by Katherine Todd I have always loved to shop. I shop in order to relax from a long, stressful day. So, how does casual, relaxing shopping turn into an uncontrollable impulse that damages your personal, professional, and financial well being? Compulsive shopping is defined as an uncontrollable and impulsive urge to shop. It… Read more »
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Like most process addictions, compulsive spending and shopping serves an unconscious purpose. The purpose is typically specific to each individual and while out of one’s awareness, a yearning seeks to be filled. This is where the process of shopping and spending come into play. Assessing the behaviors, intentions, and emotions underlying compulsive spending and shopping… Read more »
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Last month, Michelle Obama made a special guest appearance on the long-running hit TV show, The Biggest Loser. I’d heard about the show’s premise: contestants who struggle with obesity and often face serious health risks relocate to a fitness ranch, where together they learn about nutrition, diet, and exercise, while competing to lose weight. But… Read more »
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I must admit, I was curious as to why my sister was sitting me down to show me a recording of a dance she’d seen on a popular TV show.I watched, a bit skeptically, as the choreographer explained how she wanted the contemporary dance to symbolize a person’s struggle with addiction. The upbeat intro showed… Read more »
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The tabloids and reality TV shows documenting the erratic, out-of-control behaviors associated with drinking and drugging may be giving us a skewed image of what constitutes addiction. You don’t have to off-road into a Beverly Hills boutique or engage in raging encounters to qualify as being an addict. Understanding whether you may have an addiction… Read more »
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The sad and untimely loss of Whitney Houston is yet another highly publicized death that called into question the abuse of prescription drugs. Tragic episodes like this may be making the news because of their high-profile victims, but they also direct our attention to a growing epidemic in the United States. A 2011 report from… Read more »
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Anyone who has worked with people with addictions and particularly challenging mental health issues, such as eating disorders – if he or she is being honest – will tell you that frustration is a familiar companion on the journey to recovery…or relapse, as the case may often be. This frustration arises when you and your… Read more »
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With a 2011 Centers for Disease Control report showing U.S. overdoses of prescription painkillers to have more than tripled in the past 20 years, mental health non-profit The Glendon Association is encouraging Americans to face their emotions drug-free The tragic loss of Whitney Houston was yet another highly publicized death resulting from prescription drug overdose…. Read more »
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If we were asked, as an exercise, to craft a personal ad detailing what we want in a partner, it may read something like: Seeking someone who is kind and patient, independent yet loving, laid back, yet energetic. Someone who is confident but isn’t afraid to laugh at him/herself. Someone attractive but down to earth…. Read more »
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This blog is being written for anyone who may be interested in understanding eating disorders, self-injury and compulsive shopping from a psychologically dynamic point of view. It will address the underlying hunger of these symptomatic disorders. I am a psychotherapist in private practice and I work mainly with people struggling with an eating disorder, self-injury… Read more »
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