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On a recent drive to the mountains of NC, my husband and I were talking as NPR played on the radio in the background. I heard a phrase that broke through to my awareness, and I stopped our conversation and turned up the volume. All joy and no fun, I heard repeated again as my husband and I tuned int

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 6/19/2013 1:15 PM It is 4:45 pm, and in my perfect world, this blog was going to be written before noon. Well, actually last Wednesday before noon. But that didn’t happen either day, because urgent things kept coming up. For instance, this morning I took

January 5, 2014 This story starts on the first Sunday of Advent, which this liturgical year was December 1st, 2013. It was evening, and I was home alone decorating my tree. I felt good, happy, was listening to Handel's Messiah , had eaten a good dinner and was sipping a glass of wine in between hang

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 10/24/2011 11:01 AM Well, the first blog about guilt and shame got people talking! Several friends and colleagues even called wanting to talk more about this whole issue! The most common question that was raised was whether there was such a thing as unhea

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 10/11/2011 7:52 AM Now here’s a topic that might need a few weeks of writing to deal with adequately! However, several readers have asked that I address this topic, so here goes. In very abbreviated versions, here are some working definitions of guilt and

March 25, 2014 Due to the fact that I hang around many faith-based people, and also because the season of Lent has become so popularized, I have heard many comments about what people are giving up for Lent. It has been traditional to fast during Lent, often from a certain food or substance. When I w

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 8/16/2011 2:17 PM August 8, 2011 It will come as no surprise to readers that stress and stress related problems are on the rise. A stress related problem may present itself as anxiety, depression, malaise, anger, outbursts, heart palpitations, forgetfulne

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 3/15/2012 8:02 AM “You’ve had so many endings in the past few years,” my therapist said to me after I shared a disturbing dream with her. Oh yes, I thought, and many more to come. I had already been thinking about the ways my life was transitioning, and h

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 2/11/2014 11:46 AM Yes, you read that title correctly. Embrace the dysfunction. This is one of the best pieces of holiday advice I can give you. I am not talking about embracing pathological or destructive behavior. I am talking about embracing normal, un

Posted by AmySanderMontanez at 5/25/2011 2:51 PM The mysterious world of dreams is a source of confusion for many. There are those who tell me they dream all the time but don’t know how to think about their dreams. Some tell me they dream but don’t “believe in” dreams, and still others