It’s been long known that secrecy is the breeding ground of any number of ills, from international incidents to rifts between couples and families. In this piece I will focus on how it relates to problematic or out of control sexual behavior (which I’ll refer to as OCSB).
Read moreThe Tangled Web of Multiple Affairs
Some people find themselves engaging in multiple affairs either within a monogamous relationship or as stand-alone interactions: whatever the case there tends to be a common theme of secrecy, the relationships being complicated, and there being a degree of unmanageability despite what the person who is engaging in them believes.
Read moreThe Problem With Pornography
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It seems the last 20 years have seen such a rise in the proliferation of pornography via the internet that it has become much more commonplace than in previous times. This has so much been the case that one local radio personality has spoken about how the age of 'paper porn' has come and gone. This time period has also seen the average age of initial pornography viewing and use descend to between 10 and 15 years old, at least in boys. With so many young people being exposed to pornography at such a young age, it necessitates asking the question 'How young is too young?' as well as prompting the need to look at the consequences of pornography use in general.
Read moreCan We Call It Sex Addiction? What’s in a Name, and How to Treat It.
There has been a lot written about the issue of what is popularly known as sex addiction. This has been promulgated early on within the addiction and recovery movement, and has more lately been taken up by mainstream media. While the label floats around and is easily applied to any number of sexual behaviors, there exists no consensus in the therapeutic community about what constitutes sex addiction. I choose not to use in in my practice not because I don’t believe there is such a thing as sex addiction, it’s just not something I care to diagnose without a clear clinical picture of just what it is. That being said, I work with men who exhibit what is less commonly known as problem sexual behavior, compulsive sexual behavior, or what Douglas Braun-Harvey and Michael Vigorito refer to as Out of Control Sexual Behavior.
Read moreSuicide Prevention is a Must for Our Country
I wanted to take the opportunity to comment on the latest data from the Center for Disease Control and from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reporting that the national suicide rate has had a large increase in the last 15 years. This is especially troublesome considering advances in mental health care and increased focus on individuals who have mental illness and are likely to attempt suicide. The problem is that government funding to help treat and alleviate mental illness has not kept pace with inflation or the increased demands of people who suffer from depression. Part of the study put her focus on individuals in midlife who attempt suicide. This comes at the same time as many individuals have been displaced due to economic problems in this country. There are abundant ways to help people to prevent suicide if there are early warning signs and appropriate interventions.
Read moreEMDR and Spirituality
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic model designed to help people overcome traumatic events that have somehow impaired their brain function, mental health, and overall well-being. In it’s 25 years of existence it has helped innumerable people to live happier, healthier lives. Something that often goes unrecognized is the spirituality that can complement EMDR and make it more meaningful for the people who benefit from it.
Read moreImage Transformation Therapy (ImTT) and Its Promise for Making Progress in Psychotherapy
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It is a gentle form of therapy for people who tend to be easily intimidated by typical forms of therapy, such as Exposure Therapy, traditional talk therapy, and even EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). All of these require the client to revisit the event that is troubling them in some degree of detail. Image Transformation Therapy (ImTT) enlists the body to help work through the issue(s) that the mind won’t or can’t get a grasp of. By visualizing a color in the body that represents the trapped pain or fear, it removes the burden of the client to revisit a painful memory or situation and helps to resolve it.
Read moreEssential Elements of a Partnership Agreement
Creating a partnership agreement has never been easier with all the online templates available to make this happen. It is important to put these agreements in writing, as the evidence of a partnership may difficult to prove if one of the partners dies.
Read moreWhy Business Partners May Need Couples Counseling
It is terrific for budding entrepreneurs to come together to pool their talents in forming partnerships, but there are a number of things that need to be considered in doing so. Two or more people who have alot of energy about developing a product or delivering a service has been one of the major driving forces in our economy for many years, and there can be great synergy involved in the process of getting something like this going.
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