Creating Your Health Blog
Articles, Musings, & Resources for Creating Your Health
from a Mental Health and Creative Arts Therapy Perspective.
-Christine Matteson BC-DMT, LCAT, LMHC
Our Lives are Lived in Rhythm and Movement.
Last week, while walking the Erie Canal path, a friend and I came upon a beautiful pileated woodpecker. He was looking for food in the roots of a tree that had just been removed. I wondered if he had been evacuated from his home in that tree. He was stunning. It's...
Putting up with it…(frustration tolerance)
Putting up with it...Frustration Tolerance In January, we got out quite a bit for winter hikes and I found myself having a fairly congenial relationship with winter...(fist bump). Until one day...I took a tumble while walking on a icy trail. Using my hand to break...
Enchanting Midsummer
An Enchanting Visit There's nothing like a morning swim in the lake in summer. Not a single soul was out on the lake this morning. Except me. And a Dragonfly. This guy hovered along side me, keeping me company, for most of the swim. His wings sparkled in the...
What we can do about it.
Part II. ...The escalation of abuse, and what we can do about it. I worry about how our children are being affected by what they observe and experience. They learn how to behave by witnessing how the adults in their lives (and the ones in the media) conduct...
The Culture of Violence.
Me, Me, Me, Me... If you've watched the news this week, you've probably seen the clip of Trump shoving Dusko Markovic, the prime minister of Montenegro aside at the NATO meeting. Looking quite pleased with himself, he was able to move in front for the photo shot. As...
Don’t fear the Reaper..your dreams aren’t as scary as you think.
I've always been interested in dreams and the messages they have to tell us. When I went to graduate school, we did a bit of dreamwork using active imagination where we looked at and embodied our dreams from different perspectives of the elements and characters...
Coming out of Hibernation.
My mother-in-law and I talked together many Sundays the year before she passed away in 2015. Instead of "Tuesdays with Morrie", think "Sundays with Maria". She told me all about her colorful life and her experiences before, during, and after World War II. Maria grew...
Your Inner Democrat and Republican.
I wanted to write a bit about how the election has ignited and spurred on activism and peaceful resistance. Without talking specifically about "sides", I think the coming together of people for the Women's march on January 21 was truly remarkable. To see people...
Gaslighting
"Gaslighting" The other night, the movie, "Gaslight" was on television, so we settled in to watch it. The term, "Gaslighting" got its name from this 1944 movie that starred Ingrid Bergman. (Actually, it was first a play performed in 1938.) In the movie, the...
Holiday Spa-staycation
On Facebook, the other day, I saw a video and some pictures of a family I adore on their vacation. They were going to an exclusive spa/fitness/yoga retreat. One week at the Retreat was $5,000.00 per person. The place overlooks the ocean, beautiful views, wonderful...