Aren Henry

Aren’s first love is writing about existential positive psychology. She’s been studying and writing about positive psychology since 2007. She’s the owner of a private practice, Henry Healing, in beautiful upstate New York, U.S.A.  As a certified Reiki Master and holistic life coach, Aren applies the healing arts and sciences to her practice.

Her research and writing have to do with the juxtaposition between theory and application of not only positive psychology but also philosophy, spirituality, mature happiness, joy and the study of noetics. Karen’s interested in universal energy as a source of raising consciousness.

This qualitative researcher holds a master’s degree in community psychology. She’s also ABD PhD with research in organizational membership. She’s a former college professor who created and taught positive psychology for almost a decade at several colleges and a university. Aren’s currently enjoying her solo exploration and almost empty nesting.

Aren’s Blog

The Light Life Listen

The Light Life Listen

Put it all away. Turn off the sound. Listen. Breathe in and then out. What do you hear? What is around you? What have we taken for granted as an organic contribution to your aesthetics? Does the natural sound of where you are contribute to your overall sense of well...

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. 21

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. 21

Do you know how much we can get done with 21 days in staycation? Lock down? Social distancing? Physical distancing? SO MANY things! In 21 days, we can kick a sugar addiction ~ knit a blanket for a friend ~ write a novel ~ change the trajectory of our goals ~ befriend...

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. Paper.

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. Paper.

Paper Moon. Paper Dolls. Paper Houses. Paper Towns. When we offer trust, but someone betrays us, the analogy is the crumpled paper. Once smoothed, it’ll never be the same, but it will still exist. We have always known that we are more than what the world sees....

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. Beautiful.

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. Beautiful.

Eunoia (n.) a pure and well-balanced mind, a good spirit. “Beautiful Thinking” Beautiful thinking will get you everywhere. Grit, Grace and Gratitude are navigators, but the Eunoia is the driver that clears the mind’s path toward living. I’ve lived in the darkness of...

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. Duende.

Grit. Grace. Gratitude. Duende.

Duende (n.) the mysterious power of art to deeply move a person. “Heightened sense of passion.” It is incredibly brave to sit in the stillness of something beautiful. We dare to open our hearts to the isolation of depth within our own mind’s eye.  Our emotions can be...

Grit, Grace, Gratitude. Philosophy

Grit, Grace, Gratitude. Philosophy

One philosophy tells us that our lives are predetermined. Another says that we have free will. Another still,  tells us that life is meaningless, and we are an accident of atoms smashing together in the great cosmos of a lucky toss of the dice.  So why do we continue,...

Noetic Nomad Avoiding Anger

Noetic Nomad Avoiding Anger

When we avoid anger, is it necessarily a bad thing? When someone wants absolute peace in their lives, they are going to choose to avoid anger. Not the emotion of anger, but the acts of angry people. The peace-seeker doesn’t do this because they can’t handle it, but...

Noetic Nomad Navigating Noise

Noetic Nomad Navigating Noise

For two solid weeks, the earth’s energy has been high. The personal days have been sparking strong emotions. I’m sitting in my favorite coffee house on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, listening to the roar of coffee grinders and trendy music, sprinkled with emotional noise...

Noetic Nomad Building  Birthdays

Noetic Nomad Building Birthdays

I like to think of birthdays as building blocks of consciousness. I don’t look at them as an end date looming in the nearing distance. I look at them as knowledge-building opportunities for growth. I think we get the celebration of life all wrong. We are terrified of...

Noetic Nomad Aligning Algorithms

Noetic Nomad Aligning Algorithms

Want to be happy? Align your algorithms. Our lives are predicted by the company we keep online. At least, that’s how the online community sees us. They know what we like and sadly, what and whom we don’t like.  Some people love to throw those Pan Am smiles and fake...

Noetic Nomad Prioritizing Purposefully

Noetic Nomad Prioritizing Purposefully

Is there really such a thing as a life’s purpose? Are we prioritizing our lives purposefully, or does life simply happen? Do we HAVE to be consciously aware of all things in order to be happy? Look at happy babies. Most babies before the age of becoming cognitively...

Noetic Nomad Initiating Intimacy

Noetic Nomad Initiating Intimacy

Initiating intimacy can be terrifying. I’m not talking about procreation. Though certainly, it’s a topic that resulted in seven billion + people in our world.  I’m talking about true intimacy. The sort that creates long lasting relationships. The sort that enabling...

Noetic Nomad Elevating Energy

Noetic Nomad Elevating Energy

Elevating our energy to align with our highest purpose is such a compelling dance between the scientific world and the spiritual world. I try to imagine the global world and our quest for understanding who we are, where we came from and why we all want to know how to...

