Keith R Wilson

Grounding

So, you’re anxious. It happens. There are basically two things to do with anxiety. You can face it or avoid it. Avoiding it is often the sensible thing to do if it’s a thing you are not likely to encounter very often; like snakes, for instance. I’m afraid of snakes. If I got a jobContinue reading “Grounding”

Love: The Prisoner’s Dilemma

I can guess how this sounds, but love relationships remind me of the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Two conspirators are arrested and brought into separate interview rooms. They are both given the opportunity to turn state’s witness against the other. The one that takes the deal goes free, and the other gets ten years. If both confess,Continue reading “Love: The Prisoner’s Dilemma”

Multiple

There aren’t many mental illnesses that therapists are accused of creating, but dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder, as it officially used to be known, is one of them.

It’s a Fearful Thing to Love What Death Can Touch

Judah Halevi was a Jewish poet, living in Spain about a thousand years ago. He left us a beautiful poem that I think captures the essence of grief. The translation has been attributed to Chaim Stern, around 1930.

Why I Don’t Specialize in Anything

As a therapist, I could’ve had a specialty. I did some post grad work in family therapy and some more in substance abuse. I sought for ways to address the desire my clients had to quit using tobacco back in the days when few others were doing so. I ran therapy groups for sex offenders.Continue reading “Why I Don’t Specialize in Anything”

The Gumbo of Grief

These days, no one can shed a tear without someone mentioning the five stages of grief. I’m convinced that when people sit with the bereft, they bring up the stages just so that they can have something to say. Anything is better than the delusional denial, the bitter anger, the useless bargains, the hopeless dejection,Continue reading “The Gumbo of Grief”

The Rock Tumbler

Back when my son was a child, he used to dig holes in the back yard. He would adopt stones that he liked and would line the shelves of his room with them. His mother used to complain of the grime he brought into the house, until, noting a sustained interest in geology; we gotContinue reading “The Rock Tumbler”

How Big is the Brain?

The Brain—is wider than the Sky— For—put them side by side— The one the other will contain With ease—and You—beside— The Brain is deeper than the sea— For—hold them—Blue to Blue— The one the other will absorb— As Sponges—Buckets—do— The Brain is just the weight of God— For—Heft them—Pound for Pound— And theyContinue reading “How Big is the Brain?”

How to Have a Good Conversation

If you’re lonely, it’s not enough just to go where people are. You also must know how to talk to them. Watch this School of Life Video on YouTube to avoid the common pitfalls and to learn how to have a good conversation.

The ACE Study

Bringing you the best of mental health It makes no sense, but one of the most remarkable and important findings in recent psychological research hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves and still has not had much impact on the practice of psychotherapy. I’m talking about the ACE Study. In the 1990’s, the CDC and theContinue reading “The ACE Study”