Sometimes striving to do things differently can be downright daunting. The changes we want to make can require us to go out on limbs that feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and even unsafe. It's under these circumstances that folks sometimes label their responses as "self-sabotage". In this post I unpack common assumptions about "self-sabotaging" behaviour and expose its hidden value.
Read moreDon't Judge Resistance by How it Appears
Whenever we come up against adverse conditions or mistreatment, we resist. Sometimes the ways people resist are misleading: they appear to be negative or self-harming, but are actually important acts of self-care. In this post I take a closer look at how so-called "negative" emotions, actions, or attributes can serve the purpose of resisting adversity.
Read moreResisting Perfectionism
Perfectionism is tightly woven into the fabric of many Western cultures. It requires us to strive toward impossible ends, only to be met with discouragement and dissatisfaction. In this post I discuss experiences of working with folks responding to perfectionistic ideals and how we can resist them.
Read moreConcealing Victims' Resistance
Welcome to the third post in my four-part series on Four Operations of Language. In this post I will be focusing on concealing victims’ resistance.
Read moreDignity-Informed Practice
Trauma-Informed Practice has been an increasingly popular topic in the world of counselling and community work. I look at how we can take this a step further, toward a practice informed by upholding others' dignity.
Read moreLife-Affirming Resistance
“Resistance” is one of those words whose meaning changes significantly depending on the person talking about it. In social activist circles, it may be used to describe the act of standing against oppressive or problematic forces. In psychology, it’s a term with a history of mostly negative implications. But is that really the most helpful stance we can take on resistance?
Read more