Over a number of years, I have encountered clients who demonstrate the curse of being told in childhood, how special they are. ‘Special’ can come with a dark side: anxiety, pressure to succeed, perfectionism, isolation and failure to meet expectations; and, in time, may lead to illness. The ‘gifted’ may either burnout or self-sabotage, in order to prove their family
When I was a kid, 85 years ago, my favorite radio series was ‘The Shadow.’ The program began, ‘Who knows what lurks in the hearts of man? (Pause) The Shadow Knows!’ And it ended with the same deep, mysterious voice, repeating, ‘Who Knows…? (Longer pause) The Shadow knows.’ Psychology, for me, is playing the role of The Shadow. Psychologists delve
Of all the statements of the sixties and seventies that I use practically everyday, one is the title of Gerald Jampolski’s book, “Love is Letting Go of Fear.” The other day on seeing a patient, I used that phrase for the umpteenth time; and thought to myself: ‘What is fear?.’ It is an emotional experience, not unlike love, and as
Perhaps the greatest gift that we can offer another is the love that we discover within ourselves. Self-love has a beginning, but no end. One of the many games of life is to learn alchemy: the transmutation of emotional pain into love. Physical pain, on the other hand, is meant to be remembered. It tells us where to tread lightly.
The acknowledgment of ‘that other,’ those we observe to be different from ourselves, is the origin of all of our problems: disconnection, loneliness, judgment, comparison and more. What if the purpose of ‘that other’ is simply to see ourselves, outside ourselves; in another form with acceptance. How would life be different if we could accept ‘that other’ as a part
Dr. Brenner would like to share a video he really enjoyed: “This is a great video for us to share. I wish I was as erudite. The best piece on Epigenetics ever. I love, love Gabor.” ~Dr. Brenner Dr. Gabor Mate speaks about childhood trauma, addiction, the mind body link, early development, attachment, and the importance of human connection.
Illness is the mind/body’s need for change. It is definitely not the time for self-judgement. Life abhors constancy, stagnation. I’m suggesting that life is in charge, and we are no more than passengers on its journey. Illness is often a station we stop at and have the choice to get off, continue, reevaluate our situation, self medicate, do nothing, or
There are so many forces that shape our lives, from genetic inheritance to emotional responses, the environment, chance, roads taken and those bypassed. Yet there is one constant in all of it…You. Yes, you’re ‘It!’ It is for this reason that, when the going gets tough, the only one who can save you is you. So, when in distress, review
A special post from Dr. Brenner: Over the past few days, I’ve realized that I’m totally saturated by America’s fear of Death. Fear of not eating the right life extending diet or not doing the latest exercise to assure that I can live into my 90’s. And yes, those ridiculous Pharmaceutical Companies, filling T.V., while proffering cures while unashamedly create
Dr. Brenner recently came across this fantastic article, which he would like to share with his friends (that’s you!) Please click on the link or image below to check it out! Discover Magazine – http://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/13-grandmas-experiences-leave-epigenetic-mark-on-your-genes