In my previous blog, I list three ways therapists can use mindfulness in their work (from the book, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy.) In my work as a therapist, all three of their examples have informed my work in some way. As a starting point, my formal and informal mindfulness practice helps me to be more present …Read More
There’s Nothing Good or Bad…
Jul 20, 2009
There’s no controversy that William Shakespeare was a genius. His plays contain so many memorable quotes as well as stunning insights into the human condition. Perhaps one of his most powerful observations is contained in Hamlet, “There’s nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.” This insight, which can be life-changing, is contained in …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 2
Jun 11, 2009
Dr. William Glasser is a psychiatrist who has had a substantial impact on the field of psychotherapy. Interestingly, he never prescribed medication in his career as a psychiatrist and instead focused on what he called “reality therapy” and “choice theory” to help people work through psychological pain. I’m not going to give the overview of …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
Okay…Not All Daydreamin' Is Good
May 21, 2009
In my last post, I reviewed some research findings on the benefits of daydreaming. While not totally backtracking on that, I did want to qualify it a bit. I believe that there are very few things in life that are 100% good or 100% bad…life is more complex than that. For instance, drinking water is …Read More
Our Worst Misfortunes Never Happen…
Apr 11, 2009
I love aphorisms – short, memorable quotes that point to powerful truths. For instance, I love the saying, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” A related one that points to a similar truth is from French novelist Honore De Balzac (1799-1850), “Our worst misfortunes never happen, and most miseries lie in anticipation. …Read More
Thinking Fast Can Improve Your Mood
Feb 13, 2009
This is based on an article in the Feb/Mar 2009 issue of Scientific American Mind. Several studies by researchers at Princeton and Harvard indicate that rapid, varied thinking results in an improved mood in people. This type of thinking occurs when we are brainstorming under time constraints (e.g., think of how many different ways you …Read More
What If You Tried This?
Aug 14, 2008
If we want to make ourselves anxious, a good way of doing it is by asking ourselves, “What if _________ happens?” Our brains are wonderful tools that can help us imagine and predict things. This quality separates us from other mammals and allows us to create inventions, solve problems before they occur, and anticipate possible …Read More
Power of Words & Self-Talk
Jul 31, 2008
Words can be tremendously powerful. Very subtle changes in choice of words, voice inflection, etc. can totally change the impact our words have on others. Importantly, our words cannot control others, only influence them. Other people could choose to ignore what we say altogether. However, to a great extent, the words we choose can have …Read More