The term “self-consciousness” doesn’t sound so bad when broken down. After all, being conscious of oneself is something we all need in order to operate as social beings in a social world. However, self-consciousness often describes an exaggerated focus or uncomfortable attitude we have about ourselves and how we are perceived. The problem with self-consciousness… Read more »
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I often speak to people who are in distress over the way their romantic partner treats them. They believe that they want to be close, but that their partner is preventing it by being “condescending”, “critical,” “irresponsible,” “distant,” or “rejecting.” This makes them feel terrible or forces them to take control, demand attention, or stand up for themselves. They… Read more »
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“Your feelings aren’t that important.” “No one cares how you feel.” “Just forget about it.” “Bury your emotions.” “Keep a stiff upper lip.” “There’s no point in being sad.” “What’s wrong with you anyway?” “Be strong.” “Keep calm and carry on.” These are just a small sample of the thoughts that emerge from a choir… Read more »
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In the aftermath of the most contentious election in recent history, many people are talking about the need for empathy in order to heal our divided nation. Facebook posts are flying around that charge us to rise above the rancor and offer empathy to those with whom we disagree. Just recently, Meryl Streep spoke to… Read more »
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In my 30 years working with couples, I’ve noticed that most people have an easy time describing what they don’t want in their relationship. If prompted, they’re able to rapidly fire off the many issues that they feel are creating distance between them and their partner. Yet, if I ask the same people what they… Read more »
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For all the great things we say about being honest – that it’s the best policy or that the truth shall set us free – research tells us that we aren’t all that great at it. According to studies by Dr. Bella DePaulo, people lie in one in five of their interactions. These lies aren’t only to… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s interview with Dr. Allan Schore. Dr. Allan Schore describes the therapeutic alliance as a bond of emotional communication, right brain to right brain. Dr. Allan Schore: The therapeutic alliance literature, which has been on the efficacy of psychotherapy is now showing that essentially the therapeutic alliance is a bond of emotional… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s interview with Dr. Allan Schore. Dr. Allan Schore discusses the non-verbal communications critical to affecting outcomes in therapy with suicidal patients. Dr. Allan Schore: Just for the record, we’re not talking here about anxiety and guilt. Anxiety and guilt are kind of left (brain). We’re talking about affects which are, have… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino advises tips on raising self-disclosing adolescents. Dr. James Garbarino: Well, I think at one level, there are some preventive things. There’s some research on adolescents – parents’ awareness of adolescents’ actual experiences. And the finding naturally was that adolescents who disclose… Read more »
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It is a different world than the one in which most of us were raised in, in terms of technology and convenience. Technology is here to stay to make our lives easier. We don’t have to remember phone numbers, look at a map to get where we are going or worry about complaints of “are… Read more »
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