Never a dull moment when working in a prison and great training for one’s diagnostic skills of some quite unusual forms of psychopathology.
The war on drugs! What war.
So if there is a war, as we are told, then the enemy is not doing very well.
The vagaries of psychotherapy
Eventually he solves his own problem and has a plan for how to deal with it in the future. I have said very little and in essence been a spectator to his own processing and working it out for himself.
The work life of a psychotherapist
We have all our fancy theories and techniques but for this type of client it’s just that simple. The person feels a connection with the therapist and that is what really counts.
Client factors in successful therapy
To be able and willing to show and release emotions in therapy is going to significantly improve the prognosis. Those who have trouble doing so will tend not to respond so successfully to treatment.
The loneliness of the long distance therapist
I recall reading a book called The loneliness of the long distance runner. When I first saw this photograph of myself I thought of the phrase, The loneliness of the long distance therapist.
Implied communication in psychotherapy
Mother and father can say and do all sorts of different things to the child – good and bad – those actions tell the youngster if he is OK or not OK. But it is ultimately the youngster who chooses whether to accept or not accept the psychological message.
Characteristics of transference
Transference neurosis refers to the situation in psychotherapy where the client will establish the same type and pattern of relationship with the therapist that he had with his original mother and father.
Authority problem and the good child in the family
If one has the opportunity it is pertinent to ask the parents about the good child in the family. The one who is not making any noise can be the one in most pain.
The family secret
The therapeutic response is clear. Get the family secret exposed and this can change family dynamics, quite profoundly at times.
Child psychotherapy – competition
This is one of those articles where you begin writing something and end up writing about something completely different. I was going to write about children and black and white thinking but ended up writing about a recent sessions I did with two children and their mother.
The two sides of goodbye work
It seems safe to say that the natural human condition is to have quite a strong ambivalence about emotional intimacy in relationship.
“I want it but it scares me”.
Hence one could argue, a key component of grief or goodbye work, is dealing with this natural ambivalence about intimacy with another.
Therapy of self destructiveness
One does not seek to do therapy on this aspect of the personality but one embraces it and seeks to develop some kind of coexistence with it. One embraces their depression or learns to love their panic attacks one could say. It is accepted as a normal part of their thanatos. it can’t be changed even if one wanted to.
Sleepy as part of the Free Child
It should be noted that the third muse, sleepy, is a pull to nonlife, it is not a pull towards death. These people are not suicidal in the usual sense of the word.
Curing alcoholism – switch the addiction
Where mother’s injunction says “Don’t leave me!” Synanon says “Stay here instead.” (p.185-186). He also says elsewhere, “Curing an addict is the easiest thing in the world – if.