The “wince” - that sharp inward flinch that reveals your psychological goldmine

Have you ever remembered something you did long ago that makes you wince? That sharp inward flinch of shame or embarrassment that floods your body in an instant? Maybe it was an insensitive remark, an inappropriate joke, or a thoughtless action that hurt someone or revealed something about yourself you still find hard to face.

It’s natural to want to push these memories away - they’re uncomfortable. Yet they tend to circle back, as though they have unfinished business with us.

Psychoanalytically, the wince is a portal - a rich goldmine of psychological truth, a treasure trove of clues about the early conditioning of our family and culture, and the invisible rules about what was acceptable, lovable, or worthy of belonging.

When we revisit these memories with curiosity instead of judgment, guilt, or shame, they have tremendous teachings to offer. Rather than being haunted by past mistakes, we can harvest their meaning.

The work is to stay with the discomfort and ask:

What is this moment trying to show me about how I developed into who I am today?
What makes it so hard to let go?

Every time you turn a compassionate gaze toward a wince and seek to understand it rather than reject yourself, you reclaim a lost aspect of your wholeness and open the way to greater vitality and authenticity.

Do you resonate with the concept of the wince? What does this bring to mind for you?

Ready to explore more about healing shame? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

#selfcompassion #psychoanalysis #sacredpsychiatry #healing #innerwisdom #authenticity #holistichealing #holisticpsychiatry​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ##holisticpsychology #holistichealth #healingshame #innerchild #innerchildwork #innerconfidence ...

70 years. 200k of you. And it`s still not enough.

The chart from my 70th birthday year has Saturn rising. My solar return ascendant sits exactly on my natal Saturn at 29 degrees Scorpio. Saturn is the planet of time, age, and limits, and it`s showing up right at the start of this new year of my life.

And that same week, this Instagram channel reached 200,000 followers.

Both are significant milestones to me.

I was moved by the movie *Nomadland*, starring Frances McDormand as Fern, a widow living on the road in her van. One of Fern`s close friends, Swankie, has a terminal cancer diagnosis. In my favorite scene, Swankie talks about moments from her years of kayaking. White pelicans landing on a lake in Idaho, settling onto the water just a few feet from her kayak. And a cliff full of swallow nests. She rounds a bend and finds hundreds of nests on the rock face with swallows flying all around her. Their reflections in the water made it feel like she`s flying with them. She says something to the effect that this was enough. She`d seen it. Her life felt complete. And she`d be fine dying then.

Turning 70, I feel very differently. I feel like I`m just getting started, and I am in no way ready to go. It`s not that I don`t deeply appreciate all the beauty and wonder I`ve been given. It`s that I love it all so much.

It reminded me of an exchange with my own analyst. In Pittsburgh where I grew up, there was an amusement park called Kennywood. As a child, I adored it. I told my analyst that after spending a day there with my parents, when it was time to go home, I didn`t want to leave and I made a big fuss. This angered my parents who said disapprovingly, “ It’s never enough.” My analyst response was, “ Of course. Why would it be enough?”

Thank you all for your interest in my perspectives. It has astonished me that so many people are interested in what I have to say and participate so actively and meaningfully in the comments.

What`s your Kennywood? The place or thing you`ll never get enough of?

Ready to connect on deeper themes of joy and abundance? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio).

#gratitude #Abundance #EmotionalConnection ...

Libra New Moon ruled by Venus Retrograde in Scorpio

The new moon in Libra on October 10th could feel uncomfortable, but in a potentially productive way. Libra wants peace, beauty, harmony, partnership. It`s the sign of the artist and the mediator, the one who smooths things over. Venus, Libra`s ruler, is retrograde right now and sitting in Scorpio, the sign of truth-telling, the sign that looks underneath the surface at what`s actually going on. That`s an uneasy pairing.

Scorpio wants to know what`s real, even when it`s uncomfortable to look at. And with the retrograde, that examination turns inward.

