Insights

Writing on therapy, relationships, and the mind.

Reflections, essays, and resources from the practice — on mindfulness, couples, men’s mental health, parenting, and the patterns that shape our lives.

  • Which Cognitive Distortions Are Your Favorites?

    We all tend to think in extremes…and when stressful events happen we think that way even more. Here are some common cognitive distortions. We all have our own personal favorites.  Take a look at them and see if any of them are getting in your way. 1. All-or-nothing thinking: You see things in black and

    Read more

  • Lets Talk Parenting Taboos

    I just finished watching a very interesting talk on Ted T.V. presented by Babble.com publishers Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman. In a lively tag-team discussion, this parent duo expose 4 facts that parents never, ever admit — and why they should. It is funny and honest, for parents and nonparents alike. Video: Let’s talk parenting

    Read more

  • Mindfulness Meditation Training Changes Brain Structure in Eight Weeks

    Participating in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. Read the whole story: sciencedaily.com

    Read more

  • New Evidence For Mindfulness Therapy

    Just when I thought the whole mindfulness phenomenon couldn’t get any bigger, a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may be just as effective in preventing relapse in depression as maintenance antidepressant therapy. The study showed that both antidepressant therapy and MBCT treatments were equivalent

    Read more

  • Don’t Meditate!

    For the past year I have had the distinct pleasure and privilege of participating in a mentoring group lead by Zindel Segal, PhD, and Patricia Rockman, MD. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, developed by Dr. Zindel Segal and colleagues, combines tools of cognitive therapy with the practice and clinical application of mindfulness meditation for prevention of Depressive

    Read more

  • Medicate or Meditate ?

    Trying to heal your depression with spiritual practice alone can make the condition chronic and prone to relapse, says a new study. Physicians and long-term meditators Roger Walsh, Robin Bitner, Bruce Victor, and Lorena Hillman explain why both antidepressants and meditation have an important role to play in treating depression. Click to read more Text

    Read more

  • The Boomerangers

    As I was driving home from work last night and I happened to be listening to CBC radio. I love CBC radio by the way. I caught a bit of the program The Current: Shift which featured an interesting documentary on those twenty-somethings who are becoming known as The Boomerangers. They may have `boomeranged’ or

    Read more

  • The Bubble Wrap Kids

    Too much risk and we endanger a child says social worker and Professor Michael Ungar and too little risk and we fail to provide a child with healthy opportunities for growth and psychological development. In Ungar’s book entitled “Too Safe For Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Teens Thrive“, he refers to a

    Read more

  • Caring For A Loved One With Dementia

    Caring for a family member or loved one with dementia or other health conditions can be overwhelming. Family caregivers are often referred to as “informal,” as their work is unpaid and often unrecognized. While paid, or “formal,” caregivers typically have training and a clear job description, family caregivers frequently provide all of the care necessary

    Read more

  • What’s Your Time Perspective?

    Let’s imagine that my sofa is a time machine and it rapidly transported us back in time. Can you take it to a place in the past where you and your husband were getting along well? What were you guys doing that made you feel that things were better then between the both of you? 

    Read more