Psychology Articles

Love: The Story The story of love seeped its way into our psyches since birth. Heard hundreds of times by the fourth grade, “The Story” presents two young people who fall in love at first sight, after years of passion-fueled banter, on the third date after the first kiss with a friend’s cousin’s neighbor. Sometimes, The Story uses a glass slipper, often a spectacular twist of Fate, but never portrays true human flaws. The Story chases us until we catch it. Then, it forms a chasm between our partner and us. The relationship and our partner don’t stand a chance.

Your every significant choice -- every important decision you make -- is determined by a force operating deep inside your mind: your perspective on time -- your internal, personal time zone. This is the most influential force in your life, yet you are virtually unaware of it. Once you become aware of your personal time zone, you can begin to see and manage your life in exciting new ways.

Yesterday I was weeding in my back yard and I had a realization. Weeding the yard is so much easier than weeding out our thoughts. Weeding out unwanted thoughts needs tools. What are your tools for weeding out ineffective thoughts? What about ones that actually take you down? Do you have different tools for each of these? I’m not into perfect tools I’m into effective ones. Are yours effective? I want to share some of my favorite tools. The first one is just to clear your head so you can calm down the chatter or lists, or all the peoples demands. Hands Shakingr

We all know that, in a relationship, men look for beauty and women for security. We also know, however, that money tends to play an important role in love for both men and women. So, when things go awry financially, what happens to love?

Much has been written about self-esteem. But if we would like to give a simple definition of what self-esteem is, a definition that everyone can immediately relate to, what would that be? Self-esteem is our gut feeling about our Self. It is an inner condition that accompanies us wherever we go and whatever we do. It is how much we like our Self, how much we love our Self, how much we honor our Self and how well we are aligned with our Self. It is our inner estimation of our S

A (somewhat) retired combat veteran, Sergeant Shane Savage, recently became a featured story as part of the New York Times. Savage’s story employs the multitude of struggles that thousands of other combat veterans face shortly after their discharge from service. Savage recalls his battles with narcotics, pain management, survivor’s guilt, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other traumatic ailments that still plague him today. Reports released by CBS in 2013 revealed that

How do you know if you have an anger management problem? Anger is a tough issue for many men. Males are hard-wired to act when threatened. In times past, that may have meant defending themselves against a wild animal or an enemy intent on harming them or their families. These days, the ...

There are thousands upon thousands of psychotherapists in this country with over a few hundred in Grand Rapids alone. It is, you might say, a growth business (pun intended) but of course not all therapists are equally well talented, ethical and responsible. Finding someone you can trust to share ...

Mindfulness seems to be a rather gentle tool at first appearance. It is know as a tool to reduce stress, popularized in the West by John Kabat-Zinn. Or mindfulness is used to expand your consciousness, have a more deeper experience of the present moment and be in the “now”. But mindfulness can also serve as the only tool that is left when you are amidst a severe low self-esteem crisis.

Why another blog on 9/11? Because I want to remember this date by offering something that hopefully can shed further light on some of the repercussions of the fateful events of ten years ago. As a psychotherapist, I am deeply aware of the importance of traumatic events that occur unpredictably and seemingly without any logical reason, such as the events of 9/11 ten years ago. These events affected each of us individually as well as collectively.

When someone we love dies, a feeling of deep, painful grief is a natural and common response. Actually, grief can be triggered by the loss of anything we value, anything in which we have invested time, energy, a part of ourselves--a job, a work of art, a beloved pet. People who are divorcing are often surprised (and appalled) by the depth of their grief, unless they realize that what they are mou ing is not the angry battleground that the relationship has become but the dream they still cherish of what might have been.

When you call or refer to someone a genius, what do you really mean? That they manifest qualities and characteristics which seem to be beyond the typical? That they are totally extraordinary and they are ahead of their time? That they seem to be able to master and generate the perfect and ideal obra maestra with so little or no effort at all? This is actually a 3-stage process. First and foremost, you have to break down all your preconceived notions and misconceptions regardi

Nothing is perfect and that goes for relationships too. In the best of intimate relationships, there are those subtle and not so subtle signs that harmony is being disrupted. Some disagreements and discussions make sense and are in fact healthy; his words against hers, her values in the face of his values, old traditions vs. new ideas and so on. However, after a few years of living with a partner, attempting and working on intimacy, you can often see a few patterns emerging. Those patterns might be complicated to detect when you are a part of the everyday ‘drama’.

" Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." Steve Jobs Someone recently asked me the definition of Codependency, so let's take a look at what we can see to help uncover this complicated phenomenon. The visual I have is someone who is suppose to be driving his own car in the race of life, but he is running around cleaning everyone else's car.

Many new parents have the feeling that they must be perfect at parenting or they will “ruin” their child for life. • They worry about how to feed the baby ? • They worry about how to play with their child? • They worry about toilet training? • They worry about sleeping arrangements These parents [usually new parents] don’t want to feel like failures or bad parents. They don’t want friends, colleagues, in-laws, or neighbors thinking they are not doing well at parenting or are the world’s worst parents.

Does depression treatment make sense? If you ever suffered from depression as a patient or had to deal with depression as someone close to a patient having this mental illness, you most certainly will have had doubts like this in your mind or will have had arguments about this question. It seems that many depression sufferers, especially if they have been hit by this illness recently, have serious doubts about the effectiveness of depression medication. In many cases they can

Known as multiple personality disorder, or identity dissociative disorder, dissociative Identity disorder (DID) is a complex condition characterized by the presence of two or more personalities in one person. Anyone remember the movie “Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde”? In this story, the main character has two completely different personalities that act independently of each other. Who could forget Sally Field’s portrayal of Sybil in the movie based on the best-selling book of

There are some topics that make even the most experienced and eloquent speaker squirm and lock his tongue in silence: Death. Grief. Illness. Depression. Sexual abuse. War and PTSD. Family trauma. They're not your typical speech subjects, and yet they're such universal issues. Speaking ...

Notes of first therapy session with Mona, female, 32, diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder (or Codependence) "I know I won't actually die, but it often feels like it." - says Mona and nervously pats her aubu hair - "I can't live without him, that's for sure. When he is gone, it's ...

Just the other day, I was involved in a situation that reminded me of the amount of courage it takes to give selflessly. I was acutely aware that few of us know the kind of love that’s willing to offer this sort of giving, particularly if it means experiencing personal suffering in the process of that giving. We might attribute this extraordinary ability to those who we believe are more emotionally or spiritually evolved than the rest of us. But, from my own experience, both personally and as a psychotherapist, that isn’t necessarily true.

Just as I was leaving my office last night, I discovered THE most beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting beside my door awaiting me. I was so taken back by the thoughtfulness of whomever had arranged this lovely gift, and when I opened the card and read that it was from my clients who participated in our 13-month Group Therapy for Women, I felt a profound sense of gratitude for them, and for the work that I have the privilege to do as a psychotherapist on a daily basis.

Why Children Are More Stressed Than Ever And What You Can Do To Help Childhood has changed. Instead of pick-up baseball and basketball games on the corner lot, there are competitive travel leagues for kids as young as seven or eight. Instead of the three “R’s”; Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic, kids are faced with standardized tests and after-school tutors. Instead of Sunday night with the Wide World of Disney, there’s questionable “family” shows such as the Family Guy, South Park, and the Simpsons. And then there’s technology!

A lot has been written on the various areas of our lives affected by the current economic recession. One area that deserves attention, albeit not as immediately identifiable as others, is that of intimate relationships. When under a lot of stress, intimate relationships often cease to be haven from the storm, and can become the target of the storm. There is more tension and less energy for couples to address the issues and conflicts in their relationship, as they already feel overwhelmed by all the other stressors in their lives.

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is published by the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. It included mental health disorders for the first time in 1948, in its sixth edition. In 1959, following widespread criticism of its classificatory scheme, the WHO ...

We like to go to war on things we think are wrong or bad; the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war against crime. We need to have a war on worry because worry is wrong and bad; it underlies, and may be in part the cause of, crime, drugs and, perhaps, even poverty. What is worry?

Are you ready to die? Most people aren’t? Yet if we are not willing to be with death it will hunt us down. Last week I had a gigantic dose of people sitting with death. My contractor’s 10-year-old daughter with an inoperable brain tumor on the brain stem. Next a dear friend called with breast cancer, then another dear friends sister found out she had a brain tumor all within less than 24 hours. All sitting with what we are all sitting with only they are doing it consciously. Befriending death.

