If being "in a relationship" is important to you, then making changes and adapting to your partner or spouse is an important developmental process. The adage "This is who I am" underscores a defensiveness that speaks more to a frozen part of who we are, unwilling to reflect on ourselves and make changes benefiting the relationship and the person we profess to love. We all come into … [Read more...]
Siblings: the bitter and the sweet
While psychology -- in particular psychoanalysis -- so frequently focuses on early childhood experiences, it's surprising to find that relatively little has been written on the subject of siblings. Lately, however, researchers have found that in many ways one's siblings have a great impact on a person -- in childhood, of course, but also on the direction of later life. How that person views … [Read more...]
Hearing the voice of the Child in the election uproar
The presidential election proved equally historic and traumatic for millions of Americans. A wide range of affect states, from outrage to joy, are being exhibited across the nation. Tempers flaring. Feelings of rage, shame, pain, helpless loss and devastation. Yet for others, the election results brought happiness; sighs of relief and resolution. This political chasm brings concerns … [Read more...]
Ganging up on bullies
Bullying comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and guises. There is no universal experience for its targets. At its core, bullying produces in victims some of the most debilitating and isolating of feelings. Those who suffer persistent bullying know profound feelings of low self-worth and self-doubt -- and often terror. In school, this abuse often leads students to withdraw and underachieve. … [Read more...]
Trauma, shame and rage
The negative emotional impact of untreated trauma states, and healing interventions By Katrina Wood, Ph.D Single-episodic traumatic experiences often result in symptoms of explosive outbursts of helpless shame and rage. Untreated, the inability to process and contain the magnitude of world-shattering experiences wreaks havoc in the lives of many. Cumulative emotional trauma states often are … [Read more...]