Anxiety can have many different causes including childhood trauma, abuse in adulthood (from a spouse or partner), stress at work, financial stress, near-accidents, injurious accidents, being a crime victim, etc. Once the fight-flight sensations of anxiety begin, from...
Psychotherapy is still alive and well, but increasingly we have moved to a biological paradigm of depression in which sufferers are encouraged to try antidepressants, mood stabilizers, nutritional therapy with whole foods and supplements, Ketamine infusions, and...
In 1842 Senator Henry Clay coined the term “self-made man” to refer to people who improved themselves and their material circumstances by means of education and hard work. To be self-made meant nobody handed you your success on a silver platter. It meant...
In the wonderful sci fi TV show Stark Trek, Star Fleet had a prime directive (PD) binding on Cpt. Kirk, his crew, and everyone else. In the show the PD was never interfere with the natural development of an alien civilization, something Kirk was tempted to do time...
Meaningful social communication between trusted family members, friends, and colleagues involves honest, open emotional sharing. Just as primates bond by physical touch, humans bond by touching each other emotionally. If we were to view emotional sharing on a...
I have been exposed to New Age coaches who preach that listing at least 5 things you are grateful for at a regular time every day will make you a happier, kinder, and more optimistic person. I have tried gratitude lists and each time I found that before the first week...
Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to grow new brain cells (neurons) and new cells that support the health of neurons (glia) throughout life. The more neuroplastic the brain the more the can can learn and adapt to life’s ever-changing...
In therapeutic practice one sees adults who perceive themselves as not mattering, being dismissed, and even being invisible. This is a terrible thing to feel and not surprisingly it leads to chronic depression. When and how does this self-perception arise? I have seen...
Hard working professionals of all kinds face the risk of stress overload, exhaustion, and burnout. How do they care for themselves to reduce that risk and build resilience. In many cases they buy a yoga class, a massage, a spa package, a cruise or something like that...
Every person has one or more trigger words that when spoken aloud activate fight/flight with intense anxiety or freeze with numbness and helplessness. What’s yours? Death? Cancer? Bankruptcy? Homelessness? Betrayal? Divorce? Rejection? Criticism? When you hear...
