Darkness and Brilliance
Practicing Vibrational Alignment Darkness scares us. Darkness around us leads us to move cautiously. Darkness inside us hides the brilliance
Ruth Cherry, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Luis Obispo, CA. Her specialty is the merging of psychological and spiritual dynamics. She is the author of Living in the Flow: Practicing Vibrational Alignment, Accepting Unconditional Love, Transformation Workbook and Open Your Heart. To learn more about Ruth visit www.RuthCherryPhD.com.
Practicing Vibrational Alignment Darkness scares us. Darkness around us leads us to move cautiously. Darkness inside us hides the brilliance
Practicing Vibrational Alignment Most of the inmates at the state penitentiary where I work were drug addicts—heroin, marijuana, cocaine,
Balancing the Within The Controller part of us knows how things should be. She knows what’s right and what’s
A Conscious New Year Another New Year. Another list of resolutions? I think not. Not even a short list. Not
Choosing to Be Accountable Isn’t it time we move beyond religion and rules and belief into honest spirituality which is
Letting Go by Going Within Clearly, healing is not what you are about every minute of every day. But
Going Within to Find Happiness Healing doesn’t involve putting a happy façade over an open wound. Healing involves
Breathe Be Focus “Breathe and be and focus in this second.” I find myself saying these words repeatedly
Aligning with You Isn’t it time that we move beyond religion and rules and belief into honest spirituality which is
Being Present with Me Knowing reality involves more than opening our eyes and looking around. “Seeing” happens when we
Living Unlimited We have had decades to ‘run our will’ and we have seen the results. It has been
Joy To The Max These days I focus on these things. No more long-term goals. No 20-year plans. In 20
Living Abundantly We’re all in favor of prosperity. We think it means accumulating possessions, buying anything we want,
Move Forward By Being Here Now Personally I love routine. For a while. Two years is the longest my interest
You Gotta Have A Dream To Make A Dream Come True The longer I practice psychotherapy (forty years
Does Anyone Say to You, “Have a Good Day”? Your day will be as good as you want
The Minute That Changes Everything Personally I love routine. For a while. Two years is the longest my interest maintains,
Open Your Heart by Ruth Cherry PhD Loving yourself isn’t easy. It’s not a matter of standing in front of the mirror and saying sweet things. It’s definitely not a matter of self-indulgence. Loving yourself requires work–the work to choose your best interests no matter how that choice feels. Choosing to stay present to the pain at your center when it scares you, when you think you won’t stop crying, indicates self-love. You are choosing to be on your own side to heal rather than intellectualize and abandon your feelings. Choosing to stay in school instead of leaving to earn money immediately indicates self-love. Choosing to avoid addictions or to grapple with them rather than pretend they don’t exist indicates self-love. Choosing the easy path reflects a lack of belief in yourself. Why do you need it fast and easy if you can have the best with perseverance and persistence? Do you want the best for yourself? Or are you afraid to try? It’s not a matter of hope or of words, but of action.
Living In The Flow: Practicing Vibrational Alignment When I sit with a client in psychotherapy, I practice presence. I want
Moving Past The Mind Chatter Do you doubt it? Do old memories cling like cobwebs to the corners of
Releasing Control, Gaining Power Most of us hated our vulnerability when we were young. We didn’t want to cry in front of others. We didn’t want anyone making fun of us for being “too sensitive.” We wanted to be tough and impervious and cool. We acted cool. We didn’t let on that our hearts were hurting. We may have even developed a line of repartee designed to keep others away. We needed to be in control. By midlife we’ve admitted over and over and over again that clearly we are not in control. Now we can acknowledge our vulnerability. What we have pushed away from our awareness for years we now welcome back. Being whole is more important than impressing Joe or Julie.
Resistance and Allowing Clearly, healing is not what you are about every minute of every day. But checking in with your essential core daily, anchors you. It also teaches humility. It allows us to release our fascination with external diversions and experience the eternal peace at our core. Of course, we have built up layer upon layer of defenses which hide our peaceful core from us. We build our defenses and distort our experience of our peaceful core when we don’t feel our feelings in the moment. We all do this and we don’t know we are doing it. It’s too vulnerable and too scary and too uncomfortable to feel everything. Besides it’s not attractive or acceptable in sophisticated company. We layer our defenses against feeling our feelings for years and decades so that when we do decide to sit and practice stillness we encounter unhealed wounds and sadness and rage and fear that have been stuffed and denied and forgotten. But whatever we’ve not let ourselves feel, stays with us and hides our essential core. Therefore we can’t experience the peace which still lives in us. Experiencing this peace heals us. Every step along the way of experiencing our old hurts leads us closer to healing. So, when we sit and allow, we feel the latest layer of buried feelings. We want to experience peace but we encounter gunk we haven’t wanted to feel which hasn’t evaporated (as we had hoped). Healing involves allowing ourselves to move through these layers. As long as it takes, we show up, we practice presence and we allow healing. Just by practicing presence, we allow healing. And healing emotionally allows healing physically. Will you sit, practice stillness, and feel whatever arises?
Just Be When we meditate we remember ourselves. Meditation isn’t an exercise we do to get away from ourselves
Finding What Is Right With You After mid-life we practice self-acceptance because that’s our job. We don’t practice self-acceptance
Your Day Will Be as Good as You Choose. Does anyone ever say to you, “Have a good
Finding Your Inspiration Two weeks ago I spoke with my client, bedridden for almost two years, about her mood swings.
Living Empowered by Releasing Resistance Living in surrender means releasing resistance. You practice resistance when try to control what isn’t
The Vibration of Empowerment Do you doubt it? Do old memories cling like cobwebs to the corners of your
The Habit of Loving You Loving yourself isn’t easy. It’s not a matter of standing in front of the
I Am Enough, I Am Worthy Some people say it’s not our deficiency that scares us most but the depth
The Magic of Owning Your Thoughts When I buy an apple, I hold it, look at the entire surface, and
Are Your Thoughts Creating More Stress Than Good? Do you create stress for yourself? We stress ourselves with
Are You Conscious About the Thoughts You Think? When I buy an apple, I hold it, look at the entire
A Spirituality of Your Own Isn’t it time that we move beyond religion and rules and belief into honest
Beyond Religion and Rules Isn’t it time we move beyond religion and rules and belief, into honest spirituality which is
Stop and Remember to Just Be by Being Your Own Best Friend Don’t do a thing. Just stand there. Or