When I was a kid in small-town Ohio, my grandma told me, “Only crazy people get therapy. Don’t be crazy.” End of advice. This is a typical response to therapy for some folks. We think that we should be able to handle our own problems…
Sometimes I wonder: Why do we fight, argue or disagree? We want our way. We want to be right. We want to get something. Are we willing to get it at any cost? For most of us, the answer is: no. In any relationship of…
You meet someone you like. You go out (or hang out) for a while. You get to know each other. It’s going well. Before you know it, you’re in a “relationship”. Time passes, and the relationship grows and deepens. It’s good. Hooray! More time passes, and, uh-oh, things aren’t so perfect anymore. The glitter…
Dear Michael: My elderly parents live in Cleveland. So far, they’ve been okay, but lately my dad’s health is shaky and my mom’s mental state isn’t the greatest. I am the only child who lives nearby; my brother and sister live in Montana and Florida,…
I am always interested in learning something new about how to have a happier, healthier, more peaceful and prosperous life. As a psychotherapist, I share these ideas and techniques with my clients and now I’d like to share some of them with you: Step 1:…
Dear Michael: I am 32 years old, 5’6” and I weigh 210 pounds. I’ve weighed this much most of my adult life. Why? I love to eat. Food is my friend, my best friend. Sometimes, my only friend. After dating a few men, who only wanted to use me because…
A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota’s top car engineers – aged 45 – has died from working too many hours. In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month. In Japan, deaths from…
Dear Michael: I am a new guy in town and feeling very lonely. Don’t give me the usual advice “get out there and mingle and get involved” because I’ve heard this so often I’ll puke if you give me that rap again. I’m handsome, successful and a…
Loneliness is a topic that no one wants to talk about. My clients tell me stuff like: “It’s too depressing”. “It’s so intense.” and “There’s nothing I can do about it”. I refuse to get all depressed and hopeless about loneliness. Yeah, I experience it…
Perhaps only God Himself/Herself is more important than humor. Seriously. Psychological research has found that when people list the qualities they desire in a partner, a good sense of humor consistently shows up near the top. For some of us, a good sense of humor is more…
