Browse by theme:
[The Interior Landscape] · [Architecture of Attachment] · [The Language of the Infant] · [Rhythms]
The following reflections explore the profound, and often unspoken, emotional landscape of early parenthood. Within these papers, I invite you to consider the complexity of the bond between parent and infant—not as a series of problems to be solved, but as a relationship to be understood.
Please feel free to browse these themes at your own pace, choosing the reflections that mirror your current internal experience.
I. The Interior Landscape of Parenthood
Why do I feel I hate my baby? A look at the presence of strong, unsettling emotions and the space required to understand them.
Why do I have thoughts of hurting my baby? Thinking about the feeling of being threatened and the emotional roots of harm.
Why do I find it so hard to ask for help? Exploring the vulnerability of needing others and the history of self-reliance.
Why do I worry so much about my baby dying? Understanding the commonality of intrusive anxieties in the early months.
The impact of baby on your relationship with your partner On the sense of grief for the life that was, and the shift in the adult bond.
II. The Architecture of Attachment
The Importance of Fathers Acknowledging the vital, unique role of fathers in a child’s development and the evolving societal understanding of this bond.
How do I build a good relationship with my baby? How you can help your baby to feel happy, safe, and understood by you.
What does my baby need from me? The importance of safe dependency as a foundation for future independence.
What is a secure attachment and why is it so important for your baby’s future? Considering the long-term impact of early connection on wellbeing and outcomes.
Baby’s secure attachment and why is it so important for your baby’s brain? Understanding how relational experiences shape the physical development of the brain.
Why do I find it hard to play with my baby? A reflection on imagination, curiosity, and the challenge of letting the mind roam freely.
III. The Language of the Infant
How does my newborn baby communicate? Learning to figure out your baby’s unique cues and generalities to look out for.
Baby’s eye gaze: what does it mean? The profound connection of the human face and why it can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Why is it so hard to cope when my baby cries? When a cry feels like an intrusion or an accusation that shuts down the ability to think.
When your baby becomes a toddler Navigating the transition as your child begins to express their own mind and test boundaries.
IV. Rhythms and Collective Spaces
Baby’s sleep and self-soothing Learning the patterns of sleep and the gradual process of settling.
Baby’s Sleep and You Exploring the strong emotions evoked when your baby struggles to settle at night.
How can a Therapeutic Playgroup help you and your little one? Addressing isolation and the benefit of having a space for parents and children to be together.
Transformative Endings in a Therapeutic Group On the challenge and opportunity for change that emerges when a group comes to a close.