Author Archives: admin

Yes, I admit it, the title was to grab your eye.  I almost never post someone else’s material on this blog, but this article was sent to me by a colleague and it’s a small gem.  If you look at  nothing … Continue reading →

In recent postings, I have been describing the importance and benefits of patients beginning sessions – when they can – by gently and honestly asking themselves where they’re at.  As we saw, some of the most productive sessions start this … Continue reading →

Last week I wrote about Ted and we saw how to start, and not to start, a therapy session.  The same day I saw Ted, Frank made similar breakthroughs for the same reasons we discussed last week – because he freely … Continue reading →

Even patients who have been in therapy for a long time may experience that anxiety at start of the session when they are not sure what to talk about.  To them, as well as to the newbies, I say the … Continue reading →

We had a bad one last night (it’s now August 12, 2014).  Robin Williams appears to have killed himself, at least according to the breaking news at the time of writing this, Tuesday morning at 11.  Reactions from patients are … Continue reading →

Simon has returned after a three month absence and again provides a simple, powerful demonstration of 1) why psychotherapy, 2) the dangers of silence.  You may recall I wrote about him at some length here and here (also here).  He … Continue reading →

I’ve been writing about not diagnosing yourself, not generalizing, not analyzing yourself.  These are what you hire me for and your own efforts along those lines will usually lead you astray.  The topic comes up first in the main website, especially here, … Continue reading →

Last week I wrote about Isaac and Sarah as examples of a particular resistance that shows up in people who present with anxiety problems, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  By contrast, as I mentioned last week, I came across this posting … Continue reading →

A recent posting got me thinking about a problem that arises with certain patients who present with panic and often with obsessive-compulsive problems.  Particularly in the current climate there is the danger that certain problems, OCD in particular, can become … Continue reading →

I’ve been talking recently the dangers of diagnosis, (also here, here, here, and I especially like this one), and I heard a case on public radio that illustrates this perfectly.  A preadolescent girl named Maia was struggling with some developmental … Continue reading →