Which is Best? Potato Peeler or a Paring Knife?

Potato Peeler or Paring Knife? Which is Best? The lady across from me in my office described an anxious situation she experienced every time she visited her parents for Sunday dinner. Mashed potatoes were usually on the menu and my client’s responsibility. The potato tool selection is when Potato Peeler …

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Dr. Dale’s Journal: Diagnosis Black

Dale Maxwell, M.D., (October 3, 1939-June 24, 1997). The results are in. You are going to die soon. What Would You Do? If you’re like me, you’ve wondered how you’d face a really terrifying diagnosis. Bravely? Prayerfully? Drunkenly? I picture myself running around the neighborhood from house to house banging …

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What Changes in Relationships when Anxiety Increases?

What Changes in Relationships when Anxiety Increases?  From an article by Hal DeShong, Ph.D., P.C. ** This article is for reference with Distance in Relationships: Take a Trip on The Darjeeling Limited (Owen Wilson.) There are four biologically based anxiety-binding mechanisms [Four actions we likely initiate when we are anxious …

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“I’m Okay if You’re Okay and My Family, Your Family, and Friends are Okay”

“I’m Okay if You’re Okay and My Family, Your Family, and Friends are Okay”‘ The Pact by Jodi Picoult, Part Three **This article is not a standard review but a discussion of how the story weaves in lessons in psychology and behavior. To make sense of the following, you will need to …

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Stress Relief: Kid in the Shower Cap Saves the Day!

My husband and I had taken the three nieces and one nephew on a trip through New Mexico. On one late afternoon the nephew was getting the worse of it from his sister and cousins. Everyone was tense and the nephew, a bit irritable, began to focus on how he …

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Who Do You Want to Know Better? The ‘Impressive’ Person or the Person Who Can Laugh?

Who Do You Want to Know Better? The ‘Impressive’ Person or the Person Who Can Laugh? We sure spend a lot of money and time in our efforts to impress others. Is it working? What follows are the slightly edited comments made by two men on the tram from the …

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Can You Really Change? Can Anyone?

Can You Really Change?  Can Anyone? The Teapot Incident The day I discovered people can change I was at the university health center set to have a session with my very first couple clients on my own. Mr. and Mrs. T. had sought my services because they were distressed and needed …

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