Dealing With an Overbearing Mother
As an adult, dealing with an overbearing mother can feel like an impossible challenge. If you are reading this, you may be familiar with exactly what that means. She doesn’t approve of your significant other or your friends. She comments on everything from your hairstyle to your weight. She constantly adds her two cents about…
What Is a Choleric Temperament?
People characterized as having a choleric temperament or personality are generally known as go-getters. They are active, quick-thinking, confident, passionate, strong-willed, and motivated to succeed. This categorization is based on the work of Hippocrates, a Greek physician who lived from 460-370 BC, who had a theory that connected the inner workings of the body to…
Is Anatidaephobia a Real Condition or Just Quackery?
While there are many credible and crippling specific phobias, due to their irrational and intriguing nature, people have come up with a lot of outlandish and non-credible specific phobias to entertain the public. Among these non-credible specific phobias is anatidaephobia, or the irrational fear that a person is Anatidaephobia, the fear that one is being…
What Is the Grey Rock Method?
The grey rock method is a technique in which an individual becomes emotionally non-responsive, boring, and virtually acts like a grey rock; bland, uninteresting, and unworthy of attention. This emotional detachment strategy undermines a manipulative person’s attempts to lure and control, causing them to grow uninterested and bored. This strategy is most commonly applied by…
Solvable vs. Perpetual Problems in Relationships
Being in an intimate relationship for the long haul is both challenging and demanding. As you and your spouse encounter new experiences and grow through life, the challenge of maintaining an intimate and rewarding relationship becomes very real. It’s so easy to get lost in the busyness of day-to-day life that the stresses of dealing…
The 7 Types of Love: What Can They Teach Us Today?
The concept of love is intricate and multifaceted. It manifests in diverse forms and relationships throughout our lives. Love can lead us to commit and build a life with a partner, cherishing them deeply. It can evoke an unconditional, wholehearted affection towards our children. Love can also be directed towards our parents or best friends,…
What Is the Principle of Parsimony in Psychology?
The law of parsimony, a problem-solving principle, states that the simplest explanation for something is typically the most likely. Putting this into practice requires focusing on the most impactful and effective evidence and data, without considering extraneous factors. When discussed in the context of psychology, parsimony refers to seeking explanations and theories that are practical,…
Intimacy vs. Isolation: Erik Erikson’s Theory
Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist most famous for creating the eight stages of psycho-social development. Each stage of life involves a person working through an issue or crisis where a specific virtue may develop. Throughout every stage, the individual is attempting to answer an existential question that will ideally help them make sense of…
The Oedipus Complex: Is It Still Relevant?
Sigmund Freud is best known as the father of psychoanalysis. Through psychoanalytic theory, Freud attempted to explain behavior, while simultaneously mapping out a way to treat mental illness. Freud believed that one’s personality and adult life were shaped and molded by important events from childhood. This was summarized in his theory of psychosexual development.[1] This theory is…
Common Traits to Look for When Spotting a Sadist
Colloquially, the term sadist describes a person who derives sexual enjoyment and satisfaction from inflicting pain, retribution, and shame on others. The word is derived from an 18th-century Frenchman, Marquis de Sade, who was famous for penning aggressive, malicious, and ruthless literature about sexuality. Sade was said to endorse aggression in sexuality and thus, sadism historically referred…
Why More Seniors Should Try Online Relationship Counseling
Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is harder. So, when we see a couple who has been together for many years, decades even, it’s easy to assume they have a rock-solid commitment and a fulfilling marriage. What’s actually going on, though, may be very different. Senior couples, like all couples, experience relationship issues….
Is Skype Secure for Online Therapy Sessions?
One of the most common video conferencing platforms used for online therapy is Skype. While it’s among the oldest and most popular communication tools on the Internet, it’s wise to explore how Skype handles your personal information and what type of security measures are taken to protect your sensitive data. Are Skype Therapy Sessions Secure?…
An Overview of Bulimia Nervosa
Food and eating can be a source of comfort for many people, but for others, it can be a source of anxiety, stress, and shame. Thanks to the massive influence of media and entertainment in modern society, many people have developed unrealistic ideas about body size and shape, and this has contributed to the development…
An Overview of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are a type of illness characterized by a severe disturbance in eating behaviors and thoughts and emotions related to food and eating. People with eating disorders typically become preoccupied with food and their body weight. They also tend to experience distortions in body image. Eating disorders affect people of all ages and social…
The Dangers of Diet Culture and Eating Disorders
Our culture is obsessed with beauty, weight, and appearances in general. This is reflected in our advertising, media, and in how we treat and talk about our bodies. While improving our health is certainly a worthy cause for society to focus on, it’s clear that health has little to do with our obsession with being…
Can Online Therapy Help With Eating Disorders?
