“… Morning has broken like the first morning, Black bird has spoken like the first bird. … Praise with elation, praise every morning, God’s re-creation of the new day. …” Although this old hymn’s lyrics (by Eleanor Farjeon) may print the word recreation without the hyphen, I placed it here to emphasize not only how the word is pronounced in the song but also how we ...

In my early years as a psychologist and family therapist, I had the good fortune to meet and learn from many pioneers of family therapy. Perhaps the grandfather of family therapy, Murray Bowen, and his theories captivated me the most. He did not just consider the individual, couple, or family in the session; he was interested in the inter-generational patterns in the ...

Bet you thought it was a far-fetched fairy tale of little consequence. Just as Rorshachs have meaning beyond  being "just" inkblots, so too can fairy tales have a deeper psychological significance. I remember Rumpelstiltskin, or at least I recall the epiphany I had about him when I heard James Hillman, a great Jungian psychologist, reframe the story. Quick refresher: ...

Sometimes common sense is quite inaccurate and sometimes it’s spot on. What I enjoy about rigorous research is that while it can sometimes support common sense perceptions, it often does not.  For eons, remember the common sense view was that sunrises and sunsets proved that the earth was the center of the universe and the sun revolved around it. When this “obvious” ...

Summertime is coming, and the livin’ is easy—or not. But let’s just consider the word “time” for a moment. Many of us seem to languish under time constraints: not enough time for one thing or another; not wanting to “take time” or “waste time.” Writer Marney K. Makridakis decided she would “create” time since she found herself unable to “manage” or “save” it. In her ...