Insight - A Blog for the Critical Consumer of Psychotherapy

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8 Cognitive Behavioral Strategies to Reduce Problematic Drinking

8 Cognitive Behavioral Strategies to Reduce Problematic Drinking
  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 person may gradually increase the frequency…
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Depression as Self-Protection: The Secret Benefit of a Depressed Mind

Depression as Self-Protection: The Secret Benefit of a Depressed Mind
  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 this attachment when he referred to his…
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Fundamental Anxiety: The Anxiety of Being Who You Are

Fundamental Anxiety: The Anxiety of Being Who You Are
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 touch with themselves and have…
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The Best Way to Deal with a Panic Attack Is To Do Nothing

The Best Way to Deal with a Panic Attack Is To Do Nothing
  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 cause us to feel afraid…
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The Illness is the Cure: The Forgotten Wisdom of Our Psychological Symptoms

The Illness is the Cure: The Forgotten Wisdom of Our Psychological Symptoms
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 panic attacks, or generally feel weak, bad, or inadequate, these kinds of…
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What is Your Depression Telling You?

What is Your Depression Telling You?
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 closely, they discover that their depression has a meaning…
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The Psychological Price You Pay for Avoiding Your Emotions

The Psychological Price You Pay for Avoiding Your Emotions
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 people in my life who mistreated me…
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Should I Take Medication for My Anxiety and Depression?

Should I Take Medication for My Anxiety and Depression?
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 currently taking an anti-depressant as part of their daily routine. Oftentimes, however, people…
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Shame: The Hidden Root of Most Psychological Problems

Shame: The Hidden Root of Most Psychological Problems
You won’t find “disorders of shame” as a category in the DSM-5 (the official American catalogue over mental health diagnoses), and yet shame is probably the biggest single cause of most of our psychological problems. Shame is often the secret engine that get us started on a path of disordered eating, makes us feel bad…
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