“I have never smuggled anything in my life,” the great novelist John Steinbeck wrote in Travels With Charley. “Why, then, do I feel an uneasy sense of guilt on approaching a customs barrier?” Steinbeck’s guilt was irrational because, as he said, he had nothing to hide. So where … [Read more...] about Get Rid of Guilt with Deeper Insight (II)
inner conflict
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
The Perils of Past, Present, and Future
Past, present, and future walk into a bar. Suddenly everyone becomes very tense. End of joke, in case you didn’t get it. Really, it’s no laughing matter if you allow past, present, and future to walk into the barroom of your mind to argue, get drunk, and start a fight. … [Read more...] about The Perils of Past, Present, and Future
The Appeal of Alternative Facts
Protectors of democracy, look deeper into the unconscious mind if you want to eliminate the alternative facts now contaminating public discourse. We need to uncover and understand the inner conflict that makes our psyche a breeding ground for perversions of truth, as well … [Read more...] about The Appeal of Alternative Facts
Fundamentalism and the Psyche
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