Men, Emotions, and Chivalry (C.S. Lewis)
Do emotions make us weak? Can emotional suppression lead to psychological and interpersonal problems for men? This video discusses what relationship men ought to ideally have with their emotions. I advocate for building a capacity to effectively regulate emotion without psychological repression or impulsiveness. I encourage men to access their vulnerable feelings with those who…
Read MorePosttraumatic Growth: Positive Growth From a Distressing Experience
What Does Trauma Look Like? When most people think of ‘trauma’, they picture a severe or life-threatening situation such as a natural disaster, serious accident, being the victim of a crime, or experiencing abuse. While these incidents often cause traumatic responses, other life events like a chronic illness, being a caregiver to a dying…
Read MoreCommunication Tips for Couples
Difficulty communicating is one of the most common reasons couples seek therapy. All relationships experience conflict, but how you and your partner fight can have a significant impact on the quality of your relationship. Effective communication can move couples from familiar patterns of arguing, to a place of being heard and feeling understood. Improving communication…
Read MoreCannabis: Enigma on the Shelves
Cannabis: Paranoia, Hype & Public Perception Then and Now Until October of 2018, if you wanted cannabis, you had to know a guy, someone willing to risk serious jail time. Since October, many ‘weed dealers’ have either left the business or they went legit. They might wear an NSLC cap and apron, offering a printed…
Read MoreThe Meaning of Mental Illness and Disorder
A while back, I read an online essay by David B. Feldman, titled: “Is Mental Illness Real?” The subtitle reads: “Some psychologists argue calling emotional difficulties ‘illnesses’ is nonsense.” I have been thinking a lot about the concept of mental illness and wanted to engage this piece, as a way into debates about the meaning…
Read MoreMental Health and Meditation
What a strange thing to do I remember as a young kid seeing cross-legged monks in meditation on the pages of National Geographic, fascinated by the strangeness of it. I couldn’t compare it to anything in my life. It seemed peculiar because of the robes, painted temples and the shaved heads, but it was most…
Read MoreOut of Sync: How to handle mismatched libidos
Sex can be hard to talk about. We seem to live in a paradoxical society where sexual imagery and connotation is ever-present and pervasive, and yet for many of us there is also a sense of discomfort, embarrassment, and even shame around this topic. This can start from an early age due to experiences growing…
Read MorePostpartum Depression
After an exhausting pregnancy and a challenging delivery, you have finally returned home with your baby. You expect the weeks and months that follow to be the happiest time of your life but instead you find yourself feeling quickly overwhelmed and frustrated. One minute everything seems fine, and the next you feel a wave of…
Read MoreWhy are you Angry?
Anger is an emotion that’s experienced universally, and can vary in degree of intensity from frustration to rage. Definitions of anger differ slightly between sources; “a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism” (Merriam-Webster), or “a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility” (English Oxford Living Dictionaries). While anger is a normal part of…
Read MorePsychology of Fear: Why we Love Halloween
It’s that time of year again, when themes of death, evil and horror briefly seep into mainstream culture to play upon our excited imaginations. Yes, Halloween is upon us. Ghosts and zombies are everywhere as people are out buying costumes and decorating their homes and workplaces in preparation for the annual haunting event. The fact…
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