Would you get a tattoo? Think about that seriously for a moment. For most readers of this blog, I know it’s not something that comes up, what with the biblical prohibition and all. But it’s an interesting thought exercise. If you could, would you?

“Wherever you go, there you are.” -Jon Kabat-Zinn

Therapist, to what can I compare thee? To a barber, of course!

When I was growing up, we used to play a game called “Don’t wake Daddy.” On Friday nights, my father would fall asleep on the couch, and my siblings and I would try to see how close we could get to him before he stirred.

Lazy is the word that we use to criticize others for not getting things done. And lazy is the name we call ourselves when we fall short of our goals once again.

The Torah instructs us to judge others favorably. On the surface, that means don’t jump to conclusions when it seems that someone has done something wrong. To me, this is an essential part of living a spiritual life.

When I was applying to grad school, therapists had a bad rap. “I can’t send my son to therapy,” one mother said to me. “He’ll just learn to blame me for his problems.”

As the political season kicks into second gear, and the presumptive presidential nominees turn their attentions across the aisle, I am struck by the polarized speech exhibited by supporters of both political parties.

Speaking with someone earlier today, I mentioned the oft-quoted point that the Seder on this holiday of freedom represents the freedom that structure and order can bring us (seder means “order”). He surprised me by remarking that he had actually decided to keep less of the Passover laws this year, and because of that felt less restricted, more free.

A while back, I saw a statistic that gave me pause. In 2010, the Unites States made up about 4.6 percent of the world’s population, and consumed a disproportionate amount of the world’s opioid supply. Would you like to guess what the percentage is?

What is hitting bottom, and what does it have to do with change?

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” - Neale Donald Walsch

Here’s a bit of trivia and a question for the Star Trek fans out there: the starship Enterprise - the prized flagship of the United Federation of Planets - traveled through space with its shields at a feeble five percent power. Now, isn’t that a risky and unnecessarily dangerous decision, to be exposed to any number of unfathomable dangers in space, the Final Frontier?

*Disclaimer: The post below contains humor about alcohol. If you would rather alcohol-free humor, check out Recovery Comedy.

As a follow up to last week’s post, this is a discussion about connection. Connection between humans, and between human beings and their Creator.

Funny how the need for an outlet, has been twisted and turned,
into the need for an escape, When often what we need, when we say we need an outlet, is an inlet…

At one of my former jobs, the client intake form had this question: how often do you engage in spiritual practices (e.g. yoga, meditation)?

This morning, out for a stroll, I was almost hit by a slow-moving car. Not dangerous, just annoying. I had the right of way, and an elderly woman driver was inching right through a red light. Displeased, I shot her a dirty look as I walked around her car.

Someone sent me a quote recently - one of those nice pictures overlaid with a pithy phrase. It read, “When you feel alone, it is a sign that God wants to be alone with you.”

More than most professionals, psychotherapists need to be aware of the potential for burnout. But anyone can experience emotional burnout: that irritability, loss of empathy and compassion, and general sense of depletion.