Blog

“Living in Awareness”, are words that I have heard and read repeatedly from spiritual masters. They say, it is the key to Living in Balance. I always felt this was difficult to practice. However, recently, on my first solo leisure trip I discovered that being in the present moment or being aware doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be effortless and an extremely joyful experience.I like to travel and explore new places. Generally, there is an itinerary to be followed so that we don’t miss out on anything worth viewing. However, this time, there was “no agenda”. I felt,...

At times I meet clients who come only once because they want to just talk and feel understood without being judged. Nazia* is one such client. Although I heard her for just 2 hours, the narration of her life will stay with me forever. Hailing from a lower middle-class family, Nazia and her younger sister, Razia* were brought up by their loving grandmother. Her father had abandoned them when she was about 3 years old, and her mother was pregnant with Razia. That had left her mother mentally unstable. Her mother would often go away from the house unannounced and...

My profession facilitates me to meet people of different ages, profession and culture. There is always something that is special, unique, striking about most people. Some of them leave a very strong and positive impression in my mind. I recently met one such person, whom I will always remember with admiration. After meeting him I wondered if age, education and upbringing really mattered as much as we highlight its importance. Mohit* is 30 years old and comes from modest background. When I met him, his haircut, heavy and loud voice, mannerisms and language reminded me of Sanjay Dutt's character "Munnabhai"...

A couple of weeks back when I was looking for an old document, I came across some precious gems preserved over the years. These were letters and cards given to me by people, some close some not so close. As I was going through these, I read a letter written to me by a colleague of mine (who later became a good friend). In this letter dated over two decades back, my then colleague had expressed her gratitude to me for being the only person who had stood by her as a pillar of strength when she was going through...

Karan was very hurt when his wife Madhavi told him that she doesn't trust him with  money. Radha was hurt when her husband Sanjay joked about her accounting skills in the presence of a group of friends. Manasi was upset that her teenage daughter called her a control freak. Javed was extremely hurt when his parents told him that he will never be able to succeed in life because he scored less marks in board exams. Priya was hurt when her friends did not include her while planning a lunch date. Ashaji, a retired school teacher, had tears in her...

A few months back, as I greeted her for the first time, she appeared composed and friendly. Malini sounded very sad over the phone when she had called to book an appointment with me. She had mentioned that she was feeling very low and at times felt that there is nothing to look forward to in life. Had I not received that call myself, I would not have believed that it was the same person I spoke to over the phone. Once we had exchanged pleasantries and settled, tears started welling up in Malini's eyes. "Whom do I live for...

"Can there be unconditional love? I don't believe there can be. You tell me Prerna, have you ever seen any marriage without conditions? What is wrong if I say I would like to be in this marriage only if he makes me his priority?" Kinjal was furious after a discussion she had with her husband the previous night. She and her husband had been coming to me for marriage counseling.  I was aware of the difficult times Kinjal had gone through in her marriage and could understand her frustration. Her words left me thinking of the response I can give...

  As a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, I get the opportunity of meeting people from different walks of life and at different stages in life. Last week, I had the privilege of meeting an impressive Senior Citizen, Mr. Prasad Swaminathan*. His arrival 10 minutes before time, the firm handshake as well as his escort, a man in uniform, gave me an idea that Prasad ji must have been a Uniformed officer. I later learnt that he had retired as Chief of his Cadre Services. Prasad ji had recently suffered a head injury, due to which some of his brain functions were...

From seeking shadows to being the light An only child and the youngest of all cousins, I grew up in a very protected environment, loved by one and all in the family. As I compared myself with my cousins, right from a very small age I concluded that I was dark and not good looking. Having experienced bereavement in the family in early childhood, I was timid, withdrawn, sensitive and probably mature beyond my age. Academically, I performed better than the average students in class. But I was never a topper, because I was too lazy and wasn’t self-motivated. My...

  Speaking with our children in a way that they listen to us and listening to them in a way that they talk to us, is an art parents need to practice for easy communication with their children. Good communication is an important parenting skill that can lead to an enjoyable, positive parent-child relationship. Listed below are some of the points that we discussed at Mums World recently, which are applicable for parents of toddlers as well as teenagers: Be aware of children's ability to understand. Parents need to communicate with their children, keeping in mind their age. It is...

"I wish we talked to each other at home!", was 21 years old Pinky's response when she was brought to me by her parents for counselling. Before I spoke to the family about the issues they wanted to discuss with me, I asked Pinky if she was comfortable seeing a counsellor for help. Pinky's eyes immediately welled up as she responded to me. She said she was okay with discussing her issues with me but the requirement would have not arisen had there been enough communication at home. Pinky's parents were concerned because she had failed in exams. She had...

  We had one more session of Mums World support group this week and Coping with Sibling rivalry was the topic discussed in the session. Every household with two or more children face sibling rivalry at various levels. Siblings are like friends that children have at home. Friends in a school classroom or on a playground enjoy time together as well as fight at times. Similarly, siblings have their fun times and fight times too. This is very normal. However, parents would like this to stop, to enjoy a more peaceful home. It is natural for parents to want their...

When I woke up this morning, the first thought that crossed my mind was, how can mums world be complete without a mention of my mums. Yes, you read it right. Mums, because I have two mothers, one who gave birth to me and the other is my aunt who helped my mother in raising me. I feel blessed to have double fold love of these two most wonderful women in my life. We often count our blessings, offer gratitude to the supreme energy / God...for whatever we feel we are blessed with. However, it is very rare that we...

Hello Mums! PrernaTherapy from Pune welcomes you to Mums World! Mums World is ......   Mums World, is an exciting support group for mothers, started as a self-help initiative, with guidance offered by me (Prerna Shah, practicing Counsellor and Psychotherapist) at PrernaTherapy. It is an opportunity for mothers to mingle with like minded women at a similar stage in life. A channel to share the joyful moments as well as the challenges of juggling multiple roles that Mothers play in this modern world. In short, Mums World is a community that facilitates non-judgmental exchange of ideas to allow women to...