January 30, 2018
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Dr. Viktor Frankl I love this quote by Dr. Frankl. It speaks to me of the great power we all inherit to determine how we deal with the world. When we feel helpless in the face of someone’s behavior, we can remember Dr. Frankl’s words and take solace. We are not victims to our reactions. We are not powerless in determining the outcome of an exchange. We can in fact choose, specifically, and deliberately how we will engage with someone – regardless of their behavior. I was told a story by a […]
January 16, 2018
Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection) I have a sneaking suspicion that if many of us understood more about projection – and its use as a defence by the person in front of us, we would be a lot happier, and communication would be a lot easier. And the thing that we need to hang on to about projection, is it’s the root of why different people see you in a different way .. because most of what they are seeing is a reflection or aspect of THEMSELVES. As therapists, we are taught about […]
January 7, 2018
As a psychologist, I was trained to think systemically. This means, that no matter what a client presents with – depression, anxiety, mood struggles, relationship difficulties, – you have to understand the context from which they come, the context of the family they grew up in, what their lives mean to them on a day to day, who are the important relationships in their lives …… and so much more. Depression, just like anxiety actually, is often a very appropriate response to something going on in your life. If all we do is treat the symptom (which is NOT a systemic way of working) – i.e. the depression – with medication, then we stand a huge chance that this “symptom” […]
January 1, 2018
Hello and Happy New Year Dear Reader. I hope January 1, 2018 finds you happy, excited about all the possibilities before you, and surrounded by those that encourage you to bring the best of yourself forward. At this time of year, I think all of us are tempted to consider great changes in our life, the turning of a new page onto which we project all the wishes we have for ourselves – how we might be better, wealthier, stronger, thinner, happier, more industrious .. God knows the list goes on. I find many of us have a tendency to overwhelm ourselves with the grandness of the change we are seeking …. probably why a lot of that initial energy […]