Monthly Archives: October 2011

Teaching Your Child the Power of Optimism

Posted by Janis R. Cohen, LCSW in Life and tagged with , , , , , ,

        Is your child’s cup half empty or half full?

“We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.”- Anais Nin

How does your child view life; positively or negatively?  What does your child expect from the world on a daily basis; pleasure or pain?  How does your child perceive his ability to recover from setbacks, life challenges, and emotional struggles; with ease or difficulty?  Does he let upsetting moments “roll off his back like a duck”;chalking them up to moments in time; seeing them as springboards for change? Or does he internalize the negativity associated with the experience and find fault within himself?  Continue reading →

Gene Simmons, the Eulogy and the Coffin

Posted by Janis R. Cohen, LCSW in Life and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at anytime.”
Mark Twain.

Gene Simmons’s show, Family Jewels, is a reality show; and a very interesting one at that.  In last night’s episode, he and his  future wife, at the time it was taped, Shannon, attended a program called “The Marriage Boot Camp.”  This program was designed to break through the barriers that prevents couples from finding true happiness and fosters emotional intimacy.

The major issue for Gene and Shannon was his infidelity, which had been heavily hidden throughout their 28 year relationship.  Only recently was his cheating behavior discovered, as photos of him, being with other women, were leaked to the internet. Continue reading →

What’s the Point of Prayer?

Posted by Janis R. Cohen, LCSW in Life and tagged with , , , ,

Does prayer really work or are we wasting our time speaking to the air?

It doesn’t matter what name you call God and it doesn’t matter if you think God is white, black, hispanic, invisible or non-existent.  It really doesn’t.  But I have to say, that everyone, at one time or another, has prayed TO something FOR something.  Anyone who denies that , regardless of your religious upbringing, cultural background or family traditions, isn’t being truthful. Continue reading →

What is Your Body Telling You?

Posted by Janis R. Cohen, LCSW in Life and tagged with , , ,

Everything that is alive pulsates with energy and all of this energy contains information.  Each of us has seven energy centers, called Chakras.   And every experience we have has it’s own energy.

You can see, from the image above, the essential element that each chakra represents.  Here is a little more detail about each chakra. Continue reading →

Weighed or Counted?

Posted by Janis R. Cohen, LCSW in Life and tagged with , , ,

Rumi, a 13thcentury Persian poet, is just but one voice in the mystical tradition of
writing Sufi poetry.  Sufi’s are lovers of the truth. Through love and devotion they seek to become one with their
beloved.

Rumi wrote, “God, long ago, drew a circle in the sand; exactly around the spot where you are standing right now.”  Meaning, that you were always coming here, to this exact spot in time and you must know,
that whatever is happening in this moment, was always going to happen.  In this spot of life, in this circle of sand where you are right now, what is happening and for what purpose? Continue reading →

What Makes You Happy?

Posted by Janis R. Cohen, LCSW in Life

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It
means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” (Author unknown)

Two men in the same room were asked, “What makes you happy?”  The first man, who was a very successful businessman said; “I will only be happy when I never get frustrated with my kids and I have five of them; when I have 10% body fat and I’m at 11; when I make five million dollars a year and I make 4 million now; when I am in a position that I don’t have to travel so much but my business requires it.”  By most standards, this man should be feeling totally happy.  But he is miserable because nothing is ever good enough. Continue reading →