The grieving of an absence of parental figures is important for the later stage in resolving childhood trauma

In the newly released Marvel movie “Shang-chi”, one of the most impressive presentation was the relationship between Shang-chi and his father, Wenwu.  As Shang-chi lost his mother at young age and his father raised him in a very strict and harsh way, Shang-chi’s childhood was atypical and he had complicated feelings towards his father.  In …

What is psychotherapy in neuroscientific perspective?

Throughout the 20 years of my practice as a clinical psychologist, many people asked me similar questions, “Is psychotherapy just a chit chat?” “How does chit chat in psychotherapy different from my chit chat with family and friends?”.  In fact, asking such a question is similar to asking “How does a professional photographer’s way of …

A healthy boundary with others is important for our well-being

Many clients of mine complained about their friends seldom initiated chats or gatherings with them.  They felt that their friends only contact them when they were in need and intended to seek help or support from them.  They had a feeling that they were not important to their friends because they did not prioritize to check on …

The relativity of our judgment in our “reality”

It is inevitable for us to face different kinds of losses in our lives.  We might have faced losing our loved ones, our jobs, or even our health that causing us distress and mixed feelings.  Sometimes, we questioned why we had to face such a loss and wanted to find reasons for the loss.  It …

Our dichotomous thinking that distorts our perception of separateness from others

As human beings, we cannot escape from our automatic judgment on others whom we thought are different from us.  We tend to judge those people who did something that we disapprove or did not do something that we perceive to be a neccesary act.  For instance, an in-law relative negatively judged her cousin’s wife who …

The Olympic Game reminds us our ties to all living beings

Many of us enjoyed watching the Tokyo Olympic Game that was closed on 8 August.  In the closing ceremony, watching the athletes of the participating countries on the stage celebrating reminds us that we are interdependent beings in this world.  Throughout the 16 days, we enjoyed supporting the athletes from our hometowns or countries.  We …