One of the number one issues couples face is difficulty with communication. Why is Communication so Difficult? Much of the time it’s because we just don’t see eye to eye. My feelings and needs become an imposition on your feelings and needs, and vice versa. I may have...
Do You Have a Drinking Problem? Drinking is an ever-present part of our culture and can certainly be done in a way that is responsible and adds value to your life. For some, however, drinking eventually takes over their life and leads to more problems than benefits. A...
In the course of planning a therapy group for veterans with Substance Use Disorders at the Michael E. DeBakey Medical Center in Houston I have gotten to know a lot about an approach to addiction called Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. The approach was...
When we think of depression we often assume it to be a malaise that anyone would want to get rid of. However, depression has a number of “secret” benefits that can make it hard for many people to live without it. Famous Danish philosopher Soeren Kierkegaard captured...
Does Your Life Feel Disingenuous? Sometimes in therapy I come across clients who report they don’t really know what they truly want or who they really are. They have been so used to adapting to others or trying to be who they think they should be that they have lost...
The human organism is designed to protect us from danger to ensure our survival. One way it does this is to make us afraid of things that can cause us harm or death. Unfortunately sometimes this built in alarm and detection system is a little too sensitive and can...
I always liked the saying “The illness is the cure”. Why? Because in the area of mental health, it alerts us to something profoundly insightful about the nature of the psychological and emotional problems most people struggle with. Whether we feel depressed, have...
In my many years of experience as a psychologist and a psychotherapist, I have seen exceptionally few clients for whom depression was simply a disorder of the brain. In the vast majority of cases, once a person begins to examine their feelings and their life more...
One of the most frequent objections I hear as a therapist, is the objection by clients who don't see what the point is of re-experiencing unpleasant memories and emotions from the past. "How is feeling sad going to help me?" they ask. Or: "How is getting angry at...
Questions You Should Ask Yourself about Psychiatric Drugs: Psychiatry is in fashion these days. Increasingly people are choosing to "pop a pill" to rid themselves of their depression or their anxiety. Statistics show that every 10th adult in the United States is...
Here you can find articles that explore the truth about the human condition as it gets revealed in and through psychotherapy
One of the number one issues couples face is difficulty with communication. Why is Communication...
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places" (Ernest Hemingway)...
The Past Never Lasts: Changing the Past from the Future “The past never lasts”. Such was the...
Many people feel marred by guilt feelings that are preventing them from fully enjoying their...
The title of my blog post this week contains one of the essential insights of my work as a...
The line between telling the truth and telling a lie has always been the central theme of...
No feeling is so painful as the pain of the human heart... One client of mine, when asked what it...
Anger is an uncomfortable emotion for most people. We often wonder what to do with it when we feel...
One frequent problem people present with in therapy is: not knowing how to care for themselves...
Gottman Method Couples Counseling is one of the most popular and contemporary approaches to...
A sign of a strong relationship is not that you never fight or argue. Disagreements and arguments...
A frequent concern couples have is how to express their disagreements without starting a fight....
Infidelity and Cheating is Widespread: Statistics show that between 35-50% of all women or men in...
It’s all supposed to be very rosy: Two people meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after....
Why Couples May Not Argue Enough... At first glance it might seem that one of the major reasons...
What is it that makes some couples have more successful and rewarding relationships and others...
