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
superego
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 Las Vegas Killer’s Hidden Motive
Authorities have been trying unsuccessfully to come up with a motive to explain the massacre carried out by a lone gunman in Las Vegas this week. The killer didn’t appear to be motivated by political, social, or religious views. The principles of depth psychology reveal a … [Read more...] about The Las Vegas Killer’s Hidden Motive
Defeating the Inner Bully
I cringe at the childishness of modern psychology. In trying to solve our emotional problems, it offers us kindergarten-level information. If computer science were performing at this level, we’d all be using learning laptops for children. I found this article at the … [Read more...] about Defeating the Inner Bully
Curbing Our Appetite for Brutality
Nelson Mandela’s greatness was most visible in his power to overthrow—through his courage, compassion, and peaceful manner—the brutality and murderous ways of the Apartheid regime. He was an ordinary man, he said, as he counseled us to find our own greatness. How do we acquire … [Read more...] about Curbing Our Appetite for Brutality