There is a lot of confusion these days regarding the meaning of the word empathy and how empathy can be demonstrated in a relationship. Oftentimes we hear of a comparison between empathy and sympathy, which regards the latter as a less heartfelt response to a situation or to a partner’s feelings. I am not quite [...]
I often refer to the complex as “the troll beneath the bridge”—an unsightly, and generally unwelcome, force that lies in waiting, ready to decree its unpleasant influence at the slightest provocation. Just walking across the bridge may be enough to wake it from its sleep deep in our unconscious and pounce upon us with all its force.
There is probably not a more common reason to seek therapy than depression. Nearly everyone experiences depression at some point, or many times, in their life. It is a rather familiar experience for many of us, and it is most always difficult to overcome. Some people suffer a deeper sort of depression than others, and [...]
I just had the opportunity to see another stage production of Les Miserablés, I have seen it several times in the theatre, and of course have seen the movie, but this particular performance seemed to clarify for me the archetypal elements of the work. Maybe this came to me in a more obvious way having just [...]
Every human feels anxiety on occasion; it is a part of life. All of us know what it is like to feel worry, nervousness, fear, and concern. We feel nervous when we have to give a speech, go for a job interview, or walk into our boss’s office for the annual performance appraisal. We know it’s [...]
Deepak Chopra, the world renown self-help guru, has been credited with this quote: “Attachment to results disturbs equanimity, introduces anxiety and thus increases chances of failure.” Oddly enough, Dr. Chopra presents this idea from a rather materialist perspective—meaning more scientific and rational, giving an objective reason (anxiety) why attachment to results may not yield a desired [...]
Things are getting a bad rep these days. There are countless articles floating around the Internet and in print publications extolling the virtues of letting go and throwing out nearly everything you may have acquired over your long, or even short, lifetime. In our highly materialist and pragmatic era it seems that anything that does [...]
As a psychotherapist I am trained to look below the surface for less than obvious motivations for human behavior. This tendency to dig deeper is typically triggered by what I see (usually seen as well by a large number of others) to be rather irrational behavior or beliefs. The dispute over gun control is one [...]
As a psychotherapist I see quite a few couples in therapy. We psychotherapists are always being asked what we think is important in a relationship. Obviously a couple knowing such things can be helpful, especially if there really are some magic words of wisdom out there that could make relationships easier to navigate through. I don’t [...]
I love Christmas. Everyone has his or her own memories of Christmas as a child, and I am no exception. Christmas in our house was incredibly special. My mother was dubbed early on by my family the “Queen of Christmas.” She would decorate the house with greens, holly, and a huge variety of glass ornaments she [...]