Noetic Nomad Creating a Loving Calm.

Noetic Nomad Creating a Loving Calm.

I like things in three’s. It’s a calm, loving, simple recipe for creating the life we all say we wish for. Calm is a vital pillar in personal development. Loving oneself is a second pillar. A third pillar is having a vision of your own life that is so clear, you will...

Noetic Nomad Proposing a Repurposed PP

Noetic Nomad Proposing a Repurposed PP

How can we craft a repurposed positive psychology? Our field created somewhat of a happiness monster. In truth? I find it a little annoying, not to mention more difficult for some people. I like the balance between the positives and the negatives. I don’t like...

Noetic Nomad Cultivating The Willow

Noetic Nomad Cultivating The Willow

A willow tree, for those who have not experienced one, is a miracle in perfect harmony with everything I love about nature. It doesn’t argue with the wind or fall to the water. It doesn’t mind the cold, or heat. It dances so very well with the sky. It is...

Noetic Clarity Cultivating The Center

Noetic Clarity Cultivating The Center

Centering. Cultivating the center of our being. That is how we thrive.  We’re inundated with pretend, fabricated, artificial, inauthentic, ingenuine, insincere, and yes, fake everything. It’s hard to tell who is true these days. It’s hard to tell who to trust....

Noetic Nomad in Search of … coupling

Noetic Nomad in Search of … coupling

No! Not that sort of coupling. 😉 Upon the celebration of a renaissance of my blog writing (I’ve been blogging for ten years now as a whole), I am coupling my two favorite topics. “Clarity Is” was my Positive Psychology People blog for two years. ‘Noetic Nomad in...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Heart

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Heart

Heart. An adjective, a noun and a verb. We’re unable to live without a beating one. We’re lead by it more than we care to admit. We try to eliminate or dissect it’s relevance in our often emotional decision making. We often refer to our emotional pain as a broken...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Truth

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Truth

Truth is, if you look me in the eye and lie to me, I’m not going to say anything, or question it, but I am going to know you did it. Truth is, if you like me, I’m going to know that too. Again, I won’t do anything about it, but I will be conscious of the truth...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … knowing. 

Noetic Nomad in Search of … knowing. 

I am. It is a place of knowing. It is enough. We can feel whole and complete and full with these two simple words. It is where I found authentic happiness. It is a place of freedom and fresh air with a constant flow of oneness with Source for the soul. This is my …...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Membership

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Membership

I’ve recently rejoined IPPA and renewed my membership with INPM. I’m also a member of a writer’s organization and I volunteer for our local animal shelter. I choose to restructure my time and attendance to what matters most to me. What do you do to invest in your...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Memoirs

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Memoirs

Memoirs are the powerfully moving stories written by people who’ve lived through extraordinary lives. They help shape our culture, our heritage, our learning about each other’s worldview. They are often moving but sometimes terrifying.  My story over the past three...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Gorillas.

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Gorillas.

Look around. Gorillas are everywhere. We see them everywhere we go, no matter what country, or community. They live amongst the wealthy, and the poor. They exist in cities and in the rural villages.  Did you ever see that social experiment where the scientists asked...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Altruism

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Altruism

Is altruism selfless or selfish? How does altruism actually work? We don’t have to give up parts of ourselves to become part of something bigger. That just naturally happens. Gladly, when done right.  Altruism has become big business, but it’s so much more than that....

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Spring

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Spring

Spring means new life, fresh starts and budding beginnings. Of course, as I write this, I’m also watching snow fall on all the newness. We say, “I’m really ready for spring”, meaning, I’m done with the cold season. There’s no doubting that weather plays a role in our...

Noetic Nomad in search of … sincerity

Noetic Nomad in search of … sincerity

Sincerity is fearless. There is a great deal of beauty in someone revealing their less than flattering side. It’s one of the things that most attracts me to movies made in Great Britain. They are not afraid of their physical imperfections. We see wrinkles, the ugly...

Noetic Nomad in search of … confidence

Noetic Nomad in search of … confidence

Confidence is a universal value. Is it more important than happiness? Can one be happy without self-confidence? It’s a trait that solves the most basic of human struggle. When we own who we are, we become free to thrive, to love and, to live as we optimally can....

Noetic Nomad in search of …  attraction.

Noetic Nomad in search of … attraction.

The attraction of thinking a thing into manifestation is very alluring, isn’t it? One philosophy tells us to think positive thoughts. Another? Let all thoughts go. The finite nuances between what our thoughts are and are not have been debated throughout time. I am in...

