People are grieving and outraged, fearful and overwhelmed. Another American Revolution is underway, and now the enemy is us. The first revolution got rid of the monarchy; this time we need to dethrone our hidden hankering for subjugation. There exists in our psyche a … [Read more...] about Dare We See the Trump in Us?
inner critic
Are You Addicted to Self-Punishment?
Our intelligence triumphs when we bring into focus the self-harming dynamics going on in our psyche. These conflicting dynamics are very much indifferent to our wellbeing. When they remain hidden from us, we may have only a hit-or-miss capacity for healthy self-regulation. (An … [Read more...] about Are You Addicted to Self-Punishment?
The Key to Emotional Self-Regulation
How much choice do we have at any given moment to feel good or okay instead of miserable? Quite a lot, it turns out, when we understand the nature of inner conflict. Most of us believe we’re basically good and decent. Yet often we can’t feel such attributes as a reassuring … [Read more...] about The Key to Emotional Self-Regulation
The Blindness of the Species
The surging mental-health distress among children and adults attests to the urgency of demystifying the human psyche. We blind ourselves—through a false self, naïve ego-ideal, and vainglorious self-image—to the inner dynamics in our psyche. We are not recognizing how we become … [Read more...] about The Blindness of the Species
Don’t Be Duped by Your Defenses
If there’s one subject that ought to be required in the classroom, it’s the study of how we deceive ourselves. Self-deception occurs largely through unconscious mental activities that are associated with inner conflict. It’s as if mischievous imps are cavorting inside us, … [Read more...] about Don’t Be Duped by Your Defenses