Do You Unquestionably Believe In Absolutes? Then Think Again... By Dr Linda Berman

The search for absolute – Rene Magritte. Wikioo. Do you believe that life is about searching for absolutes… for absolute truth, absolute perfection, absolute love? If you do, I have news for you. You are likely to be disappointed and to end up feeling like an inadequate failure. You will never achieve your own high standards. Study in black and white 1 – Frantisek Kupka. “Is life a game of yes…

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How To Stop Feeling Painfully Stuck In Your Life. By Dr Linda Berman

David Hockney – Ian Watching Television [1987] Gandalf’s Gallery. Flickr. Do you feel stuck in a rut and held back in your life? At work? At home? Or both… What does feeling stuck even mean? There are different meanings for different people, depending on their life-situation and the way they see the world. Generally, people report wanting to move on, but they feel they cannot; they are depressed,…

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Is It Always A Bad Thing To Be Indifferent? By Dr Linda Berman

Amedeo Modigliani – Madame Kisling (ca.1917 “Indifference is the essence of inhumanity.” George Bernard Shaw Indifference, quite deservedly, gets a bad press. As Shaw points out, it reveals a lack of humanity, a cold absence of care and concern, an apathetic disregard for the suffering of other people. Humanity, in contrast, is about love and compassion, caring and benevolence. Being able to…

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Fantasy and Reality: A New Collection Of Thought-Provoking Quotations. By Dr Linda Berman

Can we always live in a world of reality? Or do we sometimes need to escape into illusion and fantasy? Untitled. Celestial Fantasy with Tamara Toumanova. 1940. Joseph Cornell. Wikioo. “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find realityBut given the state of the world, is it wise?” Iris Murdoch The great novelist, Iris Murdoch, poses a question that many…

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"You're Too Sensitive!!" 3 Powerful Ways To Cope With Gaslighting. By Dr Linda Berman

The Night Cafe. Van Gogh. 1888. Wikimedia Commons. “People who harm you will blame you for it. Remember, an abuser will generally always play the victim, spin a story, tell everyone and they generally call you crazy.” Maranda Pleasant In last week’s post, I described how gaslighting is pernicious and destabilising. If this is accompanied by violence or threats of violence, or if it is very…

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Why Do Some People Have To Be So Manipulative? By Dr Linda Berman

**Just a warning to the reader that this post deals with some difficult issues and could be disturbing to some people. The Lie – Felix Vallotton. 1896. Wikioo “Manipulation thrives in an atmosphere of ignorance and naivety.” Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale Manipulation of other people can be exploitative and unkind; it may be described as influencing another in an unscrupulous way, to…

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Can Your Garden Embody Secrets About Your Personality? By Dr Linda Berman

Cottage at Wangford – Stanley Spencer. Wikioo “To dwell is to garden.” Martin Heidegger Heidegger’s words make us think. Whatever does he mean? To my mind, Heidegger’s ‘dwelling’ actually refers to living; it symbolises existing within a space and simultaneously interacting with it and caring for ourselves, others and our surroundings within that space. This metaphor links living and…

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The Garden As A Powerful Symbol In All Our Lives. Part 1 By Dr Linda Berman.

This is a post in two parts for you all, to welcome the arrival of Spring. It is a joyful, celebratory post and I hope you, the reader, will find it both soothing and enlightening. Learning from the garden  Garden – Giovanni Giacometti. 1910. Wikioo “A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire…

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Apologies!

Apologies – the post today was sent out in error- please ignore and a properly edited version will be yours on Tuesday!

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5+ Informative Quotations About The Importance Of The Therapeutic Frame. By Dr Linda Berman

Quote 1 Boundary Marker by the Jeker by Willem van Konijnenburg. 1943. Wikmedia Commons “The frame is the context in which psychotherapy occurs and all the arrangements that go with it. Think of the frame as the “rules of engagement” for treatment. Elements of the frame include privacy, confidentiality, a consistent appointment schedule, starting and ending sessions on time, maintaining…

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Why Is It So Important To Have A Questioning Mind?

Asking questions Most children love to ask questions. Apparently, they typically ask between 250 and 300 a day! (Myelin) Although it may sometimes be difficult, we need to try to answer their questions with patience, encouragement and understanding. For how else can they learn about themselves and the world? Questioning Children – 1949. Karel Appel. Wikioo “The best scientists and explorers…

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Do You Have The Special Gift of Self-Respect? By Dr Linda Berman

Duffy Sheridan – Head Study with White Scarf. 2010. Gandalf’s Gallery, Flickr. “To have that sense of one’s intrinsic worth which constitutes self-respect is potentially to have everything: the ability to discriminate, to love and to remain indifferent. To lack it is to be locked within oneself, paradoxically incapable of either love or indifference.” Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem:…

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How To Discover The Best Ways To Gain Inspiration. By Dr Linda Berman.

Inspiration – Marc Chagall. 1963. Wikioo. “Inspiration follows aspiration.” Rabindranath Tagore What inspires you? What recharges your batteries, brings you excitement, uplifts you, stimulates your creativity, floats your boat? Whatever our work or circumstances, we all need to feel inspired in order to really be alive, to follow our own personal star. In Tagore’s quotation above, he emphasises…

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Human Greed: What Powerful Unconscious Purpose Does It Serve? By Dr Linda Berman

Divine Greed – Alessandro Sani. Wikioo “The hypocrisy of some is that we like to think of ourselves as sophisticated and evolved, but we’re still also driven by primal urges like greed and power.” Michael Leunig Deeply hidden in the misty realms of our unconscious are many thoughts, feelings and impulses that may be too difficult for us to face. One of these is greed. This is, indeed, a ‘primal…

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More Valuable Quotations That Will Help You Understand Anger. Part 2. By Dr Linda Berman.

Anger as motivation Fuel Pump – Fernand Leger. Wikioo “Use your anger for good. Anger to people is like gas to the automobile – it fuels you to move forward and get to a better place. Without it, we would not be motivated to rise to a challenge. It is an energy that compels us to define what is just and unjust.” Arun Gandhi, The Gift of Anger When we feel strongly about an issue that we have…

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5+ Valuable Quotations That Will Help You Understand Anger. Part 1. By Dr Linda Berman.

Quote 1 Hieronymus Bosch- The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things – Anger. Late 15th Century. Wikimedia Commons “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.” Aristotle We all get angry- some of us more…

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Why Some People Are Two-Faced And How To Understand This. By Dr Linda Berman

Why are people two-faced? Can you identify with this behaviour yourself? What does the term even mean? Today’s post explores these questions and provides some ways of thinking that will shed light on aspects of this thorny issue. Two faced. Wikipedia Commons. Dall-E; prompted by Edgard Purwandi. “When I see you, I think, “I wonder which face she sees when she looks into the mirror.” C. JoyBell…

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