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Think About It…

From the category Fast Facts

In 2013 the following question was posted on reddit; If somebody from the 1950’s suddenly appeared today, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them about life today?  The answer is not surprising, but it is a little unsettling. Continue Reading

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Couples Communication: Listening Without Reacting

From the category Five Minute Articles For Your Consideration

We often associate communication with what is being said and not with what is being heard.  Research shows (Adler, R. et. al., 2001) that we spend approximately 30% more time listening than talking in communication, yet listening is far less understood.  It doesn’t matter how good a communicator you are if nobody hears what you’re saying.  One of the main differences between talking and listening is that you cannot prepare to listen.  Continue Reading

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4 Ways For You To Think Like A Therapist

From the category Five Minute Articles For Your Consideration

It’s not that difficult to think like a therapist.  A lot of it is just common sense.  It’s not about knowing who is right or wrong, it’s about applying critical thinking to situations, having a good understanding of contextual information, knowing the role of empathy, staying current and relatable and being naturally curious.  The art of doing psychotherapy, on the other hand, requires a lot of skill but thinking like a therapist can make a big difference right now in how you manage your problems. Continue Reading

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Can Karma Dance?

From the category Concepts In Motion

The short answer is, yes it can.  However, to understand the motion of karma we have to view it in contrast to its close cousin, Determinism.

The philosophy of Determinism states that everything we do is directly related to our previous actions.  In this way all of our actions hang together like unbroken links in a chain.  Viewed three dimensionally, the links are influenced by our genetics, environmental factors and our personality makeup.  Continue Reading

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The Emotional Marriage

From the category Five Minute Articles For Your Consideration

A marriage is an emotional journey; a mix of passion and pathos, attraction and repulsion, and dreams and defeats.  Sometimes marriages survive, and sometimes they don’t (See blog entry, Why Marriages Fail; https://www.larrylaveman.com/2014/03/marriages-fail/).  Regardless, there is always more to learn from a marriage than any other relationship in our adult life.  We are fused to our mate in marriage.  We are forced into honesty by the mere fact that we cannot escape.  We are revealed, exposed, challenged, loved and rejected.  Continue Reading

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Everyday Mysticism: Part II

From the category Five Minute Articles For Your Consideration

From Unity to Duality: The Mystical Advantage of Polarities

In Part One of Everyday Mysticism we talked about Unity as representative of the Whole.  However, in order for the Whole to perceive itself it must become the focus of its own inquiry.  In doing so it becomes both a subject and an object, or a polarity. The focus of Part II is on the mystical advantage of polarities. Continue Reading

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Dali’s Time

From the category Concepts In Motion

Mick Jagger sang “Time is on my side,” but it didn’t keep him from getting old.  The paradox of time is that if we take our eye off it, it flies, yet if we stare at it too long, it crawls.  Sometimes we think we have plenty of time, and at other times we wonder where it all went.  The paradoxical nature of time is represented by the great Spanish Surrealist, Salvador Dali, in his painting, The Persistence of Memory.  Continue Reading

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