In this episode we begin to explore the psychology of pain and pain management. We begin by discussing what pain is and what the function of pain is. We explore how acute, localized pain can develop into chronic, generalized pain. We then discuss the effect of chronic pain on the body and mind. Acute, localized pain will tend follow an “ideal” arc …

In this fourth episode on the topic of trauma, we shift from discussing the impact of trauma exposure on individuals to a discussion of how it affects families and couples. First, we discuss the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma, in which the negative consequences of exposure are passed from the generation directly involved to subsequent gener…

In this episode we continue the discussion of trauma by focusing on the impact of early childhood traumatic exposure throughout the lifespan and into adulthood. Exposure to trauma in early childhood can carry through to adulthood and may present in one of the following experiences: obsolete decisions, misdiagnosis, and the “frozen self.” We review …

In order to give hope and provide context to the healing process, in this episode we look at the three levels of coming back from a traumatic exposure: recovery, healing, and post-traumatic growth. In trauma recovery, the primary focus is on learning how to manage the symptoms that persist after exposure to traumatic stress. During this stage, the …

In this episode we discuss the phenomenon of traumatic exposure in three parts. First, we define what trauma is and explore how the definition has changed and expanded over time. Second, we break down what is happening within our bodies when we are in the middle of a traumatic event. We discuss how the information associated with danger produces ra…

In this episode we conclude our two-part look at the process of psychotherapy. We discuss how therapy can be seen to fail when a patient participates but does not experience any relief from their symptoms and how therapy can be seen to be “stuck” when the patient does not feel any sense of progress in their treatment. We examine the phenomenon of t…

In this episode we begin a two-part look at the process of psychotherapy. We define the process of talk therapy, and we discuss the roles and responsibilities of both the person seeking therapy and the person providing therapy. We explain the difference between the use of the terms “client” and “patient” and examine the context behind the use of th…

Part Two: The Power of Patterns In the second part of this two-part series on relationships, we look at how repeating patterns of conflict are created in relationships, and we look at how to identify and address these negative cycles. First, we discuss how our earliest experiences as infants with our caregivers condition the neurophysiological basi…

Part One: Attachment Theory In honor of February and Valentine’s Day, we begin a two-part exploration into how our past affects the quality of our relationships. In Part One, we begin by discussing attachment theory. Since its introduction in the 1950s and its refinement over the years, attachment theory has become the dominant view of how our earl…

Self esteem is a way of describing how we think and feel about ourselves and our worthiness. While low self-esteem (or low self-confidence) is not a specific diagnosis or separate pathology, it is often a component of mental health diagnoses. In addition, low self-esteem is a common complaint that comes up in the course of psychotherapy. The Two-Fa…

Have you made resolutions in the past, only to fall back into the same old patterns a little while later? Why do get trapped into patterns of failure? If we are to make changes for the better in our lives, we need to understand why we keep doing the same actions over and over again, even when we know they will result in failure. When we are trapped…

During this season, it is natural to evaluate the past year and to think about our plans for the new year. In the process of self-assessment, we should avoid the tendency to focus only on the negatives. Where we put our attention tends to expand and become confirmed by the information we filter into our conscious attention. Cognitive distortion can…

The holiday season can be a time for happiness and creating good memories, but it can also be a time of stress. Unrealistic expectations, a lack of structure, and over-indulgence can put pressure on us and our ability to cope. If we travel to spend time with family we haven’t seen in a while, old family dynamics and dysfunction can throw even the m…

Human beings learn by making mistakes and learning from them. Living in relationship with other people, we will inevitably end up hurting others and being hurt by other people. Therefore, it is crucial for our development and social survival that we understand and apply the technology of forgiveness. We must understand the process of asking for and…

Communication is a shared process of conveying information between people. The goal of communication is to get our needs met. When communication breaks down, it often causes resistance, defensiveness, and anger between people. By learning an improved strategy, we can learn to identify and express our needs with others in a way that can bring us clo…

Once we have learned how to get some relief from repetitive negative thoughts, it frees us up to use our minds to improve important areas of our life. People have intuitively known for a long time that the quality of our thoughts impacts the body—for better or worse. Advances in research into neuroimmunology and epigenetics have shown that harnessi…

Negative thinking can affect our mood, impact our behavior, and compromise our ability to effectively use our mind. When our mind is working for us, it helps us to solve problems, to generate creative ideas, and to organize and manage information and our time. When it is repeating distressing pictures or statements, our mind can become our own wors…

In this brief introduction to the Peace, Love, & Psychology podcast, I answer 3 general questions: Who am I? Why did I start this podcast? What do I hope you will get out of listening to it? Enjoy! Support the Show. Thank you for listening! Please subscribe and share with your friends. Recorded and edited at Studio 970West, Grand Junction, CO. CLIC…

In this episode, we explore the meaning of emotions and discuss 4 common "negative" emotions that people often seek therapy about: sadness, fear, anger, and guilt. We discuss what these emotions are trying to tell us about our reality, and we cover some basic strategies for understanding these emotions. We also spend some time talking about the pro…

In Episode 2, we delve more deeply into the mechanisms behind compartmentalization: Resistance and Stress Intolerance. We explore what is happening when we push emotions away and discuss practical Mind and Body approaches to help us learn to tolerate emotions in order to hear what they are trying to tell us about our reality. Support the Show. Than…