by Harper West | Apr 3, 2016 | Emotions, Relationships
Fear isn’t just about physical danger. Emotional fear can look a lot like anger. But relationships do not thrive in anger or fear. People who behave with fear, generate fear in others. People who behave with love, generate love in others. Think about your...
by Harper West | Jul 20, 2015 | Relationships
I had a patient describe her husband as someone who bites his tongue for days about an issue, then becomes angry at her out of the blue. I said: “Oh, he is afraid of conflict,” and she looked at me quizzically. “But he gets angry and we fight. He seems to like...
by Harper West | Jun 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
When one or both members of a relationship have a lack of assertiveness it can lead to relationship problems. In the short term, not speaking up may feel like a good solution. Unassertive people have good intentions: “If I don’t say anything negative or speak up, it...
by Harper West | Apr 22, 2015 | Accountability, Relationships
It is a truism in psychotherapy that those who actually should be attending therapy are the ones who rarely find their way into treatment. In “Pack Leader Psychology” I categorized personalities into three types: Dominators, Submissives and Avoiders. Dominators are...
by Harper West | Jan 13, 2015 | Self-Acceptance
I heard a snippet of an interview on NPR tonight with a man who believes that the extensive use of gadgets is leading to a lack of creativity. He thinks that creativity requires quiet time to think and that the constant distraction by electronic media may lead to...
