Posts Tagged With: EMDR

Day 919: The News

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Ann Koplow

Is it news to you that the news in these posts includes what’s news to you and also to me?

New paragraph: What are your associations with “The News”?

Here are some new and old associations of mine, with “The News”:

 

Here’s news to me: the Woody Herman Band did a cover version of “I Got the News”!

News flash! As I’m typing this post on my iPhone, Oscar


is chewing on my arm.

The latest news: Taking that photo seemed to stop him.

Before Oscar starts up again, here’s all the news from the photos I snapped yesterday:


                              
What news do you see, in those photos?

More news, before this post becomes old news:

  • This morning, I’m facilitating a therapy group in a new room, because there are too many people signed up to fit in my office.
  •  This afternoon, I am having an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy session, to have new, healthier reactions to old memories.
  • Tonight, I’m facilitating a planning meeting for my 45th high school reunion.

In case the word “facilitating” is news to anybody, it just means “making an action or process easy or easier.”

Final news of this post: Today, WordPress isn’t facilitating my use of quotes in text the way it usually does. I wonder if that’s headline news to anyone?

New thanks to my family, Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, the Woody Herman band, Oscar, everybody who attends my therapy groups, my high school classmates, the Fenway Park area of Boston, people who practice EMDR, Yarrow and other magicians, dogs, flowers, parkers,  WordPress, facilitators everywhere, and you — of course! — for whatever news you bring here, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , | 57 Comments

Day 913: It takes one to know one

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Ann Koplow

When somebody gives me a compliment, I often reply:

It takes one to know one.

I believe that, too. Seeing a positive attribute —  like kindness, generosity, humor, or creativity —  means you have some of that quality, also. Otherwise, you wouldn’t recognize or value it.

Yesterday, at an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy session. I said

It takes one to know one

in a very different way, about a painful and persistent memory from when I was a child in the hospital.

As I’ve described in a previous post, a very unkind, ungenerous, humorless, and non-creative Doctor Hyatt, in 1963, responded to my telling him I was in excruciating pain by:

  • calling me a “spoiled brat”
  • refusing to help in any way,
  • saying, “You’re just doing this for attention and there are really sick children here!” and
  • leaving me alone, in my hospital room.

Then, I was

  • still in pain,
  • shamed, for expressing pain,
  • worried that I had somehow caused  harm to the sick children all around me, and
  • horribly confused by why an adult had gotten so angry at me, when  all I had done was try to survive.

In some ways, I have spent my whole life, since then, trying to figure out and let go of that experience.

Yesterday, in EMDR therapy, I revisited that encounter with Dr. Hyatt, and I

  • beat the stuffing out of a pillow,
  • yelled, “You’re fired!” and
  • replied to being labeled a spoiled brat with “It takes one to know one!”

After that session, I hope to be less inclined to fear other people suddenly becoming angry at me, for no reason.

You know?

It took one to know one, yesterday, in these photos I took, one after another:


                                            
It takes one music-lover to know one wonderful piece of music, heard yesterday on one car radio, after that EMDR session:

One performance of Pachelbel‘s Canon on YouTube has taken WAY more than one to know one —  that video has over 24 million views.

One more one thing to know: it takes one blogger to know one (or more) reactions from you, with gratitude.

Knowing thanks to my EMDR therapist, George, to everybody else who contributed to my creating this post, and to you — of course! — for visiting here, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , | 57 Comments

Day 906: Everything is an opportunity 

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Ann Koplow

Everything is an opportunity

is one of my beliefs about life.

I don’t always feel that way, especially when

everything is an excruciating pain

but, even then, I’ll come around to the belief that

everything is an opportunity

sooner than later.

Allow me to take this opportunity to explain why

Everything is an opportunity

is the post topic for today.

  1. I had EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy yesterday, which is giving me the opportunity to let go of some old, painful memories.
  2. Yesterday, after a therapy group I facilitated, one of the group members  and I discussed the unique structure of my groups, including the resulting challenges AND opportunities.
  3. Yesterday, my iPhone became mute, inexplicably taking the opportunity to stop all sounds,  including music.

