SELF HELP EXERCISES

Conventional psychology has it backwards: Trying to conform to a societal standard of normality doesn’t make us well—it makes us ill! In my decades of clinical practice I’ve rarely seen someone heal and transform their life by trying to be “normal.” To the contrary,...

If you’re like most folks, you get so caught up in daily life you lose contact with what really matters to you. What do you secretly long for? Yes, we all want to get rid of our problems but the absence of a problem still doesn’t connect …

Our problems, including the ones that seem to make no sense, happen for a logical reason. But we usually can’t see or feel this while we’re entangled in them. In order to connect with their underlying meaning we have to engage our imagination. We tend to equate...

There are many things in life we can’t control but we can intervene in our own processes. When we feel stuck, depressed, anxious, or frustrated there’s another part of ourselves that’s already free of the problem. It lies just outside our awareness and has a...

There’s a reason we like to do certain things but it’s not just because they give us joy. We're drawn to these activities because they give us a taste of our higher self. Everyone has something that temporarily frees them from the bondage of their limitations and life...

We often get stuck in a problem and cycle around it for extended periods. Wouldn’t it be great if you could untie the knot and go free? Here’s a way to begin to do this. Think of a problem you feel stuck in. Is it a mood or state of mind you can’t shake? A...

You can transform your worried state. If you’re anxious, try these simple at-home interventions: 1. Distinguish the facts on the ground from fear-inducing media messages with hypothetical charts and graphs of future doom. Be informed but don’t watch the news all day....

Even though your psyche appears to be one unified system in which “you” think all your thoughts and feel all your feelings, this is an illusion. Our psyches are made up of many different parts, or sub personalities, if you will. Self awareness begins with...

Greatness is achieved through personal isolation. Now it’s your turn to become great. Great musicians spend thousands of hours practicing alone. So do scientists, artists, entertainers, and to some extent, athletes. You can also apply this to your inner life and your...