Most people try to avoid making mistakes. In fact, many people experience considerable stress and anxiety around avoiding mistakes. We may labor and fret over… Continue reading What is a mistake?
Category: Blog
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… Continue reading Doing the best you can
Self-Esteem or Other Esteem?
After some consideration and many years of practice as a therapist, I have come to believe that the term self-esteem appears to be a misnomer.… Continue reading Self-Esteem or Other Esteem?
Does Familiarity Breed Contempt?
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… Continue reading Does Familiarity Breed Contempt?
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… Continue reading Shared Meaning
Can Your Feelings Be Wrong?
This question comes up so often in my therapy sessions. The greatest source of invalidation comes from denying our feelings — whether we do it… Continue reading Can Your Feelings Be Wrong?
Who Am I?
This question — asked so often — suggests that there is actually a plausible answer. Almost as if our identity were a fixed thing. People… Continue reading Who Am I?
Is Our Society Manufacturing Depressed People?
An Epidemic of Depression Our society is in the throes of a virtual epidemic of depression. The numbers are quite staggering. More than twenty percent… Continue reading Is Our Society Manufacturing Depressed People?
Self Esteem or Other Esteem?
In my previous article, Self-Esteem: A Missed Diagnosis, I proposed that a devaluation of one’s self lies at the heart of most psychological and emotional… Continue reading Self Esteem or Other Esteem?
Silence: A Relationship Killer
Over the many years that I’ve been practicing therapy, I’ve found that couples that are struggling in their relationships often succumb to the default mode… Continue reading Silence: A Relationship Killer