Whoever is elected president on Nov. 8 has to deal with an acrimonious divide at the heart of the American union. To heal this breach, we have to become smarter about our personal psychology. Everyone’s at least a little quirky and irrational. We often accept and like each … [Read more...] about After the Election: Healing the Divide
Collapsing into Helplessness
James E. Holmes’s spiral notebook helps us understand his descent into madness. Holmes, a neuroscience graduate student who killed 12 people in a 2012 mass murder spree in a Colorado movie theater, had covered page after page of his notebook with the single handwritten word … [Read more...] about Collapsing into Helplessness
Solve the Mystery of Your Suffering
To solve the mystery of your suffering, you have to do some detective work. You also have to gather your courage and your wits as you embark on this hero’s life-changing journey. Guided by the three exercises below, you’ll be taking a plunge into your psyche and the emotions … [Read more...] about Solve the Mystery of Your Suffering
Answers to Questions from Readers (Part 4)
Readers often send me emails with their comments and questions. Here I answer three of them, edited to remove identifying details. My responses are in italics. My life has been a struggle for many years. The negative emotions I experienced (mostly being viciously manipulated … [Read more...] about Answers to Questions from Readers (Part 4)
An Insightful Case of Self-Injury
It’s worrisome and disheartening to realize just how many people around the world regularly engage in self-injury or self-harm. They cut or burn their skin, pull their hair, scratch and interfere with wound healing, bang or hit the body, or swallow sharp objects or toxic … [Read more...] about An Insightful Case of Self-Injury