A Better Life Therapy, LLC

All proceeds will go towards our BIPOC Community Therapy Fund Initiative. This initiative was developed to offer free therapy opportunities to the BIPOC community. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mindful-movement-tickets-12055

In 2013, I (Elizabeth) rented a super super small office on Walnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia. Using furniture that people were willing to donate to me and by building a very amateur website, I opened A Better Life around this time in that year. . My sister sent me this photo, which was taken today, in 2014. A year after opening. At this point some other therapists has joined the practice (still with us today!) and we moved into slightly larger spaces. . Since then, ...we’ve grown to a team of therapists serving people in person in Philadelphia and The Main Line & Online in PA, NJ, and California. . We serve hundreds of people a week, run workshops, and train therapist interns. . : So proud of this practice and the people that work within it. I love them and our clients so much. See more

One of the reasons affirmations might not work, or feel a bit cringe, is because they lack believability. If you feel completely hopeless, an affirmation like '...I'm grateful or my life' won't resonate or feel embodied when you say it. So usually we say them for a little while and then they're relegated to the heap of abandoned self help strategies. I like affirmations rooted in reality (surprise, surprise) and ones that feel believable. They feel embodied because we believe they're actually true. 'This shit fucking sucks, but I will get through it' feels much more true than, 'I'm so grateful for the blessings of this pain' or whatever. If you have realistic affirmations you say to yourself, and feel comfortable sharing, would love to hear them in the comments. #inthetrencheswithyou See more

An faq from the other day: What is DPA? . DPA stands for diffuse physiological arousal. It’s also known as flooding. . Through 45 years of researching thousands... of couples, @gottmaninstitute found that when couples escalated in their fights their body responded by increasing heart rate and secreting stress hormones. . The flooding experience is outside of the control of the person experiencing it - their body feels threatened and is sending survival messages throughout. This shows up as: A heart rate above 100 BPM (on average, could be different depending on your baseline) Blood being drawn away from your peripheral body parts and into the center of your body (do you notice your hands getting pins and needles, feeling numb, or legs feeling wobbly?) The frontal lobe is deactivated and the amygdala is activated Breathing becomes fast & shallow (Other stuff happens too, but we will leave it at this for now :)) . When this happens, our brains don’t operate in the same way. They become hyper focused on threat because they are trying to keep us safe. This means that we won’t have access to things like affection or humor. . It also becomes difficult to listen, understand, ask questions, etc. . Problem solving becomes challenging. And you might find the person repeating themselves a lot or just shutting down completely. . Learning to recognize DPA in yourself or your loved one can be a beautiful way to tend to your own physiological needs (or allow the other person to tend to theirs). And, as you learn to recognize this, take breaks, and soothe in the midst of conflict you’re teaching each other that you’re relationship is in fact a safe place to be (for the body, mind, and heart) See more

A great thought to keep in mind. . . . .... #moodregulation #mood #emotionalhealth #therapy #abetterlifetherapy #phillytherapist #mainlinetherapist #balacynwyd #onlinetherapy #onlinetherapist #couplestherapy #phillybest #partnership See more

Interested in scheduling a session with us? We are available for online session for residents of PA, NJ and CA. https://abetterlifetherapy.com/contact

https://abetterlifetherapy.com//complicated-grief-and-fami

Do you struggle to hear your partner vent? Read more on tips that can help with this: https://abetterlifetherapy.com//do-you-struggle-to-hear-yo

Parentification is the word to describe a role reversal within the family unit. Some of the most invisible wounds carried are by children who are sensitive ...and empathetic. Children who are emotionally sensitive are more likely to take a role or fall in a dynamic of parentification or enmeshed boundaries. For many children, the role of caretaker was familiar because their parents were not able to fully meet their needs or maintain their safety. Children who are caught up in emotional role reversals are forced to grow up fast, too son, losing their childhood. These children grow up to always feel like they are not good enough, they have difficulties in relationships due to over giving and enmeshed boundaries, becoming a rescuer in relationships. (Sound familiar to anyone else? ) These patterns in behavior can lead to resentment or emotional and physical fatigue. And, so often we parentify unconsciously, because we aren’t clear on our parenting values, because we repeat patterns that caused us to rely on our children to meet the needs that they were never meant to meet. How do we make sure we don’t repeat these patterns? We commit and re-commit to parenting in a way that is aligned with the principles of decolonized Nonviolence, from a heart space, and with the intention of raising ourselves as we raise them as sovereign spirits. We’ll expand on these practices this Saturday October 24th in our Decolonized Nonviolent Parenting workshop. Sign up here: https://www.latinxparenting.org//intro-to-decolonized-nonv #latinxparenting #endchanclaculture #ijustwantmigentetoheal #thecyclestopsconmigo #decolonizingourfamilias #raisingfutureancestors

ABLT, is currently requesting donations here from anyone who is able to contribute so ABLT can provide mental health resources to the BIPOC Community, free of charge. All donations will go directly towards pro-bono private therapy sessions from ABLT for anyone in the BIPOC Community who is in need of mental health assistance right now. Click here to donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/ Help support A Better Life Therapy, LLC by donating or sharing with your friends.

What are your thoughts about this? . . . .... #iloveyou #imissyou #ichooseyou #abetterlifetherapy #phillytherapist #mainlinetherapist #balacynwyd #onlinetherapy #individualtherapy #bestof2020 See more

Through the BIPOC Community Therapy Fund it is our mission to raise funds to offer therapy to the BIPOC Community free of charge. Learn More here: https://abetterlifetherapy.com/bipoc-community-therapy-fund