The Power of Therapy Misused: How You Can Use Your Power to Help!
Note: The important issue that inspired this article was called to my attention several times . . . once by a trainee, then again by Noah Rubinstein during my web conference for GoodTherapy.org on the subject of transference, and again when, as a member of GoodTherapy.org I received their mailing about the petition I link to below. Many thanks to you, Noah, for your work helping to expose the dangers of the proposed DSM-5, and for offering me the opportunity to go even deeper into this issue.
Psychotherapy, when practiced as it's meant to be—with deep integrity, full commitment, seasoned skill,... Read More
In my first piece, I said “we want to move into the place where meanings can reconstellate…we sit quietly, eyes lowered, with attention inside.” But what precisely are we paying attention to?
We are paying attention to the forming or coalescing of an internal phenomenon Gendlin calls bodily felt sensing (BFS) or bodily felt experiencing. Since BFS is a central concept in Gendlin’s philosophy (and is best grasped when sensed directly), I want to be clear conceptually about what it is and what it is not.
Gendlin’s construct of BFS is a holistic unity that cannot be divided into the... 
What exactly is an “addiction therapist” anyway? You may have decided to take a look at your drug and alcohol use to consider whether it’s a problem, or you may have already decided that it is a problem and want to stop or cut back. You’ve decided you want some professional feedback on your situation and want to know what, if anything, you might do about it. So you search the internet for “addiction therapist” or look on GoodTherapy.org or ask around, etc., and get a couple of numbers and set up a consultation or two. But then what?
Well, the first thing to consider is that an addiction... 
Proper sleep is necessary for our mental health, but for many of us, a good night's sleep remains elusive. New parents especially are known to have sleeping issues and even expect them when they decide to become parents. For new parents and their children, experts have a variety of suggestions on how to get the best sleep possible. Keep in mind there are many theories, methods, and ideas in regard to best sleeping practices for young children, infants, and even adults.
One website devoted to attachment parenting, www.AskDrSears.com, has a whole section about sleep problems that infants and toddlers... 
While spring conjures up beautiful images of tulips, crocuses, and daffodils, it is also a yearly reminder to clean one's abode. Historically, when people turned to herbs for most of their medicinal needs, spring was associated with rejuvenating the liver by taking the milk thistle for a couple of weeks, or simply adding dandelion greens to a daily salad. Psychologically, it is an opportunity to do an interior sweep of one's cranium. I'm talking about all those repetitive thoughts that create feelings and catalyze behaviors, some desirable, and some not so welcome.
If you feel stagnant from... 
Back in 1976, Joseph and Lois Bird broke new ground. In an era when “free love” meant “sex right now because it feels good,” they dared to explore the importance of genuine emotional connection in their book “Sexual Loving.” Here’s a passage from page 239 of that book:
“Only one who, tragically, has never experienced love would question whether sex can be fulfilling when love is absent. Physically satisfying, perhaps, but never fulfilling. It can never reach the depths of what we are as human beings, and what we are capable of becoming. To climb the heights, sex education is not... 
We breathe all the time, right? So, what's the big deal?
Most of us are not breathing properly throughout our days for optimum health and well-being. Most of us have poor posture, we sit at our desks for long periods of time, slump in our seats, stare at screens, move very little. This is a problem for much of the population. If grief is added on top of those bad habits, our situation becomes even more difficult. Grieving on its own makes us feel like we want to be slumped down, curled into a ball. It makes us want to protect our hearts. The chaotic yet static state sometimes even stops our... 
For children, teens, and college students, summertime is associated with freedom from school and positive emotions. However, summer can also be a time where certain mental health issues need to be tended to even more than usual. Experts share information on what mental health problems can be present more often during summer and how to prevent certain issues.
Peter Zafirides, a psychiatrist in Ohio, said in an email he has noticed a common mental health issue for children, teens and students during the summer. Many decide if they should still take their medication for attention deficit hyperactivity... 
Therapy as a sacred ritual might sound a bit pompous to some. After all, therapy is often considered something of a “have to,” not a “want to.” I would like to consider that therapy is something other than a way out of struggle, depression, and pain. My clients teach me each week that something beautiful is explored, born, or manifested in our weekly get-togethers. As they make their weekly voyage to therapy, they pledge to themselves the opportunity to discover the full range of their experience.
Like a good cup of coffee in the morning, therapy is like a morning jog-so-you-can-get-going... 
One of the most difficult parts of raising a child with autism is the fear of losing them. For my son, the combination of intelligence, impulsivity, and an inability to comprehend danger results in my family living in a constant state of hypervigilance and fear. When we go out, there is always the possibility he will try to run away. When we're home, there is the fear that he will get out of the house. Our family has addressed this issue with an ability to think "outside the box" and one step ahead of our 14-year-old son, Ben.
1. Under lock and key
The most obvious way to keep a child safe... 
When Susan was growing up, she had a series of nightmares that were so familiar she knew when they were coming. She was scared to go to sleep and tried to stay awake to avoid them, but she couldn’t quite do it.
Instead she would fall asleep, have a bad dream, wake up, and find herself inside another bad dream. True awakening sometimes was as impossible as true sleep. This torture continued as she got older and didn’t go away until she learned that she needed help, which she sought; in psychotherapy, she learned just how scared she really was.
“How will therapy cure my fears?” she... 
There is already a shortage of psychiatrists in the United States, and now it appears that even fewer medical school seniors are choosing psychiatry as a specialty, according to a news release from the American Psychiatric Association. Statistics that point to this declining interest in psychiatry are found in a report from the National Resident Matching Program, according to the news release.
The American Psychiatric Association is uncertain as to the exact reasoning for the smaller number of students choosing psychiatry, but they might be choosing other specialties that offer more profit,... 
Imagery of pregnancy and motherhood surround us, with expectant mothers holding their bulging bellies and appearing to be filled with love, hope, and anticipation. Other photos of new mothers looking into the face of their child with a certain kind of love and fulfillment associated only with the connection between mother and baby also tell us what we should be expecting in the transition into parenthood. A visibly pregnant woman often becomes the object of projected nostalgia for those whose years with young children have passed. Strangers approach with pressured questioning and statements: “Don’t... 
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
-Woody Allen
No matter who you are, things will happen to throw you off kilter. Life intrudes on inner peace with an uncanny regularity. It may be your boss, spouse, children, house, parents, finances, health, or even a freaky weather event, but life has its own trajectory, and no one can know what new challenge awaits.
Luckily, there are many ways to regain equilibrium. Trial and error, plumbing your depths to see what really works for you, and discerning the differences between various situations that trigger your sympathetic nervous... 
