With the first few weeks of the new decade already underway, lawmakers across the nation have been urging for change in an area that historically has been overlooked: mental health. Efforts both big and small have already been put into action, fostering a hope that with the turning of the new year, a larger importance… Read more »
Learn More
Life is full of ups and downs. Perhaps you recently ended a relationship, got negative feedback on a work project, or fell into a bout of stress, anxiety, or depression. Because our brains are wired to pay attention to the negative, losses like these are often magnified and/or rehashed over time, with the result that they become… Read more »
Learn More
There’s no question in my mind that we all want to be happy. For some people happiness comes easier than others, but what we’re starting to understand is that happiness — that sense of connection and ease of appreciating the good moments and being more graceful and resilient during the difficult ones — is a… Read more »
Learn More
Of course psychotherapy clients want relief from their symptoms, depression, anxiety, and other painful emotions. But at the same time, they don’t want to change the fundamental defenses that would then allow them to develop and overcome their psychological maladies. Most people fear a basic change in their identity, be it positive or negative. From an early age, children form a powerful bond… Read more »
Learn More
In this day and age global news is everywhere. We get it from traditional news stations, social media, or just alerts from friends, family and colleagues. The news always seems to come in the form of headlines that are meant to stimulate our nervous systems. This is so our eyes will stare more often and… Read more »
Learn More
All my life I’ve been living in the fast lane Can’t slow down, I’m a rolling freight train One more time, gotta start all over Can’t slow down I’m a lone red rover Oh how did it come to this? ~Lyrics from “Polaroid” by Imagine Dragons From an early age many… Read more »
Learn More
If you’re familiar with the psychological term “transference,” you probably associate it with a client in therapy transferring certain feelings onto their analyst. Yet, the meaning of transference is a bit broader and refers to a redirection of emotions, often that originate in childhood, onto someone in the present. As one article on MentalHelp.net put it, “Transference is… Read more »
Learn More
Hello darkness, my old friend. Like a bridge over troubled water. That’s me and Julio down by the schoolyard. Music takes us back to a formative time, to a younger potentate version of ourselves. Music reminds us of who we were, who we are, and who we still want to be. Music captures a zeitgeist,… Read more »
Learn More
A few weeks ago at Esalen, a retreat center in Big Sur, CA, I co-taught a two-day workshop called “Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice.” As part of the weekend, I showed the participants a video clip of an interview I did with my father Dr. Robert Firestone. The participants found it inspirational, so I thought… Read more »
Learn More
Resolutions are notorious for falling by the wayside a few months or even days into the New Year. A University of Scranton study revealed that only 8 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions are successful in achieving them. This low success rate may relate to the fact that many of us are more inclined to… Read more »
Learn More