Ideas on Mental Health & Meaning
Dr. Dan’s Cyber Monday
In this "unprecedented" time, maybe we look to celebrate an "unprecedented" holiday season. As I wrote last week - we get to choose. As much as I try not avoid the materialistic culture that surrounds the Christmas and the holiday season, I'm not a complete...
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays - short work week, a day of eating great food with family and friends, football, and then a long weekend before entering into the Christmas Season. But this year is different. There are a lot of things that are...
Leader or Manager?
Leaders are those people around you who choose to take charge, but do so in a tactful, respectful manner, They are self-aware and recognize their own biases and how they affect others. They choose responsibly and act with integrity. They aim to make those around...
Transform Your Pain
Pain, Guilt, & Death - Frankl's Tragic Triad - three factors in life we can't escape, but we can choose how we deal with them. Fr. Richard Rohr, in Adam's Return, writes, It is the great teacher, although none of us want to admit it. If we do not transform our...
Reconnecting to Heal from Depression, Anxiety, and Addiction
As you may know, I've been digging deeper into Johann Hari's Lost Connections in the past few weeks. I love his work - but this one is just depressing... At least the beginning of it is. I found myself feeling quite hopeless as I read through the research and...
“The Architect of His Present Destiny”
"Then and there he understood that he is by no means merely the product of his childhood but the architect of his present destiny." One of the most common question I field as a psychotherapist is, "How did this event in the past affect who I am today?", or "How will...
My Afternoon with Johann Hari
Seeking out and engaging in interesting experiences can be very meaningful. Nature, Music, Art, Speakers - I've found all of them meaningful at different times. Last week I had the opportunity to experience some time with one of my favorite authors - Johann Hari. It...
Logotherapy Rules for the Family
In last week's podcast, I discussed Parenting for Meaning and Family Dynamics - topics that seem to be quite pertinent in our times today, or at least in my clinical work, they have been. Dr. Elisabeth Lukas, a student of Frankl's, shares these "rules for the family"...
Tragic Optimism for Our Suffering World
In last week's podcast, I talked about Viktor Frankl's idea of "Tragic Optimism" - that is, optimism "in spite of" the suffering in the world, the suffering brought on by pain, guilt, and death. We don't have to look too far to see suffering. Maybe we are...
The Medicine Chest of the Human Spirit
I fell on this while research a speech I am preparing - I forgot how profound the work of my dear Professor, Dr. Ann V. Graber, can be. You can here Alex Vesely and I swoon over her work a bit in last week's podcast. Alex is the grandson of Viktor Frankl, and an...
Looking For A Sign
This is, perhaps, is one of my favorite stories from any of Viktor Frankl's books. I remember tearing up a bit the first time I read it - the idea of "responsible action" in the face of such consequences was quite overwhelming. But I think it can also be a statement...
Anxiety & Trauma Resources
If you listened to last week's podcast with Crystal Whitlow, you know that EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - is one of the newest and most effect treatments for "Big T" and "Little T" trauma, as well as anxiety. Crystal also shared that it might...