Sometimes when I’m listening to a friend process a major stressor I will ask, “What made you respond that way?” or “How do you feel about your situation.” Several seconds will pass and then they say, “Are you therapizing me?”  I will stop, think, and consider my motivations behind the question.  Often times it is genuine curiosity and desire to ( Read more... )

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” was stated in The Godfather.  It quote repeated with varying minor alterations, but the same meaning. I agree . . . with the real intention of the proverb not the misinterpretation. What? Misinterpretation?  Many believe the quote is says be cold blooded, but Maria Eugene intended it to mean: revenge (or ( Read more... )

The past two weeks I’ve been talking about motivating your bad guy/gal.  When you go deeper into their psyche, you create a well-rounded evil person that haunts your reader’s dreams.  Last week I talked about fear disguised as jealousy and envy.  Today I’m still talking about a different fear.  First, I want tell you a story. So grab your blanket ( Read more... )

As promised I am talking about the motivations of dark, seedy, amoral characters. (How I love them so.)  Again I say, antagonists cannot be bad just to be bad.  It doesn’t work.  Well, it can, if you want a cardboard character. But I suspect you want someone who is dark and sinister, someone who haunts your reader’s nightmares.  It ain’t gonna ( Read more... )

I did this a few months ago and I’m doing it again . . .

Ninety percent of the time when I see a show or read a book that has a psychologist, I cringe. Why? Two reasons: 1) psychologists are portrayed incorrectly; 2) mental illness is portrayed incorrectly. It drives me bonkers. Then I started thinking, maybe some of you writers out there need ( Read more... )

bogwitch64 asked about treatment for disorders that involved panic and counting type behaviors.

The disorder being asked about is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). People may not have an actual panic attack (rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, feeling of doom, sweating, etc) but they will experience anxiety. First let’s get on the same page ( Read more... )

lloveland asked: What does psychotherapy for PTSD look like and how would it look in a teenager?

First, to make sure everyone is on the same page with regards to the definition for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), here is the short version according to the DSM-IV-TR:

Reexperiencing an extremely traumatic event accompanied by symptoms of ( Read more... )

 After deciding I could put my Ph.D. in Psychology to good use by dismantling myths about the field. I asked all you writers (and nonwriters) out there to send me your psychology oriented questions. My friend Pam, musingaloud , took me up on my offer. She found cognitive interventions to be powerful tools for combating negative thoughts related to her writing ( Read more... )

First, Thank you to glynisj  for your question. Here is your answer . . .

*Borderline Personality Disorder (BDP): pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects and  marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts.

Symptoms:

They try to avoid abandonment, separation, or ( Read more... )

I’ve been thinking. I know. I know. I try not to do it often. But sometimes it just happens. Hopefully my random cogitations benefit people. So here are my latest thoughts. Actually, they’re old thoughts, but I’m writing them down. Here goes . . . ninety percent of the time when I see a show or read a book that has a psychologist, I cringe. Why? ( Read more... )