What If SEL Were About Making the World a Better Place?

“M. K. Gandhi was harmful to the world,” one student wrote on his Instagram story, sharing a provocative video on Gandhi’s birth anniversary. When I asked why he posted such a video, the 15 year old replied, “It was to upset one of my classmates who admires Gandhi.” This classmate had ridiculed him for his […]

“Severance” Highlights Workplace Acts of Betrayal

Source: Photo by Ryan Chia on Unsplash There is a reason so many of us are hooked on the Apple TV+ science fiction show Severance, and it has to do with how uplifted we feel by the relationships formed between the central characters, offering one another hope, strength, and support from bonds of trust while […]

The Partition of 1947 and Intergenerational Trauma

Intergenerational trauma has become a buzzword over the last several years. It was first explored in the research of Canadian psychiatrist Dr. Rakoff and her colleagues in 1966. They found higher levels of distress among descendants of Holocaust survivors. This important finding helped provide a foundational understanding of this phenomenon. Studies in the 2000s examined […]

Choosing Reflection in Times of Change

Time moves slowly in the desert. Since relocating here in September, I wake with the light, like it or not. My closest local friend lives an hour and a half away. My husband and I have each other—thrilling in a second marriage in which we’ve never before lived alone without kids. Still, it’d been 30-plus […]

The Complex Relationship Between Dissociation and Narcissism

Narcissism and dissociation are psychological phenomena that, while distinct, are deeply interconnected. Both can emerge as adaptive responses to relational trauma or early developmental experiences. This interplay sheds light both on the challenges narcissistic individuals face in maintaining their sense of self, and the impact on their behaviors can have on others. Understanding these dynamics […]

Four Tips for a Successful Digital Detox

Life in the digital world can be rewarding. It’s convenient to order groceries for pickup, share photographs or music, and keep in touch with family and friends, no matter the distance. However, it can also be draining. The feeling of being constantly “on” and productive has driven people to reconsider their balance in the saturated […]

Building a Rejection Resume | Psychology Today

A few months ago, I ran a workshop at a youth Mental health conference with a good friend of mine who specializes in talking about embracing failure. She openly shared many of her own failures with the audience and offered advice on supporting teenagers experiencing failure or rejection. During the Q&A afterward, one audience member […]

Can Social Activity Be a Form of Medicine?

As a hospital-based physician, I almost always treat people with serious chronic health conditions. As a consequence of these conditions, they lose not just energy but also connection to much of what makes them feel alive. Such was the case with Mr. T., a 67-year-old man I recently cared for at Alta Bates Summit Medical […]

Lucy and the Primate Perspective

The Primate Perspective helps us recognize that we are deeply connected to the natural history of this planet as well as countless forms of life around us, on us, and inside of us right now. Source: Guy P. Harrison Many astronauts and cosmonauts have described the Cosmic Perspective as a life-changing upgrade for the modern […]

Are Humans Meant to Share Beds?

Recent research on animal sleep behavior has revealed that sleep is influenced by the animals around them. Olive baboons, for instance, sleep less as group sizes increase, while mice can synchronize their rapid eye movement cycles. In western society, many people expect to sleep alone, if not with a romantic partner. But as with other […]