It never ceases to amaze me how people can fire off a snippy email to me when it’s obvious that they haven’t even read my entire article. (I urge you to keep on firing, however – I get many of … Continue reading →

I get a lot of questions about hypnosis. The most common misperception is that it’s a state of unconsciousness, like sleep. Actually, most experts define hypnosis as a “special psychological state with certain physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially and … Continue reading →

Well, it’s just around the corner. Though most of us full-timers secretly look forward to it, we still grumble, “I’m sick of the traffic! What? More construction? Things aren’t what they used to be! Who are all these people!?” But … Continue reading →

A University of Wisconsin-Madison imaging study shows the brains of people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have weaker connections between a brain structure that controls emotional response, and the amygdala, which plays a key role in the processing of emotions. … Continue reading →

People – divorced, widowed or single – ask me what it is that can prevent a person from finding a loving relationship. The answer boils down to a combination of factors, the first of which is simply not searching persistently … Continue reading →

One of the down sides of Alcoholics Anonymous and similar programs is that they have convinced many people that alcoholism is a medical disease. There’s no proof of this, i.e., no empirical evidence of disease verifiable by MRI, blood test … Continue reading →

One of the subjects that occasionally comes up in my office is the issue of anorexia; generally defined as a pathological refusal to eat. According to Dr. Walter Kaye, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, people with anorexia … Continue reading →

A reader emails that her boyfriend expresses no preferences or opinions regarding pretty much anything. She’s beginning to feel resentful about it, and asks if it’s wrong to resent a love interest who consistently does this. It’s hard to believe … Continue reading →

Well, it’s that time again. As we wade through heart-shaped boxes of candy, peanut butter eggs, marshmallow chickens, jelly beans (and those Cadbury caramel eggs!), how can one possibly lose weight for the approaching beach season? Isn’t there some sort … Continue reading →

Psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman, author of “Authentic Happiness,” asserts that happiness has three components: mood, meaning, and how engaged people are in what they’re doing. “You could think of [these] as three different ‘takes’ a person has on his or … Continue reading →

People occasionally tell me that they don’t believe in psychotherapy. When I ask them to clarify, it often comes down to the mistaken idea that therapy requires “uncritical belief.” Sadly, that’s true of many things nowadays, but certainly not with … Continue reading →

I encounter many people who admit to resentful feelings and anger toward friends and family members. Almost inevitably, these feelings end up stemming from a fear of confrontation. We’ve been so brainwashed into always being “nice” that emotions and bitterness … Continue reading →