6 Reasons You May Find It Difficult To Get Help After Trauma
If you’ve experienced trauma, you may find it difficult to seek help. Why? There are many possible reasons why. Let’s explore just a few.
How to foster connections with adult children
Fostering connections with our adult children starts when they are infants! If we give our children the message throughout their lives that they are loved and lovable, that we are interested in their thoughts and feelings, that we’re curious about their interests, and that we accept them for who they are, we have a great foundation to continue building a lifelong relationship.
Where to find the small pleasures of life
This post has some resources to help you find some of the small pleasures in life. The previous post discussed the importance of appreciating them.
Sweat the Small Stuff? Appreciate the Small Pleasures!
Many times the small details make all the difference. Maybe it’s a particular seemingly unimportant ingredient or mixing method in a recipe that makes the difference between a delicious dish or an inedible one
“Succession” and Ambivalent Loss
“The king is dead, long live the king!” is a phrase we’ve heard throughout history to announce the death of one monarch and the upcoming coronation of the next.
Mark Twain and Hyperbole
Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” It’s an interesting observation and gets to the idea of hyperbole
Risk and resilience
The German intellectual Goethe is quoted as saying “The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety.” How’s that for an interesting paradox?!
What’s the Role of Worry and Anxiety in Your Life?
Did you grow up in a family that was calm, or one where people second-guessed, catastrophized, fantasized doom and gloom scenarios, or worried about what friends—or even strangers—thought of them?
How Much Is Enough?
How much is enough to be happy? I recently read an anecdote about authors Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. They were both at a party hosted by a billionaire on Shelter Island.
Winning Is Everything! Or Is it?
Do you ever find yourself in a disagreement with your partner or someone else about something completely trivial and you just want to win?
HBO’s ”Succession”: What Can We Learn from These Flawed Characters?
One of my favorite series in recent years is HBO’s drama “Succession,” about the Roy family, led by the hugely flawed and highly successful aging patriarch Logan Roy.
Abracadabra: Poof! It’s Magical Thinking!
I met the 12-year-old son of a friend many years ago. I tried to engage him in conversation and asked him what he liked to do when he wasn’t in school. Hang out with his younger brother. Play with his cat. Cook with his mom.
The Value of Friendship
This blog post is the second one inspired by Kerri Grote, a woman who died of brain cancer.
Running Toward Life or Away From Death?
A good friend from high school recently sent me a FaceBook post about someone, Kerri Grote, who died of brain cancer and left a note for her surviving family and friends
The Importance of Therapy for Therapists
Sigmund Freud once said: “Anyone who wishes to practice analysis should first submit to be analyzed himself by a competent person.” This is not to suggest that only good therapists go to therapy. However, it does highlight an important concept. Since everyone struggles from time to time, why would a therapist be immune from this reality?
Feeling Anxious About Retirement? Here are 5 Tips to Help Ease Your Mind
Roughly 40 percent of Americans fear retirement more than death. Let that sink in. This fact speaks volumes about the oppressive role of “work” in our lives.
Dysfunctional & Disagreeable? 6 Signs Your Family's Communication Needs Work
Family life can be troublesome. Yes, blood is thicker than water, but, boy, can they make your blood boil! If you find that your family struggles to communicate and you disagree on everything, then you’re going to need to work on your communication skills as a unit.
What Is Trauma Dumping and Is It Harmful?
We’ve all vented to a friend from time to time. Whether it is to get something off your chest or to receive some sort of advice and guidance. This is a normal part of relationships.
Restoring the Passion: How to Bring Sex Back to Your Marriage
Everyone thinks their honeymoon period will never end. They hear all the talk about how lust cools over time but promise they will be differen
5 Conflict Resolution Tips for Couples
When you were young, it's likely that you were exposed to "picture perfect" relationships.