After I took the opportunity to search the web for quick and dirty fixes for my phone, my phone’s continuing silence gave me opportunities to:

  • pay more attention, visually, during my walks to and from work and
  • go to the Burlington Mall yesterday evening, with my boyfriend Michael, to get my phone fixed.

As usual, I took the opportunity to document these opportunities, through the still-working eye of my iPhone:

                                                                                  
Allow me to take this opportunity to tell you that my iPhone is now fixed. The nice Verizon rep (whom I did not take the opportunity to photograph) did a “soft reset” on my phone, and now I can listen to music again.

Speaking of music, I shall now take this opportunity to include some music here. But what elite ideas do I have about that? Will my choice — or the song — be quick and easy? Will I leave dirt at the door? Should I choose a song about numbers? Is there a tune called “Splat Ball”? Or “Soft Reset”?

What I usually do — when I choose music for a post — is take the opportunity to share something that came up on my iPhone the day before. However, since you’ve taken the opportunity to read this post, you know there was no such music yesterday.

However, because I had no music on my iPhone, I took the opportunity to listen to some music on my car radio. And I heard the ending of a song with these lyrics:

Your heart never stops beating
I love you long after you’re gone

I took the opportunity to write those lyrics down, but I didn’t get the opportunity to find out the name of the song or the performer(s):

When taking the opportunity to search the opportunistic web for the first line of those lyrics, I found this:

Let me take the opportunity to say that was not what I heard on the radio yesterday, but I appreciate the opportunity to hear and share “Shellshock” by New Order.

When I took the opportunity to Google both lines of the lyrics I heard yesterday, I found this:

I’m glad I had the opportunity to share “Gone Gone Gone” by Phillip Phillips today, along with everything else in this post.

If you take the oppprtunity to share your thoughts and feelings here, I’ll write an answer, as soon as I have the opportunity.

I love the opportunity to thank everybody and everything that gave me the opportunity to write today’s post. And — of course! — thank you, for taking the opportunity to read it.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Day 878: Bangs!

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Ann Koplow

Bangs are:

  1. loud noises and
  2. a hairstyle.

Bang!

I knew “Bangs!” would be the post title today.

Bang!

I am sensitive to noises, so loud ones can make me jump.

Bang!

I’m seeing Mia, my fabulous hair stylist, in two days and I have an idea for a perhaps bangingly radical new look, which includes bangs.

Bang!

I saw my EMDR therapist yesterday, and we are working on getting rid of the following unhelpful, habitual, very old thought that can bang around, painfully, in my head:

My needs and feelings don’t matter.

Bang!

Every so often, I have a moment of fear regarding the June 6 workshop presentation I’ll be giving about my therapy groups (coming up in bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang 9 days).

Bang!

I let go of that fear, in the very next moment.

Bang!

If my heart stops, for any reason, my new Implantable Cardiac Device (ICD) will automatically start it again, with a

Bang!

bang, bang,  bang, bang, bang,  bang, bang …

Every time my ICD paces my heartbeat, I can feel that, in my core.

Bang!

I sometimes have trouble sleeping, when there are too many thoughts banging around in my head.

Bang! I took each of these photos yesterday;

      

                                                      


Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Those guinea pigs my bf Michael and I saw at PetSmart last night kept jumping, as if they were hearing bangs.

Bang! Bang! Bang!  Michael and I made these comments at PetSmart:

  • “Look! It’s the Orson Welles of guinea pigs.”
  • “According to that vaccine date, Squeaky’s a cat from the future.”
  • “Those guinea pigs jump like pop corn.”

Bang! Bang! 

Here are two songs about Bangs:

Bang!

That’s the sound of you, leaving a comment.