Noetic Nomad in search of … money

Noetic Nomad in search of … money

Have you ever experienced a money-moment of clarity? That moment when you’re doing something for both money and experience, and they ‘forget’ to pay you. Others doing the same job say, “oh! do we get paid to do this? I have no idea how much....

Noetic Nomad in search of … Om

Noetic Nomad in search of … Om

Meditation = flow + Om. The mantra I use when entering into my fugue state for a writing session, or Reiki session. It takes discipline, focus and yes, to some degree, joy. It’s also extremely difficult when in a place with constant noise and interruptions. The...

Noetic Nomad in search of … cheer!

Noetic Nomad in search of … cheer!

Why are we always trying to cheer everyone up? We seek good cheer during holidays. We wish, ‘cheers’ in hopes of special occasions. Some cultures use, ‘cheers!’ as a good intentioned sign off in email. Do we have an internal wish for positive...

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Novelty

Noetic Nomad in Search of … Novelty

Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz craved novelty. She was bored with simplicity. She forgot where her real power was. To seek novelty in lieu of our routine helps us gain perspective. When we want something to change, we have to begin doing something we’ve never done. It’s...

Noetic Nomad in search of cultivation

Noetic Nomad in search of cultivation

We’ve gotten into a habit of cultivating chaos where peace should live. Especially, this time of year. Holidays are hard on people. For those of us who live in a consumerism culture, we feel pressure to give gifts beyond our means. We feel obligation to give...

Noetic Nomad in search of … stamina

Noetic Nomad in search of … stamina

Today was a fast Tuesday. Have you ever had one of those? A day that seemed faster than others? Or, slower for that matter. Flow has a lot to do with losing track of time. Engagement has a lot to do with appreciating the remains of the day. Physically, it was an easy...

Noetic Nomad in search of … nothing

Noetic Nomad in search of … nothing

For everything there is a season, and a season for everything. We live in a place where the very thought of doing absolutely nothing for any length of time is beyond our imagination, but also perhaps a dream come true. There is a great deal of life available in the...

Noetic Nomad in search of … darkness

Noetic Nomad in search of … darkness

A nyctophilia is someone who loves darkness or night. They find relaxation or comfort in the darkness. The silence that comes with being the only one awake in the middle of the night can be the most comforting feeling in the world. I waited to publish my noetic nomad...

Noetic Nomad in search of reality

Noetic Nomad in search of reality

This is the first Tuesday I’ve missed in 13 weeks. The reality is, I was busy! I forgot. Which is what happens when we have so much to do, we just can’t get to it. “Busy” is a problem that needs to be fixed. For me, it is. Have you experienced this? Most...

Noetic Nomad in search of community

Noetic Nomad in search of community

We all know that it’s imperative to include a social identity in our lives. We all know that we are social creatures. We all know that we feel better knowing that in the event of a major life event, we will have someone who will be there for us. Are we an authentic...

Noetic Nomad Searching for Truth

Noetic Nomad Searching for Truth

How do you boldly say something truthful without also insulting another person? It’s so easy for people to just lie about anything they want these days. So easy for them to lie about another person. It’s nearly impossible for the recipient to defend themselves. Why...

Noetic Nomad searching for lucidity

Noetic Nomad searching for lucidity

I play a mental check-in game when I first wake up. What’s my first lucid thought? Our first thought when we wake up? It’s always a left over from our dream state. This lucidity sets the tone of the day. Making the the unconscious, conscious. We have to practice...

Noetic Nomad Searching for Grace

Noetic Nomad Searching for Grace

The world is hurting right now. People are sharing pain more than pleasure. It seems to be a challenge. In the wake of global flooding, national fires, people rising up against this, and that, it’s understandable that there is global fear. However, there is also...

Noetic Nomad searching for power

Noetic Nomad searching for power

We all want to master power over our lives. We believe we have to search outside ourselves for it, but like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we’re willing to go on epic journeys to find it. Power of healing. Power of forgiveness. Power of developing a stronger sense...

Noetic Nomad searching for solicitude

Noetic Nomad searching for solicitude

One of the most liberating, yet gentle creations of the human mind is compassion or, solicitude, the caring of another. Compassion is the cure. Sometimes for others. Sometimes, for ourselves. When we delve more deeply into the awareness of others, we open a part of...

Noetic nomad searching for peace

Noetic nomad searching for peace

Peace begins with people being at content with themselves. For some, that concept is as elusive as a winning lottery ticket. We spend so much time making our lives look like what society tells us we we need to look like, that we aren’t aware of our own thoughts. We...

