Psychology Articles

Will Parfitt describes how our relationship with trees goes back to the origins of humankind, and how trees are a potent symbol for the creative growth process both on a personal and collective level. The Tree of Life features as a potent symbol in the myths of many different cultures. The ...

A sense of self-worth, self-respect and confidence that you can handle what life presents to you are all features of self-esteem. But appreciating and liking yourself is not always easy, especially if your sense of self was seriously undermined in your youth, toxic relationships, negative cultural influences or major life changes. Don’t let them determine your sense of value, instead resolve to get to the truth of who you are and form your own view of yourself. Take Charge of your Progress.

A No-Nonsense Approach to Making Decisions. A Self Help Guide to having Backbone and Integrity in all your choices, short term, and long term. Is this decision going to be good for Me? To help Me be successful? How do I make the right choices? What are the effects and the outcomes? Ask yourself, Who am I really making these choices for?

The word depression is used in different contexts. Some people claim it for minor problems like being disappointed, hurt or discouraged. Others use it to describe feelings of such heaviness and dejection that they are barely able to function. Symptoms may be so severe that it becomes a life-long debilitating condition where clinical interventions are warranted to redress chemical or hormonal imbalances within the body.

1. Your self-esteem can be harmed by your thoughts and beliefs. But changing only your thoughts is not sufficient if you intend to overcome overcome low self-esteem. Unless you don't work you don't work with unconscious motives and intentions and re-integrated suppressed qualities, you will miss your aim. It's not just that you stop at the halfway mark, but unconscious motives can undermine the work with your thoughts, making the efforts to overcome your low self-esteem null and void.

If you are 100 % psyched for the holidays and you can’t wait to enjoy every second, stop reading and have a blast! But if there’s any part of you that isn’t counting the minutes in excited anticipation and loving every minute of your preparations, you may want to keep reading. There are a lot of people feeling stressed right now, maybe a little grumpy. I know people who dread the holidays. I don’t want you to feel like the holidays are something you have to get through; trust me, it doesn’t have to be this way. You likely have a lot more say in this than you realize.

In a busy life, self-care is often pushed aside or given low priority. Perhaps a weekly yoga class or run around the block on weekends are all you can fit in. But for optimal functioning you need to invest in your mind and emotions as well as your physical health.

Hooray! After over a decade of relative chaos and over-emphasis on safety, we are finally seeing how, as usual, while created to serve us, tools have profound effects on us. It is about time: In recent days, a spate of articles have peppered media about the effects on humans of technology. They comprise of two categories: Cognitive neuroscience and social-familial. There are alarmists and there are technophiles. Slow-to-come new research is reported, and experts are interviewed to put it in context.

EATING BY THE MINDFUL Portion control, the good old divide (the portion) and conquer (overeating) approach, is not without merit. But what if you redefine the portion size from how many mouthfuls you can have to how many mindfuls you need to feel full, if you shift your attention from a ...

According to the definition, silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. Silence is also referred to no sounds uttered by anybody in a room and or area. And research has proven that constant noise can increase one’s stress levels. I want to take that one step further and talk about the silence of oneself. The inner silence, where we still ourselves and quieten the many voices in our head- that inner dialogue. Today I was prompted to stop and be still. So I did j

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS As you gain more understanding of traumatic reactions, your understanding of how they affect your relationship will increase. Gradually your perceptions are likely to change. You may begin to take each other's reactions less personally and with less pain. For example, if ...

By Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, authors of Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)nnFalse memories allow us to forgive ourselves and justify our mistakes, but sometimes at a high price: an inability to take responsibility for our lives. An appreciation of the distortions of memory, a realization that even deeply felt memories might be wrong, might encourage people to hold their memories more lightly, to drop the certainty that their memories are always accurate, and to let go

Creativity – that oneness with our creative muse - is a great feeling. It allows us to feel free and to be productive. But how do we get that creative feeling going? And if we have it going – how can we increase its productivity? Creativity is often written and spoken about as coming from one’s muse – and though many use the muse idea - few today actually see creativity as “divinely” inspired.

Since the mid 1990’s the Standish Group have regularly published their Chaos Report1 looking at the effectiveness of change projects and if we take their findings at face value then we will be aware that the global track record of change in organisations is not very impressive – on average over the last decade they report 34 per cent of projects as being successful, 43 per cent semi-successful and a constant rump of 19 per cent that have failed, that is abandoned with no

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched a new health education program to promote sound “mind and body” health practices among individuals who live with serious mental illness.The "Hearts and Minds" initiative takes aim at risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and obesity for major illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. “Hearts and Minds” is funded by OptumHealth and the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center

Man’s best friend, dogs come in all shapes and sizes, as do their masters. They are overly stereotyped. Your favorite canine will impress others that you possess the following traits-though it most certainly may not be the case. Basset Hound: The one thing people should do is not to rush you. Being unaggressive and lazy, your easygoing manner can make one feel both comfortable and bored. Bulldog: You’re tough. You wear an invisible sign on your chest - “don’t mess with me.”

