My good friend Judith, who is a psychologist in private practice, once told me, “If you can give me a new perspective on a patient’s problem, you’ve given me something of incredible value.” When you have a patient who’s just not making progress, it can be terribly frustrating for both practitioner and patient. But a […]
On The Shoulders of Giants
Carl Rogers. Milton Erikson. Fritz Perls. Albert Ellis. Virginia Satir. These are some of the experts who shaped the interventions we use with patients today. And these experts stood on the shoulders of the giants who came before them. I’m thinking about people like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, and Pierre Genet. […]
If I were brave . . .
I was reminiscing recently about our December conference in Hilton Head. We don’t host it anymore, but one moment made a lasting impact on me, and certainly touched many of the practitioners attending, too. It’s a song called If I Were Brave, by Jana Stanfield. Jana, a talented singer/songwriter, performed this inspiring song at a […]
How the Brain Works with the Vagus: Empathy and More
When someone’s frowning, or beaming, or gaping in surprise, they’re wearing their heart on their face. That’s because the muscles that control facial expression are linked to the smart vagus, says Stephen Porges, PhD. Thanks to the vagus nerve, the emotions we feel are displayed on our faces and in the sound of our voices. […]
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy – Clearing the Path to Healing
Show, don’t tell. It’s a common technique practiced by most successful teachers and writers – and one we practitioners use as well. When it comes to helping patients zero in on what’s preventing them from truly healing, getting them to a place where they can see it (and even feel it) for themselves can sometimes […]