Have you ever heard the phrase, “don’t go to bed angry”? And then you accidentally turn into this guy below around midnight? (refers to messy werewolf art prompt ), and maybe even say some things in that fight that you regret in the morning? Conflict is hard on the nervous system - it often puts us in stances of attack or defend if we get flooded. Flooding is a term from the Gottman Method that describes a state of physiological arousal that directly impacts our ability to r

Did you know that you can preserve your energy by setting boundaries? An old coworker once said in a consultation when someone asked a question about boundaries, “ask Ashlyn - she LOVES the B word” - and if the b word in question is boundaries, she was correct, I do love the B word. If you follow my business instagram (dreamsofblisstherapy), then you may have seen my blurb on “Dracula - the energy sucking vampire” - now I would never actually call a human being that because

Today kicks off my halloween drawing challenge combined with blog posts on my website! Over 2026 I started using art to process my thoughts and emotions and I'm so excited to combine art with my love of therapy and mental health! The first theme on the challenge (mabs dralloween club was the challenge I chose on my business instagram) was “moth maiden”. I drew a queen rosy maple moth in front of her castle with soft colors with the statement, “there is power in softness”. W

In the human experience many of us have moments while we feel dysregulated, flooded, triggered, stressed, and overwhelmed. Cortisol and adrenaline spike up and tell us "you are not safe" and "you are not okay" - so how do we convince our bodies and brains that we are going to be okay? I might not have the exact answer that you as a spectacular specific individual need right away, but I have some ideas that are worth trying either as starting points or habits. In a moment of p

What is defensiveness and why do we get defensive? Relationship researchers John and Julie Gottman define defensiveness as “denying any accountability or responsibility in a problem”. In the simplest of terms, defensiveness occurs in relationships when someone feels attacked and wants to defend themselves. It happens when we put our metaphorical dukes up and prepare to brawl - even though defensiveness can look and feel like self advocacy, it can also be a way to avoid meanin