A basic message I have attempted to convey in my workshops and writings is the essential nature of connections in providing emotional and physical well-being and meaning to our lives. In the books that I have co-authored with my colleague Dr. Sam Goldstein, we have highlighted connections as a necessary component of resilience. A number of my website articles, including those following the horror and tragedy of September 11, have examined connections as a source of comfort, support, and hope. Relatedly, in other articles I have described the powerful benefits we experience both when we display and are the recipients of compassion and acts of kindness. While connections with others has received the greatest attention among mental health clinicians and researchers, there are a variety of forms in which connections exist. Psychiatrist and friend Dr. Ned Hallowell wrote in his book Connect: 12 Vital Ties that Open Your Heart, Lengthen Your Life, and Deepen Your Soul, “What is connection or what I call connectedness? It is a feeling of being a part of something larger than yourself. This something may be a friendship, a marriage, a team, a school, a company, an activity you love, a country, even a set…