Bang! I’m thanking Michael the boyfriend, Mia the hairstylist, George the EMDR therapist, Harley and Winston and Squeaky the cats, my ICD and other things that go Bang,  the Orson Welles and the popcorns of guinea pigs, They Might be Giants, Nancy Sinatra, and — bang! — you, for whatever noises you make today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , | 38 Comments

Day 847: Diversions

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Ann Koplow

This past weekend was filled with diversions, as my divertingly long-time friend Barbara and I diverted ourselves from stress, worry, and anxiety in lovely New Hampshire.

Here’s one among many diversions I saw, yesterday, in downtown Portsmouth NH:


Puzzles and games can be pleasant and helpful diversions. Are you puzzled by that or any of the other diversions I was game enough to capture yesterday? 

                

              

                

The diversions of this past weekend were very welcome ones, especially since I can’t really divert myself from the knowledge that I’m having surgery a week from today.

Here’s a welcome diversion, though: most of my fears about next Monday’s surgery have been diverted by:

  • my trusted cardiologists, who are never diverted away from great care,
  • the non-invasive and low-risk nature of the surgery compared with heart valve surgery, which has been diverting me for about six months,
  • diverting my eyes and thoughts in new directions with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy,
  • the diversionary tactic of ignoring negative, unhelpful people, and
  • diverting my attention towards things I love.

Things I love include music, so here’s one of the best diversions I know: a most diverting tune about somebody desperately seeking diversions.

“Lush Life” — written by the divertingly talented Billy Strayhorn and performed by the divertingly epic combination of singer Johnny Hartman and saxophonist John Coltrane — provides amazing diversions on YouTube.

If you are diverted enough by the diversions in this post to offer diversions of your own in a comment, that would be most pleasantly diverting.

Diverting thanks to Barbara, New Hampshire, Portsmouth, people who live with and support others with chronic medical conditions, cardiologists Dr. Deeb Salem and Dr. Mark Estes, EMDR, Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hartman, John Coltrane, all lives lush and non-lush, and you — of course! — for joining my diversions, here and now.

Categories: gratitude, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Day 836: On the Road Again

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Ann Koplow

I had a busy day, yesterday, on the road again to:

  • my work, as an individual and group psychotherapist at a hospital near Boston’s Fenway Park,
  • my home, to say goodbye to my son before his 10-day trip to Italy with his high school Latin class,
  • an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy session, and
  • dinner and a visit to a local cat shelter, with my boyfriend Michael.

In the midst of all those roads yesterday, I saw this:

… which put me on the road, again, to naming today’s post.

In the moment, I am on the road again to

  • peace,
  • healing, and
  • sharing more photos from yesterday.

                 

  



                    

Kitty John Stamos might be wishing he were on the road, again, straight out of that cat shelter.

Are you on the road again to guessing my music selection for today’s post?

Are you on the road, again, to anything else, in your life?

Thanks to all, no matter what road you’re on, again, here and now.

Categories: inspiration, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , | 33 Comments

Day 814: What’s So Interesting?

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Ann Koplow

What’s so interesting to this cat, on any day?

  

What’s so interesting about this plate of food,  on Monday?

What’s so interesting about these words,  on Thursday?

    

What’s so interesting about this, on Friday?

What’s so interesting about any of these, on Saturday?

What’s so interesting about these, on Sunday?

  

What’s so interesting about the day ahead of me, on a Wednesday? Today  I’ll be

  • Doing individual therapy
  • Doing group therapy
  • Having lunch with my friend Ada, who drew this interesting picture of me so long ago that I’m not sure what day it was:

  • Seeing my primary care physician
  • Participating in an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) session, and
  • Spending the evening with my boyfriend Michael, who is (1) interesting and (2) a person of interest responsible for the contents of at least one of today’s photos.

Are you interested in my supplying more information about anything in particular, at this point?

What’s so interesting about the song “Seven Days” by Sting, which I heard yesterday, on Tuesday?

