Ann McMurray
Since 1992, Ann McMurray has partnered with Dr. Gregory Jantz to bring Whole Person Care to readers through accessible resources. A longtime collaborator on his mental health books, she turns insight into guidance on depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, and addiction, in partnership with The Center • A Place of HOPE.
Some Posts from Ann McMurray
What Makes Whole-Person Care Different from Other Mental Health Treatments?
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: January 7, 2026
Quick Answer Whole-person care treats mental health by addressing every area of your life that affects how you feel, including emotional, physical, nutritional, relational, spiritual, and intellectual factors. Unlike traditional approaches that focus mainly on symptoms or a single aspect of your condition, whole-person care recognizes that your mind and...
How to Stop Being Codependent
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: January 7, 2026
Quick Answer To stop being codependent, start by recognizing patterns where you consistently sacrifice your needs for others. Then, practice setting small boundaries, such as saying no to one request this week. Building self-awareness through daily check-ins about your emotions and needs, combined with learning specific skills such as assertive...
The Grey Rock Method: A Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself from Manipulative People
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: January 2, 2026
The grey rock method is a psychological self-protection strategy where you become emotionally unresponsive and dull, like a grey rock, to make yourself less interesting to manipulative or abusive people. This technique works by denying toxic individuals the dramatic reactions they crave, often causing them to lose interest and redirect...
Patience is a virtue you can learn
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: December 30, 2025
Yes, patience truly is a virtue, and the good news is that it's also a learnable skill. Recent neuroscience research reveals that patience functions as a sophisticated form of emotion regulation, involving specific brain networks that you can actually strengthen through practice. Rather than being an innate character trait some...
What Does It Mean to Be Emotionally Unavailable
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: December 30, 2025
Being emotionally unavailable means having persistent difficulty forming intimate emotional connections, expressing vulnerable feelings, or responding appropriately to others' emotional needs. This pattern typically develops as a protective mechanism from early attachment disruptions or trauma, but creates barriers to meaningful relationships in adulthood. While challenging to overcome, emotional unavailability can...
Lack of Empathy: Understanding the Hidden Struggle Behind Emotional Disconnection
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: December 30, 2025
When someone you care about seems emotionally distant or struggles to understand your feelings, it can leave you feeling isolated and confused. Perhaps you've encountered someone who appears indifferent to others' pain, or maybe you've recognized this pattern in yourself. The inability to connect emotionally with others, known as a...
A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Phobias: Types, Symptoms, and Holistic Treatment Approaches
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: September 30, 2025
Fear is a natural human emotion that has kept people alive throughout history. But what happens when fear becomes so overwhelming that it controls your daily life? When the thought of encountering particular objects, situations, or environments triggers intense panic and forces you to restructure your entire world to avoid...
Noise Sensitivity Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming Sound-Related Stress
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: September 29, 2025
Noise sensitivity anxiety affects millions of people worldwide, manifesting as intense emotional and physical reactions to everyday sounds. Do everyday sounds like chewing, traffic noise, or sudden loud noises trigger intense anxiety, anger, or physical discomfort? You're not alone. Noise sensitivity anxiety affects between 8-15% of adults, with research showing...