Bret was working out in the garage when Susan came out to discuss a sticky situation with him regarding one of the children. She knew that they had different perspectives on the situation and would probably disagree on how best to handle this. As they talked (actually – argued), Bret could feel his blood pressure…
DetailsDo you want to improve your memory? I see this question posed more and more today through unsolicited mail, newspaper ads, and television commercials (at least that is what I recall). As we find ourselves living longer, this becomes an issue of ever increasing concern. So how do I improve my memory? And as you…
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At first glance you may think, “Well, this doesn’t apply to me because my child has stayed away from alcohol and drugs. So I don’t have to worry about them having an addiction.” However, I am not talking today about substance abuse but about a very real addiction to electronic games. As one parent expressed…
DetailsHave you ever noticed that you have great insight and advice for your family members, but they often respond to your sage wisdom with a “Yea, sure Dad – whatever you say?” Don’t your spouse and kids know what an insightful perspective you have? If only they would heed your brilliance, their lives would function…
DetailsOver the years I have heard many descriptions of empathy and distinctions between empathy and sympathy. I recently came across a quote that I really like. “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” Now as you ponder that you will probably realize that it is a mixed bag. If the echoes I…
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I’m sure this will come as no surprise to you, but people are stressed during the holidays. You are probably thinking, “Duh!” It is always interesting to see what things are the most triggering for my clients. For one couple it was who was going to be in charge of the menu and letting other…
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More and more I find myself listening to clients describe fights they have with their mate that drag on forever – or at least for a really long time. But do they need to? One would think that couples would want fights to end quickly so that they could move on to enjoying each other.…
DetailsA candle-lit dinner is arranged at the dimly lit restaurant, you have the ring in your pocket, and now . . . . you pop the question. It all went perfectly and now you can get married. Wait just a minute though. It is not quite that simple. Getting an affirmative answer to your well-worded…
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You may think this a strange question. But I would really be curious to know. You see laughter is so easily lost. I mean, life is serious stuff – there are wars and rumors of wars (hmm), hurricanes, wildfires, political divide, and the list goes on and on. You might think, “What is there to…
DetailsLast week we began a look at some thoughts in light of the new movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, and writings on the subject by Hailey Smith. (If you missed it, you might want to go to the website and read it – https://www.ifitherapy.com/blog/). We left off with, “We as ladies are living a double…
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