Authenticity 101

Relationships

Film Review: "Obsession" Explores the Horror of Love Overgained

Ira Israel LMFT on June 4, 2026

We are trained by media to conflate sex with love, obstacles with proof of feeling, and emotional activation with genuine attachment.

We are trained by media to conflate sex with love, obstacles with proof of feeling, and emotional activation with genuine attachment.

Unconscious

“Backrooms”: Film Review

Ira Israel LMFT on June 2, 2026

“Backrooms” presents hell as the moment when fantasy collapses, and the self confronts its own failure to manifest the life it dreamed of.

“Backrooms” presents hell as the moment when fantasy collapses, and the self confronts its own failure to manifest the life it dreamed of.

Therapy

The Therapeutic Industrial Complex

Ira Israel LMFT on June 1, 2026

We are now living inside the Therapeutic Industrial Complex governed by a matrix of VC-backed digital mental health platforms, insurance companies, and big pharma.

We are now living inside the Therapeutic Industrial Complex governed by a matrix of VC-backed digital mental health platforms, insurance companies, and big pharma.

Artificial Intelligence

10 Truths Psychology Will Learn from Artificial Intelligence

Ira Israel LMFT on May 19, 2026

When we study how large language models “rationalize,” we will see the foibles of human consciousness that we have been hiding from ourselves

When we study how large language models “rationalize,” we will see the foibles of human consciousness that we have been hiding from ourselves

Therapy

"Group: The Schopenhauer Effect": Film Review

Ira Israel LMFT on May 8, 2026

This is a film every therapist — as well as anyone who needs a refresher on what it means to be a loving and authentic human — should see.

This is a film every therapist — as well as anyone who needs a refresher on what it means to be a loving and authentic human — should see.

Therapy

Should Therapists Conduct Thought Experiments With Patients?

Ira Israel LMFT on March 23, 2026

The use of thought experiments in psychology can help patients find new ways of seeing old problems.

The use of thought experiments in psychology can help patients find new ways of seeing old problems.

Depression

The Atheist's Guide to Surviving End Times

Ira Israel LMFT on March 14, 2026

Personal Perspective: A chaotic world does not relieve us of responsibility; instead, it makes our small, local responsibilities more impactful and important.

Personal Perspective: A chaotic world does not relieve us of responsibility; instead, it makes our small, local responsibilities more impactful and important.

Mating

Why Married Couples Should Never Stop Dating

Ira Israel LMFT on March 11, 2026

Dating today is working due to narcissism, laziness, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being judged, lack of funds and lack of imagination.

Dating today is working due to narcissism, laziness, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being judged, lack of funds and lack of imagination.

Relationships

7 Tricks to Disarm a Contrarian Spouse or Partner

Ira Israel LMFT on March 6, 2026

If you can believe that what your partner truly wants is love, but they don't possess the sharpest tools for procuring it, you may see conversations in an entirely new light.

If you can believe that what your partner truly wants is love, but they don't possess the sharpest tools for procuring it, you may see conversations in an entirely new light.

Gratitude

What Is Existential Psychology?

Ira Israel LMFT on March 2, 2026

Personal Perspective: Would you trade your life for a flash of renown, a sparkle of recognition followed by the world’s most painstaking, unanticipated fade-out?

Personal Perspective: Would you trade your life for a flash of renown, a sparkle of recognition followed by the world’s most painstaking, unanticipated fade-out?

Psychology

How You Decide If Something Is Expensive

Ira Israel LMFT on January 25, 2026

With practice, we can become conscious of the justifications we posit about the ways we choose to spend and not spend money.

With practice, we can become conscious of the justifications we posit about the ways we choose to spend and not spend money.

Attention

From Delight to Dread: How Phones Became Modern Torture

Ira Israel LMFT on December 23, 2025

Maintaining psychological hygiene is an act of existential agency, a rebellion against the commodification of our attention.

Maintaining psychological hygiene is an act of existential agency, a rebellion against the commodification of our attention.

Depression

Is There Such a Thing as 'Capitalist Depression'?

Ira Israel LMFT on November 2, 2025

A Personal Perspective: Could estrangement, resentment, and emotional alienation be labeled as “capitalist depression"?

A Personal Perspective: Could estrangement, resentment, and emotional alienation be labeled as “capitalist depression"?

Consumer Behavior

What Fuels Our Desire for Status Symbols?

Ira Israel LMFT on September 30, 2025

All status symbols are signposts to other people to inform them that we are trustworthy members of their tribe.

All status symbols are signposts to other people to inform them that we are trustworthy members of their tribe.

Authenticity

How Much Time and Energy Do You Spend to Look Good?

Ira Israel LMFT on August 27, 2025

We construct appealing facades and then feel hurt, angry, depressed, or empty when people objectify us for the simulacra of ourselves that we display.

We construct appealing facades and then feel hurt, angry, depressed, or empty when people objectify us for the simulacra of ourselves that we display.

Behavioral Finance

What Percentage of Your Mental Life Is Influenced by Money?

Ira Israel LMFT on August 16, 2025

There is no universal measure of value. Cheap, expensive, and fair are part of dynamic narratives shaped by ego, emotions, and the lies and justifications we tell ourselves.

There is no universal measure of value. Cheap, expensive, and fair are part of dynamic narratives shaped by ego, emotions, and the lies and justifications we tell ourselves.

Philosophy

Could Enlightenment Mean Accepting Our Own Insignificance?

Ira Israel LMFT on August 14, 2025

It may sound paradoxical, but what if the path to enlightenment begins with accepting our own insignificance? What if the drive to be “somebody” is what fuels our anxiety and depression?

It may sound paradoxical, but what if the path to enlightenment begins with accepting our own insignificance? What if the drive to be “somebody” is what fuels our anxiety and depression?

Humor

Should Therapists Use Humor to Build Trust With Patients?

Ira Israel LMFT on June 24, 2025

Sometimes therapy is not only fun, but also funny.

Sometimes therapy is not only fun, but also funny.

Relationships

What Is Your Psychological Relationship With Money?

Ira Israel LMFT on June 23, 2025

Money shapes our lives in ways we seldom recognize, affecting our happiness, our relationships, and even our sense of self.

Money shapes our lives in ways we seldom recognize, affecting our happiness, our relationships, and even our sense of self.

Freudian Psychology

Jacques Lacan on How Children Learn to Make Meaning

Ira Israel LMFT on June 13, 2025

The game of Hide-and-Seek teaches children to bear absence, to symbolize presence, to delay gratification, and to discover themselves as desiring subjects.

The game of Hide-and-Seek teaches children to bear absence, to symbolize presence, to delay gratification, and to discover themselves as desiring subjects.