I watched a social worker trying to "save" a woman from a domestic violence situation. It was disturbing to say the least.
Continue reading "Saviors and Warriors" »
... that is the question. A veteran of Vietnam was talking about his experiences in Vietnam, about coming home and about the trauma he experienced and about how others believed he should react to that trauma. The mental health professionals, the V.A., his family and his friends all wanted him to "heal". But what they meant by "heal" was to forget, to stop talking about it, to move forward as if nothing happened. But he disagrees. He doesn't want to "heal". He wants to remember.
Continue reading "To "Heal" or not to "Heal"..." »
I listened to this veteran of the "war" in Iraq and understood what he meant. I've seen this with abused children and victims of domestic violence. It's a curious feeling - unless you've been there.
Continue reading ""I hate war. I can't wait for it to begin."" »
I really have a problem with the recent surge in diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder. The children I see with this diagnosis are often the victims of serious issues at home, issues which may even include abuse. Some struggle with PTSD and the mood swings which are inherent in a traumatized individual are attributed to "Bipolar Disorder" and medicated.
Continue reading "When Childhood Bipolar Disorder - Isn't" »
It seems most Americans like to think of themselves as thinking beings who happen to feel. But research into the human brain shows that we are instead feeling beings who are able to think. I believe our failure to recognize this causes untold frustration and the current epidemic of people being diagnosed with depression.
Continue reading "Are We Thinking Beings Which Feel or Feeling Beings Which Think?" »
If you find yourself making the same mistakes over and over you might want to look at your relationship patterns.
Continue reading "Relationship Patterns" »
Therapists talk a lot about boundaries, but we're not always clear what we mean by "boundaries", why they are important to an individual's mental health, or why they are important for healthy relationships.
Continue reading "Why Healthy Boundaries are Important in Relationships" »
Claude Steiner, author of "Scripts People Live" describes power struggles and maintains that there are two reasons people attempt to use power against others and two kinds of power which can be utilized to bring others under one's control.
Continue reading "Power Games" »