How to Tame Your Tyrannical Guilt Complex
Living under the constant judgement of an overactive guilt complex stinks. It can keep us...
Archetypal Jung
The Driven Personality: My interview with Imi Lo on Eggshell Transformations
I recently joined author and psychotherapist Imi Lo for a stimulating interview about the Driven...
Finding The Meaning of Compulsive Personality Traits
Rather than just write off compulsive behavior as neurotic, as contemporary culture encourages us to, we need to look beneath the surface to see what those urges are really calling for. Then we can understand the deeper intent and how these urges could contribute to our wholeness. Otherwise, if we just dismiss compulsive behavior as pathological, we miss the potential purpose and meaning underlying it.
Burnout: What Happens When You Ignore Messages From Your Unconscious
People with obsessive-compulsive personality and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) are driven to be as productive...
Taoist Wisdom for Compulsive Perfectionists
While I find parts of the Tao Te Ching baffling, exasperating and mystifying, Lao Tzu’s encouragement to accept things as they are still conveys an attitude toward life that I find to be a good counterpoint to my driven nature. Since Taoist wisdom can be especially useful to people who are compulsive, perfectionist, and obsessive, I thought it might be helpful for me to share how this enduring and poetic book has helped me.
Are you a compulsive hero or a heroic compulsive?
One way to free ourselves from unhealthy compulsive behavior is to understand our motivations, what drives and actually controls us. While we’re all unique, there are ancient and common patterns that underlie the roles we take on in life such as mother, father, warrior, healer, savior, priest, jester, caretaker and leader. These patterns are known as archetypes, and they’re illustrated in myths and symbols. These patterns exert a magnetic influence that can give us intuitive guidance and energy to help us do what we need to do. Or they can drag us into a perpetual rut of expectations and despair. Heroic energy can flow freely like water, or be frozen and rigid like ice.
Perceived Chaos and the Need to Control
People who are compulsive and perfectionistic struggle mightily with disorder and unresolved situations. These may...
Understanding the Four Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality to Achieve Balance
[Available in audio format at Google Podcasts and Apple, and Spotify.] As I’ve gotten to...
The Healthy Compulsive Book Has Arrived!
Recognizing OCPD and The Driven Personality A woman who recently realized that she had OCPD...
Critical Partner: Rescuer, Victim & Persecutor Roles
Look closely at any conflict with a critical partner, and you’ll usually see certain roles...
The Healthy Compulsive book is now available in paperback in addition to hardcover and e-book format:
Healthy Compulsive Book
If you’d like to use your time in psychotherapy more effectively, check out my book on therapy.
