When COVID-19 hit and many of us began stocking up on food and sheltering in place, I grew deeply concerned for my clients. How were they going to handle the endless hours of isolation, or conversely, the stress of too many people at home at once? As a therapist who specializes in eating issues, here's the approach I use to help them.

During the 2020 Networker Virtual Symposium, renowned Buddhist teacher and psychologist Tara Brach explained how, even in the midst of the stress, anxiety, and trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we can use mindfulness and compassion to undo our primitive, fear-based reactivity, reveal our mutual belonging, and awaken our hearts.

With so much of our lives being conducted in front of screens right now, it can be easy to lose sight of the world around us, and this can make for some tough moments with family and friends. Networker editor Rich Simon sat down with psychologist and mindfulness expert Tara Brach, who shares a personal story about cultivating mindfulness and patience in a digital world.

Life in quarantine is testing our relationships with family members and romantic partners. It's also impacting our nervous system, says therapist Deb Dana. She explains what Polyvagal Theory can teach us about re-regulating our nervous system, developing more self-compassion, and working through these tough moments.

Feelings of awe can have strongly prosocial effects and provide us with an existential and lasting sense of calm. Building our capacity for awe could not only benefit us now in this state of shared crisis, but be a lasting gift of healing through all of life’s challenges. 

Mindfulness specialist Chris Willard explains the difference between mindfulness work with kids and adults, and shares two techniques you can use today with children and teens in your practice.

Our brain has hundreds of strategies for resisting emotional pain. But according to psychologist and renowned Buddhist teacher Tara Brach, resisting pain only increases our suffering. Here, she proposes a different solution.

By David Whyte - Human beings are creatures of belonging, and our sense of belonging and not belonging is lived out by most people through three principal dynamics.

By Tobi Goldfus - When I use the term Inner Selfie with my young clients, it seems to resonate. What is an Inner Selfie? It’s simply a way of talking about our internal sense of self, our inner strength and wisdom. It can help young clients down-regulate, guide them to inhabit their body, and teach them self-reflection. Here are five ways to introduce the Inner Selfie.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) has allowed therapists to awaken the capacity for deep self-healing within even their most troubled clients. In this video clip from his 2015 Symposium keynote, Richard Schwartz, the originator of IFS, explains the transformative power of connecting with our wounded inner parts.