Blog
Let’s Talk About Seduction
Seductiveness is a perception that exists in the perceiver. One person might be turned on by a bikini, another by someone in a headscarf, another by a bare foot. What arouses us is based on our own private history, our own personal set of associations. How then could we possibly blame someone else for our desires?
The Mind Is Like a Desk With Many Drawers
The mind has many compartments for storing memories and wishes — just as a desk has many drawers for storing papers and files. Some of the mind’s compartments are locked and some are wide open. Some are stuck and open only with difficulty.
Money Is a Relationship
Have you ever thought about money as something you have a relationship with? Some people have an anxious relationship with money. For them, money is like a lover who is always about to leave, or else probably won’t be there for them when they really need it. Other people have an avoidant relationship with money. They think, “Money is just for rich people. It has nothing to do with me.”
A Doctor’s Note
When I was a teenager, my mother and stepfather became obsessed with my virginity. I was sexually abused as a child, so I hadn’t been a virgin for a long time, but no one wanted to talk about that. They wanted to talk instead about the boys they insisted I flirted with — most of all, Reza — all of whom I’d done absolutely nothing with. But my parents’ suspicions only increased.
Meha
I didn’t expect that meeting Meha was going to keep me up at night, but it did. In my dreams, those days, I was always on a boat in the middle of a dark ocean, when a bigger boat, full of male guards, stopped mine to arrest me and take me back to my family, who had paid for my abduction. I woke up screaming in my bed, night after night. It wasn’t Meha’s fault, of course…
I Heard His Voice…
Marco was waiting for me outside Jivamukti Yoga Studios, leaning against a white Ferrari. He held the door for me and I got in. “Okay, yoga girl,” he said. “What do you feel like eating?” “I don’t care,” I said. “Let’s just drive.” This was our first date. Spring 1998.
I Ran from Iran
It wasn’t easy to find the right Ali Mohamedian on Facebook. That name is about as common in Persian as “John Smith” is in English. But I was determined to make amends, after all these years. And to thank the man who was responsible for getting me out of Iran. “Atash, is that really you?”
I Can Fly
My curiosity with hypnotherapy began when I was a nanny during my first year of college in the United States. When the kids were asleep, I would watch T.V. to try to improve my English. One day, I saw a talk show about a woman who could heal people through hypnosis. “That’s magic!” I said out loud. “I want to do that.”
Painproof
Recently, I’ve hit a thick wall. I’ve been dealing with some health issues and have had no choice but to take a break. I work five days a week with teens at a high school and, on Saturdays and weeknights, with adults in my private practice. I don’t take a sick day unless it’s physically impossible for me to stand up. If there is a holiday, I leave the country to explore wildlife, hike, dive, or learn about a new culture. It’s all great, except that there are no pauses.