To succeed as an advisor, it’s not good enough to have the right products and the right clients. You need to understand your clients’ underlying goals and constraints and to develop an atmosphere of trust and understanding. In the course of my work with numerous advisors, I have found that the “T.R.I.U.M.P.H.S” model effectively develops those skills. Here’s the difference that model made for a couple of advisors:

There seems to be this pervasive myth that is running throughout the field of NLP, in fact I’ve even seen it running rampant throughout the entire self help field in general. It’s one of state management, I’ve spoken to some people that swear that a person’s state (the way they feel) should always be controlled (meaning they should always feel good) and that if at any point in time it’s not then there is obviously something wrong with them. I’ve never heard a grea

Should I leave my relationship? This question is probably one of the top ten reasons people have come into my practice asking for help. I am a therapist who prefers to work preventatively. I would like someone who is in the market for a relationship to already be in therapy. A good therapist can evaluate your history with intimacy, help you heal your wounds, and help you get clear on who might be a good partner for you. A Quick Guide of Gauging Toxicityr

Personality disorders are like tips of icebergs. They rest on a foundation of causes and effects, interactions and events, emotions and cognitions, functions and dysfunctions that together form the patient and make him or her what s/he is. The DSM uses five axes to analyze, classify, and describe these data. The patient (or subject) presents himself to a mental health diagnostician, is evaluated, tests are administered, questionnaires fulfilled, and a diagnosis rendered. The

Honor your children by fighting for your marriage and if you decide to divorce, do it with dignity! If you are at the point of asking this question, you have some distinctions to consider.

When individuals are trapped in or have left abusive situations, they often ask themselves: How did I get into this? Why did I fall for it? How could I be so naive? Why did I not respond to red flags earlier? They experience much self-recrimination and shattered confidence in their judgment of people and situations. While ultimately every choice is each person’s own responsibility, the mechanics of sinister recruitment and manipulation are easy to fall prey to.

Many couples who experience relational problems at some point may consider the option of couples counseling. They often do so when they get so frustrated and stymied by what is happening to them that they do not know what else to do. So, unfortunately, therapy becomes the last option for a lot of distressed couples, rather than an aid earlier on, when couples first notice problematic areas in their relationship.

Online therapy is relatively new and not yet fully accepted by everyone. When you browse articles on this topic, you generally find that the main issues center around privacy conce s, proposed regulation and the usual chatter from psychotherapists stuck in the Freudian era.

nSymptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) include:nn• Persistent, upsetting thoughts (obsessions)n• Using rituals (compulsions) to control the anxiety these thoughts producennIt is common for these rituals to end up controlling those performing them.nnSome ritual examples include:nn• People obsessed with germs or dirt, may wash their hands over and over againn• People who develop an obsession with intruders may lock and relock their doors many times before goin

In the previous blog we discussed some of the main reasons why couples tend to be hesitant to seek professional help when they experience serious relational problems. In this blog we will discuss what makes therapy work.

Do you have habits that hold you back from experiencing the successful life you deserve? Your habit may be as small as biting your nails or buying expensive lattes every day. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you may wish to break free of smoking, extreme anger, excessive eating, or other detrimental habits. There is hope. You can rid yourself of the habits that hold you back. Use the tips below to help you put an end to that pesky practice once and for all:

Compassion towards ourselves and towards other is a powerful tool to overcome low self-esteem. You can apply compassion as a short term tool in your day-to-day life, and as a long term practice on a regular, preferably daily basis. While the former is an informal way to use it 'to go', the latter is a formal practice. Compassion as a short term tool

A Voice For Our Veteransr In honor of Veterans Day, we are going to begin to give a voice to our veterans in Part One. In Part Two we are going to offer insights on how we can be better friends, countrymen/women when our veterans return and actually when they are away as well.

Depriving yourself of a good sleep has great impact on your performance at work and in dealing with the people around you. Read further to learn more about sleep deprivation and its impact on a person’s life. By default, sleeping is our body's way of rejuvenating energy and restoring health of the body. With today's busy, sedentary lifestyle, people in general get lesser quality of sleep. This disorder affects millions of people worldwide especially in highly industrialized

Meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein in her book "It’s Easier tha You Think” tells of the Eastern concept of "Mind Hindrances." These are five energies that are identified as blockages to the clear perception of life events. In Western culture we often speak of them as neediness, ...

Over the years, I’ve discovered there are few among us who embrace transitions. I’m not one of them. Just ask my husband. For perhaps the first ten years of our lives together, when we vacationed overseas (before the aid of the Internet to illustrate the sort of place we were headed to), I’d arrive exhausted, hungry, not yet adjusted to the time change (another transition), and would typically find myself utterly disappointed with our choice of accommodation and/or locale.

People-pleasers are at risk in the domains of finance, love, sex, family, and friendship. How is it that we can manage a successful business but still have a failed personal life? Extending a hand to others after taking care of yourself is how we make the world a better place for our children and our grand children. In today's world, it's no longer optional but mandatory to learn the skills of a warrior.

