Heart In Mind Therapy Blog

Reflections on recent and recurrent news regarding the Palestinian genocide and Hamas Attack: Part 3- Disrupting Learned Helplessness
Learned Helplessness, Intergenerational Trauma, Current News, Trauma Effects, Trauma Gina Li Learned Helplessness, Intergenerational Trauma, Current News, Trauma Effects, Trauma Gina Li

Reflections on recent and recurrent news regarding the Palestinian genocide and Hamas Attack: Part 3- Disrupting Learned Helplessness

We need to disrupt the larger systems at play that lend to individuals disconnecting from their humanity; disconnecting from the part of us that we are all born with—the capacity for empathy and compassion for one another.

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“Fake it till ya make it”?
Gina Li Gina Li

“Fake it till ya make it”?

When we “fake it till we make it,” we have to minimize or silence our more vulnerable parts. This mimics a core attribute of trauma responses— forcing us to abandon certain parts of ourselves in order to survive.

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Hi, I’m Gina. It’s an honor to meet you.

Gina Li, LCSW, Therapist in Bay Area, California

Gina Li, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)/ Therapist, California

I am a licensed mental health therapist based in the Bay Area, who specializes in helping young adults, Asian Americans, and caregivers throughout California, break the cycles of intergenerational and relational trauma so that they can live truly more fulfilling lives. This can look like being more gentle with ourselves and others, while also setting boundaries as needed. It can also look like gaining greater self-awareness and true confidence. In summary, this looks like learning how to stay grounded in who we genuinely are and who we genuinely want to be.

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I know from my work and personal life, some of the paradoxical experiences of trauma survivors/recovery. In this post, I share about the paradox in the experience of pain specifically and some explanations of why this paradoxical experience happens.
Awhile back, I shared an overview of the autonomic stress responses. One of the responses that's often easier to miss is the "freeze" response which refers to when we instinctively stay at a standstill/"frozen" out of shock/in att
In efforts to stay safe, one strategy our bodies and minds adopt is to seek the familiar. What's familiar to us is often more predictable; we know what to expect and therefore, also how to prepare ourselves to show up within that familiarity. What's
A continuation from my last posts about Mental Health Awareness and Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month of this year, 2024, here are some pictures of me throughout the years where I've struggled with clinical depression at different severity levels
Happy Mental Health Awareness and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! In this series of posts, I share some of my reflections on working with mostly AAPI folks as an Asian American therapist and as a "fellow traveler" (aka a f
In much of my work as a therapist, something that often comes up is how to balance empathy with boundaries. Sometimes...a lot of times, especially if we've grown up learning that our needs come after taking care of everyone else, we can become cond
There's a lot of talk around the importance of clear and direct communication, as part of fostering healthy relationships. *I know I've talked about it on here:) And...to be fair, practicing such communication can be so helpful in a relationship. It
A continuation from the last post... How many of us have heard something like, "Fake it 'till ya make it"? Often, this is said in good faith/with good intentions of trying to encourage us to take chances when we're doubting ourselves. At b