawareness.org/niaw-5-day-photo-challenge/.   Are you feeling confused about what infertility is? Well, let’s define it. Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after … Read more

family beach

This week in the series Pandemic to Possibility, we will be focusing on ‘The Body.’   “To master the body is to feel whole and aligned with oneself, standing strong, in one’s power and ready to face the turbulence, joy, and abundance of life’s experiences.” –Ruth Minnick.   Why the body? There are several reasons to … Read more

Eating Burgers

So, we are here, whatever being here means for each of us. We’ve made it through today, through the ups and downs of this pandemic, parenting puzzles, schooling experiments, losses, layoffs, health scares, and many other trials. But, as I touched on in my previous blog, it has likely taken a significant amount of energy, … Read more