Ideas on Mental Health & Meaning
The Ailment of Our Times
Anxiety, Depression, Bi-polar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Eating Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism, Dementia, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. All very different mental illnesses with one thing in common: they have defined...
“I cannot”
"I cannot" - that's readily said, so quickly and so easily, it hardly requires a thought, only a motion of the tongue. And a possibility is dead. How would it have been, if it had stayed alive? Would it have made the unexpected expected, the unbelievable...
The Year of Do the Next Right Thing
We are almost a week into the new year - a time where many of us are still pushing hard to move forward with those big resolutions, or maybe reviewing where we may need to adjust our goals. Everyday life isn't always about "The Big Goal", it's about making the next...
What are Your Goals for 2020?
With only a few days left in 2019, many of us begin to look at goals for the new year, we talk of "resolutions". Any day is a good day to set a new goal, to look to achieve something, to grow beyond what we once were. But the beginning of a new year seems to add...
A Logotherapist’s Wish
My hope for you this week is that you enjoy a meaningful, blessed, and possibly even happy, holiday. This week marks the culmination of several weeks of "preparation" for my faiths and religions. It has been a time to remember the difficulties and struggles of life,...
Want v. Ought
"The ought is the ethical directive, how our personal conscience tells us to act in response to the meaning of the moment, to make us aware that what we feel deep within us is most meaningful. If the "want" is the result of our will to meaning, it is in accord with...
Darkness of the Holidays
Many traditions speak of a time of "darkness" leading up to the holidays. This time of year can often be dark for many people. The change in the seasons can have a significant effect on mental, emotional, and even physical health. If you've suffered loss of a loved...
A Meaning Manifesto
Life is much more than the everyday busyness of making a living or striving for personal success. Life is much more than a constant struggle of coping with harsh reality by fighting or escaping. Life can be lived at a deeper level and on a higher plane by adopting a...
From Grumbling to Gratitude
Gratitude - the practice of reminding ourselves what we have, what we experience, to be grateful for, is a key component to psychological health and mental well being. This is the perfect time of year to practice Gratitude. Not only as we celebrate Thanksgiving, but...
Striving, Substance Use, & The Holidays Part 2
As I am finishing up writing The Meaning Centered Recovery portion of the online Substance Abuse & Recovery course on teachable.com (feel free to take a look at https://drdan.teachable.com/courses/enrolled/662861) - I have been reminded of how important "striving"...
Return of the Holidays – Part 1
There several common topics I discuss in my office at this time of year. The holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving will soon be here, quickly followed by "Black Friday" - the spending holiday - then several weeks of "joyful preparation" that may be more "stressful...
Wisdom from The Alchemist
I don't know how I've never heard of this book until now. It was published over 25 years ago, and I just became familiar with it thanks to a logotherapy conference earlier this year, and the endocrinologist who recommended it. For me, it is one of those rare books...