If someone asked me to name the sign most associated with codependency, I would have to say Libra. Libra`s shadow side doesn`t operate from the assumption, *I`m okay, you`re okay.* It operates from, *I`m only okay if you`re okay.* If there are dynamics in your relationships that are resonating at that frequency, the Libra new moon is an opportunity to do things differently.

New moons are for planting seeds. And with Venus Retrograde, this is the moment to ask yourself some important questions. Are you going along to get along? Are you compromising your own integrity in order to keep the peace? Are you living in a way that doesn`t feel true to yourself?

Set your intention, not for more pleasantness and surface-level harmony, but for more honesty in how you show up in your relationships. What do these reflections evoke for you?

Ready to explore the power of intention and honesty in your relationships? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio).

#NewMoon #Libra #VenusRetrograde #Authenticity #SacredPsychiatry #EmotionalWellness

DISCLAIMER: Content shared is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a doctor-patient relationship. Astrological insights are offered as complementary perspectives, not as diagnostic tools or medical treatment. Always consult with appropriate healthcare providers regarding medical decisions. ...

Mars in Leo & the Psychology of "Hysterical"

Mars moved into Leo on September 27th. And if someone in your life has been more dramatic than usual since then, that`s not an accident. That`s the sky doing exactly what it`s built to do.

There`s an adage repeated in some therapy circles: *If it`s hysterical, it`s historical.*. Meaning when a reaction is bigger than the moment calls for, something old is getting stimulated. Not the situation in front of you, but something from the past, often childhood, that the current moment activated.

Someone with Mars in Leo is constitutionally built to feel things intensely and dramatically. And that`s not dysfunction. That`s innate to their emotional nature.

The same way someone with a lot of Earth or a prominently placed Saturn is designed to hold it in and to appear composed no matter what`s happening underneath.

And culture similarly inclines us.

So before you decide someone is being hysterical, or decide that about yourself, it`s worth asking what their chart shows about what their natural inclination is and what their family or culture conditioned them to believe and express emotionally.

That`s actually one of the main reasons that I love this work.

Applied skillfully, astrology doesn`t rationalize bad behavior, but it does something far more interesting and profound.

It makes room for radical acceptance of yourself and other people because it helps us understand why someone runs hot or cold without needing to make either one wrong.

What do these reflections about nature and nurture and judging or accepting others bring to mind for you?

Please share in the comments below. I`d love to hear from you.

#MarsInLeo #Authenticity #SelfWorth #Astrology #RadicalAcceptance #SacredPsychiatry

DISCLAIMER: Content shared is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a doctor-patient relationship. Astrological insights are offered as complementary perspectives, not as diagnostic tools or medical treatment. Always consult with appropriate healthcare providers regarding medical decisions. ...

Navigating Change During Venus Retrograde

If during this magical Venus retrograde season you suddenly feel the urge for a radically new hairstyle, pause and reflect.

Venus wants to know why you want to cut your hair. Not whether you should, but why.

Venus is the planet of beauty and appearance, and on October 3rd she turns retrograde, backing first through Scorpio before she settles into Libra, on her way to turning direct November 14th.

Scorpio and Libra answer that question quite differently.

Venus in Scorpio is motivated by what lies underneath the desire. If the urge for a radical change shows up while Venus is there, it`s potentially not really about the hair, but about something you`re trying to shed, a version of yourself you`re done with.

That points to real psychospiritual work, not something a salon appointment solves.

When Venus moves into Libra, the question changes. Libra isn`t interested in what it means. She just wants to know if it looks good, if it`s pleasing, if it suits you.

Under Libra, the same impulse is likely closer to what it appears to be, an aesthetic choice, nothing underneath it that needs examining.

So before you book anything while Venus is in retrograde between early October and mid-November, slow down.

Ask whether you`re trying to look different or trying to feel like a different person, because those call for different solutions and only one of them is a new hairstyle.

What do these reflections bring to mind for you?

