Announcement - blog is moving

Sandy Springs Psychotherapy is now
Atlanta Center for Positive Change!

Our new website and blog are now active!  Please check them out! 

Also, please note that all future blog posts can be found on our new site. 

 

Thank you!

 

- Anne Lewis Moore & Nan Henson

Bottoms Up

No, I’m not talking about shooting tequila- although I guess that could apply. I’m talking about finding your bottom- recognizing it and pushing off.   Alcoholics obviously talk about hitting bottom and the importance of having a high bottom vs. a low bottom.  The idea being that the higher your bottom the less havoc you will be able to tolerate and the sooner you will see your bottom, face your demons, and begin recovery.  While we readily identify the phrase rock bottom with alcoholism- I’m curious about how our acceptance of our bottoms can elevate us in all areas of our lives.  For example, what about bottoms in our personalities, our relationships, our finances, the space we live in- ( our closets :)  I still can’t get that cat out of mine, see previous closet cleaning blog for clarity), when do we see our bottom?  I’m betting

Play with your food!

I’ve been cooking more lately and something I’ve realized is that it’s a lot more fun when you play with your food!  If you think about it, it really doesn’t matter what the end product looks like.  The most important thing is how it tastes.  In further exploration of this thought, I also realized that I usually combine flavors I know I like.  If I do that, I can't go wrong.  it’s kind of like simple math or 1 + 1 = 2!  One good thing plus another good thing equals something doubly good!  Awesome culinary creations can come from playful cooking!  Get in the kitchen, relax, and have fun!  Make it prettier next time...

 

This is my first attempt at Eggplant Zucchini Lasagna.
 It isn’t pretty, but it was fun – and man was it good!

Our New Meal Demo!!!

Quinoa Lasagna

Nan Henson and Anne Moore of Atlanta Center for Positive Change demonstrate how to cook Quinoa Lasagna.   In addition to being a delicious meal for anyone, it is also entirely gluten free and vegetarian!   Please enjoy and thank you for watching!   Please visit our website for this recipe and more!

Life Letters / Love Letters

So I talk to myself a lot, except I think that I'm really carrying on a conversation with the universe.  I used to be a runner.  I ran because it gave me space and time to think through things when I was a graduate student and would sometimes feel stuck with my own self-importance.  Sometimes movement of the body seems to reflect movement in the mind- the two are connected for me. 

Once when I was running I wrote a book in my head titled "Letters to Myself", it was really just random conversations about love, creativity, generosity, and observance of the world. Though now that I think of it the conversations weren't really with myself.  The letters I was writing in my head were really about communicating with the world.  And here's the thing, whether or not our thoughts get communicated out loud- they are powerful.

 

I cleaned out my closet today

Not really, but sort of.  Anyone who knows me - knows I don't keep a neat organized closet, at all!  And as they read this post, they are thinking uh oh!  One friend in particular- really my sister in this life- is wondering if she needs to drop everything and come right away since she usually helps me with the closet overhaul about once a year.

My house is always straight, things are mostly in place, but if you look in my closet- all bets are off- kinda like me.  If you see me on the outside- I look pretty straight - my clothes are clean, they match, they are ok, cute, not perfect but better than average, and mostly straight.  However, if you peek inside, wow!  You will find the couture mixed in with the Target and a whole lot of mess that I should have given away or, moved on from a long time ago- really, it's the "what is that doing in there - or ohmygod- I used to love that dress- I wonder if it still fits?  Yes, it's not a stretch- our closets say a lot about our insides.  

F-E-A-R Has Two Meanings...



I came across this online and wanted to share...

 

 

 

 

Which meaning will you choose? 

 

Live joyfully and positively!

 

 

- Anne Lewis Moore, PsyD

(Atlanta Center for Positive Change)



Live positively...without fear

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.  Love them anyway.  If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.  Do good anyway.  If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.  Succeed anyway.  The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.  Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.  Be honest and transparent anyway.  What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.  Build anyway.  People who really want help may attack you if you help them.  Help them anyway.  Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.  Give the world your best anyway."

- Mother Teresa

This is my challenge - live in the moment each day and act without fear.  Actions dictated by fear create distance and chaos.  Live positively!

- Anne Lewis Moore, PsyD
(Soon to be Atlanta Center for Positive Change)

Today I Choose Joy

Here is something to consider when we find ourselves vulnerable and hopeful about situations we can't control - this might or might not work out - I could be disappointed or hurt, and I also know that I will pick myself up if things don't work out.  However, why should I rob myself of today's hope, anticipation and joy?  Today I choose joy.  Living in the present.

Do You Know...?

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

Once we were standing still in time
Chasing the fantasies
That filled our minds
You knew how I loved you
But my spirit was free
Laughin' at the questions
That you once asked of me

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Now looking back at all we've planned
We let so many dreams
Just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long
Before we'll see
How sad the answers
To those questions can be

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

Theme from Mohogany by Diana Ross
Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser

What's All the Buzz???

The Enneagram is popping up everywhere!  It has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, mentioned in current novels like "Cutting For Stone", and referred to in various periodicals such as Psychology Today and Time magazine.  The Enneagram is the subject of numerous best-selling books.  It is being used in business organizations to increase effectiveness and improve relations as well as in individual and family therapy to help people better understand themselves and others.  Like I said...it's everywhere!

 

But just what IS the Enneagram?

