Reflections on Psychiatry, Therapy, and Mental Health

AI generated image of a student and humanistic mentor Don't get me wrong. I have a high respect for science and evidenced based...

When I was three, I was taken to the hospital in the afternoon for a tonsillectomy the next day. This was almost 70 years ago, a time...

Ketamine may be the flower girl that is walking down the isle toward a marriage of biological and psychological psychiatry. We say this because the science tells us that Ketamine has a strong biological effect in benefiting patients. At the same time, it is somewhat of an hallucinogen, and has been described as an abreactive drug, that is, a drug that brings into consciousness thoughts and feelings that may be hard to access in ordinary states. In effect, Ketamine leads to

Most of us heard the story of Narcissus in our childhood: he falls in love with his reflected image, and becomes so fixated that he eventually tumbles into the water and drowns. Children get the message of the fable; Narcissus is foolish, as foolish as the three little pigs, or the emperor without clothes, all of whom we readily saw through, even as children. Healthy Narcissism and Psychological Development The term Narcissism, however, is maligned. While I make this complai

The two gentlemen above are under stress. They are also in a fair amount of pain but if you were to ask, they would tell you that they...

It is difficult to make the case that there is anything good about loss, for loss creates a wound. There is, however, something we might call, 'good healing.' Let's first bring our attention to the concept of loss. It can be said that loss is built into the fabric of life. We lose our childhood, and eventually our parents. If we live long enough we will lose our spouses and many friends. Such losses are an inevitable part of the cycle of life. Of course there are also br

The little fellow above is an American Caesar Mushroom that I met in the forest before the pandemic started. She is considered a choice edible, and often is consumed raw with a little olive oil and balsamic. Even more striking than her taste is her beauty. I was attracted to the forest because of mushrooms, but once in the forest and familiar with its ambience, I began to hear people refer to forest wandering as, 'forest bathing,' and I began to realize that I was not the

While in the middle of a therapy session a patient who is opening up his soul to a therapist might wonder from time to time wonder, what...

A Website has the obvious role of attracting attention to one's business. We certainly want to do that, but more importantly we also...