Category Archives: Emotions

Ignore Your Feelings

Posted on November 29, 2020 by jamesmatter

So, did that get your attention? What’s a therapist doing telling people to ignore their feelings? Aren’t we, the therapists, supposed to help people get in touch with their feelings? Not necessarily. This is going to be a relatively short … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, behavioral health, choices, Depression, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Distress tolerance, Emotions, Feelings, mental health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Waiting

Posted on April 28, 2020 by jamesmatter

Many years ago when I was a college student, I went to visit a friend who lived in exurban Connecticut. My friend was the third of that name and was so called “Buddy,” the other names having been used on … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, choices, Crisis survival, Distress tolerance, Emotions, Feelings, Frustration, handling the unexpected | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Boy Who Wanted to Be Happy

Posted on October 20, 2018 by jamesmatter

I have found myself recounting this story many times in the course of my professional work, most recently in the week just past. I read it many years ago in a collection of children’s stories, and I associate it with … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, behavioral health, Depression, Emotions, happiness, mental health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Posted on July 11, 2018 by jamesmatter

My apologies to those who have been waiting. Someone who I see personally reminded me that I hadn’t posted anything for quite some time, and I reiterated that I first started this with the avowed intention of creating only original … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, Depression, Distress tolerance, Emotions, Grief, mental health, suicide, Suicide prevention | Tagged | Leave a comment

Grief and Depression…

Posted on March 24, 2018 by jamesmatter

Are not the same. I remember a client once saying that she had broken up a longstanding relationship and her parents were worried about her becoming depressed. She was, in fact, on antidepressant medication and had been having problems. However … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Emotions, Feelings, Grief, Sadness, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Feelings About Feelings

Posted on October 20, 2017 by jamesmatter

Some time ago I noticed a common problem, or perhaps I should say problem about problems, that many clients shared– People would be down on themselves for being depressed, or angry with themselves about their anger problems, or would worry … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Emotions, Feelings, happiness, mental health, Recovery, Renewal, Sadness, spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Depression Forever?

Posted on December 2, 2016 by jamesmatter

Imagine (or recall) yourself as a second grader. It’s a Friday afternoon in May, and the weather is beautiful. After school is out, you will get to play late outside, and you have the whole weekend ahead of you. But … Continue reading →

Posted in choices, Depression, Distress tolerance, Emotions, mental health, Recovery, suicide, Suicide prevention | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Seeking Safety– You Are Not Alone

Posted on October 28, 2016 by jamesmatter

  Seeking Safety is a manual driven treatment for PTSD and addiction, developed by Dr. Lisa Najavits. It was originally designed for use with all female groups, but has since been used with a wide variety of different populations. Over … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, behavioral health, belongingness, Emotions, Feelings, group therapy, hope, mental health, Recovery | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Self Pity versus Self Mourning

Posted on April 15, 2016 by jamesmatter

Just a quick thought & a question– what is the difference between feeling sad about something bad in your life, and feeling self-pity? This came up recently in a session, where a client worried about sinking into self-pity. this is … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, choices, Depression, Distress tolerance, Emotions, existentialism, Feelings, happiness, hope, mental health, mindfulness, Recovery, Renewal, Sadness, spirituality, Therapy processes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can We Talk?

Posted on June 4, 2015 by jamesmatter

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” According to Wikipedia, this quote, most commonly attributed to John Lennon, goes back to a (then) famous cartoonist in 1957. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Boy_%28Darling_Boy%29 As time has passed, I’ve been conscious … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, Depression, Emotions, Feelings, Therapy processes | Tagged | Leave a comment