Psychometric profiling (commonly called psychometric tests) are used by 65% of UK employers, so what are they looking for from these assessments? nnMost of the time they don’t know; haven’t a clue; don’t know it until it stumbles in their door and stares them in the face. That's called an interview. nnVery sophisticated employers may have used personality profiling to help them get a picture of what kind of personality they are looking for. This is quite rare. Not every

That girl would never go for a guy like me. My resume isn’t good enough to apply for that role. I could never pull that outfit off. She’s not replying to my message because she doesn’t like me. And the list goes on. As human beings who spend 24/7 in our own minds, it is inevitable that we will have stages of thought that aren’t what we want to be thinking, which make us feel a way we don’t want to be feeling. As temporary as some of these negative thoughts are, ther

As a parent, you certainly want the best for your children. While a college education is important, it is only one of many roads to success. But you are convinced that college is the best road for your child and you are meeting with resistance, trying using the following tactics to convince your children of the value of a college education. Keep in mind however, that all you can do is guide and suggest. The final decision is ultimately up to your son or daughter.r

5 Ways to Stay Mentally Healthy As A Small Business Owner One of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced as a small business owner is keeping up with my mental health. All too often, I can talk to 15 people in a day and every single one of them not only wants something, but also doesn’t understand what I do and the challenges I face as a small business owner. I’m sure many of you are in the same position, so here’s 5 ways to stay mentally healthy as a small business owner.

I’m a perfectionist. Always have been. And sometimes it drives me crazy. Like most ‘Type-A’ people, there isn’t enough time in the day to be a perfectionist about everything, so we often prioritize areas of our lives where our standards need to reach their highest, and those where we can allow the ‘good enough’ standard to rule.

Do you wonder sometimes if you're "normal" or if your anxiety and panicky feelings indicate a serious mental health problem you need help with? Well, we all do. Sometimes we're just being a little self-absorbed but often we know there's a problem but we're just not sure how to identify it and ...

Have you ever felt totally frustrated, blocked and upset? On Sunday afte oo I was stuck in traffic on my way into NY City. Major bridges, tunnels and highways were all laden with cars and I was in the middle. I had no way out. My only recourse was patience. It was not an easy task because I was not alone. I had my young grandchildren and my elderly mother with me and I felt highly responsible for their well-being. That's how life seems at times. We get caught in situations t

Notes of first therapy session with Gladys, female, 26, diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder "I would like to be normal" - says Gladys and blushes purple. In which sense is she abnormal? She prefers reading books and watching movies with her elderly mother to going out with her ...

Narcissists are not prone to "irresistible impulses" and dissociation (blanking out certain stressful events and actions). They more or less fully control their behavior and acts at all times. But exerting control over one's conduct requires the investment of resources, both mental and physical. ...

Let’s discuss what approaches to deal with difficult situations are effective in helping us manage our stress levels and increasing our abilities to cope with it.

Most successful and beneficial relationships include an element of trust. Expecting loyalty, reliability and trustworthiness you assume that the other person will do what they say, that their word can be relied upon and that promises, commitments and agreements will be kept. When trust is broken it leads to disappointment, suspicion and damaged relationships that are hard to repair. As it relates to the interactions you have with other people, this kind of trust has an exte al focus. But there is an even more important kind - the trust you have in yourself.

Recapr

If you want to get an idea of what psychotherapy is all about, watch an episode of the television series The Sopranos. Tony Soprano is a mafia don in New Jersey who is in talk therapy with Dr. Jennifer Melfi. He has panic attacks, loses consciousness, and has slipped into a depression. All of this seems irrational to him, but he can’t help it. He has some hidden agenda lying just outside his awareness that is controlling his feelings and behavior. He doesn’t belie

Reading, and a love for reading begins long before a child enters preschool or kindergarten. It begins at home! By reading with and to your children early in life, you are setting them firmly on the path to later success.r

Are personality disorders the outcomes of inherited traits? Are they brought on by abusive and traumatizing upbringing? Or, maybe they are the sad results of the confluence of both? To identify the role of heredity, researchers have resorted to a few tactics: they studied the occurrence of ...

…in division and duality; in-division-duality: individuality. Although individuality has many redeeming qualities, and is, in fact, one of our major developmental tasks throughout the lifespan, it is as well loaded with problems. Individuality is the source of feeling alone, isolated and estranged. It is the source of conflict, both internal and exte al. Individuation can be a painful process as one separates from close attachments including family, friends, jobs, cherished beliefs and socio-cultural self-perceptions.

The Presence Of Fear Is Proof You Are Focusing On The Wrong Thing One day, I was asked, "What is the leading factor of all unfulfilled dreams?" After thinking about it awhile, I realized the answer was obvious. Fear! Fear imprisons a person and keeps them from going after their dreams. The presence of fear is proof that you are focusing on the wrong thing. You must discipline yourself to take captive the fearful thoughts that are attempting to cripple and immobilize you. Y