The Healthy Compulsive Project:

Years ago, when I was first learning lovingkindness meditation, I had a problem with it. These phrases are typically repeated as part of the meditation: May all beings be safe May all beings be healthy May all beings be happy May all beings live with ease . You repeat these phrases first for yourself, then someone close to you, then…

Some of us live by our lists. We do whatever they tell us to do. Others dig their heels in and rebel against whatever chores have been assigned there. But who makes the list? Whoever does determines the power of lists to make our lives miserable or fulfilling. If the inner tyrant makes the list on its own, the projects…

There is sometimes a certain self-deception in perfectionism which can tragically rob us of more fulfilling lives, lives which could be lived in service to more gratifying ideals and goals. We might like to think we are living according to our values, but out of insecurity end up valuing perfectionism itself instead. Bob Dylan famously sang, “You’re gonna have to…

Meditation for Type A personality, and people who are driven or obsessive-compulsive, might seem like a bridge too far. They might like the idea of the rewards of meditation, but they often find the process itself discouraging or even off-putting for a number of reasons. It might feel foreign to their nature and even contradictory to their principles. These hesitancies…

Earth Day blew by recently so I started thinking about how spending time in Nature can help heal unhealthy compulsive tendencies. And it occurred to me, the activity we need the most is often the activity that we don’t bother doing. There’s an increasing amount of research which suggests that spending at least two hours each week engaging with nature…

How do I move past creative blocks? Many people get stuck and aren’t able to complete creative projects. But this can be particularly disturbing for people with obsessive-compulsive personality (OCP) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Because, as I see it, creativity springs from compulsion. There is something you need to do, but with a creative block you can’t. The word…

Let’s take a break from formal clinical studies and approach the subject of compulsive perfectionism through the lens of Disney’s animated film Encanto. Encanto demonstrates the transformation from unhealthy compulsive to healthy compulsive at least as effectively as any medical description. A transformation that requires us to recall the original intent of perfectionism. And let’s not turn up our noses…

If you’re a Type A, driven, perfectionist, high-achieving, or obsessive-compulsive parent, you’re probably just as committed to great parenting as you are to achieving in other areas. What is Type A parenting like? Type A parenting, at the far end of a continuum, is characterized by urgency, assertiveness, and competitiveness. At the other end of the continuum there are possible…

It was another one of those nights. You dreamt you were going back to school, and not only were you supposed to take an exam you hadn’t studied for, you also couldn’t find your clothes. So now you’re thinking, why am I having anxiety dreams? In short, they bring our attention to things we’ve been trying to ignore, they help…

Living under the constant judgement of an overactive guilt complex can keep us from living a fulfilled life and even cause severe depression. But, first, what is a guilt complex?  A healthy guilt complex (and yes, there is a such thing*) is a part of your psychology that helps you to take responsibility for mistakes you’ve made, and keeps you…