Recent Posts

The Psychology Behind Trust Issues

Personal Perspective: What if trust issues are not really about other people, but about losing trust in yourself in relationships?

Personal Perspective: What if trust issues are not really about other people, but about losing trust in yourself in relationships?

Golden Insights: Conducting the Symphony of the Self

How Goldie Hawn uses neuroscience and music to conduct a "symphony of the self," transforming life's noise into a resonant legacy of mindfulness and emotional agency.

How Goldie Hawn uses neuroscience and music to conduct a "symphony of the self," transforming life's noise into a resonant legacy of mindfulness and emotional agency.

The Double Bind of Beauty Work

People face a double bind: Too little beauty work elicits disgust and accusations of laziness; too much signals inauthenticity and vanity. Both extremes draw moral judgment.

People face a double bind: Too little beauty work elicits disgust and accusations of laziness; too much signals inauthenticity and vanity. Both extremes draw moral judgment.

Our Perceptions of Older Adults Who Do Not Act Their Age

Ageism is an important topic right now, but are older adults who do not act their age seen positively or negatively? A new study investigated.

Ageism is an important topic right now, but are older adults who do not act their age seen positively or negatively? A new study investigated.

No Place for Politics in Therapy?

Personal Perspective: Some people claim that the psychotherapy room is no place for politics, but is it even possible to keep the political out of the room?

Personal Perspective: Some people claim that the psychotherapy room is no place for politics, but is it even possible to keep the political out of the room?

Proof of Humanity: Why Imperfection Is the New Trust Signal

Your latest PowerPoint looked flawless. The language was polished. So why did it feel like nobody was home?

Your latest PowerPoint looked flawless. The language was polished. So why did it feel like nobody was home?

What Psychologists Get Wrong About Meaning

What if meaning is not a mysterious philosophical force, but an adaptive drive humans share with other animals to function effectively in the world they inhabit?

What if meaning is not a mysterious philosophical force, but an adaptive drive humans share with other animals to function effectively in the world they inhabit?

The Now Is the Only Time and Place Where You Can Choose

The lived reality of our existence is that the present and agency are not abstract ideas but the constant conditions in which our lives are lived in the existential now.

The lived reality of our existence is that the present and agency are not abstract ideas but the constant conditions in which our lives are lived in the existential now.

What LLMs Are Quietly Doing to Creativity

Two new studies reveal how AI is standardizing creative thinking. Here's what parents, clinicians, and educators need to know, and what we can do about it.

Two new studies reveal how AI is standardizing creative thinking. Here's what parents, clinicians, and educators need to know, and what we can do about it.

When Money Becomes the Destination

What if money isn’t the destination, but just a tool? Hospice insights reveal why purpose, not wealth, shapes a life well lived.

What if money isn’t the destination, but just a tool? Hospice insights reveal why purpose, not wealth, shapes a life well lived.

How Free Will Shapes Self‑Respect and Responsibility

Self-respect arises when a person accepts responsibility for their thoughts, choices, and actions that align with ethical and moral principles.

Self-respect arises when a person accepts responsibility for their thoughts, choices, and actions that align with ethical and moral principles.

Building Body and Brain: Lessons From Martial Arts

Training in traditional martial arts can be a real and metaphorical catalyst for both bodily self-improvement and actualization of who we want to be in the world.

Training in traditional martial arts can be a real and metaphorical catalyst for both bodily self-improvement and actualization of who we want to be in the world.

Why “Difficult” Daughters Matter in Families

The daughter who says the hard thing isn’t the problem; she's the one holding the family accountable. “Porcupine daughters” play a crucial role in healthy, honest relationships.

The daughter who says the hard thing isn’t the problem; she's the one holding the family accountable. “Porcupine daughters” play a crucial role in healthy, honest relationships.

The Emotional Cost of Becoming Someone New

Personal Perspective: A reflection on identity, attachment, and what it really feels like to let go of a life you built and start over again.

Personal Perspective: A reflection on identity, attachment, and what it really feels like to let go of a life you built and start over again.

