Search Results for: Robert%20Firestone

Why My Relationship Failed, a Fantasy Bond Story

…resources I have found online from PsychAlive, Dr. Lisa Firestone, and Dr. Robert Firestone have changed my life for the better. Just don’t let your relationships fall apart the way mine did; you’ll end up regretting it. This video, featuring exclusive interview clips with Dr. Lisa Firestone and Dr. Robert Firestone, will give you a brief understanding of what it means to be in a Fantasy Bond and how to identify if you suffer from a Fantasy Bond i…

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PTSD, Iraq Veterans, Veterans mental health

As Iraq Ends, a New Battle with PTSD Begins

…with PTSD feeling stuck. These “Thinking Traps” are an example of what Dr. Robert Firestone would call the “critical inner voice.” The critical inner voice is an inner-dialogue of thoughts that are destructive toward ourselves and others. These “voices” not only tell us things that damage our confidence and sense of self, they also feed us negative information about the world around us. All of us are plagued by this critical inner-voice, and when…

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Voice Therapy: A Psychotherapeutic Approach to Self-Destructive Behavior

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. Foreword by Joseph Richman, Ph.D. Voice Therapy: A Psychotherapeutic Approach to Self-Destructive Behavior is a thought-provoking work that provides clinicians with a detailed description of Voice Therapy, an innovative therapeutic procedure developed by Dr. Robert W. Firestone that can be used to elicit and bring to the foreground negative thought patterns antithetical to the self and cynical toward others (the crit…

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Self-Esteem vs. Narcissism

…In our new book, The Self Under Siege, my father, psychologist and author Robert Firestone, and I write, “Vanity is a fantasized image of the self that is formed when parents substitute empty praise and a false buildup for the real love and acknowledgment they have failed to provide to their child.” Such parents leave their children feeling unseen and with a sense of pressure to be someone they aren’t. On the other hand, parents who are attuned t…

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Combating Destructive Thought Processes: Voice Therapy and Separation Theory

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. What keeps people from living in ways that satisfy their individual needs and priorities? In this book, noted clinical psychologist Robert W. Firestone sets forth his theory — synthesizing psychodynamic and existential approaches to the psyche — underlying his voice therapy methodology. From childhood, Firestone maintains, humans are prevented from experiencing an individuated life by the pressures of society and des…

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Becoming Your Real Self: Shedding the Baggage of Your Past

…and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” – Robert Louis Stevenson What gives a person’s life meaning is unique to every individual. At one point or another, most of us find ourselves asking if we are truly living a life that is meaningful to us. In other words, are we really living the life we are meant to lead? Answering this one question involves asking many more. Are we directing our lives based on our wants, bel…

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Suicide and the Inner Voice: Risk Assessment, Treatment and Case Management

by Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. In the United States, every 17 minutes a person acts on the resolve to terminate his or her existence.” Thus begins Robert W. Firestone’s exploration into the depths of the human problem of suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death in our nation. What internal factors cause a person to end his or her life, and what are the familial and societal factors that may be making a destructive contribution? The answers to…

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Challenging the Fantasy Bond

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

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

…r. The 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 a…

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stop projecting

How to “Make” Someone Fall in Love with You

…e essential tips adapted from the work of Dr. Firestone and her father Dr. Robert Firestone, author of The Fantasy Bond. See the person for who he or she is. We can’t really feel loved unless we’re being seen. And we can’t express love unless we’re really seeing someone else. True love has to be true. To love someone, we have to know them. A famous study by Arthur Aron listed a series of personal questions that can produce intimacy and closeness b…

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