Over the last few years, online therapy has emerged as a new convenient way to provide therapeutic services. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sudden surge in demand but also an intensifying controversy over the efficacy and ethics of whether all mental health concerns could and should be treated in this way. However, the…
How to Prepare for Your Online Therapy Session
When you go into a therapy session, it’s best to prepare so you can get the most out of your experience. With in-person therapy, that means knowing the location of your therapist’s office and giving yourself enough time to get there. You might also want to let your family and co-workers know not to call…
What Is Infantilization?
Infantilization is the practice of treating a teenager or adult like a child even when they do not have any obvious disabilities that call for it. While this behavior can take place in all types of relationships, it is most commonly applied by parents to their children. Oftentimes, as inexperienced new parents begin developing their…
What is Somnophilia?
Somnophilia is a condition in which one experiences sexual arousal by someone unconscious. It is a type of paraphilia; a sexual interest in uncommon objects, people, or situations. The name is derived from the Latin word “somnus,” meaning sleep, and the Greek word “philia,” meaning love. It is also known as the “sleeping beauty syndrome.”…
What Is Automatonophobia?
Automatonophobia is the fear of human-like figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, dummies, animatronics, or robots. Psychologists do not typically use this precise term but rather refer to this condition as a type of specific phobia, a category of anxiety disorders characterized by an irrational fear triggered by certain objects and situations. So, while the…
What is Cleithrophobia?
Cleithrophobia is the fear of being trapped, locked in, or unable to leave. It is categorized as a specific phobia, a classification of anxiety disorders in which people experience irrational fear in response to certain objects and situations that pose little or no real danger. Cleithrophobia can often be the result of traumatic experiences such…
What Is a Sanguine Temperament?
Many theories about personality and general psychology were developed long ago but still hold true today. Hippocrates, a Greek physician who lived from 460-370 BC, had a theory that connected the inner workings of the body to a person’s personality and behavior. He theorized that human feelings and behaviors are connected to an overload or…
An Overview of Aerophobia (The Fear of Flying)
Aerophobia is a type of specific phobic disorder that is characterized by dread and an intense fear of flying. Specific phobias are a category of anxiety disorders in which people experience irrational and intense fear in response to certain objects and situations. A person suffering from aerophobia will feel extremely anxious when thinking about or anticipating…
What Is Submechanophobia?
Submechanophobia is the fear of man-made objects that are submerged underwater. People experiencing this condition are typically afraid of things like buoys, submarines, sunken ships, and other objects that sink into the ocean. Submechanophobia is among the many conditions classified under specific phobias, fears that are irrational, overwhelming, and accompanied by symptoms of severe anxiety…
Can Your Marriage Survive Substance Abuse and Addiction?
Marriage is a commitment made between two individuals to honor each other every day until death do they part. While the statistics around divorce can cast doubt on the institution of marriage, many can agree that when vows are exchanged, they intend to see it through to the end. However, as many of us married…
Play Therapy: An Overview
Play therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that is used to help children explore life and their surroundings freely. Play therapy uses play to help deal with psychological issues that a child might be experiencing. This form of psychotherapy is mainly geared towards children ages 2-13, to help them communicate, explore suppressed emotions, address unresolved trauma, and…
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is an integrative or complementary treatment that is used in the treatment of a variety of mental health conditions. This science-backed treatment can help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance the overall quality of life of patients. Practitioners of music therapy are called music therapists, using specific evidence-based interventions to help clients meet…
15 Tips for Falling Back in Love With Your Partner
Throughout a long-term relationship or marriage, it’s perfectly normal for things to feel a little flat. Daily responsibilities, work-related stress, kids, the rhythm of life, and many other factors, can get in the way of that heart-skipping-a-beat feeling you once had for each other. But as we all know, the honeymoon always eventually fades. This…
Polyamory and Polygamy: Understanding the Difference
Various kinds of relationships exist, with monogamy being the most commonly known practice of being married to a single person at a time. Apart from monogamy, there are other types of relationships that people sometimes mistake for one another. Polyamory and polygamy, for instance, can be easily confused. Although these two relationship types share some…
Why Do People Engage in Risky Behavior?
