Therapy for Dating Can Help You Avoid an Emotional Breakdown
Dating in the 21st century is hard. Singles are both overwhelmed and underwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the number of apps and an infinite sea of prospective partners/dating app users. Underwhelmed by the quality of their matches, interactions, and dating experiences. Many of my clients have expressed discontent with the current dating environment and culture. Common words […]
Is Something Missing in Your Therapy?
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao,” wrote Lao Tzu in Tao Te Ching more than 2,500 years ago, capturing a paradox that still resonates today. Our deepest experiences of meaning, awe, and transcendence often resist language. Yet the fact that spiritual and existential concerns are difficult to articulate does not […]
Trauma, Darkness, and the Powerful Therapy That’s Helping Me Heal
Want more posts like this in your life? Join the Tiny Buddha list for daily or weekly insights. Trigger Warning: This piece contains references to childhood trauma, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Please take care of yourself as you read, and step away if you need to. If you are struggling, you are not alone — […]
Creative Writing as Play Therapy
Over the past year, we have been working closely with colleagues here at Boston College to develop a psychologically rich, humanities-informed Creative Writing Master’s Program oriented toward professionals and clinicians who want to hone their craft as writers while deepening their understanding of the human psyche. The idea behind this undertaking is simple: Great writing […]
Why Coping Skills Therapy May Not Produce Durable Recovery
Whether depression, anxiety, psychosis, trauma reaction, or some other Mental health difficulty, the common refrain I hear (from family, friends, YouTube followers, potential individuals for therapy) is, “Aaron, I am doing…” and then a laundry list of coping skills: walking, box breathing, tai chi, petting their schnauzer. They are putting out fires. Some Mental health […]
Mindfulness-Oriented Therapy Reduces Craving for Opioids
Mindfulness is an approach to living with greater conscious attention, intention, and skill based on specific practices that facilitate this experience. These practices help people cultivate present-centered awareness of their internal and external experience—whether painful or pleasurable—with acceptance, and without judgment. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, chronic pain intensity, trauma symptoms, […]
Infidelity in Relationships and Recovery in Couples Therapy
Infidelity is probably one of the most painful and destabilizing events that can occur in a romantic relationship. It breaks trust, can lead to psychological trauma, emotional suffering, or even the onset of mental illness, and often raises questions about the future of the relationship. As a couples therapist, I’ve noticed that the meaning of […]
How to Deal with Shame
Shame is a debilitating feeling that takes over the mind and body. It can make you feel small and incomplete while building walls around you to keep out compassion. Despite wanting to be seen and known, shame causes people to hide behind masks instead. Healthy shame vs. toxic shame Shame is felt universally across countries […]
Finding a Culturally-Relevant Therapist
Long before I became a psychologist, the idea of Mental health as an Asian American was fraught with complexity. For many cultures, the very idea of admitting that we have mental struggles goes against every fiber of our being. The stigma of having a “mental illness” is something that is pathologized and shunned. Many suffer […]
Therapy Isn’t Something to Be Ashamed Of
As a therapist, as well as someone who goes to therapy, I can speak firsthand about the importance of attending therapy. Think of it this way: you are driving your car and suddenly you hear a funny noise. At first, you ignore it and hope it goes away. But over time, the noise starts to […]