The Larger Conversation

If a vast conspiracy were afoot to create an entire civilization of insomniacs, it would operate pretty much the way our society does now. In a nonstop... Read more

A case study examines the differences between sexual orientation and behavior and what really happens when straight men sleep with men. Read more

Beset by chronic budgetary constraints, invasive regulations, and insufficient respect from society at large, community mental health today seems a Sisyphean... Read more

A determined family therapist tries to revive public sector psychotherapy using Thomas Edison as his role model. Read more

An emergency room social worker's day revolves around handling emotional crises of strangers facing terrible moments of their lives. Read more

Far from being a relic of Psych 101, the theory of cognitive dissonance may have more relevance in understanding today's world than ever. Read more

The experience of Asian immigrants is often characterized as a classic rags-to-riches tale. Yet for all the stories of success and assimilation, there's... Read more

Relentless stress in the high-tech workplace of the 21st century is taking an unprecedented toll on our emotional lives and our capacity to wind down at the... Read more

Making "contact" with our partner means first recognizing a subtle inner substrate where we encounter everything from boredom to anxiety to sexual interest to... Read more

When families become stressed by a member's long-term care needs, it's easy to continue the usual relationship patterns and perpetuate long-standing... Read more

Few of us instinctively know what to do and say when families are confronting the death of a loved one. But we can start by being with them in the struggle. Read more

Drawing on spiritual resources can ease the pain and sorrow of death for client and therapist alike. Read more

A psychiatrist who's worked in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Israel leads a team of healthcare professionals into war-ravaged Gaza to see if Western healing methods can... Read more

Phil McGraw, or Dr. Phil, seems not to be "on television," but rather to emanate from television. Authoritative and comforting, he confronts victimhood with... Read more

An understanding of the inborn dimensions of human temperament reveals that the concept of "normal" is far richer and more expansive than previously imagined. Read more

Is it appropriate to bring up the use of subtly racist language in a session, even if it doesn’t deal with the client’s presenting issue? Always, says one... Read more

A good education is preventive medicine. It strengthens one's mental, emotional and spiritual immune system. Read more

Therapists who can surf the transference and countertransference of chronic disappointment by being mindful of their own inner states can find creative... Read more

Helping old soldiers find the will to fight Read more

Acknowledging the complexities of real-life therapy Read more

From the July/August 1997 issue People in North Dakota insist that the land is so flat, they can spot an anthill a half mile away. Local lore says that... Read more

Psychologists Robert-Jay Green and Paul D. Werner of the California School of Professional Psychology insist that family therapists who don't rethink their... Read more

From the May/June 1997 issue   “Ordinary South Africans are determined that the past be known, the better to insure that it is not repeated... Read more

We have clues about what makes some people prevail over psychological adversity... Read more

Every response, belief, action, and emotion can be seen as a wave of memory. The present is gauged by how much it joins or fails our memories. So what is the... Read more

Therapy is about healing and also about promoting connection. The healing starts when we lance the wounds our clients bring in, help them vent their pain and... Read more

For parents who are chronically pressed for time and feel increasingly impotent in the face of the perils that litter their teen's lives, backing off from... Read more

What draws so many men to define their manhood through work success, and how can therapists help men--and the women in their lives--understand what they get... Read more

Few people today are willing to accept a bad relationship, yet many settle for jobs that don't bring out the best in them. Some practical ideas for helping... Read more

In our technological society, real death is hidden away while fantasized deaths are available for viewing in dizzying numbers. It's time to separate our... Read more