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 […]
The Aging Woman
What images and words come to mind when you hear the phrase ‘older woman’? Each of us carries an image based upon personal experiences and yet, this image is largely influenced by the media and society. In Canada, women make up fifty-six percent of the over sixty-five population. However, older men appear in ads ten […]
Facing Death Wisely
We are very good at living, but what about dying? We are comfortable with focussing on our accomplishments, accumulations, and rise in life; so, why not have the same intention for our descent? Our lives can be enriched by accepting and facing death. As philosopher Corliss Lamont stated, “The wise (person) looks at death with […]
Finally Growing Up
The poet e.e. cummings wrote, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” However, what does being a mature adult entail? It means psychologically and emotionally separating from our parents and others, even institutions or careers, which have previously provided a sense of security. As we individuate – choose our own […]
Transitioning Life’s Losses
Psychoanalyst David Peretz stated, “Loss is an integral part of human existence, a fact which has profound consequences from birth to death.” However, what exactly are these consequences? Losses are usually accompanied by a sense of grief, a feeling many people are uncomfortable with. We may feel out of sorts, confused, restless, depressed, angry and […]
Going Our Own Way
Paul Anka’s song lyrics, ‘My Way,’ popularized by Frank Sinatra, succinctly states, “For what is a man what has he got / If not himself then he has not / To say the things he truly feels / And not the words of one who kneels.” These sentiments reflect the concept of individuation and the […]
