Bright Path Counseling Center

Here is a fun song for the current times: https://youtu.be/_g53PwvAzZE

If you find yourself not acting your usual way you are very normal. We are trying to adjust to a very abnormal situation. Not only is it abnormal and different it seems to be changing all the time. We aren't even sure what to adjust to. The new normal is a moving target. We have a natural reaction to all this which is called shock. It is the protective state our mind goes to when we are overwhelmed. And there is no doubt these are overwhelming times. Shock looks differe...nt in different people and then again it is different at different times. There are two kinds. One kind is when you might find yourself withdrawing, not paying attention, forgetting, slowing down, sleeping more, procrastinating and losing interest. The other kind is when you swing to the opposite and find yourself fidgeting, pacing, speaking rapidly, speaking louder, interrupting others, talking over others, being extra energetic and not knowing when to stop talking. Both are examples of shock. We can function well in shock but we are existing in a diminished state. Recognize it and you can deal with it better. Seeing it in others will help explain unpleasant interactions. With knowledge, patience, understanding and forgiveness are closer at hand. Recognizing it in oneself leads us to better action. We need to lower the overwhelm. Take a drink of water, brew a cup of tea, find comfort in a snuggly blanket or a warm conversation. Do whatever feels as though you are pampering yourself. Realize the shock and attend to it and change back closer to your regular self. Hang in there. The earth still goes around the sun.

Coronavirus Raises Anxiety Mental Health Takes It’s Toll Bright Path has Video/Phone Sessions Available Now for New and Existing Clients.... Call During Business Hours to Make an Appointment 315-458-0919 See more

It is important to provide good mental health in this time of a state of emergency. Bright Path is following the call for social distancing and providing a safe environment for our staff and our clients. Our safest path is to move all of our sessions to TeleHealth. We are equipped to use computer video sessions for all encounters. Our front office angels, Debra and Diane, will guide you through the process.... Please practice social distancing and wash your hands. We are staying connected and available for sessions to continue until we can see you in our offices again. Sharon

The holidays are both heart warming and heart wrenching. We miss those no longer with us and may feel bad about those that seem to have let us down. The one person that is always there is ourselves. The only one we can truly have an effect on is us. So lets look at the questions. Are we currently there for ourselves both in love and caring and showing up to do our best? Are we taking the time to send good emotional messages, give healthy attention to our physical being... and making time for our spiritual self? Are we keeping up friendships and repairing family matters so we have a full enhanced life brimming with fulfilling relationships? Are we at least peaking out to see what is good in our world? The earth is still in its orbit. The sun still shines, even if behind the clouds. I'm taking another breath and I have the ability to read this and share with another soul who is interested and caring and sending out the energy to connect today. May we all find a place of gratitude and energy to improve this moment in time we share. Blessings on your New Year to come as we try our best to close this one out with the best smile we can muster from deep within to us within.

Massage Therapy Bright Path Counseling Center Call 315-458-0919 60 min $70 90 min $105... Hot Stone Therapy 90min $115 Swedish, Deep Tissue, Prenatal And Sports Massage Available *Aromatherapy included (Ask about therapeutic blends!) *Hot Towels $10 See more

A holiday weekend, yeah! At last setting aside more time for whatever we choose. Oh, I know, there are the expectations of others, plans someone else has made, maybe a family tradition or maybe the march forward to be more productive or catch up on all the things we've been waiting to find time for. Just be sure to claim the time for yourself and remember that whatever you do with it you are the one that actually makes the choice for you, no matter what you try to tell yourself or blame someone else for it. No, its your choice so revel in your choice, own it, reclaim another part of your life. Make it truly a gift to yourself to enjoy and leave the resentment of blaming anyone or anything else to another life time.

Hello! We have finished creating a beautiful massage room at Bright Path. We are looking for a massage therapist interested in joining our center. Please send resumes to this site or call the office. Many people will benefit from an opportunity to relax, become more in touch with their physical presence or work on chronic pain issues. It will be a wonderful addition to our holistic approach to life.

Meditation is not always what you think it is. In fact it is probably much easier than you realize. Wikipedia states that Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique such as mindfulness, or focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. The real point of meditation is to focus on one thing so much that everything else mixing throug...h your mind simply falls away. This is where the calm comes from. Less noise inside the mind allows single thoughts to float to the surface providing a sense of clarity when that one thought becomes the only focus. Focusing includes becoming immersed in music or nature sounds. Focusing means getting lost in something intriguing or something beautifully breath taking. It also might be physical monotonmy taking step after step or running or rowing or whatever is repetitious in movement or thought. Repeating words, phrases or language or segments like prayers or poems could result in the same as well. You may create your own mantra to use. Meditation is what you choose it to be so have fun and think out of the box. Don’t work at it. Soar with it. S.A.D.

Spring time has arrived. The northern hemisphere prepares to wake up soil and plants to begin a new growing season with promise and positive expectation. We can do that with our thoughts, energies and emotions as well. First survey what already exists. It’s time to clean up old worn out decaying leftover thoughts and practices. Second, look for new growth from well rooted strong healthy bonds that are tried and true and have weathered all the ups and downs of years past... Third, carefully find the new growth from seeds you planted last year or from new opportunities blown into your garden of life. Forth, prepare yourself for new ideas, fresh outlooks and expanded horizons. Fifth, dig deep to plow through mistaken beliefs, overturn what never produces your best and uncover what lies below the surface. Sixth, go out to new areas and shop for new ideas and practices to plant and new tools to use. Seventh, take a break to enjoy a very good beginning to a new season of growth. S.A.D. See more

We often look forward to the weekend. Well here it is. What do I make of my weekend? Should I sleep in? Of course that would mean no one is going to bother me. Should I plan something fun, or by now maybe recover from something fun? And what is fun for me anyway? Should I cram in trying to get all those things done that are waiting for my attention? Wow, just thinking about the questions has already eaten up part of my weekend, but not really. Balance. The answer is ...always balance. Contemplating what is important to me is never a waste of time. It allows me to take time for me, but then again the way I look at it frames the whole experience. Life is in the living and that means living every breath and living it fully. Be in the moment. Breathe into the moment. Let the moment settle in and be experienced. Now I have begun a weekend where I take pleasure in finding time to breathe. Finding time to appreciate that i am here. Finding time to rejoice in the ability to take this breath. May your life unfold with contentment and surprise. S.A.D.

Falling asleep at night can be challenging. It is something we need to do in order to have the energy to live the next day. It is a time needed to reenergize the body. When a body is asleep all energies are available for childhood growth and for physical healing at all ages. Sleep is also a time for the mind to make sense of the day that has passed. The emotional state of a person may come to a resting point in deep sleep and if you are cognizant of the opportunity, you... may start the next waking cycle with a different emotion, preferably a more positive one. You may increase the chances of this by waking to pleasant sounds or pleasant sights or pleasant reminders of what is good and positive. It is a worthy endeavor to pursue deep sleep every night, if not we will miss the opportunity to be at our best to live fully the next day. Habits help. Going to bed at a consistent time with a usual wake up time trains the body and mind to shut down out of habit, more easily. Bedtime rituals repeated every night help to prepare for the upcoming habit. Children are notorious to demand sameness at bed time. They are naturally correct on this one. What is your bedtime ritual and how can you make it more relaxing and repetitive? Make sure your sleep space is set up for sleep: calm and relaxing. TVs in the bedroom are common but they are stimulating and do not set the mood for sleep even though many people fall asleep in front of them. Covering them with a peaceful tapestry at bed time is a nice compromise. Give it a go and look for some good benefits. S.A.D.