When most people hear about intimate partner violence (IPV), thoughts of physical abuse usually come to mind. However, another insidious form of abuse, coercive control, is often overlooked since the scars are not always visible. Some coercive controllers are physically violent, while others are not.

So many of my clients have shared with me that meditation (mindfulness) coping skills ‘Don’t work for me!’ or ‘They make my anxiety worse!’ or ‘I could never sit and think about nothing!’ Maybe you can relate? For most of us, when we think of meditating, we think of a monk sitting cross legged on the floor experiencing a state of quiet and focus. Honestly, that’s what comes to my mind too.

Two years after our first child, my husband and I felt we were ready to add another to our family. Little did we know the second time around would be a very different experience. Long before trying for our second child, I recall having read an article about secondary infertility. It stuck with me, even though it wasn’t my reality yet. Secondary infertility is the inability to conceive or carry a baby to term after previously giving birth.