Catherine Hansen MD

Testimonials

“For the first time in months I believe there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel!”Carolyn
“You are the most whole and engaged physician I have met. You are very generous and compassionate and I thank you. ”M.L.
“Dr. Hansen is a very sensitive yet direct and honest in her responses to concerns and personal revelations and questions. Thank you for sharing yourself and your stories."Marta

Only YOU can save the earth

As I sit to write about the great outdoors and the beautiful summer upon us, I can’t go outside.

Why?

Because there was a collision in the Houston ship channel last night that released 25 000 barrels of a petroleum product into the waters of Galveston Bay. By the time you read this, it may be a distant memory but when will we all realize it’s time to change our ways?

This particular leak involved Reformate a light, floatable and quickly evaporating product that spread a pungent odor over a large geographic area. It is colorless, flammable, toxic to marine life and a known human carcinogen but you won’t read that in the news. While it is often used for high octane fuels, it is also a raw material for plastic and plastic is fast becoming a planet-killer. With the odor still in the air, I am more awake than ever about my environmental choices and, today, I ask you about yours.

I've included some incredibly informative article links in the full blog (and all photos references).

I'm an addict

I’ve had headaches, hot flashes, insomnia, nausea, anxiety, crying spells and a strange sense that I’ve misplaced something valuable. It’s only been 3 days and my husband has compassionately asked me if I should have weaned more slowly while whispering to the children that school is their sanctuary.

This is not for the faint at heart!

Coffee can be a beautiful thing and I fully expect to bring it back into my life once my 21-day Quantum Wellness Cleanse (Kathy Freston) is over but only time will tell and, for now, I’m excited to research the pros and cons, coming back to why, on earth, I am doing this cleanse….

Do something about it.

All positive global change has involved a strong presence from those willing to push boundaries. Abolishing slavery. Women’s right to vote. Equal pay for equal work. Advocating change always starts with an opinion and a line in the sand. These trailblazers didn’t just respectfully say, “let’s agree to disagree.” They had vision, immense courage and took action, even when it wasn’t popular. Especially when it wasn’t popular.

To “BE the change” means caring for people but not caring about what people think. It means having deep conviction that no matter the outcome, doing nothing is not an option.

Your Top 3 in 2019

I love this time of year and I take it very seriously. Many years ago, I had this horrible sensation that time was running out. My babies were growing up, my job was all-consuming with no real sense of fulfillment, my husband was busy living his dreams and I was starting to feel my age. Yet, I plugged away. Life had become one rote habit after another and, yet, in every sense of the word, I was “successful”. From the outside, I had it all. Most of the time, however, I was left wondering,

“Is this all there is?”

Some may call it mid-life, others a crisis, but for me it was a catalytic moment in time.

While we never really know why some things happen, what happened next was a true ignitor, launching me on a new trajectory and completely resetting my priorities. Not that I didn’t always put family first or believe that love was more important than money, but, until that moment, I was measuring my life by a stick that others had created.

And then it happened. A series of life events that led to the closure of my private practice, a forced reduction to part-time medical work, some threatening emails from people I respected and considered friends, many nights of confusion drowned out only by a river of tears and, as time would reveal, an opportunity of a lifetime. Not everyone is so lucky.

Your Top 3 in 2019

I love this time of year and I take it very seriously. Many years ago, I had this horrible sensation that time was running out. My babies were growing up, my job was all-consuming with no real sense of fulfillment, my husband was busy living his dreams and I was starting to feel my age. Yet, I plugged away. Life had become one rote habit after another and, yet, in every sense of the word, I was “successful”. From the outside, I had it all. Most of the time, however, I was left wondering,

“Is this all there is?”

Some may call it mid-life, others a crisis, but for me it was a catalytic moment in time.

While we never really know why some things happen, what happened next was a true ignitor, launching me on a new trajectory and completely resetting my priorities. Not that I didn’t always put family first or believe that love was more important than money, but, until that moment, I was measuring my life by a stick that others had created.

And then it happened. A series of life events that led to the closure of my private practice, a forced reduction to part-time medical work, some threatening emails from people I respected and considered friends, many nights of confusion drowned out only by a river of tears and, as time would reveal, an opportunity of a lifetime. Not everyone is so lucky.

Santa Fe Shooting

It's easy to get emotional and lay blame when something so devastating as a school shooting happens in our country. And from my perspective, it's also easy to feel, very deeply, the pain that the children of our world are living with every day.

It makes the work of empowering women and providing them a hand so they can be leaders and role models in their homes so much more important.

Women are the future.

Healthy, adult, resourced women innately understand non-violent conflict resolution, compassion and a sense of social justice. It is through feminine characteristics of connection, empathy and love that women create space for processing emotions, taming fears and extending hugs. Women run their households, raise their children and provide leadership at work. Men do too but only when they can tap into their healthy feminine side. And women need order, structure, strength and achievement-focused goals drawn from the masculine in all of us.

