Spiritual Sofa

A blog on mental health, spirituality, and personal discovery



Shimmy F Shimmy F

A Prayer for Shul

Maybe this is a New York thing, but I find that many of us are quick to judge. It’s evident in the way we talk about ourselves and other people. Myself included.

Read More
Shimmy F Shimmy F

Pray

Thursday. I didn’t mind the train ride, but I wasn't looking forward to it either. I sat down, lost in my thoughts, not really paying attention to my surroundings. I looked to my right, and a word scrawled in block letters on the pole came into focus, blue marker on stainless steel: PRAY.

Read More
Shimmy F Shimmy F

How to Inspire Change

Reading the newspaper Thursday evening, the headline jumped out at me. How could it be? A respected clinician, using such a word? (Especially after I just wrote a blog post about it last week?)

Read More
Shimmy F Shimmy F

Watch Your Language

Watch your language! No, not the words you can’t say on TV, or their permutations. I’m talking here about the words we use to describe ourselves and others. Words like Stupid, Bad, and (my favorite) Pathetic. Do you use these words in your speech, or even quietly, in your own mind? While looking at yourself in the mirror? When you catch yourself doing something you don’t want to be doing?

Read More
Shimmy F Shimmy F

Chanukah Miracles and Confectionery Sugar

My brother quoted a beautiful thought from Rav Chaim Shmulevitz. Permit me to paraphrase. Why do we celebrate the slow-burning oil as opposed to, well, victory against all odds and staying alive?

Read More
Shimmy F Shimmy F

What Makes a Good Therapist?

One of the first questions I ask new clients is if they have ever been in therapy before. If they have, it is tremendously helpful to know what was helpful for them in the past, and what wasn’t; what they liked about their previous therapist or therapists, and what they didn’t.

Read More
Shimmy F Shimmy F

I’m a Psychotherapist. Should I have a blog?

As professionals in the mental health field, we have much to share with the world. And especially as Orthodox Jews in this profession of giving, we are in a unique position to contribute to our community.

Read More