The word enneagram comes from 2 Greek words.  Ennea meaning nine and gramma which means something written or drawn/a model.  Simply put, the Enneagram is nine points on a circle.

         

 

The beauty of broccoli...

Broccoli is visually nutritious as well as physically nutritious- use everything you have to grow more and live positively!


- Anne Lewis Moore, PsyD
(Atlanta Center for Positive Change)

Nan & Anne's Simple Suppers & Food Ideas

Nan Henson and Anne Moore of Atlanta Center for Positive Change demonstrate how to cook: "Proached" Salmon, Quinoa Salad, and a Simple Green Salad.  In addition to being a delicious meal for anyone, it is also entirely gluten free!  Please enjoy and thank you for watching!  Please visit our website for these recipes!

The Thoughtful Circle

Cognitive behavioral therapy provided us with insight into the importance of our internal thought life and how thoughts dictate emotions which in turn dictate our interactions with ourselves and others which on a larger scale has an enormous impact on the course of our lives.  So really, our thinking is one of the most powerful navigation tools that we have access to in charting the course for our lives.  This information has been around a long time - going back all the way to Epictetus (55-135 AD), the ancient philosopher and father of the concept that our thoughts influence our emotions and subsequent behavior.  Here is how it works:

 

Eating Disorder Recovery Awareness

It's not about image.
It's not about weight.
It's about intentional responsibility for your body.

What does that mean for you?

- Sandy Springs Psychotherapy (Soon to be Atlanta Center for Positive Change)

Eradicating Hunger - A Lenten Devotional

As a professional, I have devoted a great deal of time and energy to issues regarding hunger, deprivation, and supporting people in their efforts to say “no” and set limits.  I have attempted to understand hunger from many different perspectives including both spiritual hunger as well as physical hunger.  It seems as if the sacrifice of food is connected to the idea of Lenten sacrifice for many people.  I often hear from a variety of people every year- “I am giving up chocolate, sugar, carbs, desserts, and any and all types of foods for Lent.”  In my experience this is contrary to the very essence of Lenten sacrifice.  Hunger, both physical and spiritual, is something to understand, heal from, and eradicate.  Hunger does not enhance our relationship with Christ.  Deprivation is brutal and isolating.  Too many limits- and too many “no” responses are restrictive.

As an adolescent, I began to think of Lent as an opportunity for enrichment- an opportunity to improve myself and thus improve my relationship with God.  I have learned that when I say “yes” to people and things, I enhance my life, I add things to my life and feel sensations such as satiety, abundance, and gratefulness.  It seems that the best way to give up things that are spiritually unhealthy is by actively adding things that are spiritually beneficial.  For example, what if instead of

Recognition of Therapist Impact

Sandy Springs Psychotherapy is set up as a clinic designed to teach individuals how to become their own healer and live their life to the fullest.  Given that this is what we believe and how we practice I thought it might be important to examine the therapeutic relationship and the impact that the therapist has on an individual.  It is important that we remain thoughtful, responsive caregivers not caretakers.  The following are some thoughts on therapist impact.

Don't react- Learn to respond:

The individuals we work with are sometimes very fearful and they occasionally tell us scary things.  It is imperative to understand that people are sometimes out of touch with themselves, especially during times of distress.  During those times they may rely on gathering knowledge about themselves based on the reactions they get from those around them.  They may mistakenly get in the habit of making assumptions about themselves based on how others are treating them- rather than taking a breath and realizing how they are treating themselves and the impact that has on their interactions with others.  The difficulty occurs when they begin to feel like their feelings are not valid because

Lighter Than Air

Recently the world of dance has come under scrutiny as a cruel, cold, competitive world.  While there may be some truth to this idea, it is also partly myth.  All of the world offers opportunities for cruelty and competitiveness.  One industry alone does not hold the market share.  I wrote the following piece years ago when I happened to be working with a lot of dancers and I drew from my own experiences as a young woman who grew up in the world of dance.  Most things are not just one way or another.  Most of the world is comprised of half truths - in order to embrace our world we must look at truth from a variety of angles and not get stuck looking at the world through a narrow lens.  Let caution be present and allow complex understanding to be our guide.  Let there be room for recognition and understanding of the many facets in most parts of life.

 

Lighter Than Air
Anne Moore, Psy.D.
February 2007

The moment I enter a dance studio I want to move my body - extend myself feel my body move and work - that feels lighter than air and has nothing to do with body image or weight.  The love of dance is about your soul - not your body - it is an art form and an emotional expression.  I used to think dance was about working around your body - not feeling it, pushing through pain, ignoring it.  I could not have been more wrong.

Body Acceptance

I would like to use this forum as an opportunity to step up on my soap box and challenge everyone to let go of the term “body image”.  As a clinician who has worked in the field of eating disorders for many years, I would like to shake things up a little bit and voice publicly how much this term grates on my nerves.  Body image is just that - an image and a mirage that will never be resolved, understood, figured out, or improved by sitting in a body image group and talking about how badly we feel about our bodies.  Sorry, that is just another symptom and just falling in the trap of the image based culture we live in.  Healing is not about improving body image - it is about improving acceptance, tolerance, trust, and awareness.  When we stay focused on the idea or belief that we don't like our bodies and get hung up on the dissatisfaction that we feel about our bodies, we stay obsessed and that changes nothing.  In order to heal and improve the way we feel about our bodies we have to live in our bodies differently.  What would happen if every morning you took 5 or 10 minutes to answer the following questions before beginning your day: