Experiencing a sense of family after decades of exile — I left home as a teenager, but remained tethered to my immediate family until my late thirties. Looking back, it’s amazing how my mind contorted itself to buy into false narratives. Having said that, I suppose we’re all prone to convince ourselves humanity exists in despicable people, especially if they’re…

Understanding an often misunderstood diagnosis — When Theresa called to tell me she was stuck on Metro-North somewhere in Connecticut it was understood that a dissociative fugue state occurred. One of her alters temporarily took over while in-transit, causing us to miss our therapy session in NYC. …

A look at complementary healing modalities — Recently my therapy client returned from a healing Ayahuasca retreat at The Temple of Light in the Peruvian Amazon. In a jungle setting, guided by Shamans from the Shipibo tribe she accessed memories and insights underlying psychological and physiological traumas she endured throughout her life. Processing these ceremonies has opened…

A primer in malicious acts of cruelty — Contemplating revenge or retaliating against those who have wronged us is bound to seep into consciousness at some point in life. After all, managing hurt and conflict by imagining avenging scenarios is a natural, albeit primitive aggressive impulse. The more disregulated and enraged one is, the more likely these spiteful…

Navigating a complex process of remembrance and mourning — Adapting to estrangement becomes a necessary rite of passage for those of us intent on self-preservation, who realize that staying tethered to one’s pernicious family of origin will eventually lead to psychological annihilation. …

Awakening the imagination — “As artists, we seek to restore our childlike perception: a more innocent state of wonder and appreciation not tethered to utility or survival.” ~ Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being As a child beset by abuse and neglect and an adult plagued by complex trauma, I retreated…

A look at the malignant ethos infiltrating influential organizations — Years back I watched The Corporation, a documentary which brilliantly illustrated how the diagnostic criteria of a psychopath parallels the character structure of a corporation. …

Understanding the ‘Repetition Compulsion’ — Poet and novelist Charles Bukowski wrote, “I remember awakening one morning and finding everything smeared with the color of forgotten love.” His words evoke in me memories of a bleak childhood steeped in inhumanity. They encapsulate my experience of a world tainted by love forgotten, love betrayed and love denied. …

When intolerance overshadows belonging — From social, cultural, racial, gender, religious, and ethnic domains, us versus them dichotomies exist. When these dichotomies are antagonistically steeped in zeroing in on some sort of perceived threat at the expense of engaging with a realistic, respectful appraisal of differences, othering is at play. The conceptual framework of othering is an integral component of identity formation and social stratification.