Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst - Psychologist & Writer

07/25/2026

Early experiences are often stored in images, sensations, and patterns rather than language. Because of this, drawing can become a direct way to explore what is happening internally.

By allowing a blank page to become a space for whatever emerges, unexpected shapes, intensities, or patterns may appear that point toward deeper emotional material.

This process is not about producing art, but about allowing the mind to communicate in its own way. What appears on the page can offer clues to understand reactions, irritations, and underlying stories that may not yet be fully conscious.

07/23/2026

The Lesson Calculus Couldn’t Teach: How Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst Built a Career Helping People Grow

In this conversation, I reflect on my path into psychology and how an unexpected academic moment redirected my career. What followed has been decades of work with children, families, and men, focused on understanding emotional development, relationship patterns, and the ways early experiences shape adult life.

We also explore what it means to define success through growth, insight, and change rather than external measures alone.

A conversation with Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst on psychology, entrepreneurship, and why emotional growth may be one of society’s most important…

07/19/2026

Not every reaction belongs to the present moment.

Sometimes what feels immediate is actually something much older moving through us.

In this conversation, I explore how past experiences shape present-day reactions, and what it takes to begin recognizing those patterns with clarity instead of judgment.

Most of what we think of as “just who we are” is often something we learned, adapted, or carried forward from earlier experiences.

07/19/2026

Resilience is often misunderstood as something built through pressure or pushing through difficulty.

But in reality, it develops through connection, emotional safety, and relationship.

In this conversation, I explore what children’s behavior is communicating, and how family dynamics shape a child’s ability to cope, connect, and grow.

I recently joined Lisa Urbanski for a conversation about a question many parents are quietly asking, why are so many children struggling emotionally, and what do they actually need from us?

07/15/2026

There is a persistent misunderstanding about boys and their emotional lives.

They are often seen as less emotional or less expressive, but that is not what the research and clinical experience show.

In this podcast conversation, I explore what is actually happening beneath the surface, and why so many boys grow into men who struggle to access and express what they feel.
We also look at how early environments, cultural expectations, and technology all shape emotional development.

There is a quiet misunderstanding that continues to shape how we raise boys.

07/11/2026

Teachers shape more of our lives than we often realize.

They can influence how we see ourselves, how we learn to navigate the world, and even how we imagine our future.

In my latest reflection, I look back at the lasting impact teachers have on children and the responsibility they carry in shaping the next generation.

I saw a television show this week where the host was interviewing a teacher.

07/10/2026

When the past is no longer driving the present, something important changes. Patterns that once felt fixed begin to loosen, and new possibilities open up.

Gloria explores how understanding the roots of behaviors and fears allows people to step out of repetition. Once the story behind a pattern is seen clearly, it no longer operates in the same way.

That awareness can be subtle or profound, but it often marks a turning point. Instead of being inside the pattern, there is now the ability to observe it and choose differently.

What follows is a greater sense of freedom in how someone shows up in relationships, environments, and areas of life that once felt out of reach.

07/08/2026

Sometimes the hardest thing to understand is ourselves.

The beliefs we formed early in life can stay with us for years, shaping how we think, feel, and relate to others.

In my latest post, I reflect on why cracking open our personal history can be challenging, and how understanding those early experiences allows us to replace old absolutes with grace and self-compassion.

That phrase brought to mind a picture of a small group of children in the backyard, their hands and skirts full of walnuts.

07/05/2026

When patterns begin to make sense, something often softens.

What once felt heavy or overwhelming can begin to lose its hold when its origin becomes clear.

There is often a noticeable shift in how someone feels, a sense of relief that comes from no longer carrying something in the same way. It is not about erasing the past, but about no longer being defined by it.

That shift can also create more space in relationships, allowing for greater closeness, presence, and connection with others.