Jonathan, his mother and I went to the beach together several times this summer. Jonathan is my first grandchild and is 18 months old. Jenny was excited to introduce him to the joy, peace and happiness that so many people experience at the ocean. Jonathan was afraid each time. As…
Psychologists Henry Cloud and John Townsend published a classic book in 1992 entitled “Boundaries: When to Say YES — When to Say NO — To Take Control of Your Life”(1). This book has been a guide for many to define where their responsibilities lay and where other people need to…
Several days ago, I was talking to two recent college graduates about choices, particularly those involving what people put into their bodies. In that context, the conversation meandered from alcohol through nicotine to marijuana – all the way to the opioid crisis; however, most of our dialog centered on recreational…
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, has been quoted as saying, “Change is the only constant in life.” In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly wrote, “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” These quotes ring true as we navigate through life. Change is constant: relocation, normal life…
Your child has been referred for a neuropsychological evaluation, but you have no idea what that means or what it will lead to. This is a commonly encountered scenario when I meet with parents and other caregivers in my office for an initial clinical interview. Parents can be understandably hesitant…
To know someone and to be known by the other is the essence of true love. This intimacy needs to grow in a healthy relationship. A hindrance to good listening in marriage is fear of hearing the other’s true feelings. It is helpful to keep in mind that we can’t…
This year, autumn felt like an extended summer. Winter couldn’t make up its mind if it wanted to be mild or harsh and then it didn’t want to end, giving us a snow storm in March. Spring has been a series of major ups and downs in temperatures, going from…
In an attempt to spark interest in a type of therapeutic approach known as “psychodynamic,” here excerpts from an interview with Dr. James Hollis, a well-known Jungian analyst and the author of Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really, Grow Up. (To view the entire…
March Madness. Basketball. Sweet Sixteen. Final Four. It’s that time of year when college basketball rules ESPN and prime time TV. Brackets are posted. Cinderella teams emerge. Highly ranked teams are upset. The frenzy of excitement spills over into the beginning of April, and a team of 19-23-year-old young men…
A few weeks ago a jubilant president Trump declared that his annual physical examination went exceptionally well; Rear admiral Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president’s physician further endorsed this comment. Of note was Dr. Jackson’s statement that the president requested a mental health evaluation, which yielded perfect results on the Montreal…
