Eric Perry, Ph.D, is a doctorate in psychology from Sherman Oaks, CA. I stumbled across his blog back in my blogging beginning, having found an article called, “Narcissism versus Narcissistic Personality Disorder” which was quite enlightening. I immediately chose to follow his blog and also his site on Facebook.
The other night – well, actually, oh-dark-thirty morning for me – I saw that he was doing a live podcast on Facebook and decided to tune in. He was hosting a small, but comfortable, group in meditation. Now, I’ve never been one to meditate; my mind does not silence even when silence is enveloping me. But I decided to listen anyhow – his voice is a calming baritone and as easy on the ears as his photo is on the eyes.
As I listened, I could feel myself stilling – breathing deeply as he suggested, focusing only on the moment in front of me. He often repeated the breathing directions, creating a tempo, and several times in between he would simply say, “Everything is okay” or “You’re okay”. And in those moments, it was and I was – – I was at a place of peace that, if I’d ever experienced it before, it had been a long time.
The podcast wasn’t long, especially since I’d tuned in after it started, but it was powerful. I’m using the memory of that event now, often practicing it whether I need it or not, and it makes a difference. This morning, I was thinking about a project I need to do in a certain time frame – and as usual – I’m either finished too soon or procrastinate to the last moment. I’ve been procrastinating on this one. The moment even the tiniest bit of anxiety rears up to remind me I need to get this done, I just take a few deep breaths and tell myself that, in this moment, I am okay. And it’s true!
I intend to use this whenever I start worrying about the future – or about any potential in the future – and just focus on the present, on the moment. And I’m sharing this because we ALL need a place to slip away to whenever stress rears its ugly head. It’s easy to just stop, take a few deep breaths, and remind ourselves that, in this moment, everything is okay. And it is more helpful to me because I can hear his voice on the outside reminding me.
I have not written this post with Dr. Perry’s permission. His blog site does not allow for comments to his articles, and though I did post a comment during the podcast, I’m hoping he’ll get wind of this article so he knows how much impact those few moments of his time made.
So thank you, Dr. Perry. THANK YOU!
If you’d like to read his blog, you can find him at: https://makeitultrapsychology.wordpress.com
Also, if you search for him on Facebook, you may be able to find the podcast I listened to. I suggest you take the time to listen to it as well.
Ramblings and Ruminations 
The ability to meditate and center ones self in the midst of the chaos of life is a skill that pays dividends forever. Hard to teach, easy to learn, and invaluable when practiced. Great post!
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