Trail Mix
Quick Energy for Your Journey Through Life
How to Save Your Relationship by Understanding the Opposite Sex
Have you heard that I have heel marks in front of my office door? They’re from the shoes of a husband being dragged into couples counseling by his wife.
The wife complained about things that the husband neither understands nor has abilities to change, in many cases. The husband and wife just don’t understand each other – and rightfully so! How many of us have had training in how to understand the other sex? Although men and women are …
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Confessions of an Amoral Therapist, or How Lack of Judgment Can Pay Off
I have a small sign in my office that reads:
Notice: This office has been designated a Judgment-Free Zone. Please set your expectations accordingly. Thank you.
While said in jest, it also means a lot to me. In my work with clients, and in my own work in therapy, lack of judgment (me judging them or them judging me) has been the most significant aspect of success.
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Getting Off the Torture Rack of Self-Improvement
Torture rack of self-improvement? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Aren’t we supposed to be improving ourselves? We could always do better, whatever that means and whatever the price, couldn’t we?
This phrase, attributed to Fritz Perls, the “father” of Gestalt Therapy, pushed a button for me when I first heard it. Many of us spend a lot of time and effort following self-improvement advice. It may come …
Saying “Yes” – More Important Than Saying “No?”
Learning to say “no” is the essence of being “assertive” and having “good boundaries,” according to many self-help gurus. It’s also something that many mothers of three-year-olds wish never happened. But that’s a whole other Oprah, as they say. I certainly do not disagree with the first point and will not belabor this concept any more than it already has been. As they say, “No is a complete sentence.”
I want to make a case, however, for learning to say “Yes!”
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Why You Might Want a Generalist in This Age of Specialization
Who wouldn’t want treatment from a specialist who knew exactly how to cure or fix them? I know I would! Sadly, many (most?) people don’t have the luck of knowing exactly what’s bothering them or which specialist to enlist in the cure. That’s where a good generalist comes in.
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What It Means to Be Alive
Alive, ə-′līv , adjective, Middle English, from Old English on life, from on + līf
You may have guessed by now that I’m a word person, among other things, so every once in a while I find it interesting to look for words that mean the same as something I’m trying to describe. Of course, the good old thesaurus is the place to go (what’s another word for “thesaurus?”). In the spirit of this process, what does it mean to be alive?
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