Noetic Nomad searching for bravery

Noetic Nomad searching for bravery

Most of us are searching for something. Courage is not the first thing that comes to mind. Neither is bravery. Until you need to be brave. Most people search for happiness. So much so, that happiness experts pursue them right back. They say that in any solid...

Clarity is … evolving

Clarity is … evolving

Clarity is …. evolving Since 2014, I’ve been writing a reflection of what clarity means to different people at different times. Many of our former and contemporary professionals also use clarity, or clarifying as a wheelhouse tool to prove a point, share their...

Clarity is … easier

Clarity is … easier

Clarity is … easier My Tuesday’s have turned into the craziest, busiest days of the week. I completely forgot that yesterday was Tuesday! It was, in my brain, Monday. Not everyone has a M-F 9-5. As a matter of fact, there are millions of people in our...

Clarity is … courtesy

Clarity is … courtesy

Clarity is … courtesy “It is good to toil for others’ sake, and happy is he who learns to make the joy of others – cure his own heart ache.” ~ Dr. Norah Perkins, Sunshine and Shadows, 1917 My most cherished possession is now a little book, self published by a...

Clarity is … transformative

Clarity is … transformative

Clarity is… transformative. “Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time.” ~ Unknown There comes a time in our lives when change is necessary. We can’t always control when transformation is going to happen. Marriage is almost always a...

Clarity is … exploration

Clarity is … exploration

Clarity is … exploration. Clarity is an exploration. A journey. A quest if we’re lucky enough to find it. Positive psychology for example. It’s not only a career, or a science to be weighed or measured. It’s an art form. It’s a lived...

Clarity is … a journey

Clarity is … a journey

Clarity is… a journey “A ship is always safe at shore, but that’s not what it was built for.” ~ Albert Einstein. Some careers are noble, honored time worn traditions. To be called to said career is felt in the bones. A spirit soars with...

Clarity is… vision

Clarity is… vision

Clarity is…. vision When I post on social media, it’s usually along with an image of what I ‘see’, rather than asking you to see me. That’s true of when I was in school for mass media and I loved being behind a camera. That’s true...

Clarity is … gentle

Clarity is … gentle

Clarity is…. gentle. There comes a time in life when a person simply leans into the fluidity of the moment. They gentle their soul to the realizations of who and what they have become. They embrace their reality. Settle into love of their own truth. They become...

Clarity is… PLayFuL

Clarity is… PLayFuL

Clarity is…. PLayFuL? Pokemon Go is the latest craze. My business partner, Taylor R. Powers,  leveled up when trying to explain it to me. I need games explained. My son is a total fanboy of all things YouTubers. We live in the world of online games. When I was a...

Clarity is… Courage

Clarity is… Courage

Clarity is… courage Courage means that we won’t stop trying to do something simply because we were worried about it. Courage means that we’ll fully evolve, grow, clarify who we are, no matter the criticisms against us. Courage means that we will...

Clarity is … egalitarian

Clarity is … egalitarian

Egalitarian – “asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life.” In my fifty two years upon this earth, there is no other life lesson more profound or realistically...

Clarity is … delicious!

Clarity is … delicious!

Delicious The short definition of ‘delicious’ is, “highly pleasing to the senses’. It’s that time of year when people become aware of what they’re eating in combination with how much exercise they’re getting. Recipes have been all over the web for weeks now. Every...

Clarity is … quiet

Clarity is … quiet

It is miraculous. It is not forced. It is not the subject of something external. Having clarity means having choices. Being clear on what you will or will not allow in your life is liberating. If you can see yourself in your true form, something rare to be sure, you...

Clarity is … sometimes

Clarity is … sometimes

Sometimes Fast. Oprah calls it an ‘A-Ha’ moment. For me, perhaps others, it’s a flash. It’s quick. Being clear on something means to sit, to ponder to wonder for a long while, then all of a sudden, it’s right there in front of you. Clear...

Clarity is … priority!

Clarity is … priority!

In our hectic, sometimes confusing and mixed up world, priorities are the only thing keeping us focused on what matters most to us. For many of us, prioritizing is our business. It’s our skill set that we teach or coach or instill in others. We discuss feeling ‘over’...

Clarity is … penchant

Clarity is … penchant

Carl Jung said, “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” In positive psychology, when we speak about our character, we speak about our strengths according to a carefully measured and weighed set of virtues and strengths. The powerhouse team of Dr....

Clarity is … hopeful

Clarity is … hopeful

When life is difficult for us, we sometimes wish it away. We will sometimes pretend all is fine. We will exercise our right to smile through the pain. We sometimes stand to flee or fight it, depending on our natural tendencies. The pain, isolation and loneliness of...

