One day a wise and respected king decided to humble his son, whom he saw as arrogant and unfit to take over the thrown. The king said to his son the prince, “My son, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 2, 2020
We all have a running inner dialogue of thoughts. Sometimes this inner self talk is pessimistic, critical or blaming. By attending to our inner self talk, we will notice critical thoughts intruding, and that’s ok. We need to look carefully at our angry thoughts and try to see if we
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 1, 2020
At some point in your life, you probably learned the golden rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. There is a phrase in Exodus 21:23,24 that many cite as a religious basis for the golden rule “a life for life, eye for eye, tooth for
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 28, 2020
Everyday, somewhere in America, violence erupts. Each night on the news there are people telling their horror stories of injury and trauma, testifying to the terror that occurs in big cities and small communities. Yet this country seems to say with a shrug, “What are you gonna do.” To address
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 28, 2020
There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 28, 2020
Some of my clients will say to me: “why do I always end up drinking more than I wanted? I just don’t know….I wish I could change how I talk to my son. We always seem to end up fighting. I just don’t know what to do….I can’t believe it.
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 9, 2020
Antigone of Sophocles: “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only sin is pride.” The mind generally uses the “makes-sense-to-me” rule, where you take a position, look for evidence that supports it, and if
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 7, 2020
Conflict arises from differences. It occurs whenever people disagree over their perceptions, feelings, or opinions. Sometimes these differences look trivial, but when a conflict triggers strong feelings, a deep personal and relational need is at the core of the problem. Some have a need to feel safe and secure. Others
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger May 31, 2020
Trauma, anxiety, and panic attacks should be treated with the same mindset as someone who has been knocked down. It is a painful experience that hurts and can be a bit frightening and disorienting. Yet the discomfort will pass with time, wounds will heal, and we will survive. I would
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger May 31, 2020
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger May 13, 2020