"The best security blanket a child can have is parents who respect each other." ~ Jane Bauston Do treat your Children like Gold! Remember you just turned your children's life (and they didn't have a vote) upside down. They now have to decipher new rules, new logistics, probable logistical chaos until their stuff finally gets where it is suppose to be, emotional land mines, and they have just inherited all the things you divorced your "ex" about. Maybe you were able to shield your children from some of the "bad stuff" going on and now they have to figure things out on their own.

You have paid your dues as a technician. You are considered to be among the best in your field. So what’s next - a management position? That is generally the path that most of us take. We are good at what we do, so we are promoted. Companies expect that if you are good as a technician you will be good as a manager of other technicians. Sometimes that is true – sadly sometimes it is not. What many companies and individuals fail to recognize is that being a manager requires vastly different skills and competencies than being a technical expert.

The cause of sustainable living has gathered a strong community of followers throughout the globe. Unfortunately, it has also met misunderstanding with a certain layer of the community supporting it. While some say sustainability won't last long and strike it with criticism, others take it more seriously than it is needed, developing their dedication to the Eco living into an OCD. Understand The Motives Behind Hoarding is an obsessive compulsive disorder which was little know

The fear response is triggered when facing danger. The ‘danger’ could be not measuring up to a desirable or imposed standard, not getting done what you set out to do, not fulfilling your own or other people’s expectations, being seen as less than perfect or failing at something. There is also the ‘danger’ of not fitting in and being noticeably different to the norm. All these fears and anxieties have their origin in you questioning your ability to cope with life’s challenges and people’s responses to your actions.

The disrespectful remarks of other people - slights, criticism, or humiliations - can hurt us very much. Sometimes it hurts so much that we want to take revenge to restore our wounded self-esteem. Why is it possible that criticism and humiliation are able to harm us? The answer can be found in our biological heritage.

April is Divorce Recovery Month! We asked a number of contributors to the DivorceForce Community for their input on "divorce recovery" and here is part 1 of some of the responses we received. **Anne Brown PhD RNMSCS http://www.backbonepower.com - Make a list of 2-3 things you want to be different on May 1st. It could be as simple as eating healthy, a regular exercise plan, and a social occasion with a friend set up once a week. And then make it happen! Evidence of progress is very empowering and puts you on the road to successful recovery!

What happens to couples when they are forced by exte al circumstances to live together? How does this situation affect each partner and their children, if couples have children? I suggest that, rather than fighting their situation – which does not solve the problem anyway – couples should face what is happening to them, understand how they got to this point and explore ways of possibly reconnecting with one another, or let go of their relationship in a healthy way.

I grew up in the small city of Roseburg. Officially, I moved to Roseburg to its rolling green hills, from Salt Lake City, where I used to float in the Great Salt Lake when I was 10. In my 4th grade, I, and other students, participated in Roseburg’s Centennial where we dressed up like Sacajawea, Lewis and Clark, Patrick Henry, and famous pioneers who had made their names in Oregon History. I wore my curly red hair in ringlets unde eath a bonnet made of pink- flowered material, cardboard, and ribbons, and slipped into sliky pantaloons that my mom had made for me. The style of the day.

I have to say that, in the past, the above sentences were not even up for discussion. Everybody (or almost everybody) were more then willing to “spread their wings, in a manner of speaking; and thus, unleash their voices and their spirits. Of course, to unleash the voice/spirit is easier said then done… It is especially difficult if the person already has some kind of a voice disorder or even just voice/vocal issues. Obviously, some cases are more difficult then others (wit

I genuinely believe that in order to create an effective exercise habit, you must think about what you can sustain not for weeks, but for decades. What sort of movement and exercise can you do that you'll enjoy and that won't elicit the mule response? What feels good to your body? In terms of ...

For many individuals, the past is not past but remains an ever-present influence in their present life. Even though the physical effects of past events often demand more attention, the psychological legacy may be much more difficult to move on from. If past events are processed as experiences to learn from and grow as a person, pain and upset can be transformed into greater wisdom and strength. However, if not resolved, past challenges keep us hooked into the emotional charge of the time. Loss and Grief.

