On the occasion of my new book’s launch, I’d like to tell you a story about something that happened to me nearly 13 years ago; it will help to explain why today means so much to me and why I’m experiencing the publication of this book as a kind of “corrective emotional experience” for an […]
From Heartbreak to Redemption Read More »
I’ve now uploaded the third installation in my series on psychodynamic psychotherapy, which you can access through the video frame below. This one covers early manifestations of the transference and includes a lot of examples from recent sessions in my practice. It’s a useful counterpart to my earlier post on the subject, fleshing out the
Video #3 – “The Transference Begins” Read More »
Psychological defenses are deeply etched neural pathways, like deep ruts in a well-traveled road, impossible to remove. Under psychological and emotional pressure, they will always come automatically and feel like the easiest, most natural response.
The Tenacity of Defenses Read More »
A discussion of the psychological cycle of crime and punishment in people who never seem to learn from their experience or grow in psychotherapy.
The Cycle of Crime and Punishment in Psychotherapy Read More »
A discussion of three underlying dynamics in clinical depression: unconscious rage, a drastically fragmented self and toxic levels of shame.
Different Types of Depression Read More »
Pleasure in solitude — the enjoyment of one’s own company — is one of the compensations for the existential loneliness of the human condition.
The Pleasures of Solitude Read More »
A discussion of envy and how the envious person wishes to spoil or destroy the object of envy. This article includes a clinical example from one psychotherapy case, as well as a personal example of envious behavior from the author.
Bipolar and borderline clients who feel hopeless about their capacity for meaningful change often idealize their therapists and unconsciously try to merge with them; this fantasy of merger represents an escape from the damaged self into an alternative ideal self embodied by the therapist, a sort of personal growth by annexation.
Merger Fantasies in Psychotherapy Read More »
A discussion of the subtle role of envy in certain forms of self-sabotage, with clinical material to illustrate it.
Envy and Self-Sabotage Read More »
Growth and psychological transformation stir up existential anxieties about what it means to be alone with personal responsibility; they also make us aware of the passage of time and the inevitability of death.
Existential Aloneness Read More »