Clarity is …  unapologetic

Clarity is … unapologetic

The hardest lesson learned on one’s own. The most important lesson we can teach our children. The most profound act of kindness and love for humanity to accept without remorse. Iain S. Thomas said, “I said never apologize for how you feel. No one can control how they...

Clarity is …. ownership!

Clarity is …. ownership!

We do not learn, grow or manifest our destiny by expecting other people to make our lives easier. NOBODY else can MAKE us feel, or do, or think, or BE anything that we are not already believing for ourselves. Admittedly, this is one of the harder concepts to accept....

Clarity is … education

Clarity is … education

Michael J. Fox said, “If the child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Education through inspiration, not intimidation. Education through sparking a curiosity in the seeker of knowledge, not blowing out the flame of understanding...

Clarity is … tranquility

Clarity is … tranquility

A little tranquility instead? We often talk about happiness. We dream of that day when everything’s off the table and we can just… breath. We take or give classes in how to relax. But when we’re engaged in that search for the ultimate feeling of happiness, would we be...

Clarity is … subjective

Clarity is … subjective

Subjective Choice Each week, I make a point to revisit each of the topics from the broad based field in positive psychology, pluck one subject from the treasure trove of terms I’ve asked students to memorize, that researchers pour over, or practitioners turn into a...

Clarity is … lucid

Clarity is … lucid

Where are we going? Clarity is lucid. There is no greater self-indulgence than that of those who believe that they are the only ones who know a subject. There is no greater life lesson lost than that from those who argue they are the only experts. We’ve read vast...

Clarity is … compassion

Clarity is … compassion

Compassion in action When we’ve become who we need to be, it is time for us to turn toward helping others. In our world today, anyone with a television, radio, newspaper or social media will know that we are watching people flee for their lives in more than one place...

Clarity is … indelible

Clarity is … indelible

We all wear tattoos. Most are invisible to the world. There are some marks on our lives that simply can’t  be removed by wishing them away. There are some marks in our lives that we hope never leave us. The hard truth about human pain or joy is that though it can, in...

Clarity is … changing

Clarity is … changing

Clarity is … changing. When I was a kid, I was fast. Not because of training. Not because I focused on it. I was told I was going out for the town track meets, so I did. When I was ten (10), I raced a bunch of kids and won a gold medal. It was cool. Then, I was told that I won female athlete of the year (10). I had NO idea why. I showed up, I ran as fast as I could. I hated being behind people. That was my only motivation. I didn’t like the feeling of being behind someone else. I had to be in front.

Clarity is … deciding

Clarity is … deciding

Deciding “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life” ~ Coco Chanel For years, I’ve wanted to know what it was like for women who had to cut all their hair off because of cancer related treatments. I’ve seen the wigs, the scarves, the confident bald heads...

Clarity is … love

Clarity is … love

Love What good is the science of psychology if we can’t put it into practice? Once upon a time, we couldn’t cure a common cold… now, it’s common knowledge. Why? Because we love humanity enough to have created entire fields dedicated to improving the quality of life...

Clarity is … knowing

Clarity is … knowing

Clarity is … knowing Clarity is knowing when you need something, and when to give it away. There are plenty of things that I want. I’ve come to realize, that there’s not much that I need. I have a way to serve others without being overtly altruistic....

Clarity is … opportunity

Clarity is … opportunity

We have the opportunity to clearly see the path that’s darkened by our current fortune. Sounds a bit dramatic, I know. But life, for some of us, is rather dramatic. As we age, our opportunity doors begin to close. As we settle into an awareness of ourselves, finding...

Clarity is … daunting

Clarity is … daunting

Clarity is … daunting at times. Understanding what is truly clear to us can be in fact, a lot of mental toughness. Figuring out how to navigate through the scores of moments, knowing which to choose, knowing which to purposefully ignore, is an emotional task unto...

Clarity is … discovery

Clarity is … discovery

Recently, I’ve moved to a new location. Somewhere bigger. Somewhere that appreciates a more urban lifestyle, more arts and sciences, more…. everything. We (our boutique business) needed bigger. We hoped for some things to stay the same. However, we knew it was time...

Clarity is … awareness

Clarity is … awareness

Clarity is … awareness The entire world is now aware of itself. Sometimes, it’s too big and we panic, or feel less than worthy. Other times, we think that we are all there is, that all else matters not. We all matter. Equity stems from realizing our...

Clarity is … character

Clarity is … character

Clarity is … character I’m reading Rob Lowe’s new book, Love Life and I’m inspired. I’m also reminded that all professions have a certain level of accountability that we have to adhere to. Treating people with kindness and respect is one...

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