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
Psyche
Four Favorite Ways to Suffer
If you’re looking for attention, try wearing a T-shirt with this question embossed across the chest in bold type—Who Will I be Without my Suffering? These words have a thunderous effect on an unconscious level. That’s because we often experience ourself and identify with ourself … [Read more...] about Four Favorite Ways to Suffer
The Deeper Issues that Produce Meanness
Tired of being mean? Tired of being on the receiving end of meanness? The nasty trait produces a lot of unnecessary suffering, both for the person who’s being mean (the “hell of your own meanness,” a character says in Jane Eyre) and for the recipient of the meanness. Meanness is … [Read more...] about The Deeper Issues that Produce Meanness
Panic Attacks Arise from Within Our Psyche
The public is not getting the best insight into a wide range of psychological ailments, including panic or anxiety attacks. Books on the subject downplay the role of the psyche or unconscious mind, and ascribe the problem, as one author wrote, to the intrusions of the conscious … [Read more...] about Panic Attacks Arise from Within Our Psyche
Overcoming Incompetence and Its Miseries
One way to be happy (or happier) is to operate in the workplace at a higher level of competence and effectiveness. Performing at our best is a great source of pleasure. Performing at our worst is, well, just ask Dilbert. The comic strip featuring that forlorn character and … [Read more...] about Overcoming Incompetence and Its Miseries