Anger is often thought of as a dangerous emotion. Sometimes anger just wants to be validated, and then we feel more calm. But sometimes anger is indicating a need.

Therapy spaces talk a lot about emotions. Therapists, therapeutic texts and the work in sessions themselves will often emphasize that getting to know your emotions leads to growth.

One of the early and essential parts of healing is noticing, staying with, and beginning to name your experience. Even tentatively finding language for the emotions, dynamics or beliefs that have organized one’s life can help these key realities be felt and processed.

In Releasing Our Burdens: A Guide to Healing Individual, Ancestral and Collective Trauma, Richard Schwartz and Thomas Hubl co-author an exploration of how trauma impacts not only individual bodies, but communities and societies. They reference Janina Fisher’s definition as a helpful starting point for understanding trauma: trauma is “an ongoing, felt lack of safety, that impacts us mentally and emotionally, originating from a broad range of harmful experiences”. 

It can seem like the bad news never stops. We have more access to news, and faster, from further reaches of the world, than any society before us.

This is a dark week for Canada, as tragic images and videos flood through our phones. Canadians were left stunned and grieving after one of the biggest mass shootings in Canadian history occurred in Tumbler Ridge on February 10, 2026. No words can adequately speak to a tragedy like this that has changed the lives of so many families, the community of Tumbler Ridge, and Canada forever. What does it mean to hold grief for the unthinkable?

As we navigate our lives, there are always two dynamic forces at play. The first is the relationship we have with our inner world or system (can be used interchangeably). We all have varying degrees of awareness of what the landscape of our inner world looks like, and there are different tools and practices we can access to help deepen our awareness (e.g. Internal Family Systems).

What are you noticing within your system as we approach the holiday season? Perhaps there is some anticipation of extended time and space to more intentionally relax and connect with loved ones. There may also be some trepidation about what those relational dynamics may look and feel like. Grief in its many forms can manifest as well. Whatever you notice, before, during and after the season, know that all of it is welcome. You do not have to feel a certain way around the holidays, even though there may be expectations (familial and societal) to do so. You have a choice.

When approaching trauma, it is important to understand that different types require different treatments. Traumas must be addressed according to their specific needs. In your lifetime, you may have experienced a single incident, or acute trauma.

Trauma can be understood as a relational violation – or, put another way - a violation of connection (Frank Anderson).  Seen through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS), trauma creates a chasm between our Core Self and parts of our psyche. These parts come into being at the origin of a relational violation/violation of connection.

We all have different understandings of what “fun” means to us. One person may find meaning and enjoyment in a certain hobby or interest, while another may prefer something else entirely. Sometimes we develop new passions for things as we grow along our respective journeys, or we may just stick to what we know. Either way, these things that we consider fun seem to ignite something deeper within our core.