Category Archives: Uncategorized

But they can heal the harm, too If someone pointed a gun to my head and forced me to admit, as a psychotherapist, what my preferred counseling method was, I could not say I was a reflective eclectic. That would get me shot. It’s not really an answer. Instead, I would have to confess thatContinue reading “How Stories Can Harm”

There’s a way to repair what was damaged. What you’ve got to do is ditch shame. Continue reading →

And understand how your minds work If you’ve ever watched a person walk a dog, you’ve seen a good illustration of your mind at work. You have two minds: one is like the dog, the other like the dog walker. Continue reading →

And Why You Should Try It You might not think you would choose to have stress, but many people do, for good reasons and bad. For many, very many, stress is an acceptable price they pay for values they hold dear. Continue reading →

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 →