Grief and the Attitude of Gratitude
The ability to feel profound grief and deep gratitude are the hallmarks of mental health.
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Psychotherapy
Psychological Damage and Emotional Transformation
This article discusses the kind of psychological growth that’s actually possible, instead of the idealized fantasies of the people we might become.
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Love Junkies and Other Addicts
Addicts often have stronger relationships with their drugs than with their significant others, but that is often a cause rather than an effect — the reverse of the way we usually think about it.
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Celebrities — Why We Love and Hate Them
We admire and envy celebrities because they supposedly lead the perfect, pain-free life we want for ourselves.
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What We Mean When We Use the Word ‘Love’
We use the word “love” to describe a number of different emotional experiences. A closer look at those uses can shed light on the varieties of love and how much actual regard they entail for a separate person.
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Love in the Face of Hatred
Love in the face of hatred is what good parents give to their children, and what therapists in some way must feel for their most troubled patients.
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A Psychodynamic Perspective on Idealization
A fantasy that life should be perfect and goals achieved without effort often lies behind procrastination, the inability to set goals, and different forms of artistic inhibition such as writer’s block.
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Hatred and Anger as Glue
Outbursts of rage and anger may reflect an underlying fear of psychological disintegration.
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The Rebelliousness of My Inner “Bratâ€
A raging child-like part of ourselves may lie at the root of depression and other difficulties.
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Hopeless Problems, Perfect Answers in Bipolar Disorder
Depression may reflect a basic hopelessness about one’s internal damage, where the only “solution” is felt to be a magical one. This dynamic is characteristic of bipolar disorder.
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