The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with.–Marty Feltman. Mental health providers encourage their patients to keep journals. Sometimes it’s almost obsessive. We journal! Everyone should journal! Write like you’re fighting for your life! But why do we write? I guess it’s because the empty page is a place to […]
So you want to be a psychiatrist? At least play one on TV? Here’s what you gotta know.
The part of the brain below the tentorium handles the basics, like breathing. It’s not the interesting part. Forget about it.
Grieving the loss of addiction
Addiction was a central part of your life, and now that you’re not actively using, you’re grieving the loss of the old and familiar while trying to get used to an unclear future….
3 Great Mindfulness Exercises You Can Do Today
Do you ever race through life struggling to keep up? It’s about that alarm clock going off in the mornings, a quick jump in the shower, an even quicker rush through breakfast, and the oh-so-disturbing traffic on your way to work when you’re running late. It’s that busy “busy-ness” that pushes you through the day, […]
Don’t tell them I’m a shrink
2009 The ground is covered with stones. Our host is squatted down, touching each stone passively then rearranging them according to color. He’s engaged mindfully. It’s an impressive coping skill. Even a psychiatrist has to admit that. (The psychiatrist is me, by the way, though I never confess that in public.) Nearby, a group of […]
Seven stress-busting ways to deal with anxiety
Think of life as a spectrum: on one end you’ve got the worse-case outcome. That’s where most anxious people lean when they consider their future. But if you’re going to invest energy into the worst outcome, you should invest that same energy into best-case scenario. You can’t have one without the other.
DBT: help for borderline personality disorder (BPD)
“You are so good. So good. You’re always feeling so much. And sometimes it feels like you’re gonna bust wide open from all the feeling, doesn’t it? People like you are the best in the world, but you sure do suffer for it.” — Silas House.
10+ things you didn’t know about drugs and alcohol
Many addicts say it’s harder to quit than keep using. To stay sober and clean, they need to face overwhelming challenges: tremendous guilt, low self-esteem, isolation, an irate family, problems finding work, and the demand that they change their lives and attitudes and belief systems… it would seem easier to simply keep using.