Fear at the Grand Canyon

Chapter 5b of Meeting the Voices in My Head and Searching for an Inner Adult It was an ordinary day inside my head. I was relaxed, happy, and had not a care in the world. All the people in my brain were getting along. I couldn’t ask for any better than that. Outside my head,Continue reading “Fear at the Grand Canyon”

Freedom

If you have ever been to a sawmill like the one I used to run, you have seen one of the most fearsome objects you are ever likely to meet: a saw blade at least three feet in diameter with teeth as big as a tiger’s whirring loudly just a couple feet from the operator.Continue reading “Freedom”

See, Do, Teach

If you think that going to therapy means you can go to a shrink’s office, unload all your problems, and walk away a new man, you’ll be disappointed. You might feel better for a minute, but if you go home and do the same things you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. TherapyContinue reading “See, Do, Teach”

The Shrink’s Links: Hugging till Relaxed, the Video

Bringing you the best of mental health every week. Hugging till relaxed is elegant and simple. The basics require four sentences: stand on your own two feet. Put your arms around your partner. Focus on yourself. Quiet yourself down – way down. – David Schnarch Watch the video and learn:

When Madness Takes Cover

So, you’ve stopped drinking, or drugging, or gambling, or sleeping around. Your depression seems to have lifted. You haven’t been violent. Your anxiety no longer makes all the decisions. You’re up in the morning and dressed when you need to be. The madness seems to have gone away. Has it, really? Madness takes cover sometimesContinue reading “When Madness Takes Cover”

What is Madness?

Someone asked why the name of this blog is Madness 101. Shouldn’t I call it Mental Illness 101? Isn’t mental illness the proper, politically correct term? It is, but it’s not really mental illness that I’m writing about. I’m writing about the related subject of madness. Illness is something that happens to you beyond yourContinue reading “What is Madness?”

The Shrink’s Links: What’s the Next Thing that Can Kill Me?

Bringing you the best of mental health every week. A lot can go wrong when you’re an astronaut. The anxiety of being shot into space could be overwhelming and confusing. In his book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, Commander Chris Hadfield says he would focus on the next thing that could kill him.Continue reading “The Shrink’s Links: What’s the Next Thing that Can Kill Me?”