Religion and psychoanalysis make a volatile mix. Like bleach and ammonia, the combination can leave people gasping in irritation. I’m not interested in activating a burning sensation. I only want to apply some salve to blistering boils of unreason. Are we strong enough … [Read more...] about Fundamentalism and the Psyche
Search Results for: inner passivity
Feeling Like a Fraud or an Imposter?
As a young actor in the 1960s, Michael Caine was sitting across from Frank Sinatra in a private plane on a flight to Las Vegas when, overwhelmed by the moment, he suddenly became tongue-tied and speechless. Sinatra said, “Mikey, what’s up? You scared of flying?” Caine, who … [Read more...] about Feeling Like a Fraud or an Imposter?
Cognitive Therapy’s Flawed Premise
People struggling to realize their potential or find inner peace often turn to psychotherapy. Yet they find themselves wandering without much guidance through a marketplace of mental-health offerings and claims, lacking the knowledge to distinguish good therapy from bad. More … [Read more...] about Cognitive Therapy’s Flawed Premise
Dealing with Election Aftershock
This post is written especially for people who, having voted for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. elections this past week, are still feeling miserable. For those of you who voted for Donald Trump, congratulations! I hope he does a great job. Seeing how I am about to address … [Read more...] about Dealing with Election Aftershock
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