Many people in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse, compulsive overeating, gambling, or other addictive behaviors eventually realize that while quitting the behavior is crucial, it’s not sufficient to live a happy, serene, healthy, and useful life. The next step in recovery is emotional sobriety, or learning to deal with the uncomfortable feelings, thoughts, and […]

Be it in work or personal situations, the ability to communicate effectively can make the difference between a cooperative and enlightening conversation and a combative and anxiety-provoking argument. In the longer run, good communication can deepen and enrich a relationship which poor communication might otherwise damage or even end. Some tips for better communication: Let […]

Are you the type who instantly attunes to another person’s experience and seemingly knows the right things to say and do? Or do you secretly wonder if you’re just lacking in the empathy gene? Empathy refers to the capacity to comprehend and other people’s feelings and emotions. It is a vital component of building and […]

There can often be a big gap between having good intentions and taking the associated steps to transform these intentions into action. We can get tripped up by not feeling like making a healthy breakfast (rather than eating fast food), going to the gym (rather than sleeping in), nor searching for a job (rather than […]

Both psychotherapy and a mindfulness practice can be powerful and effective ways to help us live more fulfilling, useful, and healthy lives. Moreover, being in therapy while having a consistent mindfulness practice can compound the benefits of both processes. How do these two benefit one another? To define terms, mindfulness is nonjudgmental awareness of the […]

“Worry” is such a common term that we may believe it to be part of our natural state and possibly helpful. The truth is that worry runs us down, keeps us in the problem, and can eventually lead to such a frazzled mental state that we sabotage our ability to think clearly and effectively. However, it’s […]

True recovery from an eating disorder, be it anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, or “garden variety” (but no less damaging) compulsive overeating, requires recovery from perfectionism (which doesn’t have to be “perfect”, by the way). It’s so seductive to believe that once we reach the right weight, eat only organic foods, fit into a […]

Guest Post By Rob Feiner MS, LPCC, PPS “All I’ve ever known was competition, what the $#@$%*! am I going to do now?!”  My old training partner and friend lamented to me after leaving the orthopedic surgeon’s office on a sunny afternoon in the summer of 2006.  My friend had sustained his third ACL tear […]

You’ve told yourself time and time again that you would never again drink too many mimosas at Sunday brunch, eat half a bag of cookies in one sitting, procrastinate on your taxes until April 14th, or get involved with shady characters. And at the time you really meant it. Yet, you still find yourself repeating […]

Personal change and growth are healthy and in fact optimal approaches to life. We may fall into the alternatives of stagnation and regression from time to time, but to engage in these patterns on a regular basis isn’t likely to do ourselves or other people any favors. So, how do we get ourselves off auto-pilot […]