William Styron’s little book, Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness, offers vivid depictions of the suffocating gloom that in 1985 stalked his descent into major depression. He is perhaps remembered as much for this 1990 book describing his meltdown into depression as for his … [Read more...] about A Novelist’s Quest to Unravel His Madness
When Inner Growth Feels Impossibly Difficult
Some of us feel hopelessly bogged down, swallowed up daily in a mire of inertia and misery. We agonize in a sense of inadequacy and smallness, just tolerating whatever happens to us. This grim emotional infirmity is described by a reader who sent me this email: I found your … [Read more...] about When Inner Growth Feels Impossibly Difficult
Haunted by Incessant Wanting
What do you want, and why do you want it? How intense is your wanting? To what degree is your wanting a form of suffering? These are questions tackled by philosopher-entrepreneur Luke Burgis in his book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life (St. Martin’s … [Read more...] about Haunted by Incessant Wanting
My New Book: Healing Our Deadly Flaw
We’ve all seen dysfunctional people create disorder in families, communities, and nations. It’s been an especially gruesome sight in recent decades. As a psychotherapist, I understand the roots of the problem. A specific psychological weakness, a flaw in human nature, is largely … [Read more...] about My New Book: Healing Our Deadly Flaw
Inner Conflict’s Role in Child Suicide
The mental-health pandemic pummeling young people doesn’t get the headlines Covid does. Even last fall when the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health, warning of “soaring rates” of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, … [Read more...] about Inner Conflict’s Role in Child Suicide