“Just because you can't be cured, doesn't mean you can't have healing.” As a therapist and, more recently, as a chaplain here in Louisville, I cannot tell you how often I have spoken these words. In counseling, I've said them to my clients and their loved ones in the wake of a terminal diagnosis. … Continue reading Healing & wholeness
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Avoiding holiday depression & stress
It's Christmas! We gather to celebrate Christmas, if we are Christian, or Hannukah or. . . But the common factor is it frequently includes lots of family time. Our culture (think, Hallmark channel movies) shows that this is "supposed" to be a time of greater joy. However, for a lot of people the increased family … Continue reading Avoiding holiday depression & stress
Sanity vs. ‘normal’ insanity
One day I would like to make up my own DSM with a list of “disorders” I have seen in my practice. For example, I would want to include the diagnosis “psychological modernism,” an uncritical acceptance of the values of the modern world. It includes blind faith in technology, inordinate attachment to material gadgets and … Continue reading Sanity vs. ‘normal’ insanity
The enemy within
“Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- But right through every human heart -- And through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within … Continue reading The enemy within
Enemy or ‘straw man’?
Do I not destroy my enemy when I make him my friend? Abraham Lincoln If you're near middle age -- or even if you're not-- you may recognize the band in this image: Public Enemy. For the past several months many factors have had me thinking about enemies, and how we make differences into terms … Continue reading Enemy or ‘straw man’?