Monthly Archives: January 2021

There’s a lot you can do to change another person, up to a point If you hang around a therapist’s office long enough, or around anyone who’s seen a therapist, they’re going to tell you that you can’t change another person; you can only change yourself. Basically, it’s true; but, like many adages, there’s moreContinue reading “Cultivating Change”

Sooner or later, if you declare yourself as a supporter of liberal democracy, you’ll run into a thorny problem. Do you show tolerance for the intolerant? Can you permit the free speech of those who will destroy free speech? Should you give publicity to those who threaten a free press? Can you get disgusted withContinue reading “Intolerant of the Intolerant and Outraged by the Outrageous”

America gone haywire Has our country gone mad? Has anyone examined the head of America? Kurt Anderson has, shortly after the 2016 election; and his conclusion is yes, we have gone mad and it was bound to happen. He wrote the bestselling book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire. In it, he presents an alternate historyContinue reading “Living in Fantasyland”

Not everything about Neuro-Linguistic Programming is phony If you’re going to learn how to be a psychotherapist, you should study psychology and acquaint yourself with all the theories of human behavior. I believe it also helps to read Russian novels and ponder philosophy. You can do worse than have a solid grounding in statistics andContinue reading “Need a Map for Your Brain?”

Mental Health’s blindness to mass delusions Recently, a group of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in hopes of stopping what they regarded as the stealing of the 2020 election, something they were certain of, despite the lack of evidence. This was just one of many examples of groups of people who have drunk theContinue reading “Will Your Therapist Even Notice If You Drink the Kool Aid?”

Good and bad ways to feel bad As soon as you see how you are responsible for trouble, you are met by two emotions who offer to be your guide: guilt and shame. Which one should you go with? Is there a difference between the two? Continue reading →

Universal survivor’s guilt as a basis for ethics You’re a survivor. You’re the result of an intense competition between hundreds of sperm seeking to impregnate an egg. You feed yourself off the flesh of others. If you eat meat, hundreds of beings die to give you sustenance; and if you’re a vegan, plants give theirContinue reading “The Face of the Other”