Those of you who have had a therapy session with me are probably quite familiar with the term “archetype.” Very briefly, an archetype is a pattern of behavior, or more accurately, a pattern of “being” much like an instinct. According to the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, the archetypes have formed over eons of human existence [...]
We have probably all heard at one time or another the admonition, “oh, quit being such a victim.” Usually this carries with it a sense of shame, like we are slipping into some infantile and very unbecoming behavior. “Being” a victim very often is a reality brought upon us by unseen forces, such as getting [...]
How often have you heard this phrase in the past couple of months? “The New Normal.” What does that mean? It seems to mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I have heard it to define a new spiritual awakening, where the world population wakes up to a new awareness [...]
Last year Routledge press, an imprint of Francis & Taylor, published my first book: “Ancient Egypt and Modern Psychotherapy: Sacred Science and the Search for Soul.” Keep reading. I promise not to get too academic. That being said, I must admit it IS an academic book. It is actually a “more suitable for most readers” [...]
Right before the new year came upon us, a friend of mine proclaimed he was making no New Year’s resolutions. He had decided that over the years he seldom kept any of them up for any decent amount of time therefore there wasn’t much point making them.
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.
Think of all the ways that dogs live as part of our lives. Our first thought might be the various dogs we have had as pets, or the dogs that family and friends have had with whom we have interacted. Then there are working dogs. These can be guard dogs, farm dogs who herd livestock [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
