Do You Have a Ghost Life?

Do you ever wonder about your unlived life? Do you ever wonder about the life you might have had? I have a patient, S, who was obsessed with her unlived life, her “ghost life,”...

Not Your Mother’s Manners

It is not unusual to hear manners dismissed as artificial or outdated vestiges of a formal and stuffy past. Some argue that manners constrain self-expression and are no longer relevant in a world that...

Does Appearance Matter?

It was junior year of high school when I discovered the boy I had a crush on had a crush on someone else. Heartbroken, I took to my bed. I wore one of those...

Do You Perform Differently When Someone Is Watching?

What is the simplest way to make tastier food? According to a study from Harvard Business School, cooks make significantly better food when they can see their customers. It seems that the mere sight of...

Throw Money At It

“There just isn’t enough time in the day,” explained Jennifer, a new patient. Jennifer had initially come to see me because of a conflict with a co-worker but it had become increasingly clear to...

The Paradox of Horror: Why We Love To Be Afraid

Why do some people love to be afraid? Psychologists tell us we are pleasure-seeking and pain-avoiding creatures and yet many are drawn to scary movies and other hair-raising experiences: Audience members of an effective horror...