Originally published on the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) Forum As therapist and patient, we find ourselves in a strange situation during a global pandemic. Pre-pandemic, we were two people leading relatively separate lives. One life, the patient’s, was somewhat known to the other. The other’s life was typically obscured. Now…

Originally posted on Quora, featured on Forbes and Apple News — The client-therapist relationship gives clients an opportunity to “play” with new ways of relating and connecting to other people. For instance, a client who has difficulty expressing her needs might experiment voicing needs with the therapist. The client may do this by requesting various things from the therapist, such as…

Originally posted on Quora, featured in The Huffington Post and Apple News — Self-deception serves a purpose. It addresses underlying needs, but with potentially fleeting and unsatisfying results. Anyone who has believed they can quell hunger with a bag of chips, instead of a real dinner, knows the feeling — you may be temporarily full, but you’re not satisfied. Helping clients understand and…

By Irene Yancher, PsyD. Originally posted on TechCrunch. There’s a life-threatening condition that prevents people from feeling pain. An afflicted person may leave their hand on a hot stove without realizing it. There are only 20 reported cases, because the genes responsible have been weeded out by evolution. …