In her memoir Devotion, Dani Shapiro describes entering what Jung called the “afternoon of life,” a time to seek answers and meaning. When her son asks her “What is sin?” Dani begins a journey to “do better,” to answer her son’s, and her own, spiritual questions with examined knowledge.



Shapiro’s life is ridden with anxiety. The losses in her life have hit unexpectedly, in unpredictable ways, stripping her of the comfort of denial and creating a keen awareness of what might happen at… Continue

One of the most important skills for parents is the ability to validate their children's thoughts and feelings. It's also one of the most important skills for spouses. Validation means recognizing that that another person's internal experience is true and has value even if we don't see it the same way.



For example, your husband is grumpy and irritalbe because his favorite football team lost. Saying it's just a game won't bring you closer together. A child screams for candy, saying… Continue

Positive Psychology researchers say one of the strategies for increasing your overall level of happiness is to collect positive memories. The brain tends to naturally remember negative events more than positive ones so some effort is required to register the positive events in your pleasure bank. How to do this? Collect pictures or momentos of the good times and look through them. Savor the experiences when you are having them. Focus on every smell, touch, view, feeling. Tell others about your… Continue

In the beginning (hmm that sounds familiar) psychology focused on understanding all emotions, not just those related to pathology. The War changed all that. Scientists needed to address post-traumatic stress disorder, understand how to treat it, in order to help veterans suffering flashbacks and depression from their experiences in battle. Psychologists developed a deep understanding of difficult emotions: anxiety, anger, depression. Little attention was paid to contentment, happiness,… Continue

October 11, 2009



Each year millions of men, women and children suffer violence by members of their own families. They are beaten, raped, or assaulted. In addition to the damage done to so many individuals, we know that all of the major forms of family violence result in increased utilizaiton of the health care system. Family violence impacts everyone.



Results from research studies show that victims of trauma in general, and family violence in particular, are more likely to… Continue