Meaningful You

Psychoanalysis

Face It, Accept It, Deal With It, Let It Go

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on August 2, 2016

A practicing-Buddhist Taiwanese immigrant and an American secular Jewish psychoanalyst walk into a bar...

A practicing-Buddhist Taiwanese immigrant and an American secular Jewish psychoanalyst walk into a bar...

Sport and Competition

Book Brings Development and Attachment to Youth Sports

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on March 2, 2016

Instead of telling parents what to do, our book, Raising Your Game, is based on lives of true experts, those who have experienced sports at every level.

Instead of telling parents what to do, our book, Raising Your Game, is based on lives of true experts, those who have experienced sports at every level.

Play

Do Today's Parents Give Kids Too Much Say, or Not Enough?

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on January 25, 2016

How do we earn our children’s respect? It’s simple: by respecting them.

How do we earn our children’s respect? It’s simple: by respecting them.

Relationships

Why Going to Couples Therapy by Yourself Can Still Help

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on November 3, 2015

Here's how to work on your relationship even if your partner won't join you.

Here's how to work on your relationship even if your partner won't join you.

Psychoanalysis

5 Reasons This Isn't Your Grandfather's Psychoanalysis

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on September 3, 2015

The image that many people have of psychoanalysis is from the 1950's or even earlier. Times change. And so has psychoanalysis.

The image that many people have of psychoanalysis is from the 1950's or even earlier. Times change. And so has psychoanalysis.

Dreaming

Movie Review: "I'll See You In My Dreams"

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on August 25, 2015

At first glance, Carol Petersen (Blythe Danner) appears to be living the dream. At second glance, it looks like Carol is not so much living a dream as she is sleepwalking through life.

At first glance, Carol Petersen (Blythe Danner) appears to be living the dream. At second glance, it looks like Carol is not so much living a dream as she is sleepwalking through life.

Media

Social Media in a Successful Psychotherapy Practice

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on June 24, 2015

Learning how to navigate the new terrain of social media in a professional manner is integral to the success of a psychotherapy practice.

Learning how to navigate the new terrain of social media in a professional manner is integral to the success of a psychotherapy practice.

Relationships

How Trying to Make Everyone Happy Can Make You Miserable

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on April 24, 2015

Do you bend over backwards to make everyone else happy? Then why are you so lonely? Here's why being a people pleaser is a losing long-term strategy.

Do you bend over backwards to make everyone else happy? Then why are you so lonely? Here's why being a people pleaser is a losing long-term strategy.

Ethics and Morality

Psychologists’ Involvement in Torture and the APA

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on December 19, 2014

Mitchell and Jessen, owners of a Washington based consulting firm contracted with the CIA for $181 million to conduct "enhanced interrogations."

Mitchell and Jessen, owners of a Washington based consulting firm contracted with the CIA for $181 million to conduct "enhanced interrogations."

Happiness

A Formula for Happiness in a Sometimes Cruel World

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on October 14, 2014

Have faith, which in this case means a fervent belief in the existence of unknowable, uncontrollable, and infinitely expansive, adaptive, and regenerative forces in the universe working within and between us to adapt to life’s misfortunes without misery swallowing up our capacities to make the best of painfully unjust, cruel, and sometimes tragic circumstances.

Have faith, which in this case means a fervent belief in the existence of unknowable, uncontrollable, and infinitely expansive, adaptive, and regenerative forces in the universe working within and between us to adapt to life’s misfortunes without misery swallowing up our capacities to make the best of painfully unjust, cruel, and sometimes tragic circumstances.

Twins have the same developmental needs, but the situation is much more complex.

Aging

Will I Still Be Me? Aging, Identity, and Self-Respect

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on August 25, 2014

When I look in the mirror as the years flow by, who will I see? Will I recognize and respect myself, or is it inevitable that I will be ashamed of aging and alienated from myself?

When I look in the mirror as the years flow by, who will I see? Will I recognize and respect myself, or is it inevitable that I will be ashamed of aging and alienated from myself?

Relationships

Love and Loss

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on August 22, 2014

Ten months after the death of my husband, I hear the following message on my voice mail: “I’m Molly Callahan. I need to see someone. I lost my husband six months ago and I’m having a hard time.”

Ten months after the death of my husband, I hear the following message on my voice mail: “I’m Molly Callahan. I need to see someone. I lost my husband six months ago and I’m having a hard time.”

Dreaming

Dreaming: Random or Meaningful?

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on June 19, 2014

From beginning to end, from a spider in my dreams to a cancer diagnosis, I have had a profound experience and insight into the communications of dreams.

From beginning to end, from a spider in my dreams to a cancer diagnosis, I have had a profound experience and insight into the communications of dreams.

Emotion Regulation

How To Unleash Your Kids’ Skills of Emotional Regulation

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on April 22, 2014

I'm not saying dogs are the key to understanding human behavior, but kids who are kept on leash have a hard time socializing with other kids. Here's why.

I'm not saying dogs are the key to understanding human behavior, but kids who are kept on leash have a hard time socializing with other kids. Here's why.

Child Development

Grandpa White’s Diary: Jewish Immigration in 19th Century

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on January 23, 2014

A stirring, firsthand account of immigration from Poland in the 1850s, through London at the height of it 19th Century civilization, and then on to the muddy, garbage-strewn, slums of New York.

A stirring, firsthand account of immigration from Poland in the 1850s, through London at the height of it 19th Century civilization, and then on to the muddy, garbage-strewn, slums of New York.

Relationships

Tangos of Debt Accumulation: What Are They All Worth?

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on January 21, 2014

Watch Jane and Bob max out on their credit cards. Is that their partners Jim and Mary registering half-hearted protests?

Watch Jane and Bob max out on their credit cards. Is that their partners Jim and Mary registering half-hearted protests?

Parenting

Parental Authority and the Criminal Justice System

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on December 10, 2013

One doesn’t behave in respectful ways as an adult when fed a steady diet of disrespect as a child.

One doesn’t behave in respectful ways as an adult when fed a steady diet of disrespect as a child.

Why is it that having a witness to significant experiences, whether in person or after the fact, adds meaning to our experiences, and in the case of traumatic events, makes our experiences more bearable?

Neuroscience

Great Expectations: 4 Brain Science Tips for Holiday Success

Kristi Pikiewicz Ph.D. on November 20, 2013

If you had a six-foot tree last year, do you need a six-and-a-half foot tree this year? Here's how to have the family holiday you imagine without the craziness you fear.

If you had a six-foot tree last year, do you need a six-and-a-half foot tree this year? Here's how to have the family holiday you imagine without the craziness you fear.