News and Insights

Knowing nothing is a great place to start. I hope you end up there. -Roshi Norman Fischer “The goal of expressing kindness and compassion to one’s self & others is enough of a challenge until we leave this plane(t)” – Dr. Noah The above quote and Dr. Noah’s response was the last email that I received from my long-time teacher in 2013. Dr. Noah Young left this planet too soon....

You would think that being a Doctor of Clinical Psychology would afford me special powers, stability, and constant happiness. Well, I wish. It turns out that even we professionals are still human beings and still have to deal with our own emotions. Each time I go after something different, and a bit of a stretch, I go through the same progression. Overconfidence, frustration, partially giving...

What I have been planning for the last three months is almost upon me. My trip to Europe. I may have butterflies in my stomach now, but I will reframe that as being excited. What faces me is my Ideal Vacation Scene of traveling across the pond with my inner child in hand. Hey, taking care of my younger wounded self has spurred on incredible adventures and this is the next. Adventure? Sure. I...

After graduating from the University of Santa Monica with a master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology, I have avoided talking about spirituality. Many people I have treated lack the belief in God or had religious issues so I felt I could still reach my clients psychologically. To be transparent, it feels to me that our society has not embraced that type of thinking or the realization that this...

Since 1994 I entered this industry in hopes of making some sort of impact. My first internship was at Tarzana Treatment Center in southern California, a 12 Step facility that housed over 100 people. It taught a combination of the 12 Steps and what they termed “I.T.” or industrial therapy. Industrial therapy was basically having the clients mop, clean, cook, and serve the meals. If clients were...

As the exploration continues on improving motivation, one thing that needs to be emphasized is the importance to address a problem on all levels to get the maximum results. We took a good look into the physical level, now we will into getting our mindset into proper focus.   The mental level will amaze you. When you realize how powerful you are and how to focus on this ability, it becomes...

Do you feel stuck? Do you lack the energy to do much of anything? Is living day to day boring and predictable, or too difficult to deal with? These are the tell-tale signs of Depression. How to break through depression can be a breeze if you choose to change. The first part of any change is the desire to do so. Yes, it will take effort, but the interesting thing is that when you take the...

In continuing the series of improving motivation, it just happens that I recently went through some emotional issues with motivation as I prepared for an upcoming trip to Europe. When something out of the ordinary happens to me, I first get overwhelmed, then make to-do lists. Looking at the whole picture can become overwhelming, but when I list things out and go one item at a time, it tends to...

I’ve learned a few rather obscure tools in the 29 years I have been practicing psychotherapy. I guess the most obscure tool is from Family Systems Therapy designed by Virgina Satir. There are more common approaches that lean on the obscure side and my favorite would be from Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). NLP addresses our inner aspects or sub-personalities. I’m sure you are aware of that...

Anxiety, even the word causes us to hold our breath. Did you know that holding your breath is at the root of the disorder? Holding one’s breath causes the oxygen levels in the body to lower, making the heart work harder and the mind to lose clarity. The antidote is of course breathing, especially deep breathing while anxiety is occurring. What causes a person to stop breathing, or not breathe...