…that hurt us but feel familiar, as if they’re part of our identity. As Dr. Firestone put it in his blog “How to Befriend Yourself:” The enemy within can be thought of as a negative identity. This negative identity is a byproduct of negative ways you were labeled as a child, the negative attitudes toward yourself that you incorporated from any mistreatment you were exposed to and the defensive strategies that you formed to cope with psychological p…
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…adulthood that can be extremely beneficial to those affected by ACEs. Dr. Firestone will illuminate the value of creating a coherent narrative to help people make sense of their experience and resolve early trauma. In addition, she will explore the role of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) in buffering the impact of ACEs. Dr. Firestone will further introduce Trauma-informed Therapy as a powerful method for healing from ACEs and will outline t…
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…ationships, self-esteem, and career success. This CE Webinar with Dr. Lisa Firestone will provide participants with an overview of Voice Therapy and how they can incorporate it into their practice. Dr. Firestone will explain Separation Theory, a theoretical approach that helps clients understand the developmental roots of their inner critic. In addition to gaining insight into where their inner critic comes from, participants will discover ways to…
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…death can be avoided. In his book Challenging the Fantasy Bond, Robert W. Firestone describes another pervasive strategy that people use to avoid facing the painful reality of death. This strategy involves shrinking back from an individuated and autonomous view of life and seeking to fuse one’s identity with some larger entity (a romantic partner, a sports team, a political party, a nation, or a religion organization) that will offer a sense of s…
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…mething that happens after we split up. Often, couples enter into what Dr. Firestone calls a “fantasy bond,” an illusion of connection that replaces real relating and genuine acts of love and intimacy. Symptoms of a fantasy bond can include relating as a unit, valuing the form of being a couple over the substance of making contact, falling into routine, lacking independence, engaging in less affection, and entering into dynamics of control and sub…
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…it click here How to sustain passion by engaging in romantic love Dr. Lisa Firestone advises that we think of love as a verb. Love isn’t a passive state that happens to us, but an active force we have to nurture in order to thrive. If we want to stay in love for the long haul, we have to engage in loving actions. That may mean challenging our own defenses and avoiding the trappings of a fantasy bond in order to remain open and vulnerable to anothe…
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…onate toward us. Here are some 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 pro…
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…narratives. Particularly the chapter entitled The Uninvited, in which Dr. Firestone is a student in psychology at Denver University when an old friend drops in, almost catatonic, seeking help. In fiercely funny and sharply intelligent prose Dr. Firestone describes this young man’s struggle, set against the rich backdrop of his own personal circumstances. Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice: An Adjunct to Clinical Practice Length: 90 Minutes Price:…
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…On-Demand Webinars In this Webinar: This online workshop with Dr. Lisa Firestone will provide tools to help people heal insecure attachment, resolve trauma, integrate their… Learn More Because our attachment ability is broken in a relationship, it is often best to be fixed in a relationship. According to Dr. Lisa Firestone, “One of the proven ways to change our attachment style is by forming an attachment with someone who had a more secure att…
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…ir life today. In PsychAlive’s online course with Drs. Dan Siegel and Lisa Firestone, they will walk individuals through the process of creating a coherent narrative to help them to build healthier, more secure attachments and strengthen their own personal sense of emotional resilience.When one creates a coherent narrative, they actually rewire their brain to cultivate more security within themselves and their relationships. In couples’ therapy, b…
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