Video-Gaming - the new drug.

Many mental health professionals have recognized video-gaming as an identified clinical problem but now the WHO (no not the rock band from the ‘60’s, but the World Health Organization) have officially taken notice.  Additionally, the United Nations Health Agency is “saying compulsive gaming is a mental health problem.” No Kidding!

Gaming is now classified as a specific addiction disorder such as gambling, or an AOD (alcohol and other drugs). Although these experts are stating that 3% of gamers are addicted I assert that this number is noticeably under representative of the true gaming addiction.  This discussion is nothing new to mental health arenas. If a new symptom or disorder surfaces the industry at large takes a while to identify, research and design strategies and treatment for the disorder.  In this instance, we see the American Psychological Association dragging their bureaucratic and often dinosaurus bones in a 2013 statement about gaming stating “a condition warranting more clinical research and experience before it might be considered for inclusion.”  Inclusion, meaning the DSM V...

Father Day? Daddy Issues? Celebrate or Pass? Sunday June 17, 2018

The Father’s Day Letter to my Estranged Dad presents as a wonderful evolutionary coming of age processing of an adult son’s cathartic reflections of his father-son relationship.  I initially started writing something light and positive but life is not always a win nor effortless. With some life experiences the struggle is part of the achievement.  With this said the Father Archetype is something that I vested six years in study.  All to say, a Ph.D. from a university that specializes in Jungian psychology has left me with an ongoing recognition that I don’t fully understand the symbolic and unconscious meaning of The Father.

There is so much to know and learn about the Father Figure.  Maybe I should have just said it’s complicated and sometimes I struggle to grasp the depth of the true meaning of the Father Figure Archetype.  Love, hate. One is the son and becomes the father. Or chooses not to become the father and a part of that branch symbolically dies? Or does more life go to ...

Divorced Men Who Knew their Marriage was Over - Melancholy or Opportunity to Move On?

Some Warning Signs from a Dominate Energy (Male) Account That The Masquerade is Over.

[If you just want to get to the bittersweet and avoid the reading and accept the final curtain call there is a wonderful song by Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley titled The Masquerade is Over. The jazz standard plays really well in an imaginal scene with a vinyl record player and a gin and tonic, or dry martini.]

I have had male clients who have disengaged with their spouses and were not fully committed to the relationship.  The other group within this client group are the men who were blindsided. Blindsided either by their partner or their own avoidance of the facts presented them.  The writing might have been on the chalkboard but they chose to ignore the screeching sound only to plow through the homework hoping to turn in the assignment desperate to receive a mere passing grade.  

Although I mentioned “male” clients this is primarily a representation of an energy within the relationship more so than let’s say specific gender.  Quite often, ...