Risky behaviors are those that expose us to harm or danger in pursuit of what is perceived as a positive outcome. People are willing to take a chance and engage in these behaviors because of the appeal of some reward. There is a range of risk-taking, as riding in a boat, jumping off a high…
The 4 Best Anxiety Apps of 2024
Now, maybe more than any other time in recent history, people have to change how they connect and access information. Not only are we going online to order groceries, but we’re also getting medical and mental health care via mobile apps. With their ease of access, lower cost, and convenience, therapy apps have become a…
What is Animal-Assisted Therapy?
Animal-assisted therapy, also known as animal therapy or pet therapy, has become popular in mainstream psychotherapy practice, and for good reason. It works. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has proven to be clinically useful for several populations and issues. Although it seems “new”, animals have unofficially been in the therapy room for a long time. It might…
How to Cope With Nighttime Depression
Depressive symptoms can sneak up on us and attack when we least expect it. Sometimes life events are the root cause but sometimes there is no clear reason. Common symptoms of major depression disorder (MDD) include feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in usual activities. Many who suffer from depression can function adequately…
Is Mental Illness Genetic?
Nearly one in five American adults will experience some type of mental health disorder during their lifetime. This includes all levels of severity, from mild to serious mental illnesses. While the US is among the countries with the highest rates of reported mental health disorders, it is by no means an outlier, as roughly 10%…
Spectrophobia: The Fear of Mirrors
Spectrophobia refers to the fear of mirrors. This fear is not limited just to the mirrors themselves, but what people see reflected back at them. Spectrophobia is classified as a specific phobia, a category of anxiety disorders in which people experience irrational fear in response to certain objects and situations. Many times, this fear can…
Can Daith Piercing Reduce Anxiety?
Piercings are incredibly popular and prevalent in today’s culture. People engage in piercing for various reasons, such as self-expression, artistic appearance, or for religious and cultural purposes. One popular trend is the piercing of the daith, which is believed by some to alleviate anxiety and migraines. The daith is a tiny piece of inner cartilage that folds…
Can Online Marriage Counseling Prevent Divorce?
People seek marriage counseling for a variety of reasons: infidelity, communication problems, and lack of intimacy, to name a few. Those who opt for online marriage counseling typically do so with the same motivations as those who prefer the in-person alternatives but prefer the added convenience and cost savings associated with online sessions. Whatever the…
What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?
Psychologists and other researchers have long studied the impact that colors have on human life; color has been found to influence people’s ideas, perceptions, and preferences for things both obvious and discreet. Color is used in marketing and advertising to entice people to purchase products and can influence a person’s emotional state and mood. Understanding…
What Is a Type C Personality?
Individuals with Type C personalities are characterized by an inward-oriented approach to managing their emotions and stress. According to psychologists, they tend to suppress not only their negative emotions but their positive ones as well. Type C personality is lesser known than the more common Types A and B which are essentially opposites of one…
An Overview of How PTSD Service Dogs Can Help
Post-traumatic stress disorder may result from a single encounter with trauma or from a series of traumatic episodes. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can greatly impact a person’s quality of life and ability to function. Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, and avoidance of triggering memories. Other symptoms may include agitation, irritability, anxiety, or isolating behaviors. Specially trained…
What You Should Know About PTSD Triggers
For those dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it can be a highly painful and disruptive psychological condition. It is estimated to impact almost 7% percent of the adult population in their lifetime and involves symptoms that develop due to experiencing a single or series of traumatic events. If you have no experience with trauma…
An Overview of Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy is a holistic psychotherapeutic approach that is used to help treat symptoms of PTSD as well as other mental health conditions by engaging the mind, body, spirit, and emotions. It incorporates mind-body exercises, in addition to talk therapy, into the healing process.[1] The Principles of Somatic Therapy Somatic psychotherapy focuses on the connection between…
What Is Crippling Depression?
