Few things in life are more pivotal than a shift of mind. This profound experience catalyzes defining moments that enable you to embark on exciting new paths. The following articles are devoted to that purpose.
- All
- Self Esteem
- Anxiety
- Parenting
- Depression
- Relationships
- Communication
- Quantum Perspectives
- New Thinking
Getting Beyond “How Does…
"How does that make you feel?" is almost a therapy cliche. Mel Schwartz explains why moving beyond feelings leads to truly effective...
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#122 The Inner Path of Leaders…
In another cross-posting of the blog and podcast, Mel reveals the three pillars of singular, excellent leadership. The podcast includes a...
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#121 How Wealth Can Negatively…
In a special cross-posting of the blog and podcast, the focus is on how wealth can often be detrimental to healthy interpersonal and familial...
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Over-Simplifying Equals Dumbin…
Either / or thinking leads to stagnation, while embracing complexity brings clarity of thought. Read to discover how our relationships evolve once we...
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Can Our Relationship Be Repair…
This very question highlights the problem One of the primary problems in relationships arises from how we envision our relationships. Conventional...
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Doing the best you can
Is it always a good idea to do the best you can do? Moreover, can we ever be sure that it’s really our best? These questions came up recently in a
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Coming into Balance
I recently broke my foot, a fracture that occurred as I missed a step on my front porch. The break occurred on the outside part of my foot- the fifth
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Turning Crisis into Opportunit…
Crises come into our lives, no matter how we may try to avoid them. They are troubling, unwanted experiences or events that take us out way out of
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Stuck in a Groove
For those of us old enough to remember vinyl records, we might recall that when there was a scratch on the album, the needle would sometimes get
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Breaking Free from Your Comfor…
Our Most Intimate Relationship The most intimate relationship we will have in our lives is not with our parents, our spouses, our children or
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What Is a Mistake?
My previous post, “The Problem with Perfection,” unraveled some of the mythology and beliefs about notions of perfection that limit and impede
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Coming into the Edge……
I was in the middle of a challenging stretch in a yoga class recently, when the instructor encouraged us to come into the edge. Move beyond the
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The 5% Rule — Breaking T…
Early in my career as a therapist, I found myself feeling frustrated in my ability to assist a couple with whom I was working. They were
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Mastering Your Communication S…
Mastering your Communication Skills: Breaking Through to the Other Side A Real-Time, Interactive, Online Workshop To enjoy resilient
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For the Sake of the Children
I’ve often heard people in conflicted and unhappy marriages claim that they are staying together for the sake of the children. Their implied
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Raising Resilient Children
As parents, no matter how devoted and nurturing we may be, our children often struggle with low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and a host of other
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Shared Meaning
We take for granted that our words convey exactly what we intend them to. This is a particularly misinformed assumption. I have observed that upon
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To excel or to have fun? That …
I was recently having a conversation with a young man about his passion in certain sports. As we talked further it became very evident that he would
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Getting Unstuck: Overcoming An…
In any given year approximately 40 million Americans will suffer from a debilitating encounter with anxiety. Over the course of your lifetime,
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Raising Resilient Children
As parents, no matter how devoted and nurturing we may be, our children often struggle with low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and a host of other
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Overcoming Anxiety: Turning Yo…
Overcoming Anxiety A LIVE Interactive Videoconference Learn to turn your thoughts into your ally! 3 Wednesday evenings — 7:15-8:30 PM
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Rethinking Anxiety
When a dysfunction such as anxiety – or depression, for that matter – becomes so commonplace, we must turn to our culture, which is our aggregate
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Low Self-Esteem: A Missed Diag…
According to the National Institute of Health, one in every two Americans will ultimately be diagnosed with some form of mental illness. What’s
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Coming into Balance
A few summers ago I broke my foot, the fracture occurring as I missed a step on my front porch. The break occurred on the outside part of my foot —
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Does Familiarity Breed Contemp…
The expression "familiarity breeds contempt" is all too familiar. Yet, as the case with many common sayings, we might benefit from taking a look at
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Marriage: Work or Play?
Most marriages and primary relationships these days tend to focus more on expediency and structure than on substance and content. In a culture that
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Commitment
Why Do We Mean by Commitment? What does the word commitment suggest? It usually evokes a strong sense of intention and focus. It typically is
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To excel or to have fun? That …
I was recently having a conversation with a young man about his passion in certain sports. As we talked further it became very evident that he would
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Breaking the Cycle of Negativi…
Too often, when we encounter challenges and conflict in our primary relationships we tend to spiral down very quickly. When we’re in this down
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The Wrong Reason for Staying M…
The institution of marriage should be intended to enrich our lives. Certainly we might agree that the purpose of marriage ought to be to enhance our
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5 Principles That Unleash Your…
What could be more important than acquiring a strong command of our communication? We know that these skills are essential for enjoying successful
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How are you?
Many times a day we may walk past an acquaintance and say, "Hi, how are you?" The other person smiles, says, "good and you?" And we likely respond
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The 5% Rule — Breaking T…
Early in my career as a therapist, I found myself feeling frustrated in my ability to assist a couple with whom I was working. They were
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#132 Quantum Physics and Psych…
[powerpress] The Possibility Podcast with Mel Schwartz episode 132 is a bonus episode: an interview I gave Dwight Hurst on The Broken Brain
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Breaking Free From the Groove …
Those of us old enough to remember vinyl records-notwithstanding their recent comeback-might recall that when there was a scratch on the album, the
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Change a Word—Change Your Li…
Many years ago, I’d often fall into a recurring disagreement with my former wife. At bedtime I’d frequently find myself saying, “It’s hot in
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Breaking the Cycle of Negativi…
Too often, when we encounter challenges and conflict in our primary relationships we tend to spiral down very quickly. When we’re in this down
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Why We Suffer From Anxiety and…
In any given year approximately 40 million Americans will suffer from a debilitating encounter with anxiety. Over the course of your lifetime,
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To excel or to have fun? That …
I was recently having a conversation with a young man about his passion in certain sports. As we talked further it became very evident that he would
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The pathologizing of a culture
A young woman in her mid-twenties recently came in for her first visit with me. Three months earlier she had experienced her first bout of anxiety
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The Paradox of Expectations
Beginning a new year often brings forth a review of our expectations and I thought it might be a good idea to briefly examine this topic. As with
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Looking at greed as an addicti…
Looking at Greed as an Addictive Dysfunction The saga of the Bernard Madoff debacle, AIG bonuses and the host of other repugnant behaviors
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Why Psychotherapists Shouldn&#…
Why Psychotherapists Shouldn’t be Shrinks On occasions when people might inquire as to what type of work I do, I’d typically respond that I
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