Faith has a bad connotation nowadays. For many people, faith implies a blind allegiance to spiritual assertions that are deemed irrational, or adherence to a belief system that is unsupported by facts, if not contradicted by them. Often it is equated with wishful thinking, or, more accurately, wishful believing. Most negatively, some people consider it…
Patricia (not her real name) was a bright and industrious young woman who had worked her way up to a management position in a large retail store chain. Unfortunately, she was also experiencing a level of anxiety that was making her life increasingly miserable. As she talked about her duties the cause of her anxiety…
In his book, The Alchemy of Healing: Psyche and Soma, Edward C. Whitmont, M.D., describes research done on a primitive form of worm called planaria. In the experiment the worms were taught to choose between rewarding and unrewarding experiences by finding their way to a well of water placed at the other end of a…
What follows is a verbatim conversation I had with my dog, Ruby, regarding mindfulness: Me: Ruby, I’ve come up with an exciting business opportunity that could make us millions of dollars. Ruby: I can’t eat money. Me: Well for you that translates into dog treats. Lots of dog treats! (Ruby’s interest is piqued.) My idea…
Some argue that there is no spiritual reality or background to our material world. And from this it follows that there is really no such thing as the soul—no deeper part of the personality that endures beyond death and that is affected—negatively or positively—by the way we live our life and the decisions we make…
A frequent casualty of the Politically Correct (PC) movement is one of the most valuable and healing gifts of the human race, one which the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer called “the only divine quality in man” —namely, humor. From the perspective of depth psychology humor engages the shadow, the part of the personality that is repressed,…
To my knowledge Carl Jung never directly addressed the topic of hoarding. However, the following paragraph (in italics), which I have divided into parts in order to provide commentary, offers some thoughts relevant to the subject. [I suggest that the italicized text be read as a whole first before then going back to re-read the…
A difficult struggle many people face involves finding the courage to really live and love again following the loss of someone or something dear to them. The death of a parent, spouse, child or close friend, the death of a beloved pet, the surrender of a dream or goal, a role or identity, even a…
Ego strength is a psychological term referring to the ability to withstand psychological and emotional tension without regressing to less mature behaviors or attitudes. Basically, it is a measure of psychological resilience and flexibility, the capacity to deal with stress and life challenges in a conscious, self-responsible and creative way. Like a well-built house, a…
In the song he popularized, Keep A-knockin, Little Richard sings of love spurned: Keep a-knockin’ but you can’t come in.Keep a-knockin’ but you can’t come in.Keep a-knockin’ but you can’t come in.Come back tomorrow night and try it again. Not infrequently the psyche comes a-knockin’ at the door of our conscious mind (the ego) asking…
