The Mysteries of Masculinity

The Mysteries of Masculinity

When I was a child, my parents gave me a framed copy of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If,” which ends (after an endless litany of requirements) with the punch line: “You’ll be a Man, my son!” The truth is, if you can follow all the dictates outlined in that poem, you’ll be...
7 Guidelines for Successful Therapy

7 Guidelines for Successful Therapy

It is very rare that we have one, single motive or reason for doing what we do. We are mixtures of competing and colluding internal voices, both conscious and unconscious, that control our choices and range of possible behaviors. Understanding them to make intelligent...
Congratulations, You’re Bipolar!

Congratulations, You’re Bipolar!

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder II, a name for his collections of symptoms that was met with a great deal of ambivalence. On one hand, it’s “another thing that’s wrong with me,” he lamented, “but on the other, it’s a relief to know it’s a...
Hard Choices: The Last Train to Dilemma-ville

Hard Choices: The Last Train to Dilemma-ville

Having to make a difficult decision in life is often the cause for a course of therapy. What can make the decision so hard is the fact that there are so many complicating considerations, each carrying its own baggage, so that the decision is anything but clear cut....