Category: Healing

• Dreaming an Alternative to Blame

  It is a lovely, chilly day, one of those almost perfect late winter days filled with sun and cloud, a day when one can see a long way. I’ve been having conversations with folks recently about responsibility and blame. Mostly these discussions happen around the painful moments in people’s lives. In our culture, the prevailing…

  Michael Watson PhD

  February 18, 2016

  First Nations, Healing, Psychotherapy, Shamanism, Stories

  blame, healing, Native American, Shamanism, stories

• My Life Is A Gift

  

  This morning I met with a student who is working on a piece of historical fiction about distant family members who were settlers in the Dakotas. As we spoke about her writing, she mentioned fire that had burned the upper floor of this family’s mansion. The student had found a report in the town newspaper…

  Michael Watson PhD

  February 12, 2016

  Disability, Healing, Stories, Teaching

  Polio, stories, survival, teaching

• Remembering the Healing Stories

  Lauret Savoy ends Traces with this: “Remembering is an alternative to extinction.” Remembering is a well-formed story. One of my early clinical teachers used to insist that neurosis was that which prevented the development of healing story, and that psychotherapy was the search for stories that worked. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is…

  Michael Watson PhD

  January 17, 2016

  Healing, native american, Psychotherapy, Shamanism, Stories

  healing, Jr., Martin Luther kIng, Native American, psychotherapy, Shamanism, stories

• The Miracle of a Body

  New Years Eve; outside, a dramatic sunset. The weather has turned chilly and damp, almost seasonal, and there are finally a few inches of snow on the ground. This evening we will visit with friends, bringing in the New Year with games, food, and a good fire. I began writing this in daylight and must…

  Michael Watson PhD

  December 31, 2015

  Disability, native american, Shamanism, Social issues

  body, Christmas, disability, Solstice