Psychotherapist's Journal | Thoughts and Tools to Inspire Wellness in Mind and Body by Karen Gorrin

Day of Wellness Retreat: Coherence and The Open Heart

I'm so excited to tell you about the next Day of Wellness Retreat!

Did you know the heart has the largest electromagnetic field in the body? This field constantly sends messages to every cell of the body. What message is your heart sending to you?

When we experience open heart emotions such as appreciation, gratitude, and compassion, our heart rhythm pattern becomes coherent, positively influencing our health, brain function, performance, and overall wellbeing. Yet when we experience stressful emotions such as frustration, anxiety, or anger, our heart rhythm pattern becomes irregular and incoherent, negatively affecting every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

AT THIS RETREAT YOU'LL LEARN practices to open your heart and increase your nervous system's coherence - helping to create a perfect balance in mind, body, spirit and emotions. We'll also explore the latest research in mind-body medicine about coherence and heart rate variability.

OUR TIME TOGETHER WILL INCLUDE: small group discussions, journal writing, guided imagery, gentle movement, meditation, and lots of inspiration for taking the next step towards transforming our lives.

Cost is $95 and includes an organic vegitarian lunch. Deadline to register is Friday, November 6 at 12:00 PM. No walk-ins, please. For corporate retreat information, please email: retreats@karengorrin.com

Please note, an RSVP on Facebook does not complete your registration but does temporarily hold your space. A conversation with Karen to confirm the appropriateness of this retreat for you at this time, together with full payment, are both required to complete your registration. Thank you.

Day of Wellness Retreats are designed and facilitated by psychotherapist Karen Gorrin, MA, LMHC of Olive Tree Healing Arts in Bellevue, Washington

Mindfulness Meditation and Healthcare Reform

This one brought joy to my heart. Representative Tim Ryan, a Congressman from Ohio, who earned his JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center, practices meditation. Not only this, he seems to grasp the critical role meditation and stress management plays in overall health, wellbeing, and disease prevention. And - he has brought these issues to the attention of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for consideration in healthcare reform. Listen to his pitch here.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe meditation and other forms of relaxation and stress management should play a role in healthcare reform? Do you believe we should emphasis such prevention strategies when we know stress is a major player in the development of disease and chronic illness? I do!

Day of Wellness Retreat: Cultivating Stillness July 20

  Join a group of amazing women for a Day of Wellness Retreat at beautiful Kelkari in Issaquah on Monday, July 20 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (an organic lunch is included)!

Our special topic is Cultivating Stillness and we'll look at the latest research in mind-body medicine about the health benefits of stillness, or quiet, peaceful listening. We'll also explore ways to enrich our sense of wellbeing with personal practices that support stillness in our lives. You'll leave with a sense of stillness in your heart, new tools to enhance your relaxation practice, having met an amazing group of wise women who like yourself, seek greater stillness at this time in their lives, and you'll gain insight and confidence about how to more deeply connect with the most important person in your life - you!

Our time together will include: small group discussion, journal writing, meditation, guided imagery and visualization, gentle movement, and lots of inspiration for taking the next step towards transforming our lives.

This Day of Wellness Retreat will be held on the beautiful grounds of Kelkeri in Issaquah, nestled next to Cabin Creek with 100 miles of nearby hiking trails. An organic box lunch is included. Facilitated by psychotherapist Karen Gorrin of Olive Tree Healing Arts in Bellevue. To register or for questions click here to email

Attunement with Nature

Just about the time the clouds shifted, and the beautiful blue sky that was hidden all morning emerged, three black crows landed on the tree next to me and started singing. Their concert continued for more than twenty minutes, lulling me into peaceful contentment.

If you squint you'll see the trio of crows sitting close together on the lower left branch in the photo. Without a zoom feature on my phone it looks like the birds are far away, but I could feel and see them as close neighbors.

Relaxing into the cadence of the music I wondered about the influence these sounds were having on my brain. I had just spent two days at the Wise Heart, Mindful Brain conference with Dan Siegel and Jack Kornfield learning about interpersonal neurobiology. Research now shows how mindful awareness stimulates very similar areas of the brain as listening to jazz music. Both have the ability to place us into a state of gentle self-attunement. Noticing my experience while listening to these birds, I felt an inner bliss and joy. It was a kind of recognition that expanded my sense of me to include my interconnection to the natural environment around me. I felt "in-tune" with the birds, the environment, and myself. When was the last time you celebrated the emerging light with your feathered friends?

I started to wonder if these were in fact crows or ravens? I didn't know the difference. A visit to wikipedia gave some background, but I found myself much more interested in the symbolic meaning of both birds in folklore and occult circles. In Buddhism, for example, the crow is associated with protection. The Dharmapala, the protector of the Dharma, is represented by the crow in one of his physical forms. The crow has also heralded the birth of several Dalai Lama. I will reflect on these qualities of my trio of visitors today. Whatever their purpose in sharing space with me, I warmly welcome the tradition of protection they bring. What are the symbols of protection in your life?

The Invitation - A Native American Prayer

What a gift I stumbled upon today. I was organizing some papers when I re-discovered this beautiful Native American prayer, The Invitation, adapted by Elder Oriah Mountain Dreamer. I had included the prayer in an interfaith chapel service I led at Swedish Medical Center several years ago while I trained and worked there as a pastoral counselor.

May you accept the invitation of this prayer, drink in the challenge of the words, listen closely as you deepen your relationship with yourself, hearing the truth of who you are, noticing what's working, and noticing where you might choose differently.

As a suggestion, you could follow your reading of this prayer with time for quiet reflection or journaling. You might also offer this invitation to someone special in your life. What a fabulous conversation you could have!

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living, how old you are, or how much money you have, whom you know, or how you came to be here.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

Wisdom from Brothers and Sisters

It's interesting where we can find the great insights. The other night I watched the season finale of the television show Brothers and Sisters. In a speech given by the Calista Flockhardt character Kitty, while officiating at her brothers wedding, she said, "It seems that when we give up on what was, that's when things we thought improbable, or impossible even, happen right before our eyes."

Go Kitty! When we let go of our attachment to things being a certain way, we give things space to be what they need to be. This applies to everything from people to life circumstances. When we grasp our life, our life becomes unable to unfold. In our attempt to hold on, we can actually loose. Yet when we let go, we often find ourselves gifted with our hearts desire.

Why do we grasp? I believe we sometimes forget what our inner wisdom knows to be true: The only thing that really exists is the present moment. That is all that exists. Now. Here. This moment. When we forget this, we can sometimes be lured into grasping onto an experience or idea from the past. But it only takes a second to come back. Do it now. Be still ... and open your heart and mind. You may be surprised what happens next.