Dear Readers:
In my previous column, How To Release Mental Patterns That Don't Support Your Goals, reader LJ asked how to release mental patterns that were getting in the way of his goals, and I responded with a specific approach that included keeping a pattern journal and a desire...

Dear Maddisen:
I feel trapped by certain mental patterns that I'm sure I don't want anymore. They're so elusive, and they not only run me but run ahead of me! I'm the one suffering the most from my own patterns, and I'm ready for something new. Specifically, I want...

Dear Maddisen:
Is there an easy way to interpret dreams? I often have very vivid and detailed dreams, and always wonder if there is a useful message or meaning I might derive from them. Thanks, KC

Dear KC,

Thanks for your question. My favorite, most simple method for interpreting...

Dear Maddisen:
Lately, I've had so much on my plate with caring for my family and my business, that I've been spinning into confusion and overwhelm, and feeling exhausted. I'm also worried about a few problems, anticipating others, and feel like there's a circus going on in my head!...

Dear Maddisen:
I'm a healthy and productive person, and am happy with my life overall. But when I get into dark or unhappy moods, I sometimes feel paralyzed, stuck. Then I get mad at myself for getting stuck. And then it gets worse! Do you have any advice for...

Dear Maddisen:
I was having dinner out with a few of my girlfriends recently. One of our friends was really upset about something and was telling us about it. But then we all just jumped in and started talking about our own experiences related to what she was saying,...

Dear Maddisen:
Lately, I've been pondering the idea of my 'inner child' and feeling the desire to spend more time with him. I've benefited from the inner child work I've done over the years, based on the approaches of several renowned experts in the field, and am curious to...

Dear Maddisen:
My spouse and I have separated after more than a decade of marriage. We've been in individual and some couples counseling, and we've spent many hours and months in honest conversation about the fulfilling and non-fulfilling aspects of our relationship. We are now in mutual agreement about...

Dear Maddisen,
I am a person with strong convictions and try to live my life in accordance with them. Most notably I am a stay-at-home mom practicing attachment parenting and gentle discipline. So often in my daily life I encounter other parents and caregivers who are not so compassionate...

Dear Maddisen:
I've been "working on myself" for a long time -- through reading, workshops, journaling, meditation, coaching, support groups, etc. All of it has helped me in becoming more self realized and happy, but I'm honestly tired of rummaging through my old baggage, and am feeling a bit...

Dear Maddisen:

In reading your bio, I see that you are involved with a school that facilitates vision quests and rites of passage programs in nature. I'd like to try something like this, but various fears have prevented me from following through. Can you tell me more about the vision...

Dear Maddisen:
I recently overheard some people in a restaurant talking about "self nurturing", and it really perked my interest. I sense that I need to take better care of myself, but I'm not sure how to do it without becoming a narcissist. Any advice?
Thanks, TR

Dear...

Dear Maddisen:
I definitely have a habit of being more focused on everyone else's needs and wants, at the expense of my own. Over the years, this has resulted in my feeling resentment and even like a martyr, but I don't want to be selfish. Do you have any...

Dear Maddisen:
My boyfriend and I have been together for 5 years and I love him very much. We are very compatible, but there's one issue that won't go away, and that is I want children and he does not. I'm so confused. How can we make this work?

Dear Maddisen:
I don't have any interest in sex with my significant other. How can we get the fire back? Regards, LF

Dear LF,

First, congrats on longing for love! Yes, that's right, you're on track!

It means you're highly interested in fuller love and greatly desiring to experience...

Dear Maddisen:
I've been experiencing one hardship after another, and I just don't understand why I'm being punished like this. The whole world is a mess and just seems to be getting worse. I'm a good person with a lot of integrity, so why is this happening to me?...

Dear Maddisen:
I feel secure and connected to myself when I'm alone, but when I get around other people, even my significant other, I seem to lose myself and my own voice. How can I stay connected to myself and express my truth when interacting with others?
Signed,...

Dear Maddisen:
I am highly self critical, self judgmental, and even cruel to myself with my thoughts and my mental talk. And the harder I try, the harder it seems for me to be productive in reaching my goals. In fact, I feel paralyzed. Is there any way out...

ASK MADDISEN is a weekly column in which the popular International Life Coach Maddisen K. Krown, M.A., answers your questions about love, relationships, career, self care, and other juicy topics.

Dear Maddisen:
I have trouble communicating with my significant other, and it seems like we just argue and...