Thoughts in Mental Health

On My Life (Almost) Ending and Beginning Againby Richard Riemer, Ph.D. Author’s Note: This essay originally appeared in The Los Angeles Psychologist, official publication of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, in 2007.I. The Descent: On My Life (Almost) EndingOn July 8, 2003, already unconscious in a hospital’s ICU and intubated (wit...

Have you ever had the experience of sharing your life challenges or problems with an empathic listener who gave you his or her undivided attention? A kind of listener who did not judge you and really cared about what you had to say. Someone who was not quick to give you advice and solutions but was interested to hear how you felt about your life ch...

Many parents bring their child(ren) to therapy in the hopes that in doing so they would learn what their child(ren) are doing and thinking. In a way, making the psychotherapist a pseudo-spy for the parents. This approach to therapy, however, may end up being more detrimental to the child and the family than it can be helpful. This article briefl...

“I’m in therapy…I should be feeling better, right? Why do I feel more challenged than before I began?” Many people think of therapy as an emotional tune-up, much like bringing the car in when it begins to sputter and spark. Find a good therapist, make an appointment, talk it out, pay the bill, and leave the session with a shiny new outlook. It...

Problems come from all segments of our lives. The stress for many can become so debilitating that the mind eventually pays the price.Mental illness is a pretty lonely place to be.  The demons that reside and runs wild within the sufferer's mind gives no rest especially for those afflicted with more serious forms of mental illness, e.g., ...