We have feelings for a reason. They provide valuable information that can help to steer us in the right direction in life…if we learn to listen to them. Imagine if we didn’t have the emotion of fear and we ran across a grizzly bear. Without such emotions I think the human race would have been …Read More
A Sure Way to Reduce Suffering in Life
Nov 14, 2011
Although I can’t claim that I’m Buddhist, I’m really drawn to Buddhist psychology, and I’ve read a number of books by the Dalai Lama. I count him among a short list of very influential people in my life. In one of his books, perhaps it was The Art of Happiness, he presents a simple (but not necessarily …Read More
“The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World” by The Dalai Lama (Book Recommendation)
Mar 5, 2010
I have read the original The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and psychiatrist Howard Cutler, M.D. three times and count it among my short list of favorite and influential books. They have worked on a series of books that include The Art of Happiness at Work (I got about 1/2 through …Read More
The Way of Zen – by Alan Watts (book recommendation)
Dec 23, 2009
I have almost completed The Way of Zen by Alan Watts for the second time (in audiobook format – I’m a big fan of them). Alan Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker. He was an expert on comparative religions and was perhaps most famous for making Eastern religions and philosophies (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, …Read More
On the "Noble Truth" and Suffering
Dec 1, 2009
The first of the “Four Noble Truths” of Buddhism is that “Life is Suffering.” I always thought that “life is suffering” sounded so pessimistic. Sure, part of life is suffering but part of life is joyful too. Couldn’t the Noble Truth instead be “Life is Joyful”? Although I’m not a Buddhist, I really like what …Read More
Worrying About Losing a Job is Worse Than Losing a Job
Sep 20, 2009
Honestly, I didn’t make that title up. I’m paraphrasing a recent news headline and just continuing the thread from my previous blog. The theme of which is the following: Suffering is an avoidable part of life. There are many forms of suffering. Some we can label as true suffering (e.g., loss of a loved one), …Read More
Unnecessary Suffering
Sep 12, 2009
Various forms of loss and disappointment are a part of life – we lose jobs, experience illness, miss opportunities, the value of our retirement plummets, friends move away, and loved ones die. We suffer when these things happen. Suffering is part of life and unavoidable. For simplicity’s sake, let’s lump any negative emotion (e.g., sadness, …Read More
Mindfulness
Aug 30, 2009
I mention in my bio on this website that I am interested in how the concepts of mindfulness and self-compassion can help us live in the present moment. Because these are two ideas that are less common approaches in psychotherapy, I thought I would begin my blog by talking about mindfulness and self-compassion. I will …Read More
Coping with Distressing Thoughts – Part 3
Jun 12, 2009
Now more on how to cope with distressing thoughts. Here is one simple but powerful technique that you might want to give a try. This technique works particularly well when something “bad” has happened and you begin to think negative thoughts and feelings about that situation. Oftentimes, we “make mountains out of mole hills” and …Read More
Coping with Distressing Thoughts – Part 1
May 28, 2009
In my last post, I talked about how not all daydreaming is good…how our thoughts can drift into negative content, which provides the fuel for negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. What do we do about this problem? As you might guess, this is a really BIG topic. There’s no way to quickly and …Read More