<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Comfy Couch - Heather Schwaninger]]></title><description><![CDATA[Heather Schwaninger]]></description><link>https://www.comfycouch.ch/journal</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2026 14:37:40 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.comfycouch.ch/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[So you have trust issues?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Early in my clinical work for my graduate program, I would often have clients tell me, "I have trust issues." As we explored the presenting problems together, I began to realize the trust issue was that they were trusting people who were not trustworthy. They had internalized the problem being that they just needed to work on, in counselling, trusting the untrustworthy person more, because it was their "trust issue." In their book, Safe People: How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You...]]></description><link>https://www.comfycouch.ch/post/so-you-have-trust-issues</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6af1868a8fe895d966d22740</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2026 09:28:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9d0f6b_96ad6b288f234b72ac822f1c3eeae8e0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Heather Schwaninger</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Living Geometry ]]></title><description><![CDATA[We see shapes all around us. Square boxes, circular tables, rectangular benches, an oval stained-glass window. But what about our relationships? Have you ever heard of triangles? According to Murray Bowen, the human family is an emotional unit and the triangle is the building block of the emotional system within the relationships. Have you ever felt in the middle of two people? Like you are getting pulled into the conflict or problem?  Have you ever pulled someone else in when you were...]]></description><link>https://www.comfycouch.ch/post/living-geometry</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ae899b770fef7285c729cd4</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:12:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60f599e086fbe425a585d9676a7d47d9.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Heather Schwaninger</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When you want to turn back]]></title><description><![CDATA[Years ago, the younger version of myself hiked Mount Harvard, the third tallest Colorado 14-Teener (14,421 feet / 4395 meters). I was living in Cambodia, but planning to be in the US and visiting my brother early that fall. How could I prepare? How could I condition my body for the elevation changes? Hmmm... Possible? Probably not. Before arriving in Colorado, I had a video call with my brother. "So, this sleeping bag is going to work for cowboy camping, right?" My brother had a genius idea....]]></description><link>https://www.comfycouch.ch/post/when-you-want-to-turn-back</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ae1fcc4a10208e2c51063ec</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:50:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_d55b45eae2e6403194f81b19eb5cfa98~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Heather Schwaninger</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Accepting the Diagnosis]]></title><description><![CDATA[August 2023. Sitting outside on the cement porch stairs of my parents home, I allowed myself a moment to let the sun warm my face and body. Shelby, my dog, found a place to sun herself in the grass as she usually likes to do. Then my parents arrived back from clinic with my aunt and uncle who were visiting. "Well, your mom has JC virus, Heather." There were not many details after that as either no one explained this to my dad or maybe it was just hard to understand and accept in the moment....]]></description><link>https://www.comfycouch.ch/post/accepting-the-diagnosis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ae1b60ba4c466008e622f4a</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:05:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c4766bcd03d1433f9e6cfcd69642f66b.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Heather Schwaninger</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Orchid]]></title><description><![CDATA[To some degree, I always appreciated orchids. But learning how to take care of them and how they grow touched me in a special way during my time in Cambodia. ​One particular experience stands out. I had an orchid that was not blooming at all so I re-potted it. I packed the pot full of coal and other materials so its roots would be secure. I watered it appropriately to ensure no root-rot. I waited.​ A long time passed and it still would not bloom. I was scheduled to be out of the country for...]]></description><link>https://www.comfycouch.ch/post/the-orchid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ae1b1caa4c466008e62277c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:30:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_0ccc40521fcc442e81438efbad8061f7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Heather Schwaninger</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>