Category Archives: Stop the Madness

Take out the Garbage

Posted on July 31, 2015 by

I once facilitated a group for people recovering from severe mental illnesses. We met once a week and they talked about how things were going for them. They tried to support each other. One day a man came in and … Continue reading →

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What Color are Your Glasses?

Posted on July 24, 2015 by

You know what rose colored glasses are, right? People who are said to be wearing rose colored glasses are said to be seeing the world as only pleasant and happy. We scoff at people wearing rose colored glasses. They are … Continue reading →

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How to Live Up to Your Potential

Posted on July 17, 2015 by

Let me introduce you to another object in my office: the jade plant. This plant, I think you will agree, is a beautiful specimen; as good as a jade plant can be. It is lush and green and healthy. It … Continue reading →

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The Broken Window Theory of Personal Relationships

Posted on July 10, 2015 by

Go to any down-in-the-heels, crime-ridden, poverty-stricken inner city and you are certain to find one thing. Lots and lots of broken windows. Most of these broken windows will be in abandoned buildings, where no one appears to care and no … Continue reading →

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How to Re-Traumatize Yourself

Posted on July 3, 2015 by

First, a bad thing happens. Rape, murder, combat, abuse. You don’t have a lot of control over it. That’s the point. Something happens way, way out of your control. You barely make it. Now you’re left with the memories. That’s … Continue reading →

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Marriage Rights for Singles: The Buddy System

Posted on June 26, 2015 by

We live in remarkable times. For decades, heterosexuals have been fleeing the institution of marriage; first, by divorcing in great numbers, then, by living together outside of marriage and by delaying it to later in life. At the same time, … Continue reading →

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Nine kinds of madness and the hole in the middle of it all

Posted on June 19, 2015 by

In the middle of everything, there’s this deep, dark, depressing hole. It’s a chasm, really, and when you fall in, sometimes there’s no climbing out. When we call it anything at all, we often call it death, brokenness, or despair. … Continue reading →

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Ride the Ego Balloon

Posted on June 12, 2015 by

It all starts with you being a child. You have it really good. People take care of you, they feed you, clothe you, give you hugs, and put your awful drawings on the refrigerator with unrestrained praise. But nature cannot … Continue reading →

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What my tennis coach taught me about change

Posted on June 5, 2015 by

How can reading a blog help you stop the madness? It can’t. You can’t learn to play tennis by reading, either. You’ve got to play. I took tennis lessons once. The coach asked me to show him my serve. I … Continue reading →

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The man who loved lobster

Posted on May 29, 2015 by

There was once a man who loved lobster so much he couldn’t stop eating it. He was surrounded by stinking lobster carcasses because he couldn’t take the time away from eating to clean them up. They stunk to high heavens. … Continue reading →

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How to get out of quicksand

Posted on May 22, 2015 by

I was walking along the beach one day, having a nice vacation, when I stepped into quicksand. It wasn’t a deep pit like you see in the movies, the kind that can swallow a horse and rider, but it was … Continue reading →

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When Madness knocks, don’t answer

Posted on May 15, 2015 by

When people try to stop the madness, they often expect to reduce the frequency of episodes. The want to stop having negative thoughts, anxieties, urges to use drugs, unwarranted guilt, paranoia, or impulses to do what they’ll regret. When they … Continue reading →

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