MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from excerpt from  From Deep Within  (Lewis)  Ben and Bella   My office was on the seventh floor. Practitioners who rented office space in the large brick building nicknamed it ‘therapy row’ since it was occupied by so many therapists.   My square office was to the right of the elevator. I had two black leather chairs that reclined, with a tinted brown glass table between them. In the corner was a plain pine desk with file drawers, a clock and a phone. Healthy green plants were placed around the office, and pictures of nameless Caribbean islands lined the four walls.   Bella, who described herself as transgendered, walked into my office. She was a mixed race black woman dressed to the T. The paisley dress she wore was a mix of red, blue and green. She wore striking red pumps. I noticed her feet were large and out of proportion to her small frame. She was transitioning from a man to a woman, and some of her feminine qualities were still muted....

  Happy Cat, Bear, and Jack, well behaved and sharing a calm moment Let’s be honest. Cats don’t really do obedience . They weren’t bred to fetch your slippers or roll over on command. In fact, if you live with cats—as I do, with a feline family of eight—you’ve probably figured out by now that they expect you to do the fetching. That said, even in a cat-run kingdom, someone has to keep the peace. That someone is usually me. People sometimes ask, “Can you really control cats?” And my answer is: absolutely, yes —but not the way you’d control a dog. You can’t force cats, but you can teach them. You can set limits. You can build social expectations. And you can absolutely keep a lid on chaos without being a tyrant or turning into the Cat Nag. Start with Names: Yes, They Can Learn Them The first step is making sure every cat knows their name . Not just sort of knows it when treats are involved— really knows it. This means using the name consistently and always making it clear you're ta...