Sad as it might be, most marriages do not turn out to be the picture that you expected as you stood gazing into one another’s eyes and exchanged your vows. Do you find yourself having thoughts like the following?: X The spark has long since gone. X If it weren’t for the children you might ...

Capture Your Memoriesr Sherry Joiner –Living A Life With Schizo-Affective Disorder - Lecturer in the Psyche Ward and In Our Own Voice Speaker for NAMIr

People have a whole lot of misconceptions about psychological well-being. This is not because there is a lack of information about the same, it is because we have a lot of preconceived notions about the term 'psychological'. So let's get our concept right. What is Psychological Well-being? • Psychological well-being refers to the overall evaluation, appraisal or conclusion, that a person draws about his/her life and the experiences they have. • It was a theory propounded

"I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind." - Emily Bronte, English novelist and poetn nDreams have the tremendous power to transform our lives in so many ways. Taking the time to explore and understand our dreams can help us improve relationships, solve difficult problems, diagnose illnesses, inspire creativity, fresh ideas and new in

What are the components of successful people? So many people over time have dissected this and put the pieces together backwards and forwards. They have used it to sell courses. The formula has been used to sell everything imaginable. I don’t want to sell you anything. I want to give you Priceless tips. The one thing all successful people have in common whether they are financially successful, mentally successful, spiritually successful, relationally successful all of the above or some of the above is energy. Sounds so simple doesn’t it?

If you’re going to address an issue, first think about the outcome you are looking for. If you want to waste your energy in a useless fight, you know what to do: put on your armor, pick up your sword, and charge. Leap into the fray, armed to the teeth with accusations, strong words, criticisms, ...

All human beings endeavor to succeed in life. From career success to relationship success, most of us stumble and fumble and fail along the path of enlightenment. Sometimes it is far more difficult to understand and treat emotional and psychological suffering than it is physical illness or injury because so often the origin of the pain is hidden. Narcissitic Personality Disorder has been, until now, one of the most perplexing and frustrating personality disorders among the en

Aron Levy, who kidnapped, murdered and dismembered 8-year old Leiby Kletzky in Brooklyn now faces a battery of defense-appointed experts in an attempt to plead NGRI (“Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity”). He has a history of “psychiatric disorders” and had been hearing voices, his lawyers claim. The insanity defense in criminal trials is nothing new. The Babylonian Talmud had this to say 1800 years ago: “It is an ill thing to knock against a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor.

Gifted children are those kids whose talents, skills, potentials and abilities are so superior and exceptional that they set the child apart from their peers. Gifted children are often initially observed and identified when they excel in school, yet most parents of gifted kids suspect and notice giftedness early on in their children even before their child enters school. But how could you determine if your child is indeed gifted? And what are the early signs? Being gifted is

When decorating your home it is quite a personal thing. We all have our own opinions and styles and certain things work for certain people. So when it comes to painting there is a psychology to particular colours that can incorporate soothing and productive moods in your home.rnAs we get down and dirty with the DIY we begin to view decorating as simply a matter of taste and what looks best, but through colour of psychology it is known to show that particular colours can have

According to a study by Kronos Inc. And Future Workplace, employee burnout has reached epidemic proportions. Not only is employee burnout bad for business, but it’s also bad for your own personal health and wellbeing. While you may not get a lot of relaxation time, here are 3 reasons to make the most of it. Reduces Chronic Stress Considering the biggest contributing factors to burnout are unfair compensation, unreasonable workload and too much overtime or after-hours work,

I can't quite remember where I heard it first but it has fascinated me for a long time. The quote went " You know you are getting old when you look in the mirror one day and find your parent looking at you". As time marches on, this gem becomes more and more relevant but looks are not the only attributes we carry with us as we progress through various life stages.

1. Physical Abuser In theory, in this country, no one can touch you as adults in any way (physically or sexually) without your permission. At the horrendous end of the spectrum of physical abuse are the stories we hear about the beating, burning, rape, mutilation, sex slaves, etc. and at the lesser end of the spectrum, we hear about people using their physicality to bully and get their way. In a healthy marriage, the couple respects each other’s physical boundaries and sex is a mutually agreed-upon part of intimacy.