In our daily life, we are faced with various situations where we need to make choices. While some choices can be easy and quick, some of them can be risky and difficult.

Life in 2020 due to the pandemic shifted to computer, tablet, and phone screens. With electronic screens literally becoming our windows to the world for the majority of us.

I was extremely fortunate to have studied under Jaak Panksepp before he sadly passed at just 74. Way too young to leave to make the journey to heaven, as he had so much to give.

In the last 10-years with the rise in cost of living I have seen first-hand how many couples and families are struggling to plan quality time together.

To develop a deep connection with your physical self, use Yoga daily, or an advanced exercise program to remain physically conditioned if you are more athletically minded.

Presence is a vital component of a loving relationship. To be able to foster a deeper connection and greater intimacy, we need to be present in our body and mentally attentive to the needs of the relationship in the moment.

The Fantasy Bond or Honeymoon Stage & Working Past this Stage to Succeed with Love By Tony Vernon, HWC, NMC, AMC, MMC

The Fantasy Bond was developed by Dr. Robert Firestone, to describe an unconscious, romanticized connection between two people, which is often rooted in fantasy-based expectations, and not grounded in reality. However, it is this fantasy bond, or more clearly the idealization of love, that brings us together at the start of a loving relationship as a couple.

Using or developing compassion as a skill is not just valuable in a loving relationship, but in need to embrace as a skill to learn for every person in the World. Compassion is the ability to sense and acknowledge the difficulties and suffering of others, and the ability to respond in a caring and supportive manner. Compassion is different to empathy. Empathy is clinically only possible to deliver in a specific way. For training in empathy please reach out to us. Most people think they are being empathic, but they are actually using compassion, not empathy. Compassion provides another with…

Universal Laws or Universal Truths are simply truths that give an individual permission to see the greatness within themselves, to appreciate their brilliance, to rise above mediocrity (the norm) and to know they can achieve whatever they want to achieve. Law of Service: As you honor, respect and love your own individuality, so you honor, respect and love the individuality of others. “The more I love myself, the more I can love/service others.” Law of Equality: Your true needs, wants, desires, hopes, dreams, wishes and their fulfillment are as important as those of any other soul in existence. “In The…

Why do we fall in love with a significant other? It is probably one of the most sought after answers for human-beings. What creates the spark, the lust, the connection, the attraction or the experience of falling in love with another? Love Begins to Flow in the Heart When people fall in love, they often experience a sudden rise in their heartbeat. Scientific research on the subject shows that love dramatically affects the brain after the heart has been stimulated. Three chemicals get released that rush to the brain which cause the exciting or euphoric connection and changes we experience:…

Community IS Medicine: How Community and Connection Facilitates Resilience, by Tony Vernon, HWC, NMC, AMC, MMC Human beings are built biologically to interact and be social. The level and quality of social interactions may differ from person to person, but the need for community and connection is biologically inherent for humans. Social connections with meaning are essential for human survival, to thrive and to feel good and optimistic. Social connections are as important as eating a nutritious diet, quantity and quality of sleep, or gaining the benefits from daily exercise workouts. Meaningful, purposeful relationships are immensely powerful, they fuel us…

Ever wondered why you go for ice cream or yogurt, or a big meal when you are stressed? Are we craving touch and trying to replace human touch with “inner touch” by eating food? The inside of your body is stimulated by eating food, in a similar way to how your skin is stimulated by human touch. This is because your digestive system: esophagus, stomach, gastrointestinal system and bowels are in essence an inward continuation of your skin. Your skin is rich with nerves, but so is your gastrointestinal system. The enteric nervous system is often referred to as our…

Understanding Depression Many people have described depression as a black curtain of despair coming down over their lives. Depressed people lose their ability to concentrate and have little to no energy most of the time. They become increasingly more irritable and often say to other people they are ‘feeling low or down’. People who have been feeling ‘down’ for more than two weeks are generally described as “clinically depressed”. Global Statistics on Depression During 2015–2018, 13.2% of adults aged 18 and over used antidepressant medications and use was higher among women (17.7%) than men (8.4%). Globally, 1 in 4 adults…

Acceptance is a skill and way of being and needs to be at the center of a loving relationship. Acceptance provides a sense of safety that your partner can be themselves in a loving relationship, and that you will support them. In communication acceptance comes when great listening is provided. Listening at a level that you accept the thoughts, feelings, intentions or actions your partner is sharing with you without judgment or evaluation, their inner and outer life. Your partner’s experience IS – it is not right or wrong. Accepting your partner’s thoughts, feelings, intentions and actions does not imply…

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (The ACEs Study) focuses on the adverse impact of traumatic or adverse childhood events on adult health. Adverse childhood experiences include physical and emotional abuse, mental illness of the caregiver, neglect, household violence, disruption at home and school, birth-related issues, etc.

There are hundreds and thousands of people struggling with goal setting. Some continue to struggle, while others seek professional help from a coach. People know that consulting a coach might be helpful in the reflection and evaluation process. As a coach, your responsibility is to help the client decide upon all the individual actions they will need to take to achieve their goals. You will have to use various specialized techniques and strategies to understand the goals of the client. Most importantly, you have to develop yourself as a coach in a way that you can ascertain what your clients…

Playfulness is a skill and is about creating an atmosphere of light-heartedness, fun and enjoyment when you communicate. Seriousness is needed sometimes, but not most of the time. Playfulness means learning to use a warm, light-hearted tone of voice with your partner, like you might use when having fun with a good friend. It’s about having fun, and expressing a sense of joy in your relationship. A serious, irritated, annoyed, frustrated, defensive or lecturing tone does not have the warmth that a loving relationship needs. Hence, playfulness is a way of being and skill that can shift your own attitude,…

Empathy is a skill, and can be used to validate the importance of your partner’s reality: thoughts, feelings or experience. When you use empathy in the right moments, your partner can feel your care and compassion for them in your relationship. Being empathic means you are actively showing your partner that their inner life: feelings, thoughts or experience is of the utmost importance to you, and that you want to be with your partner through their difficulties or hard times. With empathy, when your partner is stressed, or sad, or struggling in some capacity if you feel the stress or…

Curiosity is a skill and can be used to connect to another person’s reality, and to get to know them better, but it is an essential skill needed to connect in a loving relationship. When curiosity-based questions are used without agenda or judgment, with an accepting sincere tone they can help you to get to know what’s really going on in your partner’s world – heart, mind, thoughts, feelings, or life Sincere, genuine and warm curiosity-based questions allow you to discover what’s really going on in your partner’s reality, and do not generate emotions or defensive responses if curiosity-based questions…

Celebrated author Patricia Love has magnificently explained how most of us are familiar with the consequences of a relationship turning sour. She defines how many women are eager to hold up a conversation, while many men choose to walk away, lacking in communication skills. In her 2007 publication Why Women Talk and Men Walk: How to Improve Your Relationship Without Discussing It, Patricia explores a wide variety of aspects of a loving relationship. She takes her readers on a journey to explore these aspects. As mature human beings, we know how things can go when a relationship turns from sweet…