BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

Beyond therapy: Some evil can't be cured by Norman Doidge What, other than our wish that it be otherwise, makes us think that every human vice is treatable by some form of psychotherapy? That this wish is not just naive, but, at times, harmful is illustrated by a recent Canadian study on group treatment for 238 sex offenders (rapists, incest offenders) from Warkworth penitentiary in Ontario. These prisoners included some well-documented psychopaths. All were taught to "empathize" with victims, and understand their "offence cycle" as part of treatment. After their release, it was found that those who had scored highest in terms of "good treatment behaviour" and who had the highest "empathy" scores were the more likely to reoffend on release into the community. Hannibal Lecter Charm School teaches good manners, but not morals. The important study by Seto and Barbaree replicated -- unintentionally -- a 1992 Canadian study that found treated ...

Having a child with ADD, when you're not - can be a challenge. Trying to work with the NYC School System can be frustrating and rage-inducing. My child has been profoundly lucky to have teachers who really care and last year, one who is passionate about teaching and reaching the minds of all his students... No matter how far outside the box he had to reach. My child is dynamic, frustrating, creative, imaginative, crazy-making and infinitely charming, loveable and full of compassion. Last year, they designed their own Halloween costume, sketched it, helped me get the fabrics for it and gave it to their very resourceful and innovative Aunt - who painstakingly brought it to life. My Nana, of blessed memory, (who was a clothing designer and made 90% of my clothing for me until she passed in 1981) - would be very VERY proud. For them & my other friends and childrens' friends with ADD, I post this article: by Ben Goldfarb A few years ago, my wife was waiting patiently for me...

Start with denial. Abuse is such a horrid phenomenon that society and its delegates often choose to ignore it or to convert it into a more benign manifestation, typically by pathologizing the situation or the victim - rather than the perpetrator. Statistically, the majority of abuse victims are female and most abusers are male. Still, we should bear in mind that there are male victims and female offenders as well. Ideally, after a period of combined tutoring, talk therapy, and (anti-anxiety or antidepressant) medications, the survivor will self-mobilize and emerge from the experience more resilient and assertive and less gullible and self-deprecating. Victims of abuse are saddled with emotional baggage which often provokes even in the most experienced therapists reactions of helplessness, rage, fear and guilt. Countertransference is common: therapists of both genders identify with the victim and resent her for making them feel impotent and inadequate (for instance, in their role as ...

For the most part, 99% of the comments I get on this site are positive or intelligent in their disagreement for me to post them. But sometimes we bloggers get comments that are nasty, accusatory or just completely out to lunch. And I have had a few of those in the last couple days about my therapist and friend's murder - Dr. Kathryn Faughey. I decided that I would "respond" to them here. On my own blog. I don't believe in spreading hate or nastiness - and getting into a p*ssing contest on a board isn't my idea of adult "discourse." I had a few comments of the "she should have known" or "anyone who treats mentally ill people are asking for it" variety. Stupid comments like that don't deserve an explanation. Dr. Faughey was a consummate professional. Not a psychic. No crime victim "knows" ahead of time. She obviously fought for her life like crazy against this animal. Her office is like 1000s of therapy offices in ...

Using Music to Lift Depression’s Veil by Alan Zale Many people find that music lifts their spirits. Now new research shows that music therapy — either listening to or creating music with a specially trained therapist — can be a useful treatment for depression. The finding that music therapy offers a real clinical benefit to depression sufferers comes from a review by the Cochrane Collaboration, a not-for-profit group that reviews health care issues. Although there aren’t many credible studies of music therapy for depression, the reviewers found five randomized trials that studied the effects of music therapy. Some studies looked at the effects of providing music therapy to patients who were receiving drug treatment for depression. Others compared music therapy to traditional talk therapy. In four out of five of the trials, music therapy worked better at easing depression symptoms than therapies that did not employ music, the researchers found. “The current studies indicate that music t...

God, this is hard Even though I consider my anti-abuse advocacy and helping other victims my Teshuva, I will admit it is helping heal my own inner wounds in ways I would never have thought. This article helps capture that feeling. Adele Ryan McDowell Did you ever hear this story? The young woman goes up to her parish priest and says, "Father, Father, will you please pray for my therapist?" The priest inquires, "Why does your therapist need prayers, my child?" And the young woman replies, "I am in therapy for only one hour each week, but my therapist is there for hours and hours all week long." The young woman had a point. My practice of psychotherapy has been a healing endeavor for me. It has opened my heart beyond my wildest comprehensions, and it has brought forward the very best part of me. I am convinced that one of the reasons the gods directed me into this line of work was to teach me patience. You can't push a process. The work can someti...

CAN WE 'LABEL' THE INDIVIDUAL PSYCHE? When I was an actor I found human behavior fascinating. I still do. Sometimes I will watch television or a movie and really work on trying to 'get into the head' of one of the characters. Like Tony Soprano - a sociopath with a conscience. A study in opposites. I used to do this when I worked and I found many of the people around me terribly distrubing. I still do. The people I meet in my advocacy work often intrigue me. Unfortunately, I am so empathetic I feel far too deeply in many cases. I have been in and out of some sort of therapy since about 1980. I know, I'm a stereotype. It was a huge stigma in my family to go. I never told my parents I was going. Besides, my narcissistic parent would have thought I was talking about them all the time. I have been with my current main therapist for over 10 years. I like her and she 'grows' along with me in a very non-judgmental sort of way. I have had other therapist...