Using Psychoanalysis to Understand #MeToo Memories →

An interesting article about how current changes in social norms affect how we look back at traumatic situations:

“The cultural shift in what is deemed acceptable, and the recent increase in women holding their abusers accountable, does more than just help individuals realize that they were violated back then…something that is inscribed as a memorable but not necessarily traumatic event can become traumatic through the prism of time and later experience.”

https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/10/11/psychoanalysis-and-metoo-memories/

Rethinking Adultery

Attached is a review of Esther Perel's newest book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Adultery, in which she talks about the surprising concept that affairs, if processed honestly, can actually save a relationship.

In this review Zoe Heller also brings up larger points about how much we can expect from our partners overall. A quote from the article:

"This—the impossibility of absolute romantic security—is the bracing moral at the center of Perel’s book. There is no “affair proof” marriage, she warns, whatever the self-help industry tries to tell you. To love is to be vulnerable. Relationships can inspire varying degrees of trust, but trust is always, as the psychoanalyst Adam Phillips puts it, “a risk masquerading as a promise.” To believe yourself to be the sole progenitor of your partner’s desire, rather than merely its current recipient, is a folly. Elizabeth Hardwick, who stoically endured the countless infidelities of her husband, Robert Lowell, knew something about this. In her famous essay “Seduction and Betrayal,” she described the terrible wisdom vouchsafed to the betrayed heroine of classic literature: she 'is never under the illusion that love or sex confers rights upon human beings. She may of course begin with the hope, and romance would scarcely be possible otherwise; however, the truth hits her sharply, like vision or revelation when the time comes. Affections are not things and persons never can become possessions, matters of ownership. The desolate soul knows this immediately and only the trivial pretend that it can be otherwise.'"

Burnout, and how to avoid it. →

Dr. Kate Tepper's thoughts about the causes of burnout and how to avoid it are featured in Girlboss' 8 Ways to Avoid Falling in to a Black Hole of Burnout:

"Just as the airlines recommend putting on your oxygen mask before tending to the person next to you," says Dr. Tepper, "it’s critical to look after your own personal well-being first and foremost."

The first step of addressing potential or impending burnout is to take stock of your work situation and your mental health. If you find yourself experiencing an "underlying anxiety about the unknown" or stress about "the internal demands for success, happiness, perfection or ideals," you might be headed toward a "reactive state of mind: fight, flight, freeze, or faint," according to Dr. Tepper. 

 

 

https://www.girlboss.com/girlboss/2018/1/16/how-to-avoid-burnout

Against Empathy →

"In this video, Paul Bloom, psychologist and Yale professor, argues that empathy is a bad thing—that it makes the world worse. While we've been taught that putting yourself in another's shoes cultivates compassion, it actually blinds you to the long-term consequences of your actions. In this animated interview from The Atlantic, we hear Bloom’s case for why the world needs to ditch empathy."

He says in the video, "If you really want to make the world a better place, spend less time thinking about how to maximize your own sense of empathic joy, and spend more time, in a cold blooded way, about how to help other people."

The Problem with Anger →

Unresolved anger can build up and be damaging in relationships. This article discusses the issues surrounding anger, precipitants of anger, and leaves readers with a message of how to handle anger in a healthy way. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moments-matter/201711/the-problem-anger

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moments-matter/201711/the-problem-anger

Why Does Therapy Work? →

A nice take on what we do in therapy:

"Various types of long-term, in-depth psychotherapy have a few things in common. They depend on a safe and trusting relationship with a therapist. They follow lived time, meaning life happens during treatment, enabling a client to work and understand in parallel with actual events and changes. They also allow the client to make manifest internalized material, to dredge up and acknowledge thoughts and feelings they may have otherwise just left alone (Drisko, 2004)."

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/encountering-america/201709/why-does-therapy-work#_=_

 

Mental Health Apps: The Therapist At Your Bedside

In this article in Departures magazine, one inquisitive reporter takes on the emerging world of mental health apps, where therapy is accessible on your phone day and night. While it certainly is convenient, Dr. Shubert talks in the article about some of the pitfalls of quick and easy psychotherapy.

https://www.departures.com/lifestyle/technology-gadgets/do-mental-health-apps-work

 

 

I AM BORDERLINE: Self-Regulation Project →

This award winning, and powerful short film aims to reduce stigma about borderline personality disorder through spreading awareness. It was made for the Self-Regulation Project, whose mission is to create personal growth through increasing emotion regulation skills and self-understanding. It beautifully illustrates many of the daily struggles and triggers for those living with this diagnosis. The short film highlights common thoughts, emotions, and behaviors associated with borderline personality disorder. Take a look here to increase your knowledge about borderline personality disorder. 

Yes, It's Your Parents' Fault →

Lately, attachment theory is getting heightened attention, due to its relevance in the explanation of our current relationship patterns. This article demonstrates how early caregiver relationships show increasing impact on our daily lives. Find out what type of attachment style you have by reading this piece by New York Times.

How Mindfulness Helps our Brains →

Here's an article from The Week that explains how our brains often misinterpret cues we pick up on in the world, and how that causes us strife. Observing our thoughts in a few specific ways can help us misinterpret less and feel more calm. This is in many ways where mindfulness and psychotherapy meet. 

This article also has a number of helpful links for those wanting to learn more about meditating and mindfulness.