Ready to dive deeper into the themes of self-worth and transformation during this retrograde? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio).

#VenusRetrograde #SelfExpression #Astrology #Transformation #SacredPsychiatry #MindfulLiving

DISCLAIMER: Content shared is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a doctor-patient relationship. Astrological insights are offered as complementary perspectives, not as diagnostic tools or medical treatment. Always consult with appropriate healthcare providers regarding medical decisions. ...

We all know what paranoia is, but have you considered its opposite? It’s called pronoia. While paranoia imagines the world is secretly conspiring against us, pronoia imagines the universe is actually working on our behalf - that life is rigged in our favor, that blessings are unfolding even when we don’t expect them.

Today, on my birthday, I received a perfect example. My father had a large modern wall clock with weights that he treasured. By now it’s old and temperamental - sometimes keeping time, sometimes not. Sometimes the chimes ring on schedule, other times they fall silent. For quite a while, it had stopped chiming altogether.

This morning, to my amazement, the chimes rang out again - clear, resonant, perfectly on time. I chose to see this not as coincidence, but as a birthday gift from my father who transitioned 20 years ago. A communication from beyond, reminding me of love’s enduring power and that unseen forces are always at play.

This is the essence of pronoia. We can always choose how to construct our narratives. Do we explain events as random, threatening, or meaningless? Or do we open to the possibility that we’re supported, loved, and guided in mysterious ways?

Cultivating a pronoia perspective is perfect medicine for uncertain times. It shifts the lens from fear to trust, from suspicion to gratitude. When we live with that orientation, life begins to feel more magical, connected, filled with grace.

Of course, pronoia isn’t the same as denying reality, which can prevent adaptive action. But when we choose to orient our stories toward wonder, meaning, and support, it nurtures resilience and wellbeing.

Do you resonate with pronoia? I’d love to hear your experience!

Ready to explore more perspectives for resilient living? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

#pronoia #universehasyourback #universehasmyback #synchroncity #sacredpsychiatry #holisticpsychiatry #holistichealing #trusttheuniverse #trustyourintuition #resilience ...

Energy hygiene for chaotic times: When the world feels wound up, protect your field

Have you noticed how many people seem wound up lately, barely holding it together? I’m hearing more stories of road rage, altercations over parking spots, and a tense atmosphere than ever before. In the face of heightened negativity in the collective field, it’s more important than ever to use skillful energetic practices to support, protect, and cleanse your energy body.

One simple but powerful tool is stimulating acupressure point Gallbladder 40, poetically known in Chinese as “Mound of Ruin.” Located in the hollow depression just in front of and below the bony prominence of the outer ankle, this point:
Promotes benevolence and detoxifies negativity
Releases judgment and resentment
Enhances clarity in decision-making
Promotes energetic flow by relieving liver/gallbladder chi stagnation
Uplifts the spirits
Massage Gallbladder 40 with frankincense essential oil diluted in carrier oil. Frankincense is a sacred fragrance that grounds and promotes wholeness and integrity.

Before bed each night, you can do a little ritual magic:

“I ask that any energy in my field that doesn’t belong to me be blessed and transformed and sent back to whom it belongs. I ask that any energy of mine that has been left elsewhere be blessed and transformed and return to me.”

Beat a drum or rattle as you cast this spell, or simply say it without accompaniment. This energetically cleanses your field, ridding it of what’s not yours and reclaiming what’s been lost during the day.

Just as we wash our face and brush our teeth, it’s important to routinely care for the energy body.

Do you practice energy hygiene regularly? Share your experiences below!

Ready to explore more energetic protection practices? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

#energyhygiene #gallbladder40 #protection #sacredpsychiatry #acupressure #energeticcleansing #frankincense #holistichealing #holisticpsychiatry #spiritualpractice #spiritualprotection #energyclearing #energycleansing #spiritualhealing ...

