Category Archives: Psychodynamic Therapy

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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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What is Psychodynamic Therapy?

What is Psychodynamic Therapy?
For consumers contemplating seeing a therapist, there are many types of therapy to choose from. One of the most widely practiced forms of therapy, is psychodynamic therapy. But what does psychodynamic therapy really mean? What is Psychodynamic Therapy? Psychodynamic therapy starts from the assumption that people are caught in multiple struggles between opposing demands, impulses,…
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Obstacles to Change in Psychotherapy

Obstacles to Change in Psychotherapy
When people come to therapy it is usually because they have identified some behavior, some feeling, or some aspect of their life which they find problematic and want to change. Yet psychotherapists have long known that clients usually resist the very changes which they consciously claim they want. For example, I know I should not…
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Psychotherapy: Does Insight Cure?

Psychotherapy: Does Insight Cure?
Over the past 100 years, therapists have asked themselves the question: what really produces change in people? In this connection, the role "insight" plays in helping us resolve our issues has often been a point of contention... So does insight really cure? Insight in Psychoanalysis In the heyday of psychoanalysis, a prevalent belief was that…
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Why People Often Choose Misery over Change

Why People Often Choose Misery over Change
Human beings are constantly faced with making the choice between two paths: One path that keeps them in the safe and comfortable straits of what they know, and another that entices with a different way of being, less restricted and more promising. Which way should I go? Should I stay in my comfort zone or…
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How to Stop Sabotaging Yourself and Getting in Your Own Way

How to Stop Sabotaging Yourself and Getting in Your Own Way
Many people struggle with following through on their plans, commitments, or stated desires. Sometimes it is as if there is another voice or person inside of us that gets in our way. This part of us might tell us to postpone an important task until tomorrow, or might tell us that we shouldn't aim for…
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4 Unmet Needs that Can Cause Psychological Issues when We Grow Up

4 Unmet Needs that Can Cause Psychological Issues when We Grow Up
Understanding Your Psychological Issues Better by Understanding Your Past: As a psychologist, I am often surprised by how many of my clients come to therapy believing that what ails them is simply a matter of a personal defect or an inherent weakness in their own ability to cope with things. They look at themselves in…
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