Peace Psychology in a Time of War

Last week, as I was scrolling through my phone, I came across disturbing images of violence and unrest in Kashmir, including recent news reports of tourists tragically dying. The news deeply affected me because I had been there as a child as well as a tourist. It had been years since I visited the valley, […]

When Healing Feels Lonely: What I Now Know About Peace

“Avoiding your triggers isn’t healing. Healing happens when you’re triggered and you’re able to move through the pain, the pattern, and the story, and walk your way to a different ending.” ~Vienna Pharaon I thought I had figured it out. For a year, I had been doing the “inner work”—meditating daily, practicing breathwork, journaling, doing […]

I Thought I Was Protecting My Peace, But I Was Just Avoiding Conflict

“Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky, but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable.” ~Brené Brown If the title of this post gets under your skin, don’t worry, it gets under mine, too. I have a fierce aversion to conflict. That doesn’t mean […]

How 10 Days of Silence Brought Me Perspective and Peace

“Removing old conditionings from the mind and training the mind to be more equanimous with every experience is the first step toward enabling one to experience true happiness.” ~S.N. Goenka I just spent ten days sitting in absolute silence with about 100 strangers, time I previously thought I should’ve spent networking and applying for jobs […]