Bronwyn Schweigerdt

Emotions like anger and hate can be frightening because they can get out of control & master us. But the good news is we can master them instead — by understanding them. Understanding where they originate from, knowing they are valid, and understanding the wisdom they communicate is the key. When we understand painful emotions, we master them. Understanding is the opposite of judging. Judging emotions keeps them trapped inside us, haunting us, hurting us and others. If I choose to believe...

When I was in middle school, I read a book for English class called Flowers for Algernon . To this day, it is the only work of literature I remember reading from my entire childhood. It’s a fictional story of a man named Charlie with an intellectual disability who undergoes experimental surgery to increase his intelligence. Told through Charlie’s journal entries, the reader watches him transform from one day to the next, becoming increasingly more articulate, pensive, and expressive. I recall...

22 years ago, I was pregnant and determined to have a home birth. I attended hypnobirthing classes to learn how to do the impossible: relax throughout the birth process. I listened to meditations where a soothing voice walked me through the process of relaxing every muscle while visualizing my baby peacefully journeying through the birth canal. The voice reminded me that I was not to resist the pressure in my body, but embrace it, “relaxing as if my life depended upon it.” In retrospect, I...