Dr. Dale’s Journal: Diagnosis Black

Dale Maxwell, M.D., (October 3, 1939-June 24, 1997). The results are in. You are going to die soon. What Would You Do? If you’re like me, you’ve wondered how you’d face a really terrifying diagnosis. Bravely? Prayerfully? Drunkenly? I picture myself running around the neighborhood from house to house banging …

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I’m Okay if You Are Okay with Me.

I’m Okay if You Are Okay with Me. **This article is not a standard review but a discussion of how the story weaves in lessons in psychology and behavior. What’s the difference between being in love and being locked in relationship dependence? In her novel, The Pact, Picoult does an …

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Why Do They Have Television on Christmas?

Anytime I work with a personal story I remember my father’s caution against ever thinking my life is any more interesting than anyone else’s. I hope I haven’t slipped up. Maybe my little story will awaken a place in others where their stories hide. After the New Year I will …

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Stress Relief: Kid in the Shower Cap Saves the Day!

My husband and I had taken the three nieces and one nephew on a trip through New Mexico. On one late afternoon the nephew was getting the worse of it from his sister and cousins. Everyone was tense and the nephew, a bit irritable, began to focus on how he …

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Coffee: Gateway to Heroin

Coffee:  Gateway to Heroin Useful Psychology Teaches Us ‘How to Think,’ Not ‘What to Think’ The problem with Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just say No’ anti-drug program was that the focus was on blind obedience. This method works well with children still in the ‘concrete thinking’ stage of development, but does not …

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Self Regulation: How Can I Do a Better Job of Managing Emotions?

Self Regulation: How Can I Do a Better Job of Managing Emotions? Notes on Bowen Theory.  Hal DeShong, Ph.D.  Psychology for Dummies Entry Note:  This entry outlines elements of self-regulation (a.) through (g.), each of which will be clarified with painful examples in upcoming articles. For example, to illustrate ‘Decreasing …

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Should I Apologize?

Should I Apologize? Well, of course. Unless you are that one perfect person you make mistakes all the time. So, I ask you, can you give me one rational reason why you shouldn’t apologize? When I ask this question in my office I usually receive one of those ‘I’m-paying-you-and-this-is-what-I-get?’ expressions. …

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