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Tag Archives: psychotherapy
The Shrink’s Links: Journal Therapy
Bringing you the best of mental health every week. Has there ever been a shrink that does not suggest that her clients keep a journal? None that I ever knew of. Journaling can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings, … Continue reading
The Shrink’s Links: The New Existentialists
Bringing you the best of mental health every week. If you were intrigued by my recent post about Martin Buber and the application of existentialism to psychology, then you might be interested in The New Existentialists blog. They seem to … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review, The Shrink's Links
Tagged Buber, mental health, psychotherapy
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Some Things You May Not Know About Substance Abuse, Part 10: Staying clean is not enough. We must also develop a personally meaningful life
Staying clean is not enough. We must also develop a personally meaningful life When you are thoroughly caught up in addiction, your priorities are clear; the drug comes first. Everything is done or not done in service of the drug. … Continue reading
Posted in Addiction
Tagged Addiction, Meaning of life, mental health, psychotherapy, Substance Abuse, Substance dependence
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The Shrink’s Links: I and Thou
Bringing you the best of mental health every week. To understand relationships, it is essential to understand what the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber meant by I and Thou. Buber was an existentialist, but unlike most existentialists, who smoke too many … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review, The Shrink's Links
Tagged Buber, mental health, psychotherapy
Some Things You May Not Know About Substance Abuse, Part 9: It’s all like a walk in the woods
It’s all like a walk in the woods To understand the brain and how it works in addiction and recovery, remember the last time you took a walk in the woods. You probably walked on a path. It’s easier that … Continue reading
Posted in Addiction
Tagged Addiction, Brain, mental health, psychotherapy, Substance Abuse, Substance dependence
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Some Things You May Not Know About Substance Abuse, Part 8: Positive reinforcement is not enough to motivate a person to stop using
Positive reinforcement is not enough to motivate a person to stop using drugs You’re a good parent, a loving spouse, a decent boss, a fair judge, a caring therapist. You took psychology in college. You learned that positive reinforcement is … Continue reading
Posted in Addiction, Relationships
Tagged Addiction, Behavior, Drug, Love, Marriage, mental health, Motivation, psychotherapy, Reinforcement, Relationships, Substance dependence
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The Shrink’s Links: Review of “Life Against Death”
Bringing you the best of mental health every week. I recently finished reading Life Against Death: The Psychoanalytic Meaning of History by Norman O. Brown. Since it’s a book that only the most psychoanalytically-minded shrink will enjoy, I’ll summarize it … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review, The Shrink's Links
Tagged Life Against Death, mental health, Norman Brown, psychotherapy
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Some Things You May Not Know About Substance Abuse, Part 7: In the beginning of recovery, it doesn’t matter if you are self motivated. It just matters that you have motivation
In the beginning of recovery, it doesn’t matter if you are self motivated. It just matters that you have motivation Most people believe that internal or self motivation is the best kind of motivation and that people who are motivated … Continue reading
Posted in Addiction
Tagged Addiction, Drug, Love, Marriage, mental health, Motivation, psychotherapy, Relationships, Substance Abuse, Substance dependence
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The Shrink’s Links: Blossom Hypnosis
Bringing you the best of mental health every week. When I used to work at an inner city community mental health clinic, Rekha Shrivastava had the office next door. Rekha is a quiet, unassuming lady. Her clients loved her. For … Continue reading
Some Things You May Not Know About Substance Abuse, Part 6: Drugs turn a person into an addict, then the addict turns everything else into a drug
Drugs turn a person into an addict, then the addict turns everything else into a drug If you are addicted, even if you stop using the substance that changed you, you will look for other things (other substances, sex, shopping, … Continue reading
Some Things You May Not Know About Substance Abuse, Part 5: Addiction Takes Hostages
Addiction Takes Hostages The further people go into addiction, the more their lives center around it. They discard all forms of recreation in favor of activities that include substance use. All of their friends become using friends. Non-using friends drift … Continue reading
Posted in Addiction
Tagged Addiction, Drug, mental health, psychotherapy, Substance Abuse, Substance dependence
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Taming the Pumpkin, or, How to Influence People without Getting Wacked
Once upon a time a traveler hiked down from the mountains into a remote valley to find all the farmers there in a panic. They were running from their vegetable garden into their village, screaming. The women clutched their children … Continue reading
Posted in Psychotherapy, Relationships
Tagged counseling, psychotherapy, Relationships
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