Competence, Merit, and Excellence Are Social Strengths

Competence, merit, and standards of excellence have always been universal truths since the first human being realized that stone-shaping required effort and precision.

Competence, merit, and standards of excellence have always been universal truths since the first human being realized that stone-shaping required effort and precision.

From Despair to Strength: What One Man’s Survival Teaches Us

In a world full of disconnection and chaos, what if the key to changing your life isn’t fighting reality but accepting it—and using that acceptance to create real change?

In a world full of disconnection and chaos, what if the key to changing your life isn’t fighting reality but accepting it—and using that acceptance to create real change?

Why You Feel Empty After Achieving Your Goals

What the arrival fallacy misses, and what the emptiness is trying to tell you...

What the arrival fallacy misses, and what the emptiness is trying to tell you...

What Is Your Quarter-Life Crisis Trying to Tell You?

What 14 research studies say about why young adults can struggle.

What 14 research studies say about why young adults can struggle.

Beyond Vanity: Feeling Attractive in Midlife

Looking better in midlife can reflect a deeper return to your sense of self.

Looking better in midlife can reflect a deeper return to your sense of self.

Snowboarding, Sex, and Tacos

Personal Perspective: Some men complain they don't have guy friends because most men can't go deep. I thought the same thing—until I learned vulnerability begets openness.

Personal Perspective: Some men complain they don't have guy friends because most men can't go deep. I thought the same thing—until I learned vulnerability begets openness.

The Unlived Life: Jung's Most Haunting Concept

The unlived life: What it means, why it matters, and what to do when yours starts knocking.

The unlived life: What it means, why it matters, and what to do when yours starts knocking.

Things That Make Me Feel

Personal Perspective: I cherish my collection of meaningful 'things,' seemingly inconsequential objects that enrich my soul.

Personal Perspective: I cherish my collection of meaningful 'things,' seemingly inconsequential objects that enrich my soul.

Real Connection vs. Safe Patterns

A dog meets a hydrant. Another meets a dog. One repeats, the other one risks. The difference isn’t small,it’s the difference between avoiding life and actually living it.

A dog meets a hydrant. Another meets a dog. One repeats, the other one risks. The difference isn’t small,it’s the difference between avoiding life and actually living it.

Who Therapizes the Therapists?

We have a mental health crisis in America, but we also have a therapist mental health crisis. Who answers the call?

We have a mental health crisis in America, but we also have a therapist mental health crisis. Who answers the call?

Why Do Clever Girls Do "Dumb" Jobs?

A stranger once used my career as a warning to her child. She had no idea she'd just put her finger on something that affects thousands of women with ADHD.

A stranger once used my career as a warning to her child. She had no idea she'd just put her finger on something that affects thousands of women with ADHD.

Why Confidence Doesn't Always Reflect True Self-Worth

Not all confidence reflects true self-worth. Authentic self-worth is grounded in presence, humility, and self-acceptance, allowing us to respond to life with greater resilience.

Not all confidence reflects true self-worth. Authentic self-worth is grounded in presence, humility, and self-acceptance, allowing us to respond to life with greater resilience.

Before You Share Your Body, Ask: Do They Know You?

Why do we open our bodies before our hearts? Learn how emotional intimacy shapes lasting connection and why it matters in modern dating.

Why do we open our bodies before our hearts? Learn how emotional intimacy shapes lasting connection and why it matters in modern dating.

How to Survive an Existential Vacuum

When life stops making sense, something important is asking to be heard.

When life stops making sense, something important is asking to be heard.

Helping Black Women Remove the Mask

The masks Black women wear to survive stereotypes come at a cost. Learn how therapists can help clients reclaim their authentic selves.

The masks Black women wear to survive stereotypes come at a cost. Learn how therapists can help clients reclaim their authentic selves.

The Human Cost of a Listener That Never Gets It Wrong

Being truly heard does not necessarily mean validating your story. It makes you question it. That's the gift AI can't replicate—and why the friction of human listening matters.

Being truly heard does not necessarily mean validating your story. It makes you question it. That's the gift AI can't replicate—and why the friction of human listening matters.