Category: marriage

Alexithymia and the Secret Schizoid

I want to switch gears for a moment.  Some time ago I wrote this post–Affective Deprivation Disorder and Alexithymia in Marriage.  According to my stats, this is the most widely viewed post on my blog.  That is telling.  I had never heard of alexithymia… Continue Reading “Alexithymia and the Secret Schizoid”

Therapy Homework: Disgust and Vulnerability

Therapy Tuesday has come and gone.  It was my longest session yet.  Almost a full two hours.  I don’t know why he lets them go on for so long.  I drank so much water during the session that thoughts of Niagara Falls started rushing… Continue Reading “Therapy Homework: Disgust and Vulnerability”

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

This is the title of a book I just started reading by Lundy Bancroft, a well-known therapist who specializes in working with women in domestic violence and/or abusive relationships. The title didn’t thrill me.  It scared me, but the premise intrigued me.  How do… Continue Reading “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

Therapy Homework: Anger

I had Tuesday Therapy last week as usual but not this week.  This week is Spring Break, and I was with my family in a cabin in the woods on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  Duh duh duuuuuuuh…(my husband only stayed a day… Continue Reading “Therapy Homework: Anger”

Third-Party Credibility

Tuesday is therapy day for me.  I’m supposed to have a fifty minute session.  I had a two-hour session.  In fact, my prior sessions were about ninety minutes each.  My therapist just lets them go on and on.  He then looks at the clock… Continue Reading “Third-Party Credibility”

The Importance of EMDR

I want to talk about EMDR.  What is EMDR? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)1 is a comprehensive, integrative psychotherapy approach. It contains elements of many effective psychotherapies in structured protocols that are designed to maximize treatment effects. These include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential,… Continue Reading “The Importance of EMDR”

Affective Deprivation Disorder and Alexithymia in Marriage

I have written somewhere in here that my marriage has been difficult.  If you’re married for nearly two decades, then I think, at some point, there will come hard relational times.  It’s inevitable and normal.  I am someone who doesn’t like to put up… Continue Reading “Affective Deprivation Disorder and Alexithymia in Marriage”

Self-Validation and Recovery of the Self

Circumstances never wait for us to be ready.  Some circumstances happen suddenly, and some, looking back, have been simmering for a long time.  It’s not a surprise when they boil over and make a mess.  Why do we then feel surprised? Is it denial?… Continue Reading “Self-Validation and Recovery of the Self”

Abandoning the Self

I live in Minnesota.  I overheard someone say once that we work for our seasons.  That’s an oddly funny thing to say, but, if you live here, then you’ll understand the meaning in that sentiment. As a seasonal change approaches, the current weather patterns… Continue Reading “Abandoning the Self”