Inside Out

Clean out the closet—of your unconscious

Jennifer Kromberg PsyD

The Truth About Overeating

The problem of overeating may be deeper than you realize.

5 Enemies of the Overeater

You can't hate your way to a body you love—and 4 more mind traps on the way to healthy eating habits.

11 Surprising Facts About Binge Eating Disorder

Obesity in general and Binge Eating Disorder specifically are subjects that are often swept under the carpet. So let’s start with some facts.

4 Difficulties of Being a Perfectionist

Being a perfectionist isn’t about things being perfect; it's about wishing they were.

5 Myths of Recovery After Your Break Up

Here are 5 detours or dead ends between where you are in the pain after a breakup and where you want to be. Keeping these breakup recovery myths in mind will help you remain compassionate with yourself as you go through this difficult process.

How to Talk to a Loved One About Their Weight

When you see a loved one’s weight headed in a physically dangerous direction, you naturally want to help. But weight, for most people, is a touchy subject. Here are do's and don’ts when talking with loved ones about weight.

The 5 Gifts of Failure

If it’s wisdom and compassion and eventually the happiness that comes with fulfillment, consider your mistakes and blunders as much a gift as your successes.

Emotional Eating? 5 Reasons You Can’t Stop

By knowing how these 5 factors influence your emotional eating, you can work toward stopping.

The 5 Stages of Grieving the End of a Relationship

Even if you're the one that initiated the breakup and believe it's best for all involved, letting go of a relationship follows the same process as mourning a death.

Think Life Is a Contest? Think Again!

In competition, many people lose sight of the real goal. Is the goal to “win” or is the goal to learn, grow, enjoy and perform to the best of your ability, regardless of the winner? In order to meet your goal, do you have to feel better than others?

6 Steps For Personal Change

Behaviors you want to change are part of a system or pattern you know and trust. Somehow, this behavior has helped you. Now it hurts. And you’re stuck. Here's how to change.

Do You and Your Partner Fight Fair?

Some degree of fighting in a relationship is not only inevitable, but also necessary to create growth. The problem for couples is not that they fight—it’s how they fight.

Relationship Red Flags: What to Look For Early On

While in the early stages of a budding romance, we are all at our best. Staying keen to these red flags now can help you avoid hurt in the future.

Do You Choose Your Role, or Does it Choose You?

Are you the superhero, caretaker, or scapegoat? No matter how you define your family, and whether you mean to or not, you play a role in it.

How Realistic Are Your Relationship Expectations?

When you were young, you depended on your caregivers for the sense of being loved, and you learned from your caregivers how to process your feelings. When there are vital things missing from the parenting we received, we tend to look to our romantic partners to make up these losses.

How Your Mom Shapes Your Current Romantic Relationships

"As I stood on the deck alone, I could hear all the music and laughter from the adults below. The feeling of sadness started to become so intense that I started to get scared. When this happened I immediately ran back down to the party and tried to tell my mom what I had just experienced. She told me I was being negative and said not to think about things like that."

How Dads Shape Daughters’ Relationships: Part 2

What partners do you pick? Do you choose partners who are cold and distant? Angry and difficult? Refuse to grow up? Unfaithful? Now take your understanding one step further. Instead of just noticing patterns in the partners you choose, look for patterns in the ways your relationships unfold.

How Dads Shape Daughters’ Relationships

As infants, we take in a complete sensory experience of our everyday surroundings and this shapes our perception of normalcy. If, like me, everyday experiences included a giant, deep-voiced, lumberjack man, then that is what we imprinted as normal.

Seduction is a Game Played in Turns

The first gestures of flirtation are communicated so subtly, it's easy to deny them without penalty if one sees the flirtation isn't reciprocated. It's a game played in turns: Only if you return these hints, consciously or unconsciously, can the game of flirtation continue.

Attention Trap Part 3: Attention to Failure Nixes Success

So strongly do we believe life is supposed to be elegant that if we are hurt or frustrated or disappointed, we think it must be someone's fault – our partner, our co-workers, ourselves, or even God or the universe must be to blame!

Attention Trap Part 2: Validation Competition

When two people fight for attention, both end up losing in the long run. It’s like a drug: short term pleasure leads to long term pain.

Attention Trap Part 1: Narcissism, Validation and Self-Worth

Once our basic needs are met, much of our conscious and unconscious behaviors are meant to make us feel loved and valued. But this love and value can come from external or internal sources.