Four of Cups: The Card about What You`re not Seeing

Someone is holding a cup out to you right now, and you`re not looking up to take it. That`s the four of cups, a person sitting under a tree with three cups lined up in front of them, arms crossed, while a fourth cup appears from a cloud, but they never look in its direction. The standard reading points to a state of boredom, disengagement, and discontent.

That can be true, but in my experience, it often refers to something else. This card isn`t about ingratitude. It`s about habituation and attention. You can get so used to noticing what`s missing, what feels stale, what didn`t turn out the way that you wanted, that you become insensible to the new possibility that is actually in front of you.

This card appears frequently in the readings of people who are processing disappointment about a specific outcome, the job that did not fulfill its promise, the relationship that was not what they had hoped for. They keep returning to the same old cups as though they`re expecting something different from them. All the while, something else is perched at the edge of their vision, completely unclaimed.

This card doesn`t ask you to feign gratitude. It`s asking something more basic. What are you overlooking? Sometimes what`s being overlooked is the lesson or the gift folded into the very situation that`s making you unhappy.

Either way, the work here is to turn your head, not to perform positivity.

If you pulled this card, consider what might you not be seeing because of where your attention has settled? What does this interpretation bring up for you?

Ready to explore how shifting perspectives can enrich your life? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio).

#FourOfCups #SelfReflection #Awareness #EmotionalGrowth #SacredPsychiatry #Mindfulness

DISCLAIMER: Content shared is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a doctor-patient relationship. Astrological insights are offered as complementary perspectives, not as diagnostic tools or medical treatment. Always consult with appropriate healthcare providers regarding medical decisions. ...

Venus retrograde is rarer and lasts twice as long as Mercury`s

Venus retrograde touches everything she rules: love, money, beauty, what we value, and what we`re willing to work for. It`s an invitation to reconsider, review, revise, rework.

It`s also relatively rare. Mercury retrograde happens three or four times a year and lasts about three weeks. Venus does this only once every 18 months, and each cycle runs closer to 40 days. Both planets are closest to the Earth when they turn retrograde, which is partly why these windows tend to feel more intense. We`re literally closer to whatever that planet represents.

During a Venus retrograde specifically, people from the past may resurface, reexamination of existing relationships may feel more pressing, and what we value gets reexamined.

This time, Venus turns retrograde on October 3rd at 8 degrees Scorpio. Scorpio is intense. It`s associated with power struggles and with the harder feelings, abandonment, rejection, jealousy and passion. Venus is usually associated with pleasure, sweetness, pleasantness, and none of that is particularly comfortable in a sign built for telling it like it is.

That same day, Mars in Leo makes a precise opposition to Pluto in Aquarius. So the whole sky is underlining the same theme: power, control, who holds it and who doesn`t.

If you want to know where this plays out for you personally, look at which house Scorpio occupies in your chart. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks. Someone important from long ago may resurface.

Is there anyone from the past already on your mind? Are you making plans to get together with old friends?

Ready to explore how these cosmic energies shape your relationship with self-worth and love? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio).

#VenusRetrograde #Astrology #Scorpio #Relationships #SacredPsychiatry #SelfWorth

DISCLAIMER: Content shared is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a doctor-patient relationship. Astrological insights are offered as complementary perspectives, not as diagnostic tools or medical treatment. ...

Harnessing the Energy of Mars in Leo

Mars moved into Leo yesterday. This is a confident, dramatic energy associated with leadership, and passion. Creative self-expression takes center stage.

At its best, Mars in Leo is warm, heart-centered, and generous. At its less evolved, you get narcissism, self-aggrandizement, constant self-promotion, and a demand for loyalty and applause. Low-vibration Leo can be prone to feeling insulted, pouting, and moodiness in response to trivial slights.

My father had a phrase for that type, Beleidigte Leberwurst, German for offended liver sausage, meaning someone sulking over a minor slight. That thin skin is the shadow side of this transit, and it`s especially consequential when it comes to world leaders.

