Search Results for: firestone

Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion

Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D., Lisa Firestone Ph.D. and Joyce Catlett, M.A. – A psychological guide to achieving the “good life”: this book was created for anyone interested in personal development, deepening friendships, sustaining intimacy in couple relationships and developing healthy child-rearing practices. The book offers a compilation of therapeutic insights that are valuable in achieving a better way of living, by telling stories from a grou…

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How to Go “All In” in a Relationship (Without Losing Yourself)

…problem with this dynamic, which my father, psychologist and author Robert Firestone, has termed a “fantasy bond” is that the couple chooses a fantasy of connection over the fulfillment of really relating to each other. Many people avoid going all in for fear of losing themselves in a relationship. Yet, maintaining our individuality and avoiding a fantasy bond is actually one of the most powerful ways to keep love alive. When we stay open and vuln…

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Challenging the Fantasy Bond

…Fantasy Bond               reprinted with permission: American Psychological Association copyright © 2022 [Robert W. Firestone]…

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VIDEO: Dr. John C. Norcross on What Does Not Work in Psychotherapy

…following transcript contains part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Firestone and Dr. John C. Norcross. LF: So we’ve talked a lot about what works in psychotherapy. But can you say a little bit about what doesn’t? JN: Sure. We’ve been doing research over the last 10 or 15 years, trying to complement what works with identifying a consensus of what doesn’t. And most of this research has been done with Dr. Jerry Coucher. And the thought is, we…

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Fantasy Bond

…t to the book “The Fantasy Bond”. In this dynamic interview, Dr. Robert W. Firestone discusses his concept of the “Fantasy Bond” and its relationship to the neurotic process with Dr. Richard Sieden, suicidologist, and Barry Langberg, attorney. The topics discussed include the dynamics of the “Fantasy Bond,” the “voice” and a defended lifestyle; emotional hunger; marital and family bonds; defense against separation and death anxiety; the bi-polar c…

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VIDEO: Teaching Children to Be More Mindful

In her interview with PsychAlive Senior Editor Lisa Firestone, Dr. Donna Rockwell talks about The Hawn Foundation and the benefits of teaching children to be more mindful. Goldie Hawn started the Hawn Foundation and she’s very active in teaching children in school what she calls focusing because mindfulness is too scary or meditation is too scary. So, and this is another important point – they spend a lot of time with children working on their se…

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Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. Joyce Catlett, M.A. Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life is a rich resource that broadens personal understanding by examining the origins of childhood pain, subsequent defense formation, and the pervasiveness and destructiveness of resulting maladaptive, addictive behaviors in adults. The authors point a way toward reversing the damaging process that keeps individuals from experiencing genuine satisfaction. The cl…

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The Fantasy Bond

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. Foreword by R.D. Laing, M.D. Based on 28 years of research into the problem of resistance, this book offers a consistently developed set of hypotheses centering around the concept of the “fantasy bond,” an illusion of connection originally formed with the mother and later with significant others in the individual’s environment. The book develops the concept of the core defense of the “fantasy bond” and describes the…

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Beyond Death Anxiety: Achieving Life-Affirming Death Awareness

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. Joyce Catlett, M.A. Beyond Death Anxiety: Achieving Life-Affirming Death Awareness assists mental health practitioners in helping their clients learn to accept and face their mortality. They describe the many defenses of death anxiety, and suggest methods to cope directly with fears of death; an approach that, ironically, can lead to a greater appreciation of life. This book examines the many destructive consequences…

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Closeness Without Bonds

…t the background of skillful psychotherapeutic intervention. Dr. Robert W. Firestone explains and illustrates his concept of the “Fantasy Bond,” an illusion of connection utilized as a defense mechanism against emotional closeness. This film offers fresh insights into the core issues in disturbed marital relations. It suggests that by understanding their tendency to form these damaging ties, men and women can regain the feelings of love and tender…

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