You may often be fascinated by finding images seen in the shapes and textures of clouds. Is that the profile of Gandhi or a rabbit? The well-known Rorschach inkblot psychological test works in this manner. How do you get from that cluster of clouds or blob of ink to a distinct image? When unrecognizable images […]
Making Meaning in Life
Most symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, addictions, fear) are related to death anxiety and/or meaninglessness. As Elisabeth Kubler-Ross noted: “For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force. The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study of death.” One way you can approach death is by focssing […]
Are You Normal?
At certain times in our life we often state, “I feel like I’m going crazy.” During these moments we certainly do not feel our usual or normal self, but what exactly does it mean ‘to be normal’? The Latin origins of the word normal, norma, means conforming to common or collective standards or what is […]
Scarcity and Abundance
In the reality show, Hoarders, the accumulation of material possessions, especially with items deemed worthless (such as yogurt containers) may evoke our wonder as to possible underlying psychologically reasons for such behaviour. When we accumulate or have difficulty in giving, we are working from a scarcity mindset. This worldview believes that there is not enough success, […]
The Myth of Happiness
As many of us are now experiencing the often ‘happier’ days of spring perhaps it is an opportune time to question the concept of happiness and in ‘feeling good.’ Jungian author James Hollis suggested that, “Feeling good may be a very poor measure of the worth of one’s life.” He furthered queried, “Think of the […]
The Best Communication Style
Virgina Satir noted that people tend to communicate using a certain style when relating with others: Placater, Blamer, Computer and Distractor. Men tend to be Blamers and Computers; while women tend to be Placaters and Distractors. A fifth style, the Leveller, is the ideal communication style. Levellers, used by 4.5 percent of people, are congruent […]
