What do you start to think about upon awakening in the morning? Is there a recurring pattern or theme to your early morning thoughts and reflections? Those first moments upon awakening are, for a lot of us, unpleasant if not disturbing. That’s when people are evaluating their … [Read more...] about The Self-Defeat of Passive Morning Thoughts
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12 Ways We Fail to See or Experience Reality
We humans are capable of acquiring profoundly deep understandings of reality. We’ll likely at some future time have a much deeper intellectual grasp of what are now scientific, metaphysical, and cosmic mysteries. Reality is defined more narrowly, however, for the purposes … [Read more...] about 12 Ways We Fail to See or Experience Reality
Inner Conflict is the Source of Cognitive Distortion
So much of human thinking is irrational. This kind of messed-up thinking, often referred to as cognitive distortion, perceives reality in ways that are misleading or flawed, if not completely wrong, false, or stupid. (Examples follow below and more are found … [Read more...] about Inner Conflict is the Source of Cognitive Distortion
Notes to Psychotherapists on Addressing Inner Passivity
Earlier this month I received an email from a young psychotherapist, in practice for just a few years, who was struggling to understand how, despite his best efforts, a client of his had committed suicide. He wrote, in part: I recently experienced a therapist’s worst nightmare … [Read more...] about Notes to Psychotherapists on Addressing Inner Passivity
Are You Living Your True Story?
Everyone needs a story, as the saying goes. The best kind of story provides us with meaning and purpose, and it reflects values and beliefs to which we subscribe. Ideally, it tells us right from wrong, explains our suffering, and guides us going forward. Such stories, which go … [Read more...] about Are You Living Your True Story?