Millions of people are diagnosed with depression every year. Depression has a range of different presentations, which are often categorized by severity and symptoms. Crippling depression is a term used to describe a type of depression that is characterized by depressive symptoms that are so severe they limit the person’s ability to function normally and…
Venustraphobia: The Fear of Beautiful Women
Irrational fears that cause severe anxiety and impede people from functioning normally are known as specific phobias. One such phobia is venustraphobia, the fear of beautiful women. There is little evidence-based research to confirm that venustraphobia is a real condition or that there exists a community of people who even admit to experiencing symptoms, as…
Do Narcissistic Mothers Raise Narcissistic Sons?
Children of narcissistic mothers can be at a higher risk of becoming a narcissist themselves. However, studies have found that sons raised by narcissistic mothers are at a higher risk than daughters. Below, we’ll explore the potential risks resulting from the relationship between narcissistic mothers and their sons. Narcissism is characterized by an inflated sense…
Signs of a Female Psychopath
People tend to associate the term “psychopath” with an evil criminal or serial killer. We have books, television, and movies to thank for that distorted perception. In reality, though, a psychopath is not necessarily evil. Psychopathy typically refers to those with antisocial personality disorder , a condition in which one exhibits signs of manipulative and…
What Is a Sociopath?
Sociopath is a layman’s term that is never utilized in a formal psychiatric or mental health diagnosis, though it is connected to a personality disorder recognized by psychologists. The most common definition of the term sociopath is someone living with antisocial personality disorder; a condition in which one ignores societal norms, possesses little to no…
6 Signs You Have Lost Your Identity
As we mature into adults and become independent from our parents, we develop a sense of self. This refers to the individual identity, values, and self-image that define who we are. This process often takes time and involves learning and accepting yourself by first discovering the way you organize your thoughts, how those thoughts affect…
20 Common Examples of Neurotic Behavior
The term neurosis is informally used by many to refer to a disorder whose symptoms include obsessive or negative thoughts and feelings. While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) does not recognize neurosis as an independent mental health condition, behaviors classified as “neurotic” are often categorized in association with generalized anxiety disorder.[1][2] In trying…
What Is Selective Memory?
Selective memory is a person’s tendency to remember certain information while forgetting other information. It can be the punch line of many jokes, like when a spouse gets upset with their partner about forgetting to take out the trash. They might indignantly say something like, “I always take out the trash” which is not true….
What Is Astrophobia?
Astrophobia is the fear of the stars, outer space, and the night sky. It may also be related to an intense fear of aliens. Astrophobia is a specific phobia, meaning a person experiences irrational and intense fear and panic related to a specific object or situation. For many people, gazing up at the stars is…
What Is Reunification Therapy?
Parents and children can become separated for a variety of reasons. A parent may struggle with addiction, or experience mental illness. In some cases, parents have incidents of abusing or neglecting their child, which leads to a temporary placement of the child with another caretaker. Or, parents may be separated or divorced, and financial or…
Are Children With ADHD More Likely to Lie?
Fibs, white lies, or straight-up whoppers, call them what you want, but at one time or another, parents may catch their kids in a lie. Sometime around the age of three, children discover that conjuring up tales can impress their friends, get them what they want, or keep them out of trouble. Older children may…
What Is Anhedonia? An Overview
Anhedonia is characterized by reduced motivation to engage in pleasurable activities and a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable. It is the diminished capacity to feel pleasure and is always indicative of another underlying condition or disorder. Anhedonia comes from the Greek suffix “an,” meaning without and “hedone,” meaning pleasure. The concept…
How Eating Disorders Affect Friendships
There is a common misconception that eating disorders only impact the people experiencing them. But the fact is, eating disorders do very much affect friendships, as well as other relationships in dramatic ways. Individuals with eating disorders of any kind (restrictive, binge eating, compensatory, etc.) are often consumed with critically thinking about their eating behaviors…
An Overview of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a highly debilitating eating disorder. Even though it may be the most recognized eating disorder, most people cannot tell you about the specific causes, symptoms, and treatments of anorexia nervosa. Many people believe that it is easy to tell if a person has anorexia because they will look emaciated, but the truth…
What is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?
Do you feel like you’re a particularly picky eater, or are you close to someone who is? While picky eating alone doesn’t suggest a disorder, some people struggle with this problem to the extreme. Such symptoms are sometimes diagnosed as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID. ARFID is an eating disorder that is generally characterized…
Eating Disorder Recovery Apps: Can They Help?
