Clients and friends often express their desire to become therapists. One friend in particular is interested in childhood trauma and its possible connection to post traumatic stress disorder. He says that he comes from a family of alcoholism and believes … Continue reading
A lot of people like to read peppy little affirmations first thing in the morning. But some clients tell me that fluffy, hyperbolic one-size-fits-all affirmations feel like nothing more than false hype when they are in a negative state of … Continue reading
Contrary to what the drug companies would have you think, anxiety can often be a useful and necessary thing; specifically, when that anxiety triggers a call to sensible action. For example, you feel anxious at the sight of an oncoming … Continue reading
A friend told me about an experience she had at a local fast-food eatery. While standing in line, she was engaged in conversation with an elderly friend who was seated. Their voices were somewhat raised due to the noise in … Continue reading
It’s a rare day when a client doesn’t ask me about bringing up kids to be responsible about money matters. I’m in the interesting position of having talked to hundreds of people about their childhoods while simultaneously observing how they … Continue reading
Regular readers of this column know that I have written over and over that love is not sacrifice. When you love someone, you want them to be happy. When someone loves you, you want them to do something for you … Continue reading
People often say to me, “Why am I feeling down? Why do I feel sorry for myself?” It’s a perfectly reasonable observation, but it doesn’t get to the heart of why some people cope better than others. The key to … Continue reading
A reader emails that her doctor wrote her a prescription for depression and tells her that it is a “disease.” But she feels that her problem is more emotional than medical, and she hates the way the pills make her … Continue reading
The Christmas holidays are barely over, and here we are, already staring at heart-shaped boxes of candy. We humans are imaginative creatures, and we’ve perfected a long list of reasons to eat excessively, over and above the boring reasons … … Continue reading
A reader asks if it’s possible to be just friends with somebody to whom you are attracted romantically, even if they don’t feel the same way. She goes on to ask if that can also apply to an ex-spouse or … Continue reading
In spite of constant media bombardment about “family” this and “family” that, there are many people out there who are single and maybe even live alone. Not every unattached person longs for companionship, but some out there do prefer to … Continue reading
Cell phones on the beach. Cell phones on the boardwalk. Cell phones in theaters, on the highway, in restaurants…. Why do people love cell phones so much? Or, from a more psychological point of view, why do people have such … Continue reading