There`s also a harder edge to this ingress. That means this opposition catches Pluto almost standing still, right before it turns and starts moving forward again. When a planet stations, its energy is extra powerful. The same day Venus turns retrograde in Scorpio, so old relationships and money matters get reopened right as this power struggle peaks. Fixed sign oppositions don`t cooperate. They bring pressure, power struggles in a fight for control.

This one reads as dramatic, volatile, explosive, even violent in its expression. And this is the astrological backdrop presiding over the midterm elections, not peaceful, not harmonious, not cooperative. If you want to know where this shows up for you personally, look at which house Leo occupies in your chart.

Are you familiar with Beleidigte Leberwurst types?

Ready to explore the transformative energies of Mars in Leo? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio).

#MarsInLeo #Astrology #SelfExpression #PowerDynamics #SacredPsychiatry

DISCLAIMER: Content shared is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a doctor-patient relationship. Astrological insights are offered as complementary perspectives, not as diagnostic tools or medical treatment. Always consult with appropriate healthcare providers regarding medical decisions. ...

This reel was originally filmed in the fall of 2025.

What would politics look like if it was rooted in love instead of fear?

Meet James Talarico, a 36-year-old Texas Democratic lawmaker and former middle school teacher now running for Senate. Until recently, he was also a part-time seminary student, still intending one day to become a minister.

On September 10th, the day Charlie Kirk was shot, Talarico was scheduled to hold a campaign rally in San Antonio. He thought about canceling but instead chose a different kind of speech. He told Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: “I really wanted to show up, not as the politician, but as the pastor.”

Speaking to 2,000 people crammed into a local hamburger and pizza shop, he said: “People are hungry for a different kind of politics, not a politics of fear, not a politics of hate, not a politics of violence, but a politics of love.”

Talarico’s videos often go viral, challenging Republican leaders and conservative dogma from a Christian perspective.

This kind of leadership connects to something deeper than policy - it speaks to our collective soul. He closed that San Antonio rally with words from the New Testament: “Blessed are you who weep.” To him, it’s a reminder of the wisdom in grief. “If your heart is breaking right now, it means you still have a heart. It means you’re still human. Protect that, trust that - that is what will get us out of all of this.”

You can hear more of his vision in a July interview with Joe Rogan. I admire him. If you feel called, learn more about this man and let me know your thoughts.

Ready to explore more about healing our collective? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

#jamestalarico #politicstoday #spiritualleadership #compassion #sacredpsychiatry #texaspolitics #transformation #holistichealing #holisticpsychiatry #loveoverfear #collectivehealing ...

Kronos and Kairos: Living between clock time and soul time

Have you noticed how summer slipped away in the blink of an eye? Everywhere I turn, people are saying, “I cannot believe how fast time is flying.” The mornings are already dark again, days and months flip past, and before we know it, another birthday or Thanksgiving is upon us.

This is the realm of Kronos (Saturn’s time) - linear, embodied, measurable. Calendar pages turn, seasons change, children grow, milestones arrive, and time moves relentlessly forward at what feels like an ever-accelerating pace.

But there is another dimension of time: Kairos - the timelessness of Neptune’s archetype. This is the realm in which our soul exists. It’s captured in that poignant moment when you glimpse your own reflection in the mirror, surprised by the age in your face, while inwardly you feel not so very different than you did decades ago.

Kairos is not measured by clocks or calendars, but by depth, presence, and meaning.

As human beings, we live suspended between Kronos and Kairos. Our mortal bodies age as we travel Saturn’s path, yet our souls simultaneously dwell in Neptune’s ocean of timelessness.

To be awake to both is to live fully - honoring the reality of our finite days while remembering that within us breathes something eternal, spacious, and unbounded.

How are you experiencing the paradox of Kronos and Kairos in your own life now? I’d love to hear from you!

#kronos #kairos #saturn #neptune #sacredpsychiatry #spiritualastrology #soultime #agingandwisdom ...