Dr. Barek Sharif Dr. Barek Sharif

The Lingering Impact of Home Displacement: Understanding Trauma

Home is more than just a physical space—it’s a sanctuary where we find comfort, stability, and identity. Recently this has affected thousands of individuals due to the fire in Southern California. When our sanctuary is disrupted through displacement the resulting trauma can run deep and can be long-lasting.

Read More
Dr. Barek Sharif Dr. Barek Sharif

Boosting Emotional Libido: Strengthening Intimacy in Relationships

In any long-term relationship, emotional connection plays a crucial role in maintaining intimacy. While physical attraction is often emphasized, emotional libido—the desire for emotional closeness and connection—is just as essential for a fulfilling partnership. Here are some practical ways couples can nurture and enhance their emotional libido…

Read More
Dr. Barek Sharif Dr. Barek Sharif

The Subtle Differences Between Audible and Emotional Loudness

In our daily lives, we often encounter two distinct types of loudness: the audible kind that assaults our ears and the emotional kind that stirs our inner peace. While both can be uncomfortable, they affect us in profoundly different ways.

Read More
Dr. Barek Sharif Dr. Barek Sharif

Characterizing vs Describing

One of the longest waged wars exists within ourselves. What exactly do I mean? I’m talking about the daily battle between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ that exists in our minds. I’m not sure if you’ve taken notice but there seems to be a push and pull struggle with how we view and talk about ourselves – which oftentimes isn’t very productive or supportive.

Read More
Dr. Barek Sharif Dr. Barek Sharif

We Are Box People

“Black and white thinking” or as I like to refer to it “polarized thinking” is an all too common phenomenon. Most importantly, people seem to have difficulty with recognizing how their polarized thinking shows up in their lives. One of the frequent manifestations of this are statements like “always” and “never.”
Especially when working with couples I often here it used in the form of, “you never…” or “you always…”

Read More
Dr. Barek Sharif Dr. Barek Sharif

Diversifying Your Emotional Portfolio

If you’ve ever spoken with a financial advisor or have taken a course in finance/investment, a common talking point is diversifying your portfolio (oftentimes in the form of mutual funds). This approach decreases risk. As the saying goes, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Why would we not do the same with our emotions, environments, relationships, support, self-care, etc.?

Read More