“Are you into any of the new stuff?” The Bob Newhart Show Season 1, Episode 18

Therapists are neither saints nor superheroes. They are people who make the world a little better through their ability to listen, empathize, see other perspectives, and recognize the patterns and nuances in their patients’ inter- intrapersonal worlds. But they’re just people.

I think we do a profound disservice to trainees when we say things like "it's the relationship that heals" without clarifying what it is about the relationship that heals, and how that happens, and how psychotherapy differs from other interpersonal relationships. They need /1

When you pay your therapist $250, or whatever you pay them for a session, you’re not simply paying for their time. You’re paying for all the years and thousands of hours of training, experience and ongoing professional development that prepared them for that hour.

Sometimes people dislike us because of our immutable characteristics. Sometimes people dislike us because of how we treat them/others.

As long as he denies his own agency, real change is unlikely because his attention will be directed toward changing his environment rather than himself. Irvin D. Yalom #responsibility #self #change

I have a reputation among some of my colleagues for being cynical about the state of modern psychotherapy and the competency of most who claim to be practicing it. This thread effectively summarizes what thoughtful and sophisticated psychotherapy looks like.

If you’re a therapist or therapy patient, please read 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

When you’ve been in therapy for awhile, you start to notice how “random” things in your life are actually quite connected...like discovering a hidden Fibonacci sequence you didn’t know existed. And once you see these patterns, you can change them. It feels like magic sometimes.

Sometimes I need a change of scenery when I do my weekend reading! Nothing like a little fresh air and sunshine (pardon the 102°) to enliven you a bit! ☀️🌵⛰

Dr. Emily Anhalt Beautifully put. Meaningful psychotherapy helps us see what was unseen and know what was unknown. And that changes everything.

Hearing people next to me at the coffee shop using some popular psychobabble to understand themselves/others makes my heart happy. Not because what they’re saying is accurate - clinically sound - but because they’re at least being curious and desire understanding.

Also reminds me you never know who’s standing next to you at the coffee shop 🤣.

I’m nearly convinced that my effectiveness as a therapist has less to do with a particular intervention and more to do with my ability to keep the patient talking until they say what they need to hear. It’s surprisingly easy to silent a patient or, worse yet, write their script.

Enjoyed this beautiful view on my weekend hike in Sedona (Cathedral Rock).