It seems like today there is a go to for almost every ailment/difficulty. Have an ache or a pain? Call the doctor, he/she will tell you what is wrong. Feeling insecure with one’s physical appearance? Go on that diet, or get that cosmetic procedure done – the professionals will fix it! Having a bad hair [...]
There is something paradoxical in the experience of achieving what was once so desired. We may fantasise/ imagine how that might feel, claim that whatever it is will change everything for the better. A weird thing happens though when a real opportunity arises to get that desired something. We freeze in fear, in a kind [...]
A Freudian Slip is when you say one thing and you mean your mother, I mean another; so the saying goes. Do you ever find yourself wanting to say something but before you even realise the words are out of your mouth you have said something entirely different? Often times, these are things that would [...]
French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan once suggested that ‘all sorts of things in this world behave like mirrors’. So it appears that we create what is around us by reflecting and projecting our inner workings of our mind. Whether it is pleasant or not, it comes from within and therein lies responsibility. It is on us [...]
What is psychoanalysis and how does it differ from other forms of psychotherapy? Essentially, psychoanalysis is a form of treatment that can be very helpful for individuals who are experiencing longstanding difficulties in the ways in which they think and feel about both the world and their position in it, as well as their relationships [...]
There is no escape from unexpressed emotions. They stay with us and somehow always find a way to come back in the most unpleasant forms. As was once noticed by Freud “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” Emotions need to be expressed so that [...]
A lot of us talk about ‘laziness’ as a reason for not doing that thing that we keep putting off doing, saying, etc. We think of it and immediately we come up with a reason to postpone, put off or avoid it. Then it goes to the back of our minds... until next time. So [...]
There is a certain perception we have of ourselves; an idea of a particular vision of self. It makes things easier for us, and at a surface level we accept that is just the way we are. Or so it seems. Yet where does this leave us? Are we only what we allow ourselves to [...]
In keeping with the ‘theme’ of our last blog post and as Valentine’s Day fast approaches, let’s talk about ‘gifts’. This time of the year, the act of giving and receiving gifts as a way of proclaiming and reinforcing love is all around us. Historically, the act of giving a gift has always been a [...]
There is still plenty of time before the day of celebration of love and affection yet from every corner we are stared at by reminders of its arrival. No pressure... Let's use this time to think about love. What is the connection between psychoanalysis and love and what kind of love does it account for? [...]
