My Journey with Body Image
My body, on its own, without any accessories, in its natural form, has never been good enough for me. I [...]
Community, Abuse, and Healing
As a psychologist, I work a lot with adult survivors of child sexual abuse — a difficult but vital topic [...]
Regaining Control over Mikveh
Sometimes it feels like there are many negative distractions to the experience of mikveh that cloud my ability as I [...]
Coming Home
Deep breath. Ok, made it. It’s over. Another one down. Ok, out of the water, pat-pat-pat, throw the towel down [...]
Infertility and Prayer: Hana and Sarah
In Judaism, the archetype of prayer is Hana, a barren woman praying for a child. But since my infertility diagnosis, [...]
Helping a Kallah Overcome OCD
Photo by Alban Martel on Unsplash The Eden Center advises women who experience OCD to seek out a therapist [...]
What Do I Feel at the Mikveh?
Twenty-six years ago, before I got married, I learned the laws of taharat hamishpacha, as well as a deeper approach [...]
Pour Out Your Heart Like Water
Pour out your heart like water; for you are in the presence of Hashem (Lamentations 2:19). photo by Paul [...]
PTSD is my Disability
Photo by Leora Pinto Post-trauma is a psychiatric issue that stems from an external event in a person’s [...]
I Wanted to Die Last Night: Endometriosis
Photo by Daniel Garcia Endometriosis is a condition in which the layer of tissue that normally covers the [...]
Jewish Women and Self-Care
International Women’s Day is a good day to consider the pressure many women feel to keep juggling all of these roles, sometimes at the cost of their own well-being.
Why Isn’t He Aroused? Issues in Male Sexual Functioning – Part 2
This is the fun part! The part where curiosity, exploration and playfulness are key. Feeling comfortable exploring our own sexuality and our ‘couple sexuality’ is not always easy. It may be a bit awkward at first as many people have been brought up with the notion that talking about sex and sexuality is immodest or not “tzanua”. Open communication is essential in all areas of our relationships--refraining from such open conversation in many circumstances can lead to great marital discord. The results of a couple exploring and discovering on their own what helps or impedes arousal are tremendous.
The ‘Disabled’ Mikveh Attendant
by: nick-van-den-berg To further educate mikveh attendants and the larger community about the challenges of disabled women at [...]
A Place for Me to be Reborn
It didn’t matter that it was hard or that my husband wouldn’t be awake or care at all. It didn’t matter that the past few years had been so hard I felt a massive wall between me and God……. because at that moment, he cracked the wall and was allowing me in. I got ready for the mikveh, b’simcha. Wanting to reconnect. Wanting to cleanse. Wanting to get rid of the impurities in my life and be born anew, ready to face the world in a clear and true way with Hashem and my husband beside me.
Enough from Within
How we conceptualize and judge ourselves often colors the way we believe that others are perceiving us. Self-consciousness and body image struggles are common for women, and they can be exacerbated through inevitable changes that happen through the lifespan. Weight gain, aging, acne, hormone changes, illness- these all bring a heightened attention to one’s body and can bring up a range of thoughts and feelings.
Immersion during the 9th Month of Pregnancy: A Growing Custom
Dr. Ilana Chertok recently articulated an active goal of The Eden Center. “In addition to Halakha (Jewish law) and Mesoret [...]
The Invisible Connection
מורות ליוגה נשית על פי מירה ארצי פדן” Women who are fortunate enough to receive their period naturally [...]
Near Sighted at the Mikveh
It’s the little things that sometimes jump out to make me realize that I don’t see quite as well as others. A few times I have asked the mikveh lady why they don’t have the bracha printed on the wall, and laughed when she said, “it’s right there on the wall.” I know that etched glass and silver with white are “in,” but in all honesty, I can’t see them. And while I laugh, printing the words a contrasting color would make it so much easier for me, and I’m sure many others. The less I need to ask for help, for me the better.