The world is changing and we, as powerful women, need to realize our essential role in shifting the tide. And not just for our children (the ones who live in our homes) but for ALL children. And for all adults who were once children.

When people feel alone, hopeless, isolated and unable to reach out for help it's everyone's problem.

When children take guns and kill their friends because they are so angry they feel trapped and out of options, the consequences belong to all of us.

Intuition, are you using yours?

Have you ever looked back on a situation and thought, “I knew that wasn’t right for me”?

Have you ever felt really nervous about a decision despite carefully working through all possible outcomes in your mind and then had it turn out poorly?

Have you ever developed goose bumps during a conversation that seemed completely unexpected?

As a physician, I was initially trained to use hard facts, scientific answers and peer-reviewed literature to manage patients. It wasn’t until I was a medical student on the pediatric ward with a very astute senior resident that I learned about the concept of “mother’s intuition”. He reminded me that mothers “just know” their children and if mom is concerned, the medical team needs to take her seriously. This was contrary to a lot of my training focused on NOT listening to emotional parents in order to avoid clouded judgment.

As time goes on and life experience has added to my database, I have come to realize that we all have an innate sense at our disposal. You can call it intuition, Divine guidance, a sixth sense, or just plain gut feelings.

In keeping with the mystery, it’s hard to put into words.

But whether we can describe it or not, the important thing is that we can use it to guide our path.

As our generation of women step into bigger possibilities and yearn for deeper life purpose, we must also cultivate our intuitive powers. Having access to this intimate knowledge at crucial junctures is essential for an authentic life, aligned with core values. Intuition provides the breadcrumbs that lead you home to a whole-hearted, purpose-driven, fully realized life.

Testimonials

“For the first time in months I believe there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel!”Carolyn
“You are the most whole and engaged physician I have met. You are very generous and compassionate and I thank you. ”M.L.
“Dr. Hansen is a very sensitive yet direct and honest in her responses to concerns and personal revelations and questions. Thank you for sharing yourself and your stories.”Marta

Only YOU can save the earth

As I sit to write about the great outdoors and the beautiful summer upon us, I can’t go outside.

Why?

Because there was a collision in the Houston ship channel last night that released 25 000 barrels of a petroleum product into the waters of Galveston Bay. By the time you read this, it may be a distant memory but when will we all realize it’s time to change our ways?

This particular leak involved Reformate a light, floatable and quickly evaporating product that spread a pungent odor over a large geographic area. It is colorless, flammable, toxic to marine life and a known human carcinogen but you won’t read that in the news. While it is often used for high octane fuels, it is also a raw material for plastic and plastic is fast becoming a planet-killer. With the odor still in the air, I am more awake than ever about my environmental choices and, today, I ask you about yours.

I've included some incredibly informative article links in the full blog (and all photos references).

I'm an addict

I’ve had headaches, hot flashes, insomnia, nausea, anxiety, crying spells and a strange sense that I’ve misplaced something valuable. It’s only been 3 days and my husband has compassionately asked me if I should have weaned more slowly while whispering to the children that school is their sanctuary.

This is not for the faint at heart!

Coffee can be a beautiful thing and I fully expect to bring it back into my life once my 21-day Quantum Wellness Cleanse (Kathy Freston) is over but only time will tell and, for now, I’m excited to research the pros and cons, coming back to why, on earth, I am doing this cleanse….

Do something about it.

All positive global change has involved a strong presence from those willing to push boundaries. Abolishing slavery. Women’s right to vote. Equal pay for equal work. Advocating change always starts with an opinion and a line in the sand. These trailblazers didn’t just respectfully say, “let’s agree to disagree.” They had vision, immense courage and took action, even when it wasn’t popular. Especially when it wasn’t popular.

To “BE the change” means caring for people but not caring about what people think. It means having deep conviction that no matter the outcome, doing nothing is not an option.

Your Top 3 in 2019

I love this time of year and I take it very seriously. Many years ago, I had this horrible sensation that time was running out. My babies were growing up, my job was all-consuming with no real sense of fulfillment, my husband was busy living his dreams and I was starting to feel my age. Yet, I plugged away. Life had become one rote habit after another and, yet, in every sense of the word, I was “successful”. From the outside, I had it all. Most of the time, however, I was left wondering,

“Is this all there is?”

Some may call it mid-life, others a crisis, but for me it was a catalytic moment in time.

While we never really know why some things happen, what happened next was a true ignitor, launching me on a new trajectory and completely resetting my priorities. Not that I didn’t always put family first or believe that love was more important than money, but, until that moment, I was measuring my life by a stick that others had created.

And then it happened. A series of life events that led to the closure of my private practice, a forced reduction to part-time medical work, some threatening emails from people I respected and considered friends, many nights of confusion drowned out only by a river of tears and, as time would reveal, an opportunity of a lifetime. Not everyone is so lucky.