Being Frugal: Good Self-Care or Too Emotionally Expensive?
Being frugal can either enhance or undermine our well-being. Depending on why we do it...
Personal Stories
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.
How to Let Go Without Giving Up
I often write about how essential it is for perfectionists and compulsives to let go...
Perceived Chaos and the Need to Control
People who are compulsive and perfectionistic struggle mightily with disorder and unresolved situations. These may...
Wisdom for the Pandemic From Folks Who’ve Been There Before
I just came across an inspiring story by Sylvia Baer, a literature professor at Rowand...
6 Steps to Stop Being Judgmental
Those of us who are driven tend to lean forward and try to push our...
Keys to Facing OCPD Anxiety and Fear
People who are compulsive, workaholic or Type a personality have a, well, special relationship with anxiety. It propels them to get lots done, but it also makes it hard for them to enjoy life. And those at the unhealthy end of the compulsive spectrum, those who have Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), have such pressing anxiety that they may never enjoy life.
Authenticity: Why Being Realistically Real Matters
Living authentically feels good and is the best way to create the diversity we need to solve problems. But it’s not so easy to do, and, unrestrained authenticity is not such a wise approach all the time anyway. Unbridled authenticity in the wrong places can lead you to be rejected and hurt, and it can lead to hurting others needlessly if you say everything that comes to mind.
The Lifespan of a Fact: A Play About Truth and Missing the Point
I just got back from seeing the play, The Lifespan of a Fact. I keep...
Carl Jung Analyzes Ebenezer Scrooge: Archetypal Obsessive-Compulsive and Symbol of Transformation
Ebenezer Scrooge, the curmudgeonly, compulsive money hoarder and eventual hero of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas...
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.
