trauma

Take Root Therapy January Newsletter

We talk about emotion dysregulation, raise funds for our beloved immigrant communities, and learn tools for soothing nighttime anxiety. A Letter From Our Founder Hi reader, It’s hard to know where to start this letter. I feel myself being pulled in so many directions, and that’s become more and more common these days. I want to offer you comfort and hope. I want to sit…
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What Is Emotional Dysregulation? Signs, Causes, and Tools That Actually Work When You Feel Out of Control

Yesterday morning, my daughter and I were running late to school. Again. The crosswalk light was blinking as we approached the busy intersection near our home in Los Angeles, and she started to dart across the street. “I don’t want to be late!” she yelled over her shoulder. My body reacted before my brain caught up. My heart lurched, my breath caught, and I screamed…
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Why We Keep Buying Things: Emotional Spending, Impulse Shopping, and Mental Health

I love stuff. I love buying things, decorating my home, adorning myself with jewelry. I’m delighted by a new outfit, and few things bring me as much joy as snagging something I’ve been coveting on sale. I grew up with a mother who dragged me to yard sales and estate sales every weekend. As a small child, this wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend…
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Anxiety vs. Depression: What’s the Difference? Can You Have Both?

I’m no stranger to depression or anxiety, and have been managing both for the duration of my adult life. Depression, I’ve known since adolescence. I was a tween when my critical inner voice got louder and louder, when I would struggle to get out of bed, and when I would find myself thinking about dying far more than I now know is normal. I may…
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Take Root Therapy September Newsletter

We process suicide grief, support women and families, and craft with nature. A Letter From Our Founder Hi reader, I just wrapped up a weekend conference on group psychotherapy, and I’m still carrying the warmth of it with me. For two days, I felt seen and stretched, and this all happened 10 minutes from our office in Los Angeles. I was challenged and supported in…
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Grief After Suicide: Understanding Complex Loss and Finding Support

Gentle content note: This article discusses suicide, traumatic loss, and complex grief. If you feel activated while reading, please pause, breathe, and come back when you feel ready. If you are in immediate danger or worried about your safety, call or text 988 in the U.S. for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or use online chat at 988lifeline.org. I wish no one had to die…
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Image of a person sitting on the floor with their hands wrapped around their knees and their head resting on their knees to illustrate what stress and depression can look like

Can Stress Cause Depression? 5 Ways To Prevent Depression

When I think about the early days of the pandemic in Los Angeles, I remember feeling overwhelmed and scared, but I think there was also a feeling of excitement. I may be rewriting history here — and I don’t want to downplay the real fear that I was experiencing (and the magnitude of how many people were dying)– but as the eternal optimist, I assumed…
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What Is Bi+ Erasure? How Bisexual Invisibility Impacts Mental Health and Identity

When I think about my sexuality, I go back to my earliest crushes. I remember being completely smitten with both Ariel and Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid. I didn’t have the words for it at the time, but I knew I felt drawn to both of them. Still, when I played with my kindergarten classmates, I only talked about Prince Eric. That felt easier. That…
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Take Root Therapy May Newsletter

We manage the urge to people please, tend to the land, and celebrate PRIDE. A Letter From Our Founder   Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a retreat that was held right at home in Los Angeles. It was something I’d really been looking forward to. I went in hoping to slow down and reconnect with myself. And I did, eventually. But it took…
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Why Is It So Hard To Set Boundaries?: Understanding People-Pleasing and Learning to Honor Your Own Needs

I recently made the difficult decision to assert a boundary with my family while they were here visiting us in Los Angeles, knowing it might not go over well. I communicated it with as much care as I could and felt pretty good about it—until I got a phone call from my mother a couple of days later. She told me how hurt people felt…
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