The list is long of the sundry ways we can suffer in a marriage or romantic relationship. We can, for starters, feel controlled, trapped, restricted, deprived, refused, criticized, belittled, disrespected, betrayed, rejected, abandoned, undervalued, and unloved. If we’re … [Read more...] about The Dire Determinants of Divorce
Consciousness
Enjoy the Quality of Your Consciousness
Why don’t we feel more simple pleasure from being alive and conscious in a fascinating world? That has to be one of life’s great enigmas. We can feel pleasure easily enough when we’re stimulated by art, literature, movies, sports events, relationships, sex, food, alcohol, and … [Read more...] about Enjoy the Quality of Your Consciousness
The Helplessness Trap in Cravings & Addictions
This post is a revised and expanded version of an earlier post, “The Negative Emotions behind Addictions,” which was published here last October. In this version, I go into the heart of the emotional experience of the “helplessness trap” which addictive personalities experience … [Read more...] about The Helplessness Trap in Cravings & Addictions
Mark Twain’s Mysterious Misery-Machine
We all like to think we’re motivated by self-interest, self-protection, and self-love. Consciously, we are. Unconsciously, though, we operate a misery-machine inside us that churns up self-defeat, self-damage, and self-rejection. A reference to a misery-machine is made by … [Read more...] about Mark Twain’s Mysterious Misery-Machine
Obesity and the Dopamine Fallacy
Neuroscience Adds Excess Weight to the Obesity Epidemic The Flip Wilson Show was America’s second most-watched TV show for its first two seasons in the 1970s. In his role as the sassy Geraldine Jones, Wilson, a comedic genius, had a trademark line, “The devil made me do it,” … [Read more...] about Obesity and the Dopamine Fallacy