The Thing With Feathers

Jonathan Foiles LCSW

When Who You Are Is Hazardous to Your Health

Michael Bennett and Charles Thomas both almost lost their lives because the police saw them as a threat. Research helps explain why.

We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live

For millennia humans have told stories to explain ourselves and our world. Marilyn Charles' latest book examines contemporary fiction in light of psychodynamic concepts.

Together We Rise

Mental health impacts all of us. Reducing stigma is important for ourselves and our relationships, and it is also the first step towards creating a more just society.

The Uptrodden Alcoholic

Leslie Jamison developed a drinking problem while attending Harvard and the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Her new addiction memoir adds a great deal to the literature on recovery.

Does Hearing Voices Mean I'm Going Crazy?

Hallucinations are far more common than most people think. A little understanding goes a long way towards reducing stigma.

Falling in Love With Love

Love is complicated. Some only fall in love with someone who is taken, others are obsessed by the thought that their partner desires someone else. Bruce Fink helps explain why.

Love Is Giving What You Don't Have

What do we talk about when we talk about love? Jacques Lacan examines this age-old question in his Seminar VIII on transference.

Am I Safe At Work?

The murder of three clinicians in California reminds me of a violent incident at my own clinic. What can we do to help make work a safe space for everyone?

Is It Ever Okay to Lie?

Telling the truth involves both risk and trust. The #MeToo movement has shown that we must create spaces that make it possible to be honest.

Learning About Resilience from Walt Whitman

A poem helped me guide a patient along her healing journey from heroin addiction.

Roadblocks in the Search for Answers

Discussions about the link between gun violence and mental illness often fall prey to a few logical fallacies. A more informed debate promises better outcomes for all of us.

Mental Illness Didn't Make Him Do It

In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, tragedy, it's natural to search for answers. Mental illness isn't one of them.

Three Tips on Mindfulness from a Buddhist Psychiatrist

Mark Epstein has long been interested in bridging psychology and Buddhism. His latest book offers wisdom for both mindfulness beginners and seasoned practitioners.

Does Every Silence Need To Be Filled?

Do you ever find yourself not knowing what to say? Winnicott describes how sitting together in the absence of words can speak volumes.

Conversion 'Therapy' Isn't Therapy At All

Conversion therapy is widely discredited, yet new data suggests 698,000 LGBTQ adults have underwent the practice. It is time to ban it nationwide.

What a French Psychoanalyst Can Teach Us About Trauma

I wasn't sure how to help my client Robert, a trauma survivor with a complex delusional system, until I found help in an unlikely source: the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan.

The African Prince in Exile

Robert appeared in my clinic for the trauma of being kidnapped at birth and robbed of his birthright as an African prince. How could I untangle the trauma from his delusions?