Many years ago, I came across an ad for subliminal weight loss tapes.  I was familiar with the concept of subliminal messages because I remembered a hotly contested issue about movie theaters using this technique to make you buy their popcorn.  It was referred to as an unconscious perception, or perception without awareness, which allows your eyes to see something before your brain has time to process the message. I remembered being blown away by the way the mind could …

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I’m an economist by nature.  I don’t like spending money foolishly.  I don’t like wasting resources.  I don’t like wasting time.  And most especially, I don’t like wasting words. When I speak or write, I want my message to be understood.  You don’t have to agree with me but you do have to understand what I’m trying to say.  If you don’t, then I have failed to communicate effectively. I never used to think I was any good at winning …

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People react to shock in a variety of ways.  For some, they pass out, for others, they cry or have crying jags where they can’t stop crying.  Some people stop talking and can’t get started again or they get so numb that they can’t feel anything on an emotional level.  Still for others, they say and do things that are so out of character that it defies explanation. One example of people doing things that are so out of character …

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Over the past several decades, therapy has become the flavor of the month pastime.  Many of those on the outside want to get in, and would if finances permit it, and those on the inside want to stay in.  It doesn’t matter whether or not they are making progress, they just feel more comfortable staying and staying and staying. I have always been of the belief that if you are going for therapy, choose someone you can connect with, someone …

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Fear is one of the most overwhelming, paralyzing emotions a person could ever have.  We’re not talking about the type of fear we experience in a crisis where life and limb are in danger, the “fight or flight” type of fear; we’re talking about the day in, day out fears that prevent us from living a full life and are the greatest deterrent to personal freedom. We’re all familiar with the typical kinds of fear: fear of failure, fear of …

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