Like everyone else, I am feeling overwhelmed and a bit paralyzed by the pandemic that has invaded our country and our lives seemingly overnight. It seems like trying to make decisions in our lives that are longer range than just for today is very difficult. It’s like we wake upRead More
Blog
Archetypes and the Triple Goddess
Since my book, Inviting the Queen: An Emerging Archetype for Women at Midlife, recently published this seems like a good time to write a blog about archetypes and illustrate the three traditional archetypes (before the Queen) attributed to women’s life stages—Maid, Mother, and Crone. But first, a brief definition ofRead More
Taking Inventory
The other afternoon I was sitting with my therapist colleague and friend, Patricia, talking about how much sexism was around in the early 60s. I make a point of this being the early 1960s, between 1960 and 1965, before the counterculture peeked over the horizon, before the hippies, the sexualRead More
I Keep Hearing About the Patriarchy…
“I keep hearing about the patriarchy, but what is it?” For much of the time the present administration has been in power, the word “patriarchy” has been heard more frequently. It is seemingly being used almost interchangeably with “white male privilege.” What is patriarchy and why does it affect womenRead More
Do Only Crazy People See Psychotherapists?
Guest author of this blog is Patricia Ariadne, Ph.D, MFT. Please find her information at http://www.drariadne.com. Thank you, Patricia, for your generosity! Do Only Crazy People See Psychotherapists? The National Institute of Mental Health reports that, every year, more than a quarter of American adults experience anxiety, depression, and otherRead More
Good Wife—Good Grief
For those of you who watch The Good Wife on CBS Sunday nights at 9 PM, you know that one of the lead characters, Will Gardner, has been very unexpectedly killed. After some memory flashbacks by other characters in the series and ongoing references to him, he will disappear. AfterRead More
Stillness
Driving through Yosemite National Park today, I saw that it wore its subdued Winter colors–grayed greens, and browns. The only touches of color were the bright orange/gold of unshed oak leaves left from Autumn’s blazing display and the strong rust color of dead pines. The deep quiet of the landRead More
Depression….Symptoms and Treatment
We so often hear others say “I feel so depressed.” But are they really DEPRESSED? What is “clinical” depression and how can it be treated. According to the DSM V, the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness, major depressive disorder must last for at leastRead More
On Narcissism
Designated as a Personality Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Volume 5 (DSM 5), narcissism is as prevalent as pimples in middle school. At its worst, a person with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder has such a distorted view of themselves and their relationship to others andRead More