Here is my column from last week. It is part of general talk I give on assertiveness and explains the problems that occur when we let frustrations accumulate too long. They almost invariably blow up in our faces. In order to avoid this problem we must first learn to accept minor frustrations. This involves changing [...]
Monthly Archives: January 2011
How blue is blue: Understanding depression and burnout
Hi folks, Every year the Douglas Institute hosts a series of lectures for the general public called the Mini-Psych School. We then produce DVDs of these lectures and post them on line. In 2009, I gave a lecture entitled How blue is blue? Here it is in two parts. You might want to keep a [...]
Abuse begets abuse
Today’s column was inspired by the many clients I have met with over the years who felt abused of neglected by their parents. In exploring their histories, the question of what made their parents into the people they became always comes up. Often the impact of an abusive experience can last far longer than one [...]
Unnatural acts
Human beings act, think and feel. These three dimensions pretty well sum up our psychological experiences. So what then do we target when things are bothering us? When I first trained as a psychologist, we were taught to work with thoughts and behaviours, hence the term Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy. But what of emotions? Are they not [...]