As the telehealth industry continues to grow, we are seeing the emergence of more and more mobile apps and online platforms that help users cope with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and stress. Although researchers are still investigating the efficacy of mobile apps for eating disorders, the first results seem promising….
Psychodynamic Therapy: An Overview
Perhaps one of the most well-known types of therapy, psychodynamic therapy is a therapeutic approach based on the psychoanalytic theory. It that aims to help patients address mental health issues by exploring their thoughts and feelings. When you hear the word “therapy,” this is probably what you imagine. That’s because it’s the predominant therapy modality…
Living and Coping With Bipolar Hypersexuality
Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder characterized by episodes of depression and mania. Manic episodes consist of symptoms that include (but are not limited to) increased self-esteem, increase in risky activities, excitability, and grandiosity. The symptoms that occur during a manic episode make it easier for individuals to experience hypersexuality. Individuals experiencing hypersexuality may deal…
How Online Therapy Can Work for Adolescents and Teens
Online therapy has become a mainstream option in the mental health landscape. Over time, it has proven to be a convenient and cost-effective alternative to traditional in-office therapy. While it’s utilized by users from diverse demographic groups, online therapy seems to be exceptionally appealing to adolescents. Adolescent Mental Health by The Numbers While teenage angst…
Is Online Therapy Secure and Confidential?
It’s not always easy to decide to engage in mental health treatment. Yet for many, it is a choice that has transformed or even saved their lives. While the traditional, in-office, model for therapy is still the default option people think of when deciding to seek help, online therapy is proving to be an increasingly…
Using EMDR to Treat Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can be extremely dangerous for those who suffer from them. Drastic changes to food intake can make a person seriously ill, therefore it is crucial for those who struggle with managing their relationship with food to enlist help and support from a professional. The types of treatment approaches for eating disorders vary depending…
Separation Anxiety in Children: Causes and Treatment
Separation anxiety is a common issue for many kids. The fear of leaving a parent or caregiver can cause kids to experience anxiety and display anxiety-related behaviors such as crying, avoiding, and physical responses. Separation anxiety commonly happens for toddlers and young children but can persist and worsen throughout a child’s development. What Is Separation…
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy can be defined as an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of clients through active art-making, creative processes, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. While art therapy may be viewed as a non-traditional therapy, it does not necessarily need to be an alternative if…
Object Relations Theory and Therapy: An Overview
Object relations theory refers to a theoretical orientation that is used by therapists who are trained using psychoanalytic theory as a foundation. This theory asserts that our experiences early on in life with objects, including people and things, subconsciously form relationships with those objects, impacting our thoughts and standards throughout our lives as adults. Mental…
Depression and Anxiety Chat Rooms: An Overview
If you have experienced depression or anxiety at any time during your life, you know that it can be hard to manage alone. The symptoms can make it hard to function in your everyday life to such a degree that even getting out of bed can prove to be a difficult task, much less going…
Celebrities Who Have Struggled With Depression
Designer clothes, luxury cars, and million-dollar homes can give off the impression that celebrities have it all. But for many famous people with depression, fame and wealth are no protection against mental illness. The smiles on the red carpet and charismatic interviews with the press often hide the fact that these A-Listers struggle every day…
7 Reasons Open Relationships Don’t Work
Open relationships can seem like a great opportunity for people who want to be in a relationship but also want to explore their sexuality with multiple partners. However, as the old saying goes, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. The truth is that open relationships are extremely difficult to navigate and challenging…
Does Briffault’s Law Apply to Human Relationships?
Briffault’s law states: “The female, not the male, determines all the conditions of the animal family. Where the female can derive no benefit from association with the male, no such association takes place”. This idea asserts that females determine whether or not a relationship takes place. Essentially, they seek to understand if the benefits outweigh the…
Autophobia: Fear of Being Alone
Autophobia refers to the fear of being alone. It is categorized as a specific phobia, a type of anxiety disorder in which people experience irrational fear in response to specific objects or situations. Most people desire to be around others. Even the shyest and most introverted people have moments when they want and need to…
Understanding Your Partner With Asperger’s
Most married couples will tell you that it takes a lot of work to enjoy a strong relationship. But when one partner has Asperger’s Syndrome, keeping the relationship healthy and happy can become even more challenging. Asperger’s is a condition on the autism spectrum. Those with the developmental disorder are usually highly functioning but socially…