Could it be the time signature that’s interesting? The lyrics? Something else? If “Seven Days” interests you and you don’t see it here, you can find it on YouTube, any day of the week.

In any moment, only you can decide what’s interesting to you.

Whatever it is, I’m interested.

Thanks to Oscar the cat, Ada, Michael, people who heal as best they can, Sting, and — of course! — you, for being interesting and interested, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Day 797: What does EMDR stand for?

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Ann Koplow

Answer # 1: Everything Moves, Dear Readers

Yesterday, I heard this very moving song while moving around in my car through the snowy and icy streets of Boston:

That song is “Move On” from Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, performed movingly by original cast members Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. I recommend that you move to YouTube to play it (if “Move On” is not moving on your screen now).

Here are some of the words from “Move On” that move me:

I do not know where to go.
I want to make things that count,
Things that will be new.
What am I to do?

Move on.
Stop worrying where you’re going.
Move on.
Just keep moving on.

I chose, and my world was shaken.
So what?
The choice may have been mistaken,
The choosing was not.
You have to move on.

Look at what you want
Not at where you are,
Not at what you’ll be.
Look at all the things you’ve done for me:
Opened up my eyes,
Taught me how to see,
Notice every tree,
Understand the light,
Concentrate on now.

I want to move on.
I want to understand the light.
I want to know how to get through.
Through to something new,
Something of my own.

Stop worrying if your vision is new.
Let others make that decision,
They usually do.
You keep moving on.

Something in the light,
Something in the sky,
In the grass,
Up behind the trees,
Things I hadn’t looked at ’till now.

Look at what you’ve done
Then at what you want,
Not at where you are,
What you’ll be.

Just keep moving on.

Anything you do,
Let it come from you,
Then it will be new.

Give us more to see.

Moving on, here are some things I saw and noticed yesterday, moving through my Saturday:

Answer #2: Everything Must Develop, Right?

Answer #3: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing 

Answer #4: Endings Might Disappoint Regularly. 

Answer #5: Everybody! Make Decisions & Respond. 

From Sunday in the Blog with Ann, thanks to Everyone Making Dis Real, Especially My Dear Readers.

Categories: inspiration, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , | 44 Comments

Day 290: The Healing Power of Art

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ann Koplow

Here are some random thoughts — and images — this morning,  about “The Healing Power of Art.”

This is  a piece of art, by Elisa Tenenbaum,  that hangs in my living room (and which appeared in this blog on Day 174: Surprised by Joy).

Image

I’ve spent a lot of wonderful moments, gazing at that.

Yesterday, when I (finally!) spoke to somebody about my will, that expert suggested that I choose a few special items to leave to specific people.  I immediately thought of Elisa Tenenbaum’s good work.

Also, yesterday, I spoke with another expert, who  specializes in EMDR (“Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy ( as well  as other healing work for people with traumatic memories).

That expert often suggests creating a “container” for difficult-to-manage feelings that might come up during that kind of work.

I’ve written about creating “containers,” for various uses, in this blog before. (For a summary of all of these, see Day 245: Lucky.)

Here’s one container

IMG_1700

for throwing away unhelpful things that other people have said.

Here’s another container

photo (53)

for holding “emergency messages” that help during times of trouble.

Where was I? Oh, yes. I was writing about a container for difficult-to-manage feelings, that might come up during healing work for past traumatic experiences.

When the expert spoke about this, I immediately thought of this container (front and center, in picture):

IMG_1336

Over the years, I have witnessed a lot of healing, through the creation of art.

Sometimes, that art includes drawings:

IMG_1904

Sometimes, it includes different kinds of art:

download

download (1)

Sometimes, it includes many people, healing together:

banner1*

That concludes our blog post for today, ladies and gentlemen.

Thanks to Elisa Tenenbaum (again), Cathy Malchiodi, Kenneth Bruscia, healers  and experts everywhere, and to you, for visiting today.

_______________________________________________

* For more about this, see this website: http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/haiti/

Categories: personal growth | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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