Can an Addiction be Good?
What is an addiction? An addiction is something that you are compelled to do and find it almost impossible to stop. I know this isn’t the clinical definition, but this explanation is easy to understand in layman’s terms. It might be surprising to read that not all addictions are bad. Addiction to exercise, healthy diet, personal growth work, and helping out humanity definitely help both you...Learn More
The Spirituality of Psychology
I’ve hesitated for years on presenting this topic due to the fact that when I entered this industry my coworkers looked down on my approach. In graduate school, we all spoke the same language and had one thing in common – a belief that there was a higher purpose in life than eating, getting married, and creating a replacement for yourself. To us that seemed so pointless. We were on a search...Learn More
How to Heal with Spiritual Psychology
With Spiritual Psychology, we see healing as the application of love to hurt. There is an art form to this and it can take on many strategies. Claims of healing have been frowned upon in this industry since many of the top approaches showed improvements in people, but not the true ultimate healing. For example, with Gestalt Therapy, Fritz Perls believed that when people saw many angles of a...Learn More
Taking a Step Back
I took a step back today and let my assistant run the intensive outpatient program. I was in the main office and could hear what was going on but needed to back off and let my assistant do her thing, as well as the clients. Letting go of the control was an interesting process. There were times when the group was quiet, seemingly trying to figure things out, and I wanted to rush to the rescue...Learn More
What is Spiritual Psychology?
What if all the problems you were facing were meant to be? What if there was a higher purpose to your life, instead of being here to eat, shit, and die. Because life didn’t make sense to me, and having no religious beliefs, I went on a quest in 1978 to find some meaning in life. If life was just a death sentence, well, that was too much for me to bear. What if’s are born out of having no...Learn More
Therapist – Move Out of the Way
This article is written for new therapists entering the field. In supervising interns on how to conduct therapy, I find that my first challenge is getting students out of the habit of following an agenda instead of simply being with the client, filled with hope. It can be viewed as helping them toss their education to the side and leading with their heart. Oh, they will know the correct...Learn More
The Foundation of Our Relationships
You would think that relationships were all about sharing love and having amazing moments together, well, yes, that is true but to Spiritual Psychology, a relationship entails each partner healing old wounds that have been suppressed in the subconsciousness. This baggage, if not given an outlet can wreak havoc. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me is simply...Learn More
A Thank You
Today marked the last work day before my trip to Europe and it was one final push. Doesn’t it always seem that it gets extra busy before you need to leave for something? This was no exception and I found myself doing new assessments and writing out reports well into the evening. Did I complain? Maybe at first but as I took an honest look at what I eventually accomplished I was very proud. I...Learn More
Spiritual Beings Having a Human Experience
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...Learn More